Electronic camera apparatus for recording and reproducing moving object images

• US 4,797,751 A
• Filed: 06/16/1986
• Issued: 01/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Plusmic
• Original Assignee: Yamaguchi Cinema Corporation
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardillo, Raymond F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Young, W. R.
• Application Number:
  US06/874,550
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 358/310, 358/335, 358/337, 358/339, 358/903, 358/906, 360/9.1, 360/35.1, 360/33.1, 354/109, 346/107 A, 346/107 B
• US Class Current: 386/227
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/24 Race time-recorders
• 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 1/2129 Recording in, or reproducing from, a specific memory area or areas, or recording or reproducing at a specific moment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0077 Types of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

A video recording and reproducing apparatus comprises a line sensor camera having a line scan image sensor which is scanned along a predetermined standard line and receives an image of a moving object passing the standard line. An output video signal of the line sensor camera is converted by an A/D converter into a series of picture element data which are successively stored into a video memory to form therein a plurality of pictures. A control circuit selects in accordance with selection information supplied from a control box a desired one of the plurality of stored pictures, and reads the picture element data of the desired picture from the video memory. The picture element data thus read from the video memory are successively converted into analog video signals which are supplied through a mixing circuit to a display unit to thereby display the picture on the display unit.

Claims

1. A video recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

a. a line sensor camera having a line scan image sensor which is scanned along a predetermined standard line and receives an image of a plurality of moving objects passing the standard line and having an image pick-up section having means for picking up the image of at least two moving objects, said sensor having a scan speed set in response to an estimated speed of said objects;

b. first converter means for successively converting a one vertical scanning line output video signal of the line sensor camera into picture element data;

c. storage means for successively storing the picture element data, for a plurality of pictures, supplied from the first converter means;

d. selection means for selecting a desired picture from the plurality of the pictures;

e. read means for successively reading the picture element data corresponding to the selected picture by the selection means from the picture element data for the plurality of the pictures written on the storage means;

f. second converter means for converting the picture element data read by the read means into a video signal; and

g. display means for displaying a continuous picture image of said at least two moving objects moving in accordance with time on said one vertical scanning line video signal supplied to said display means from the second converter means.

2. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising scan speed change-over means for changing a scan speed of the line scan image sensor.

3. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

scale signal generating means for generating a scale signal corresponding to scale lines parallel to a moving directions of the line scan image sensor;

signal mixing means for mixing the scale signal with the video signal supplied to the display means; and

scale line position set means for setting positions of the scale lines displayed on a screen of the display means.

4. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a time data generating circuit which starts a counting operation in response to a start signal indicating a start of a race, and successively generates time data corresponding to an elapsed time from the start of the counting operation, wherein the first converter means for successively converting the output video signal of the line sensor camera into the picture element data has a function of superposing the time data generated by the time data generating circuit with the picture element data.

5. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line sensor camera includes:

a lens for forming the image of the moving object passing the standard line; and

a charge coupled device line scan image sensor having

a shift register which has a plurality of photoelectric transfer devices for converting intensities of lights of respective picture elements, into which an image-formation surface of the lens is divided, into electric signals, receives the electric signals outputted from the respective photoelectric transfer devices, and successively transmits the electric signals to outside in response to a scanning timing signal supplied from outside, and

an amplifier for amplifying an output signal from the shift register and transmitting it as the video signal to outside.

6. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first converter means for successively converting an output video signal of the line sensor camera into picture element data is an analog to digital converter for converting analog values into 6-bit digital values.

7. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is constituted by a combination of ninety-six 256 kbit random access memories.

8. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second converter means for converting the picture element data read by the read means into a video signal is a digital to analog converter.

9. A video recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means for displaying a picture image in response to the video signal supplied from the second converter means is a cathode ray tube display.