Electronic camera

• US 20050146623A1
• Filed: 03/09/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Juen, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,903,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/220.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/212 Motion video recording combined with still video recording television signal recording H04N5/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9261 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

An electronic camera is used with a display screen and includes an imaging device, a pixel density converter, a moving image recording device and a still image recording device. The imaging device images an object and converts the imaged object to image information. The pixel density converter converts the image information converted by the imaging device to a pixel density suitable for a scan format of the display screen. The moving image recording device successively retrieves the image information from the pixel density converter and records the image information in the recording medium as a series of moving images. The still image recording device retrieves the image information converted by the imaging device and records the image information in the recording medium as a still image.

Claims

1. An electronic camera, comprising:

imaging means for converting an image of an object into image information;

pixel density conversion means for converting the image information converted by said imaging means to a pixel density suitable for a scan format of a display screen;

moving image recording means for successively retrieving the image information from said pixel density conversion means and recording the retrieved image information in a recording medium as a series of moving images; and

still image recording means for retrieving the image information converted by said imaging means and recording the image information in the recording medium as a still image.

2. An electronic camera of claim 1, wherein

said imaging means comprises an imaging pixel number, and the scan format comprises a scan pixel number, the imaging pixel number being larger than the scan pixel number, and

said pixel density conversion means reduces the image information converted by said imaging means to a pixel density that is suitable for the scan format.

3. An electronic camera of claim 1, further comprising:

a recording switch that receives a recording command from an external source; and

a changeover switch by which the recording command received by said recording switch can be used either by said moving image recording means or by said still image recording means in response to a mode changeover command from the external source.

4. An electronic camera of claim 1, further comprising temporary storage means for temporarily storing the image information from said imaging means upon receipt of a recording command for recording still images received from an external source during a recording period of said moving image recording means, and

said still image recording means waits until completion of recording by said moving image recording means to record the image information stored in said temporary storage means in said recording medium.

5. An electronic camera of claim 1, further comprising:

a coding conversion component wherein

said moving image recording means and said still image recording means share the coding conversion component for executing high efficiency coding within a field or frame on the image information that has been retrieved from the imaging means.

6. An electronic camera, comprising:

imaging means for converting an image of an object into image information;

image compression means for compressing the image information converted by said imaging means;

moving image recording means for successively retrieving the image information compressed by said image compression means and recording the compressed image information in a recording medium as moving image data;

still image recording means for retrieving the image information compressed by said image compression means and recording the image information in the recording medium as still image data; and

compression rate changing means for raising the compression rate of said image compression means during recording by said moving image recording means and for lowering the compression rate of said image compression means during recording by said still image recording means.

7. An electronic camera of claim 6, further comprising temporary storage means for temporarily storing image information from said imaging means upon receipt of a recording command for recording still images received from an external source during the recording period of said moving image recording means,

said image compression means waits for completion of recording by said moving image recording means to compress the image information stored in said temporary storage means, and

said still image recording means retrieves the image information from said temporary storage means that has been compressed by said image compression means and records the image information in the recording medium as a still image.

8. An electronic camera of claim 6, further comprising:

a recording switch that receives a recording command from an external source; and

a changeover switch by which the recording command received by said recording switch can be used either by said moving image recording means or by said still image recording means in response to a mode changeover command from the external source.

9. An electronic camera, comprising:

a photoelectric converter that converts an image of an object into image information;

a pixel density converter, coupled to the photoelectric converter, to convert the image information converted by the photoelectric converter to a pixel density suitable for a scan format of a display screen;

a moving image recording device, coupled to the pixel density converter, to successively retrieve the image information from the pixel density converter and record the retrieved image information in a recording medium as a series of moving images; and

a still image recording device, coupled to the photoelectric converter, to retrieve the image information converted by the photoelectric converter and record the image information in the recording medium as a still image.

10. An electronic camera of claim 9, wherein

the photoelectric converter comprises an imaging pixel number, and the scan format comprises a scan pixel number, the imaging pixel number being larger than the scan pixel number, and

the pixel density converter reduces the image information converted by the photoelectric converter to a pixel density that is suitable for the scan format.

