Camera device with movie capture function

• US 20060050997A1
• Filed: 09/07/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Imamura, Keiichi
• Application Number:
  US11/220,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20060050997A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/312
• 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 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0098 User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

A camera device comprises a capture unit which captures a subject and outputs moving image data, a recording unit which records the moving image data, an instructing unit which instructs recording of the moving image data into the recording unit, a specifying unit which specifies a first capturing time and a second capturing time, a first recording controller which, when recording is instructed, records first moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit during the first capturing time immediately before recording is instructed, and a second recording controller which, when recording is instructed, records second moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit during the second capturing time immediately after recording is instructed.

Claims

1. A camera device comprising:

means for capturing a subject and outputting moving image data;

means for recording the moving image data output from the capturing means;

instructing means for instructing recording of the moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means;

means for specifying a first capturing time and a second capturing time by manual operation;

first recording control means for, when the instructing means instructs recording, recording first moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means during the first capturing time specified by the specifying means immediately before the recording instructing means instructs recording; and

second recording control means for, when the instructing means instructs recording, recording second moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means during the second capturing time specified by the specifying means immediately after the instructing means instructs recording.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein

the specifying means includes means for setting the first capturing time and the second capturing time in advance before the instructing means instructs recording,

the first recording control means, when the instructing means instructs recording, records first moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means during the first capturing time set by the setting means immediately before the instructing means instructs recording, and

the second recording control means, when the instructing means instructs recording, records second moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means during the second capturing time set by the setting means immediately after the instructing means instructs recording.

3. The camera device according to claim 2, wherein

the setting means includes:

means for specifying a total capturing time of the first and second capturing times, and the second capturing time; and

means for calculating the first capturing time based on the total capturing time and the second capturing time specified by the specifying means, and

the setting means sets the first capturing time calculated by the calculating means and the second capturing time specified by the specifying means.

4. The camera device according to claim 2, wherein the setting means includes:

means for specifying a total capturing time of the first and second capturing times, and the first capturing time; and

means for calculating the second capturing time based on the total capturing time and the first capturing time specified by the specifying means, and

the setting means sets the first capturing time specified by the specifying means and the second capturing time calculated by the calculating means.

5. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein

the specifying means includes means for setting the first capturing time in advance before the instructing means instructs recording, and termination instructing means for instructing termination of recording of the moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means,

the first recording control means, when the instructing means instructs recording, records first moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means during the first capturing time set by the setting means immediately before the instructing means instructs recording, and

the second recording control means, when the instructing means instructs recording, records moving image data output from the capturing means into the recording means after the instructing means instructs recording, and, when the termination instructing means instructs termination of recording of the moving image data during recording operation, terminates recording of the moving image data.

6. The camera device according to claim 5, further comprising temporary storage means for sequentially and cyclically storing the moving image data output from the capturing means for a predetermined time, and wherein

the first recording control means, when the instructing means instructs recording, records the first moving image data already stored in the temporary storage means into the recording means.

7. The camera device according to claim 6, wherein the temporary storage means sequentially and cyclically stores the moving image data output from the capturing means for the first capturing time.

8. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating a moving image file including the first moving image data and the second moving image data output from the capturing means, and wherein

the first and second recording control means record the moving image file generated by the generating means into the recording means.

9. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the capturing means includes means for outputting still image data, further comprising

capture control means for, when the instructing means instructs recording, stopping output of the moving image data from the capturing means, causing the capturing means to output the still image data, and resuming output of the moving image data from the capturing means.

10. The camera device according to claim 9, further comprising third recording control means for, when the instructing means instructs recording, recording the still image data output from the capturing means by the capture control means into the recording means.

11. The camera device according to claim 10, wherein

the capture control means includes still image file generating means for generating a still image file including the still image data output from the capturing means by the capture control means, and

the third recording control means records the still image file generated by the still image file generating means into the recording means.

12. The camera device according to claim 11, further comprising moving image file generating means for generating a moving image file including the first moving image data and the second moving image data output from the capturing means, and wherein

the first and second recording control means record the moving image file generated by the moving image file generating means into the recording means.

13. The camera device according to claim 12, wherein the first, second, and third recording control means associate the still image file and the moving image file with each other and record the files into the recording means.

14. A method of capturing moving image data in a camera device comprising a capturing unit which captures a subject and outputs moving image data and a recording unit which records the moving image data output from the capturing unit, the method comprising the steps of:

specifying a first capturing time and a second capturing time by manual operation;

instructing recording of the moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit; and

when recording is instructed, recording first moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit during the first capturing time immediately before the recording is instructed and recording second moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit during the second capturing time immediately after the recording is instructed.

15. A program for causing a computer of a camera device comprising a capturing unit which captures a subject and outputs moving image data and a recording unit which records the moving image data output from the capturing unit, the program causing the computer to execute processings of:

specifying a first capturing time and a second capturing time by manual operation;

instructing recording of the moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit;

when recording is instructed, recording first moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit during the first capturing time immediately before the recording is instructed; and

when recording is instructed, recording second moving image data output from the capturing unit into the recording unit during the second capturing time immediately after the recording is instructed.