Digital camera, image pickup method, and image format conversion method
First Claim
1. A digital camera, comprising:
- an image pickup optical system for forming an image of a subject;
an image pickup device for generating image signals corresponding to light projected to its own image pickup screen by the image pickup optical system;
a trimming form selecting unit for selectively setting a trimming form which matches the object of use of an image to be recorded;
a first signal processing unit for subjecting the output of the image pickup device to signal processing such that an image can be observed in the trimming form selectively set by the trimming form selecting unit, and supplying to an applied electronic display unit;
a second signal processing unit for obtaining recording signals suitable for recording to a recording medium, in a form wherein partial loss of the image relating to trimming by the first signal processing unit does not occur based on the output of the image pickup device, and accompanied by trimming form identification signals representing the trimming form relating to the image which has been selectively set by the trimming form selecting unit;
a recording action activation unit for recording on an applied recording medium the image signals subjected to processing at the second signal processing unit in response to operation of a trigger unit; and
an image reproducing unit for reproducing the image signals recorded on the recording medium according to a form corresponding to the trimming form represented by the trimming form identification signals accompanying the image signals.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Upon a photographer selecting and setting a desired trimming form from various trimming forms prepared beforehand, an image regarding which shooting is planned can be displayed on a display unit 31 in a state with the selected trimming form applied to the image by a first signal processing unit within the system controller 18, and in the event of subsequently performing shooting (recording) activation operations such as releasing or the like, image signals to which trimming is not applied and identification signals representing the trimming form selected at that time can be recorded on a recording medium 23 by a second signal processing unit in the system controller 18. At the time of reproducing, the image signals recorded in the recording medium 23 can be reproduced in a state with the trimming form corresponding thereto applied.
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Citations
78 Claims
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1. A digital camera, comprising:
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an image pickup optical system for forming an image of a subject;
an image pickup device for generating image signals corresponding to light projected to its own image pickup screen by the image pickup optical system;
a trimming form selecting unit for selectively setting a trimming form which matches the object of use of an image to be recorded;
a first signal processing unit for subjecting the output of the image pickup device to signal processing such that an image can be observed in the trimming form selectively set by the trimming form selecting unit, and supplying to an applied electronic display unit;
a second signal processing unit for obtaining recording signals suitable for recording to a recording medium, in a form wherein partial loss of the image relating to trimming by the first signal processing unit does not occur based on the output of the image pickup device, and accompanied by trimming form identification signals representing the trimming form relating to the image which has been selectively set by the trimming form selecting unit;
a recording action activation unit for recording on an applied recording medium the image signals subjected to processing at the second signal processing unit in response to operation of a trigger unit; and
an image reproducing unit for reproducing the image signals recorded on the recording medium according to a form corresponding to the trimming form represented by the trimming form identification signals accompanying the image signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A digital camera wherein the interval between charge discharging pulses applied to an image pickup device and charge read-out pulses are varied to control the charge accumulation amount of the image pickup device, the digital camera comprising:
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a luminance calculating unit for obtaining subject luminance from imaging signals of the image pickup device; and
a charge accumulation time control unit for forbidding charge discharge of the image pickup device by the charge discharging pulses in the event that the obtained subject luminance is lower than a predetermined value, so as to control the charge accumulation time of the image pickup device in time intervals which are integral multiples of the vertical transfer period. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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46. An image-pickup method with a digital camera wherein the interval between charge discharging pulses applied to an image pickup device and charge read-out pulses are varied to control the charge accumulation amount of the image pickup device, the method comprising:
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obtaining subject luminance from imaging signals of the image pickup device; and
forbidding charge discharge of the image pickup device by the charge discharging pulses in the event that the obtained subject luminance is lower than a predetermined value, so as to control the charge accumulation time of the image pickup device in time intervals which are integral multiples of the vertical transfer period. - View Dependent Claims (47)
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48. A digital camera comprising:
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a temporary storage unit for sequentially performing storing of image signals sequentially captured and updating of the storage;
an image format converting unit for performing image format conversion of the image signals stored to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
an image conversion conditions setting unit having settings wherein the number of images of the recording image data generated per unit time at the image format converting unit is greater than the number of images of through-image display image data generated per unit time at the image format converting unit; and
a control unit for performing image format conversion of image signals stored in the temporary storage unit into the through-image display image data or the recording image data in the image format converting unit, based on the settings in the image conversion conditions setting unit. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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49. A digital camera comprising:
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a temporary storage unit for sequentially performing storing of image signals sequentially captured and updating of the storage;
an image format converting unit for performing image format conversion of the image signals stored to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
an image conversion conditions setting unit having settings wherein the number of images of the recording image data generated per unit time at the image format converting unit is increased, by reducing the number of images of through-image display image data generated per unit time in the image format converting unit; and
a control unit for performing image format conversion of image signals stored in the temporary storage unit into the through-image display image data or the recording image data in the image format converting unit, based on the settings in the image conversion conditions setting unit.
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50. A digital camera comprising:
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a temporary storage unit for sequentially performing storing of image signals sequentially image-picked-up and updating of the storage;
an image format converting unit for performing image format conversion of the image signals stored to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
an image conversion conditions setting unit having settings for relatively changing the number of images of the recording image data generated per unit time in the image format converting unit and the number of images of through-image display image data generated per unit time at the image format converting unit; and
a control unit for performing image format conversion of image signals stored in the temporary storage unit into the through-image display image data or the recording image data in the image format converting unit, based on the settings in the image conversion conditions setting unit.
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51. A digital camera comprising:
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a temporary storage unit for sequentially performing storing of image signals sequentially taken and updating of the storage;
an image format converting unit for performing image format conversion of the image signals stored to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
an image conversion conditions setting unit having settings wherein, at the time of sequentially performing image format conversion of the stored image signals, a first image format conversion for performing sequential image format conversion into both the through-image display image data and the recording image data, and a second image format conversion for performing image format conversion of the stored image signals into only the recording image data, are performed in time-sequence; and
a control unit for performing image format conversion of image signals stored in the temporary storage unit into the through-image display image data or the recording image data in the image format converting unit, based on the settings in the image conversion conditions setting unit.
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75. An image format conversion method for a digital camera which sequentially performs storing of image signals sequentially image-picked-up and updating of the storage, and performs image format conversion of the stored image signals to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
wherein image format conversion is performed such that the number of images of the recording image data generated per unit time is greater than the number of images of through-image display image data generated per unit time.
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76. An image format conversion method for a digital camera which sequentially performs storing of image signals sequentially image-picked-up and updating of the storage, and performs image format conversion of the stored image signals to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
wherein image format conversion is performed such that the number of images of the recording image data generated per unit time at the image format converting unit is increased, by reducing the number of images of through-image display image data generated per unit time at the image format converting unit.
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77. An image format conversion method for a digital camera which sequentially performs storing of image signals sequentially image-picked-up and updating of the storage, and performs image format conversion of the stored image signals to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
wherein image format conversion is performed such that the number of images of the recording image data generated per unit time in the image format converting unit and the number of images of through-image display image data generated per unit time in the image format converting unit are relatively changed.
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78. An image format conversion method for a digital camera which sequentially performs storing of image signals sequentially image-picked-up and updating of the storage, and performs image format conversion of the stored image signals to generate through-image display image data or recording image data;
wherein image format conversion is performed such that, at the time of sequentially performing image format conversion of the stored image signals, a first image format conversion for performing sequential image format conversion into both the through-image display image data and the recording image data, and a second image format conversion for performing image format conversion of the stored image signals into only the recording image data, are performed in time-sequence.
Specification