JP2601262B2 - Multi electron beam imaging device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a multi-electron beam imaging apparatus using a plurality of electron beam sources.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as an electron emission source of this type of device, for example,
JP-B-54-30274, JP-A-54-111272 (U.S. Pat.No. 4,259,678), JP-A-56-15529 (U.S. Pat.No. 4,303,930), or JP-A-5-30
It is disclosed in JP-A-7-38528.

Further, the multi-electron beam imaging tube is disclosed in the specification of a multi-electron beam imaging tube filed by the present applicant and filed by the same inventor as the present inventors.

Further, in a conventional image processing apparatus having a television camera as an input, only one television camera is used. Therefore, the resolution and the field of view of an image are uniquely determined by the number of pixels unique to the television (TV) camera.

In this case, first of all, if an attempt is made to obtain a close-up screen of an arbitrary part by grasping the whole outline and judging the result, as shown in the explanatory view of the TV camera arrangement side in FIG. A method of moving the zoom lens to change the magnification and moving the stage STG on which the direction of the TV camera TVC or the object to be imaged is placed is adopted.
The subsequent signal processing is performed by the computer CP via the memory FM.
Executed by U.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in such a method, since a desired zooming and stage movement uses a mechanical servo mechanism, it is difficult to perform high-speed and high-precision control, and lacks reliability and maintainability. was there.

Further, as shown in another application arrangement example in FIG. 6, an object to be shot on the stage STG is divided into a plurality of regions by a plurality of television cameras TVC, and a memory FM and a computer which follow each camera TVC are taken. A method of processing an image signal by the CPU is also conceivable.

According to this method, the resolution limit determined by the number of pixels of one TV camera can be compensated, but the memory FM increases with the increase in the number of cameras TVC,
That is, the storage capacity is inevitably increased.

For this reason, there are disadvantages such as an increase in the amount of hardware and an accompanying cost, and an increase in access time from the computer CPU.

Also, for example, in JP-A-60-103779,
As shown in Fig. 7, an example of arrangement is provided with a plurality of camera TVCs. For a general overview, output signals of each camera TVC are sampled. A signal control circuit SCT for synthesizing an output signal of a TVC has been proposed.

However, the use of a plurality of cameras as described above complicates the apparatus, makes it difficult to align the boundaries of the areas shared by the cameras, and furthermore, the image around the partial area due to the aberration of the camera lens. There are many problems such as unnaturalness of the synthesized image due to distortion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example, and it is also possible to partially remove the above-mentioned disadvantages and obtain a schematic image of the entire screen with one imaging device (one camera). It is an object of the present invention to provide a small and low-cost multi-electron beam imaging apparatus that can easily obtain a detailed image.

[Means for solving the problem]

For this reason, in the present invention, photoelectric conversion means for converting imaging light of a subject into an image signal, and an electron beam provided to the photoelectric conversion means in a matrix corresponding to each pixel of the photoelectric conversion means. In a multi-electron beam imaging apparatus including a plurality of electron beam generating units that read out image signals by irradiating, a first specifying unit that specifies a partial readout area in one screen of the photoelectric conversion unit,
A second designating a pixel interval to be read from the photoelectric conversion means;
Corresponding to a partial reading area in one screen of the photoelectric conversion means specified by the first specifying means and a pixel interval read from the photoelectric conversion means specified by the second specifying means. Control means for controlling the plurality of electron beam generating means to irradiate the photoelectric conversion means so as to sequentially read image signals to be read from the photoelectric conversion means, thereby achieving the object. Is what you do.

[Action]

According to the configuration of the present invention as described above, an image signal read from an arbitrary read area in one screen at an arbitrary pixel interval at a simple and low cost without increasing the storage capacity of a memory or requiring complicated signal processing. Can be obtained.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control circuit according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a multi-electron beam imaging tube used in the present invention.

(Configuration / Principle of Image Pickup Tube) (FIG. 2) First, an outline of the configuration of the above image pickup tube used in the present invention will be described. PEC is a photoelectric conversion unit, which is formed by laminating a light-transmitting substrate FP, a light-transmitting conductive film TSP, and a photoconductor layer PC. The electron beam generator SEG includes a plurality of electron beam generators SEG _1,1 , SEG in which m rows × n columns are arranged in a matrix.
_G1,2 , ---, SEG _{m, n} . EB represents the generated electron beam.

