Slide scanner
OwnerHoward H. Barney, Kent S. Johnsoninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A color slide transparency scanner projects an intense stripe of light through a color slide. Red, green, and blue filters successively filter the stripe of image from the slide. In some applications, a neutral density filter adds still more information from dark areas of the slide image. A carriage carrying the slide moves across the light. A CCD array detects the filtered images and converts them to analog electrical signals. Circuitry converts the analog signals to digital.
Claims28
A scanner that converts analog information of color slide transparencies into digital information for storage in a computer memory comprising:
- (a) means for producing a thin stripe of light much thinner than the length dimension of the slide;
- (b) a slide carriage for holding a slide;
- (c) means for moving the slide carriage along a line of movement across the thin stripe of light at predetermined speeds to produce projected analog images;
- (d) lens means in the path of the projected analog images for focusing such images;
- (e) red, green, and blue filters;
- (f) means for moving the filters sequentially into the projected analog images each for a different period of time to produce filtered analog images;
- (g) detector means for detecting the filtered analog images focused thereon by the lens means and generating corresponding electrical signals;
- and
- (h) means for converting the electrical signals into digital signals suitable for storage in a computer.
The scanner claimed in claimed 3 wherein the means for producing a thin stripe of light includes a light source removed from the slide carriage and the filters so that heat from the light source does not affect the slide or the filters and optical fibers in the path of light from the light source and having an outlet conforming to the thin stripe of light to produce the thin stripe of light.
A scanner that converts analog information of color slide transparencies into digital information for storage in a computer memory comprising:
- (a) a base;
- (b) a light source mounted on the base:
- (c) a fiber optic bundle having an entrance and an exit and mounted to the base, the exit of the fiber optic bundle being in the shape of a long and narrow stripe to project a thin stripe of light from the light source;
- (d) a slide carriage for holding a slide;
- (e) means for moving the slide carriage linearly across the stripe of light;
- (g) red, green, blue, and neutral density filters;
- (h) a filter mount holding the filters for serial interception of images from a slide in the slide carriage projected by the stripe of light to create superimposable images;
- (i) means to present each of the filters serially for the interception of the images and to produce filtered images, the presentation being for a period of time selected for each of the filters;
- (j) a lens mounted to the base for movement towards and away from the CCD means and the slide carriage for focusing the image on the CCD means, the lens and the filter mount being coupled together for this movement;
- (k) CCD detector means for detecting the images from the filters superimposed for each stripe and converting them into analog electrical signals, the different periods of time being a function of the response of the CCD detector means to the particular light striking it, the period of time for the neutral distance filter being sufficient to overexpose the CCD detector means except for shadowy areas of the slide;
- and
- (l) means for converting the electrical analog signals into digital signals suitable for storage in a computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.