Digital camera with overscan sensor

• US 20030202106A1
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• 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 7,738,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

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 production 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. A part of the sensor elements is associated with a central areal region of the sensor device for the production of received recording signals and another part of the sensor elements is associated with a frame-shaped areal region of the sensor device for the production of received monitoring signals, said frame-shaped areal region surrounding the central areal region.

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 (55, 61) for the production 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; and

a digitizing device (33) for the digitizing of the received signals of the sensor elements,

with a part of the sensor elements (55, 61) being associated with a central areal region (59) of the sensor device (31) for the generation of received recording signals and with another part of the sensor elements being associated with a frame-shaped areal region (63) which surrounds the central areal region (59), for the generation of received monitoring signals.

2. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the motion picture camera is connected to at least one display device (43) for the display of both the received recording signals and the received monitoring signals.

3. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the display device (43) is integrated into the motion picture camera;

and/or

in that the display device (43) is connected to the motion picture camera via cable or via wireless transmission.

4. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the display device (43) is formed for the display of the received recording signals and of the received monitoring signals in such an arrangement which corresponds to the division of the sensor elements (55, 61) into the central areal region (59) and into the frame-shaped areal region (63).

5. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the display device (43) is coupled to a picture generator by which a cutting frame signal can be generated for the representation of a cutting frame between the received recording signals and the received monitoring signals.

6. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that only the received recording signals are provided for transmission into a memory device (39).

7. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (55, 61) are coupled to the control device (45, 47) such that the received recording signals and the received monitoring signals can be read out separately.

8. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that an interface (37) is associated with the central areal region (59) for the transmission of the received recording signals to a memory device (39);

and/or

in that an interface (41, 42) is associated with the central areal region (59) for the transmission of the received recording signals to a display device (43); and

/or

in that an interface (41, 42) is associated with the frame-shaped areal region (63) for the transmission of the received monitoring signals to a display device (43).

9. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the received recording signals and/or received monitoring signals to be transmitted to the display device (43) can be reduced or compressed with respect to their data volume by means of the associated interface (41, 42).

10. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the interface (42) provided for the transmission of the received recording signals and of the received monitoring signals to the display device (43) has an analog picture preparation circuit, with this interface (42) preferably being connected at the input side to an amplifier device (32) to which the interface (37) is also connected, at least indirectly, for the transmission of the received recording signals to the memory device (39).

11. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (55, 61) are controllable for a freely selectable read out;

and/or

in that the association of the sensor elements (55, 61) with the central areal region (59) and with the frame-shaped central areal region (63) is variably pre-settable.

12. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor device (31) has a lower resolution within the frame-shaped areal region (63) than within the central areal region (59).

13. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that the sensor device (31) has a lower

spatial resolution;

brightness resolution;

color resolution; and

/or

temporal resolution

in the frame-shaped areal region (63) than in the central areal region (59).

14. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that the extent of the central areal region (59) of the sensor device (31) corresponds to a central area of an optimized image of a recording optical system (11) of the motion picture camera.

15. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the central areal region (59) of the sensor device (31) has a rectangular outer outline and the frame-shaped areal region (63) has a rectangular inner contour complementary thereto.

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

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

and/or

in that the sensor elements (55, 61) of the sensor device (31) are color resolving.

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

19. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor device (31) is controllable by means of the control device (45, 47) for the recording of the motion pictures at a pre-settable variable picture recording frequency.

20. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 19, characterized in that the starting point in time of the exposure of the sensor elements (55, 61) 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

21. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 19, characterized in that the sensor elements (55, 61) of the sensor device (31) can be controlled by means of the control device (45, 47) for a sequential resetting and for a subsequent sequential read-out.

22. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 19, characterized in that the cycle of a sequential resetting or read-out of the received signals of the sensor elements (55, 61) is controllable for the variation of the picture recording frequency.

23. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 19, 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.

24. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 19, characterized in that the picture recording frequency is variable continuously or in increments of a sensor element read-out cycle.

25. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each sensor element (55, 61) has its own amplifier device (32) associated with it which is preferably integrated into the sensor device (31);

and/or

in that each sensor element (55) of the central areal region (59) has its own digitizing device (33) associated with it which is preferably integrated into the sensor device (31); and

/or

in that each sensor element (61) of the frame-shaped areal region (63) has its own digitizing device associated with it which is preferably integrated into the sensor device (31).

26. 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).

27. A motion picture in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the exposure time of the sensor elements (55, 61) 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.

28. A motion picture camera in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the sensor elements (55, 61) are controllable for the sequential production of a plurality of received signals which correspond to different exposure times and are associated with a single motion picture.

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 (31),

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 (33) is connected to at least one data interface (37) 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 recording signals, with the memory device preferably being capable of being 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 a 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), and/or

a memory device (39)

each forming its own modular unit.