OUT is the photoconductor P irradiated by the electron beam EB.
An output image signal terminal at a position on C, DRC is a column-direction driver for providing a drive signal to the electron beam source SEG _n in the column direction, C ₁
-C _n, the column control signal line provided in the column direction driver DRC, C ₁ -C _m, the column drive signal line converted by the column drivers DRC, CENBL the column to allow the output of the column drive signals A drive enable signal line, DRR is a row direction driver for providing a drive signal to the row direction electron beam source SEG _m , r _{1 to} r _m
Is a row control signal line provided to the row direction driver DRR, R ₁
To R _m is converted row driving signal line by the row direction driver DRR, RENBL is row drive enable signal line which allows the output of the row drive signals are.

The imaging principle of the imaging tube having the above configuration is as follows. When row and column control signals r and c and enable signals RENBL and CENBL are given to the row and column direction drivers DRR and DRC, the corresponding row and column drive signals R and C are changed. ON, the electron beam source SE at the intersection
G _{m, n} is driven to emit an electron beam EB. The electron beam EB travels straight in the configuration of FIG.
It enters the PC. On the other hand, the subject forms an optical image on the photoconductor layer PC through a lens system (not shown), and is converted into a corresponding charge distribution on the photoconductor layer PC by a photoconductive effect. Upon irradiation, a current is output from the output terminal OUT according to the charge distribution at the irradiated position.

(Configuration of Control Circuit) (FIG. 1) Next, in FIG. 1, CLK is a basic clock for driving the electron beam source SEG, and XCNT is a column of electron beam source SEG _{m, n} positions. A counter for designating the direction, YCNT, is a counter for designating the position of the electron beam source SEG _{m, n} in the row direction. XSR, XER, YSR, YER
XSR is a register for storing a starting coordinate position in the column direction, XER is a register for storing an ending coordinate position in the column direction, and YSR is a register for specifying a rectangular area of the electron beam generating unit SEG. Is a register for storing the starting coordinate position in the row direction, and YER is a register for storing the ending coordinate position in the row direction. XIR and YIR are registers for designating intervals, respectively. XIR is a register for storing intervals in the column direction, and YIR is a register for storing intervals in the row direction. XSC, XEC, YSC, YEC
Are comparators, XSC compares the value of the counter XCNT with the value of the register XSR, XEC compares the value of the counter XCNT with the value of the register XER, and YSC
Is compared with the value in the register YSR.
Compare the value in NT with the value in register YER. XENB, YENB
Are programmable counters, which are used by loading the values of the registers XIR and YIR in advance. ENBL
Is the logical product of the carry signals of the programmable counters XENB, YENB, and the row and column enable signals RENB,
Connected to CENB. XDCR and YDCR are respective decoders, which decode the values of the counters XCNT and YCNT, respectively, and control signals C ₁ , ---,.
C _n; r _1, ---, and supplies as r _m.

