Digital camera

• US 20030169361A1
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co., Betriebs KG (Stahl Beteiligungs- GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co., Betriebs KG (Stahl Beteiligungs- GmbH)
• Inventors: Popp, Hermann, Koppetz, Michael, Khanh, Tran Quoc, Kandleinsberger, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,391,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

The invention relates to a digital motion picture camera comprising at least one optoelectronic sensor device for the recording of motion pictures. The sensor device has, in an areal arrangement, a plurality of sensor elements for the generation of a respective received signal in dependence on a light exposure. The camera further has a control device for the controlling of the read-out of the received signals of the sensor elements as well as a digitizing device for the digitizing of the received signals. The camera moreover has an optical viewfinder for the visual observation of the motion pictures to be recorded and a beam deflection device which is interposed in front of the sensor device and by means of which the reception beam path can be split at least into one recording beam path for the sensor device and one viewfinder beam path for the optical viewfinder. The sensor device can be controlled by means of the controlling device for the recording of the motion pictures at a pre-settable variable picture recording frequency.

Claims

1. A digital motion picture camera, at least comprising

an optoelectronic sensor device (31) for the recording of motion pictures, with the sensor device having, in an areal arrangement, a plurality of sensor elements (53, 55, 57, 61) for the generation of a respective received signal in dependence on a light exposure;

a control device (45, 47) for the control of the read-out of the received signals of the sensor elements, with the sensor device (31) being controllable by means of the control device (45, 47) for the recording of the motion pictures at a pre-settable variable picture recording frequency;

a digitizing device (35) for the digitizing of the received signals of the sensor elements;

an optical viewfinder (27, 29) for the visual observation of the motion pictures to be recorded; and

a beam deflection device (15, 51) which is disposed upstream of the sensor device (31) and by means of which a received beam path (13) can be divided at least into a recorded beam path (19) for the sensor device and a viewfinder beam path (21) for the optical viewfinder.

2. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the starting point in time of the exposure of the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) and/or the end point in time of the exposure of the sensor elements is controllable by means of the control device (45, 47) for the variation of the picture recording frequency.

3. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) of the sensor device (31) can be controlled by means of the control device (45, 47) for a sequential resetting and a subsequent sequential read-out.

4. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the cycle of a sequential resetting or read-out of the received signals of the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) is controllable for the variation of the picture recording frequency.

5. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements of the sensor device (31) are controllable by means of the control device (45, 47) for a parallel or a group-wise parallel resetting or read-out.

6. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the picture recording frequency is variable continuously or in increments of a sensor element read-out cycle.

7. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each sensor element (53, 55, 57, 61) has its own amplifier device (33) and/or its own digitizing device (35) associated with it which is preferably integrated in each case into the sensor device (31).

8. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor device (31) has a CMOS sensor.

9. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the optical viewfinder (27, 29) is made for the generation of a virtual or of a real image.

10. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the beam deflection device has a rotationally movable mirror diaphragm (15).

11. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the beam deflection device has a beam splitter, in particular a partly transmissible mirror (51), a dielectric beam splitter or a holographic beam splitter.

12. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a control photo sensor is disposed downstream of the optical viewfinder for the additional control recording of the motion pictures.

13. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a beam splitter device is provided along the viewfinder beam path by means of which the viewfinder beam path can be split at least into one control recording beam path for a control photo sensor and into one observation beam path for the optical viewfinder.

14. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the exposure time of the sensor device (31) is electronically controllable by the control device (45, 47).

15. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the exposure time of the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) is controllable by the control device (45, 47) for each sensor element individually, for some of the sensor elements together or for all sensor elements together.

16. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a rotationally movable diaphragm device (15), by means of which the exposure time of the sensor device can be set, is disposed upstream of the sensor device (31) in the reception beam path (13).

17. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the diaphragm device has a mirror diaphragm (15).

18. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the diaphragm device has a rotational diaphragm.

19. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the diaphragm device (15) has one or more transmission openings (23), in particular transmission openings in the shape of sectors of a circle.

20. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the rotational frequency of the diaphragm device (15) is variably controllable by the control device (45, 47).

21. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the cycle of the read-out of the received signals of the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) and the rotational frequency of the diaphragm device (15) can be synchronized with one another by means of the control device (45, 47).

22. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the diaphragm device (15) has a plurality of transmission openings (23) and the picture recording frequency is a multiple of the rotational frequency of the diaphragm device corresponding to the number of the transmission openings.

23. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 19, characterized in that the size of a transmission opening (23) is variably controllable by means of the control device (45, 47).

24. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) are controllable for the generation of reference reception signals during an interruption of the light exposure.

25. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) are controllable for the successive generation of a plurality of received signals which correspond to different exposure times and are associated with a single motion picture.

26. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (53, 55, 57) are controllable for a freely selectable read-out.

27. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor device (31) has a single optoelectronic sensor.

28. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (53, 55, 57, 61) of the sensor device (31) are each provided with a color filter;

and/or in that the sensor elements (53, 55, 57, 61) of the sensor device (31) are color resolving.

29. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a cooling device is provided for the active cooling of the sensor device, with the cooling device preferably having a Peltier element or a fan.

30. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the digitizing device (35) is connected to at least one data interface for the transmission of the digitized received signals to a digital memory device (39).

31. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that at least one digital memory device (39) is provided for the storage of the digitized received signals, with the memory device preferably being able to be coupled to the motion picture camera in an exchangeable manner.

32. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that the memory device (39) is controllable by the control device (45, 47) for the additional storage of at least one recording parameter.

33. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that a clock is provided for the making available of a time signal, with the storage of an actual time signal together with motion picture data or with a recording parameter being controllable by means of the control device (45, 47).

34. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that the memory device (39) has an identification device by which an identification code can be transmitted to the control device (45, 47).

35. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that the motion picture camera and the memory device (39) are designed for a wireless transmission of data to be stored, with the motion picture camera preferably having a wireless transmitter and the memory device (39) having a wireless receiver.

36. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that an intermediate memory device is provided for the recording of data to be stored and for the transmission of the data to the memory device (39).

37. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that the memory device (39) has at least one output interface for the outputting of stored data.

38. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that the memory device (39) for the outputting of stored data is controllable at a rate which is different to the rate of the reading in of data to be stored.

39. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that the memory device (39) has at least one magnetic memory, a magneto-optical memory, a semi-conductor memory and/or an optical memory.

40. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized by a modular design, with

the sensor device (31) together with the control device (45, 47),

a recording optical system (11),

the beam deflection device (15) together with a focusing screen (27),

a viewfinder optical system (29), and/or

a memory device (39)

each forming its own modular unit.