US 5,335,082 A · Method and apparatus for using monochrome images to form a color image

Abstract

A permanent color record (18,20,22) of an image provided by a scanner (10) employed in medical diagnostic procedures is formed on a standard sheet (58) of 8.times.10 inch black-and-white film by three separate monochromatic record images (18,20,22) of respectively different ones of three color components of the scanner developed image. The film sheet (58) with its three black-and-white images is viewed on the screen of a viewer (116) having three lenses (120,122,124) positioned to project light of three different colors in converging paths through respective ones (222a,222b,222c) of the monochromatic record images and to project three image components in mutual superposition on the viewer screen. The three different color image components on the viewer screen are precisely positioned so that there is no visibly discernible misregistration. Either the three image components on the color record are formed on the sheet film (58) with a predetermined maximum misregistration or the viewing system is adjusted to accomplish such maximum misregistration on the viewer screen. A hard disc memory (430) is used to acquire and electrically store a plurality of color or black-and-white images made in any sequence before selectively extracting all black-and-white or all color images for optical recording.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A medical diagnostic color imaging system for use with a medical diagnostic scanning device that provides an output having a plurality of electrical color image component output signals respectively representing different optical color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device, said system comprising:

input means for providing sets of electrical color image component input signals wherein the signals of each set represent different optical color image components of an image of a subject scanned by said device,
memory means having a plurality of image storage locations, each said location being configured and arranged to store a set of electrical color image component input signals respectively representing the different optical color image components of an image of the subject scanned by said scanning device,
means for storing a plurality of sets of said electrical color image component input signals at different ones of said storage locations,
film holder means configured and arranged to hold monochromatic film, and
means responsive to said memory means for exposing a plurality of optical record color image components on different areas of film in said film holder means, each of said optical record color image components comprising an optical record of a different one of said optical color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device.

2 more elements

A method of forming medical diagnostic optical record color images for use with a medical diagnostic color scanning device that provides an electrical output having sets of electrical signals wherein signals of each set respectively represent different color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said scanning device and wherein each set represents a different image of a subject, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of said sets in a storage medium,
reading a selected one of said sets from said storage medium after a plurality of said sets have been stored, and
employing each set read from said storage medium to form on a monochromatic film a plurality of mutually spaced optical record color image components that respectively represent different color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said scanning device.

A medical diagnostic color imaging system for use with a medical diagnostic scanning device that generates a first color output having a plurality of color image component electrical signals respectively representing different color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device, or an alternative second monochromatic output having a monochromatic electrical signal representing a monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said device, said system comprising:

input means for providing sets of electrical color image component input signals wherein the signals of each set represent different optical color image components of a color image of a subject scanned by said device, and for providing electrical monochromatic input signals each representing a different monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said device, said sets of electrical color image component input signals and said electrical monochromatic input signals being provided sequentially in the order in which they are generated by said scanning device,
memory means having a plurality of image storage locations, each said location being configured and arranged to store a set of electrical color image component input signals respectively representing the different optical color image components of a single color image of a subject scanned by said scanning device, or an electrical monochromatic input signal representing a monochromatic image of a subject scanned by said scanning device,
means for storing a plurality of sets of said color electrical color image component input signals and a plurality of said electrical monochromatic input signals at different ones of said storage locations,
film holder means configured and arranged to hold monochromatic film, and
means for selectively reading from said memory means a first group of said sets of electrical color image component input signals and consecutively forming on a first film in said film holder means an exposed optical record of a sequence of the sets of said first group, or selectively reading a second group of said monochromatic signals and consecutively forming on a second film in said film holder means an exposed optical record of a sequence Of the monochromatic input signals of said second group, whereby said scanning device may be operated to generate color and monochromatic outputs in any sequence, and a group of the color outputs of the scanning device may be employed consecutively to make a group of consecutive optical records of color images and a group of monochromatic outputs of the scanning device may be employed consecutively to make a group of consecutive optical records of monochromatic images, regardless of the order in which said first color and second monochromatic outputs are generated by said scanning device.

2 more elements

A medical diagnostic imaging system for use with a medical diagnostic scanning device that generates electrical outputs of first and second types in a varying sequence, and that intermixes outputs of different types, all of which outputs must be grouped according to type, each output representing a first or second type of image of a subject scanned by said device, said system comprising:

memory means for storing said outputs as electrical signals of first and second types respectively corresponding to said electrical outputs of said first and second types,
means for selectively extracting from said memory means first or second groups of signals, wherein all signals of said first group comprise signals of said first type of electrical signals, and all signals of said second group comprise signals of said second type of electrical signals, and
means responsive to said extracting means for making first and second sets of optical records of said groups of signals, whereby said first set of optical records comprises a plurality of records each representing an image of said first type, and said second set of optical records comprises a plurality of records each representing an image of said second type.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for using monochrome images to form a color image

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for using monochrome images to form a color image

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12