Variable speed, variable resolution digital cinema camera system

• US 20060007344A1
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glenn Neufeld
• Original Assignee: Glenn Neufeld
• Inventors: Neufeld, Glenn
• Granted Patent: US 7,663,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A digital cinema camera includes a plurality of imagers and a plurality of shutters mounted radially on a frame. A beam splitter disposed at a center of the frame rotates to provide an input optical beam sequentially to the plurality of imagers. When the input optical beam is aligned with a particular one of the imagers, a corresponding one of the shutters is triggered to apply the optical beam on the particular one of the imagers. The electrical signals generated by the imagers are first stored in RAM, and then transferred to a hard disk drive disposed in a removable magazine. This way, the magazine can be replaced with a new magazine, and the latent image data can be downloaded out of the removed magazine for post-processing while new image data is being stored in the new magazine.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a plurality of imagers and a plurality of shutters mounted radially on a frame;

a beam splitter disposed at a center of the frame, the beam splitter being rotatable to provide an input optical beam sequentially to the plurality of imagers, wherein when the input optical beam is aligned with a particular one of the imagers, a corresponding one of the shutters is triggered to apply the optical beam on the particular one of the imagers;

a RAM for storing image streams generated by the imagers as image data; and

a removable magazine including a hard disk drive, wherein the image data stored in the RAM are transferred to the hard disk drive,

wherein the magazine can be replaced with a new magazine, such that the image data can remain in the removed magazine while new image data is being stored in the new magazine.

2. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the frame has a shape of a generally regular polygon, a circle, a cylinder, or a sphere.

3. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the RAM is a very high speed RAM.

4. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the hard disk drive comprises an array of hard disk drives.

5. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the RAM comprises a plurality of triple port RAMs having a first port, a second port and a third port, wherein the image data is stored via the first port, the stored image data is read via the second port to be transferred to the hard disk drive on a first-in, first-out basis, and the stored image data is read via the third port on a first-in, first-out basis to be converted into a format for viewing while the image streams are being generated.

6. The digital camera of claim 5, wherein the triple-port RAM comprises two dual-port RAMs in parallel.

7. The digital camera of claim 5, further comprising:

a plurality of image downsizers for receiving the image data from the third ports of the RAMs and for lowering the resolution of the image data to generate lower resolution images;

a frame interleaver for sequencing the lower resolution images; and

a video encoder for converting the sequenced lower resolution images to a viewable format to generate viewable images.

8. The digital camera of claim 7, further comprising a video output connector for receiving the viewable images from the video encoder and transmitting the viewable images to an external monitor.

9. The digital camera of claim 7, further comprising:

a display screen; and

a hard disk drive for storing the viewable images from the video encoder and transmitting the viewable images to the display screen for viewing.

10. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the image streams are interleaved and post processed to generate a cinema.

11. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the imagers are oriented in various degrees of rotation such that each imager generates an image stream of upright images.

12. The digital camera of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of position adjustment mechanisms for adjusting an x-axis position and a y-axis position of each imager; and

control logic for comparing the image data from multiple imagers and controlling the position adjustment mechanisms to align the imagers.

13. A digital camera comprising:

a plurality of imagers and a plurality of shutters mounted radially on a frame;

a mirror disposed at a center of the frame, the mirror being rotatable to provide an input optical beam sequentially to the plurality of imagers, wherein when the input optical beam is aligned with a particular one of the imagers, a corresponding one of the shutters is triggered to apply the optical beam on the particular one of the imagers;

a RAM for storing image streams generated by the imagers as image data; and

a removable magazine including a hard disk drive, wherein the image data stored in the RAM are transferred to the hard disk drive,

wherein the magazine can be replaced with a new magazine, such that the image data can remain in the removed magazine while new image data is being stored in the new magazine.

14. A method of making a cinema, comprising:

rotating a beam splitter about a center optical axis of a digital camera having a plurality of imagers mounted radially on a frame, such that an optical beam from the beam splitter is provided sequentially to the imagers as the beam splitter rotates, to generate image data;

storing the image data in a RAM;

transferring the image data from the RAM into a hard disk disposed in a removable magazine; and

interleaving and post processing the image data to produce the cinema.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the image data is interleaved and post processed outside the digital camera.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising replacing the magazine with a new magazine, such that the image data can remain in the removed magazine while new image data is being stored in the new magazine.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising transferring the image data to the hard disk drive, and converting the image data into a format for viewing concurrently while storing the image data.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising taking a dark exposure for each imager, storing resulting non-zero black level images in the hard disk, and subtracting the non-zero black level images from the stored image data during post processing.

19. A method for aligning image data produced by a plurality of imagers sequentially exposed to an image provided by a rotating beam splitter, comprising:

orienting the imagers in various degrees of rotation such that each imager generates an image stream of upright images; and

adjusting x-axis and y-axis positions of each imager until the images produced by the imagers are aligned.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the x-axis and y-axis positions of each imager are adjusted by:

a) exposing the plurality of imagers to a reference image;

b) assigning one imager as a base imager;

c) adjusting the x-axis and y-axis positions of each imager other than the base imager until its image is aligned with the image of the base imager; and

d) if an imager cannot be adjusted to align its image with the image of the base imager, assigning that imager to be a new base imager and repeating a)-c).