Camera method and apparatus for recording with selected contrast
AssigneePolaroid Corporation
InventorWilliam T. Plummer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The provision in front of the image surface of a photosensitive element of a device that selectively directs image light with increased intensity to microscopic, spaced-apart portions of the image surface yields a photograph or like record having a selectively decreased contrast. The photograph is viewed independently of its location relative to the light directing device. Changing the apparent aperture through which image light reaches the light-directing device can control the amount of contrast decrease. Further, selective filtering of a portion of the incident light separately controls the contrast of high-exposure portions of the image.
Claims42
Camera apparatus for image recording with reduced contrast, said apparatus having support means for receiving an image recording medium at an image surface and having a lens aligned along an optical axis for directing light from a field of view along an optical path to the image surface, and further comprising
- A. light-distributing means arranged in the optical path between said lens and said image surface for modulating the distribution of image light from the lens across the image surface for effectively dividing the image surface into microscopic portions, different ones of which receive relatively increased exposure and others of which receive relatively lesser exposure, than in the absence thereof, from the image light, and
- B. aperture means interposed in said optical path anterior to said distributing means for illuminating said distributing means with image light to separate said image-surface portions of increased exposure spaced relative to one another to form portions of lesser exposure therebetween.
Camera apparatus for image recording with optically-adjusted contrast, said apparatus having support means for receiving an image recording medium at an image surface and having a lens aligned along an optical axis for directing light from a field of view along an optical path to the image surface, and further comprising
- A. light-distributing means arranged in the optical path between said lens and said image surface for modulating the distribution of image light from the lens across the image surface for effectively dividing the image surface into microscopic portions, different ones of which receive relatively increased exposure and are non-overlapping and others of which receive relatively lesser exposure, than in the absence thereof, from the image light, and
- B. aperture stop means arranged along said optical path in front of said distributing means and having a selected spectral transmission.
In the photorecording of an image on a medium at an image surface, the improvement comprising reducing the contrast of the recorded image, said reducing step including
- A. directing incident image light by light distributing means to different microscopic portions of the image surface, with some portions receiving relatively increased exposure and others receiving relatively decreased exposure from the image light,
- B. maintaining said former portions spaced relative to one another to form said portions of decreased exposure therebetween, and
- C. reading the recorded image independent of location relative to said distributing means.
A photorecording process for reducing the contrast of an image recorded on a medium at an image surface, said process comprising the steps of
- A. directing incident image light by light distributing means to different microscopic portions of the image surface, with some portions receiving relatively increased exposure and others receiving relatively decreased exposure from the image light, and
- B. selecting the aperture from which image light is incident on said distributing means for maintaining said former portions spaced from one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.