(Operation of Control Circuit) (FIGS. 1, 3, and 4) Using the above-described configuration, first, a direction in a full-screen mode for capturing a schematic screen of the entire screen of the imaging target area will be described. FIG. 3 shows the electron beam generator SEG in this case.
FIG. In this case, first, as shown in the figure, (1, 1) is designated as a rectangular area start coordinate point, (M, N) is designated as an end coordinate point, and (m, n) is designated as an interval. These values are stored in the registers as follows. That is, the register XSR is 1, the register XER is N, the register XI
N for R, 1 for register YSR, M for register YER, register Y
M for IR. Next, the values of the registers XIR and YIR are loaded into the programmable counters XENB and YENB. The above is the initial setting.
Generate CLK. The clock CLK indicates the value of the counter XCNT as 1
When the count value exceeds N, a carry occurs and the value of the counter YCNT is incremented. The value of the counter XCNT is compared with the value of the register XSR by the comparator XSC, and if the count value is large, an enable signal is output. Since the count value is always equal to or greater than 1 in the full-screen shooting mode, the enable signal is always output. Further, the value of the counter XCNT is compared with the value of the register XER by the comparator XEC, and if the count value is small, an enable signal is output. In the full screen mode, since the count value is smaller than the maximum value N in the column direction, the enable signal is always output. When both comparators XSC and XEC are outputting the enable signal, the clock CLK is transmitted to the programmable counter XENB, and the value is incremented. Since the programmable counter XENB counts the value of the register XIR as a cycle, a carry is generated as an enable signal for each value n. The similar operation of the counter YCNT, the comparators YSC and YEC, and the registers YSR, YER and YIR causes the programmable counter YENB to generate an enable signal. The enable signals of both programmable counters XENB and YENB are ANDed to generate an enable signal ENBL. The position of the electron beam source at this time is
It is decoded by XDCR and YDCR, and is supplied to the multi-electron beam imaging tube together with an enable signal. As a result, the charge distribution of the subject formed on the photoconductor layer PC of the photoelectric conversion unit PEC is converted into an electric signal by thinning out every n and m pixels over the entire screen.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, which illustrates the operation of the electron beam generator SEG in the partial screen mode, when capturing a detailed partial image, the rectangular area start coordinate values (p, q)
In each register XSR, YSR, and the end coordinate value (s, t).
Is stored in the registers XER and YER. Also, the interval value is designated as 1 in both the matrix direction and stored in the registers XIR and YIR.
With this setting, the enable signal is output within the rectangular area and at specified intervals, similarly to the operation in the above-described general full-screen imaging mode, and each electron beam source SEG _m in the desired rectangular area is output. _{, n} will be driven.

In the above embodiment, the description has been given of the case of the two modes for obtaining the schematic image of the entire screen and the detailed image of the part. However, by specifying the rectangular area and the interval, any part of the subject can be sampled at an arbitrary thinning rate. Needless to say, the obtained image can be obtained.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, according to the present invention, a photoelectric conversion unit that converts imaging light of a subject into an image signal, and the photoelectric conversion unit that is arranged in a matrix corresponding to each pixel of the photoelectric conversion unit. A multi-electron beam imaging device including a plurality of electron beam generating means for reading out an image signal by irradiating an electron beam with the electron beam; Designation means; second designation means for designating a pixel interval to be read from the photoelectric conversion means; a partial readout area in one screen of the photoelectric conversion means designated by the first designation means; The plurality of electron beam generating units are configured to sequentially read from the photoelectric conversion unit image signals corresponding to pixel intervals to be read from the photoelectric conversion unit designated by the designation unit. And control means for controlling the photoelectric conversion means to irradiate the light, so that the memory capacity of the memory is not increased and complicated signal processing is not required. , An image signal read at an arbitrary pixel interval from the read region can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a control circuit according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a multi-electron beam imaging tube, and FIGS. FIGS. 5 to 7 are explanatory diagrams of three examples of a conventional TV camera application arrangement in the full screen mode and the partial screen mode, respectively. FIGS. PEC Photoelectric conversion unit SEG Electron beam generation unit SEG _{m, n} Each electron beam generation source

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nobutoshi Mizusawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Ryuichi Arai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Yasuhiko Ishiwatari 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-61-120589 (JP, A) JP-A-54-154927 (JP) , A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A photoelectric conversion means for converting imaging light of a subject into an image signal; and irradiating the photoelectric conversion means with an electron beam arranged in a matrix corresponding to each pixel of the photoelectric conversion means. A multi-electron beam imaging device comprising: a plurality of electron beam generating means for reading image signals in a first electronic device; a first specifying device for specifying a partial readout area in one screen of the photoelectric conversion device; Second to specify the pixel interval to read from
Corresponding to a partial readout area in one screen of the photoelectric conversion unit designated by the first designation unit and a pixel interval read from the photoelectric conversion unit designated by the second designation unit. Control means for controlling the plurality of electron beam generating means to irradiate the photoelectric conversion means so that image signals to be read are sequentially read from the photoelectric conversion means.