11. An electronic camera of claim 9, further comprising:

a recording switch that receives a recording command from an external source; and

a changeover switch by which the recording command received by said recording switch can be used either by said moving image recording device or by said still image recording device in response to a mode changeover command from the external source.

12. An electronic camera of claim 9, further comprising a buffer, coupled to the photoelectric converter, to temporarily store the image information from the photoelectric converter upon receipt of a recording command for recording still images received from an external source during a recording period of said moving image recording device, and

said still image recording device waits until completion of recording by said moving image recording device to record the image information stored in said buffer in said recording medium.

13. An electronic camera of claim 9, further comprising:

a coding conversion component wherein

said moving image recording device and said still image recording device share the coding conversion component for executing high efficiency coding within a field or frame on the image information that has been retrieved from the photoelectric converter.

14. An electronic camera, comprising:

a photoelectric converter that converts an image of an object into image information;

an image compression processor, coupled to the photoelectric converter to compress the image information converted by said photoelectric converter;

a moving image recording device, coupled to the image compression processor to successively retrieve the image information compressed by said image compression processor and record the compressed image information in a recording medium as moving image data;

a still image recording device, coupled to the image compression processor, to retrieve the image information compressed by said image compression processor and record the image information in the recording medium as still image data; and

a compression rate changing device, coupled to the image compression processor, to raise the compression rate of said image compression processor during recording by said moving image recording device and to lower the compression rate of said image compression processor during recording by said still image recording device.

15. An electronic camera of claim 14, further comprising a buffer, coupled to the photoelectric converter to temporarily store image information from said photoelectric converter upon receipt of a recording command for recording still images received from an external source during the recording period of said moving image recording device,

said image compression processor waits for completion of recording by said moving image recording device to compress the image information stored in said buffer, and

said still image recording device retrieves the image information from said buffer that has been compressed by said image compression processor and records the image information in the recording medium as a still image.

16. An electronic camera of claim 14, further comprising:

a recording switch that receives a recording command from an external source; and

a changeover switch by which the recording command received by said recording switch can be used either by said moving image recording device or by said still image recording device in response to a mode changeover command from the external source.

17. A method of controlling recording of image information by an electronic camera, comprising the steps of:

converting an image of an object into image information;

when the image information is to be recorded as a series of moving images, converting the image information to a pixel density suitable for a scan format of a display screen and recording the converted image information in a recording medium as a series of moving images; and

when the image information is to be recorded as a still image, recording the image information in the recording medium as a still image, without performing the pixel density conversion.

18. A method of claim 17, wherein

the image information has a first number of pixels for each image, the scan format has a second number of pixels for each image, the first number being larger than the second number, and

the step of pixel density conversion reduces the image information to a pixel density that is suitable for the scan format.

19. A method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a recording command from an external source; and

receiving a mode changeover command from the external source that specifies whether the recording command is to be used to cause the moving image to be recorded or to cause the still image to be recorded.

20. A method of claim 17, further comprising temporarily storing the image information in an image buffer upon receipt of a recording command for recording still images received from an external source during a recording period of said moving images, and

recording the image information stored in said buffer as a still image in upon completion of recording of the moving images.

21. A method of claim 17, further comprising:

coding the image information prior to recording as either moving images or as a still image,

the coding process being performed by a common coding conversion component regardless of whether the image information is recorded as moving images or as a still image.

22. A method of controlling recording of image information by an electronic camera, comprising the steps of:

converting an image of an object into image information;

compressing the image information;

recording the compressed image information as moving images when commanded to do so;

recording the compressed image information as a still image when commanded to do so; and

raising the compression rate of said image compression during recording of said moving images and lowering the compression rate of said image compression during recording of said still image.

23. A method of claim 22, further comprising temporarily storing the image information in a buffer upon receipt of a recording command for recording still images received from an external source during the recording of said moving images,

compressing the image information temporarily stored in the buffer after completion of recording of said moving images, and

recording said compressed image information as a still image.

24. A method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a recording command from an external source; and

receiving a mode changeover command from the external source that specifies whether the recording command is to be used to cause the moving image to be recorded or to cause the still image to be recorded.