Appeal No. 96-1628
Application No. 08/167,617
video image signals corresponding to said respective areas" is
disclosed on page 11, lines 8-30, as a programmable attenuator
48 which
responds to the first control signal C from the
1
threshold detector 46 to attenuate the image signals
(the voltages) from the sensor 33 which correspond
to
the areas where the incident intensity exceeds the
threshold and responds to the second control signal
C
2
not to attenuate the other image signals received.
Figure 7B is a schematic representation of the
programmable attenuator 48. The programmable
attenuator comprises a signal modifier 49 for
stepping down a signal received at a first input
thereof. The degree by which the input signal is
stepped down is determined by a control signal S
supplied at a second input of the signal modifier
49. Conveniently, the signal modifier can be
implemented by an operational amplifier for which
the first input is the positive input and the second
input is the negative input. The control signals C -
1
C are used to control a switch 47. Thus, image
2
signals received from the image sensor 33 are
directed by the switch 47 to the programmable
attenuator 49 on receipt of a control signal C from
1
the threshold detector 46 indicating that the
received signal from the sensor 33 is representative
of an image intensity exceeding the predetermined
incident inten-sity P. Such signals are then
stepped down by the amount determined by the control
signal S. Image signals received from the image
sensor 33 when a control signal C is supplied by the
2
threshold detector 46 are channeled by the switch 47
8
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Last modified: November 3, 2007