Electronic still video camera capable of searching desired picture in simple and quick manner

• US 4,982,291 A
• Filed: 08/23/1988
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Kurahashi, Shigeki, Okumura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): MCELHENY JR, DONALD E
• Application Number:
  US07/235,986
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/906, 358/909, 360/33.1, 360/35.1
• US Class Current: 386/225
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2512 Floppy disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/04 using flat record carriers, e.g. disc, card
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/10 Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements G11B15/04, G11B19/04, G11B27/34, G11B27/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2125 Display of information relating to the still picture recording
• 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 1/215 Recording a sequence of still pictures, e.g. burst mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

An electronic still video camera comprises a floppy disk for recording a plurality of still pictures, an entry unit for entering a file name and also a disk number for the above-described floppy disk, a setting unit for setting a continuous picture mode, a mode changing switch for setting a recording mode, and a memory for storing a recording track number of the floppy disk. In the electronic still video camera, the recording track numbers of the still pictures which have been taken while entering the file name, setting the continuous-exposure mode, and setting the recording mode, are recorded in the above-described memory, whereas the reproduction track of the floppy disk is controlled in accordance with the memory content of the memory during the reproduction.

Claims

1. An electronic still image processing apparatus comprising:

housing means;

release means provided in said housing means, for generating a release signal;

still image signal producing means provided in said housing means, for producing an electric still image signal from an optical image of an object to be imaged in response to the release signal generated by said release means;

discrimination data input means provided in said housing means, for inputting discrimination data;

recording means detachably attached to said housing means and having a plurality of recording portions, for recording the electric still image signal generated by said still image signal producing means and the discrimination data input from said discrimination data input means;

still image signal reproducing means provided in said housing means for reproducing the electric still image signal recorded on said recording means;

index data memory means provided in said housing means for storing the discrimination data input from said discrimination data input means and index data representative of said recording portion of said recording means associated with the recorded discrimination data;

discrimination data output means provided in said housing means, for outputting the discrimination data recorded on said recording means;

index data output means provided in said housing means, for outputting the index data stored in said index data memory means, which is associated with the discrimination data output from said recording means by said discrimination data output means;

control means provided in said housing means, for controlling said still image reproducing means in response to the index data output from said index data memory means by said index data output means, so as to reproduce the electric still image signal recorded on the recording portion of which the index data is representative.

2. An electronic still image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

mode changing means provided in said housing means, for changing at least a recording mode and other modes and for setting the changed mode; and

memory control means provided in said housing means, for writing into said index data memory means, the index data representative of the portion of the recording means on which the electric still image signals have been recorded just after the recording mode is set by said mode changing means.

3. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

continuous-exposure means provided in said housing means, for controlling said still image signal producing means to be intermittently operated only during a predefined time period while said release signal is output from said release means; and

memory control means for writing the index data representative of the recording portions of said recording means where the electric still image signals produced at first and last instants have been recorded, into said index data memory means in response to the operation of said continuous-exposure means.

4. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said control means includes means for controlling said reproducing means in such a manner that a plurality of electric still image signals which have been recorded on two portions of said recording means on the basis of two pieces of said index data stored in said index data memory means, are continuously and successively reproduced every predetermined time.

5. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said control means includes:

reproduction starting portion setting means for setting a portion of said recording means reproduced by said reproducing means based upon the index data which is representative of the portion of said recording means on which the electric still image signal produced at first instant has been recorded;

timer means for counting a predetermined time;

reproduction portion updating means for updating the portion of said recording means reproduced by said reproducing means every time the counting operation by said timer means is completed; and

reproduction ending portion detecting means for detecting whether or not the portion of said recording means which is reproduced by said reproducing means is equal to a portion corresponding to the index data which is representative of the portion of the recording means on which the still image signal produced at last instant has been recorded.

6. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said timer means is capable of arbitrarily setting the counting time.

7. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said control means includes:

reproduction portion detecting means for detecting whether or not a portion of said recording means reproduced by said reproducing means is equal to a portion corresponding to the index data which is representative of the portion of said recording means on which said still image signal produced at first instant has been recorded;

timer means for counting a predetermined time;

reproduction portion updating means for updating said portion reproduced by said reproducing means every time the counting operation by said timer means is completed; and

reproduction portion ending detecting means for detecting the portion of said recording means reproduced by said reproducing means is equal to a portion corresponding to the index data which represents the portion of said recording means on which the still image signal produced at last instant has been recorded.

8. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

file name input means provided in said housing means, for inputting a file name;

wherein said index data memory means includes means for storing the file name associated with the discrimination data.

9. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

memory control means provided in said housing means for controlling storing of data into said index data memory means, and for storing the index data indicating the recording portion of said recording means on which the still image signal was recorded for the first time after the file name was input into said index memory means.

10. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said index data output means includes means for controlling the outputting of said index data memory means and for outputting the index data stored in said index memory means, which is associated with the file name input from said file name input means during the reproducing operation of said still image reproducing means.

11. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said recording means is a floppy disc having a plurality of recording tracks for recording said still image signals;

said index data memory means stores index data representative of a portion of said recording track of the floppy disc;

said still image signal reproducing means includes a magnetic head; and

said control means includes means for controlling a head position of said magnetic head with respect to the track of the floppy disc in response to said index data stored in said index data memory means.

12. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further including

detecting means provided in said housing means, for detecting said head position of said magnetic head on said floppy disc and for outputting a detection result indicative of the head position to said index data memory means.

13. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said index data memory means includes:

index data storage means for storing the index data;

first supervision memory means for storing both the file name input from said file name input means and address data representative of a storage portion of said index data storage means into which said index data stored in accordance with its associated file name has been stored; and

said index data output means includes;

first coincidence detecting means for detecting coincidence between the file name input from said file name input means during the reproducing operation of said reproducing means and the file name stored in said first supervision memory means; and

designating means for designating the storage portion of said index data storage means to output the index data based upon the address data which has been stored in said supervision memory means in relation to the file name detected by said first coincidence detecting means.

14. An electronic still image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said index data memory means includes;

second supervision memory means for storing therein both said discrimination data input from said discrimination data input means and said file name which has been input with respect to said recording means recording said discrimination data;

said index data output means includes;

second coincidence detecting means for detecting coincidence established between the discrimination data stored in said second supervision memory means and that output from said recording means by said discrimination data output means; and

means for outputting only said file name to said first coincidence detecting means, said file name corresponding to said second coincidence detecting means.