High resolution video camera apparatus having two image sensors and signal processing

1. Background-Field of the Invention A video signal generating apparatus where the video signal is produced using two different image sensors has been described. The optical beam received from the camera lens is split into two beams via a beam splitter. Each beam is applied to the corresponding color and monochrome image sensors. Both imagers are scanned synchronously, and the corresponding output signals are digitized. The monochrome imager is scanned at a lower frame rate and generates a high-resolution luminance signal Y. The second imager has color filters, arranged as vertical stripes. This imager is scanned at a higher frame rate, faster than the first frame rate, and generates a set of two low-resolution color difference signals Cand C, and one low-resolution luminance signals Y. At frame both image sensors are scanned, at frames and only the color sensor is scanned, at frame both image sensors are scanned, at frames and only the color sensor is scanned, at frame both image sensors are scanned, and so on. The low-resolution color signals Cand Cfrom frames etc. are digitally interpolated to have the same resolution as corresponding high-resolution luminance signal Y.Parallel with this, a set of motion signals are generated from the low-resolution luminance Yfrom all frames The motion signals, the interpolated color difference signals, and the high-resolution luminance Yare mixed into a composite data stream, compressed if necessary, and formatted into a standard 20 bits wide 1.5 Giga bits per second data rate. Additional information such as date, time, camera location, etc. can be added to the data stream if needed.