Electronic still camera including photographing timing control

• US 5,043,816 A
• Filed: 12/20/1989
• Issued: 08/27/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Akihiro, Nakano, Harumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US07/454,059
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 358/209, 358/909, 358/906, 358/213-223, 358/105
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2145 of a sequence of images for selection of a single frame before final recording, e.g. from a continuous sequence captured before and after shutter-release
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/743 Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

An electronic still camera is equipped with a semiconductor memory in which a plurality of images photographed in a shutter standby condition are temporarily stored. An image taken when the shutter is depressed can be substituted with any image among the plural images which have been stored in the semiconductor memory. The image having the least blurring phenomenon among the plural images which have been stored in the semiconductor memory is detected and recorded on a non-volatile memory.

Claims

1. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, comprising:

photographing control means including means for detecting a shutter standby condition, means responsive to said means for detecting a shutter standby condition for photographing images and for generating image data corresponding to a plurality of images at a predetermined time interval, means for detecting a shutter operation, and means responsive to said means for detecting a shutter operation for photographing an image and for generating image data corresponding to a single image;

temporary storage means including a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing the image data generated by said photographing control means, wherein the image data generated corresponding to images photographed responsive to said shutter standby condition are discriminated from the image data generated corresponding to images photographed responsive to said shutter operation;

non-volatile storage means including a non-volatile memory; and

selecting means for selectively transferring one image data corresponding to one of said image data stored in said temporary storage means from said temporary storage means to stored said non-volatile storage means, for storage therein as a selected photographed image.

2. An electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein said non-volatile storage means stores said image data corresponding to said single image photographed during the shutter operation.

3. An electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein:

said non-volatile storage means stores said image data corresponding to said single image photographed during the shutter operation;

and said selecting means includes means for selecting one image data corresponding to one of said plurality of images stored in said temporary storage means, for transferring said one selected image data from said temporary storage means to said non-volatile storage means, and for replacing said image data corresponding to said single image with said one transferred image data in said non-volatile storage means.

4. An electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising:

display means for displaying said plurality of image data which have been stored in said temporary storage means.

5. An electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising:

display means for displaying said single image which has been photographed responsive to detection of the shutter operation.

6. An electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein said photographing control means photographs one image responsive to a detected shutter operation, and thereafter photographs a plurality of images at a predetermined time interval.

7. An electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein said photographing control means photographs one image responsive to a detected shutter operation, and thereafter photographs another image.

8. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, said shutter being operable to perform a shutter operation to photograph an image, and also being operable to a shutter standby condition, said still camera further comprising:

first photographing control means for photographing an image and for generating image data corresponding to a single photographed image responsive to a detected shutter operation;

second photographing control means for photographing at least one image and for generating image data corresponding to said at least one photographed image responsive to a detected shutter standby condition;

selecting means for selecting one image data generated by said first and second photographing control means, said one selected image data corresponding to one of said photographed images; and

storage means for storing the one selected image data.

9. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, said shutter being operable to perform a shutter operation to photograph an image, and also being operable to a shutter standby condition, said still camera further comprising:

first photographing control means for photographing an image and for generating image data corresponding to a single image photographed image responsive to a detected shutter operation;

second photographing control means for photographing at least one image and for generating image data corresponding to said at least one photographed image after said first photographing control means generates image data corresponding to said single photographed image;

selecting means for selecting one image data generated by one of said first and second photographing control means, said one selected image data corresponding to one of said photographed images; and

storage means for storing the one selected image data selected by said selecting means.

10. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, comprising:

photographing control means for photographing a plurality of images and for generating a plurality of corresponding image data responsive to one detected shutter operation; and

non-volatile storage means for selectively storing a plurality of image data corresponding to said plurality of photographed images which is generated by said photographing control means.

11. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, comprising:

photographing control means for photographing a plurality of images and generating a plurality of corresponding image data responsive to one detected shutter operation;

temporary storage means for temporarily storing said plurality of image data taken by said photographing control means;

selecting means for selecting one image data from among said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

second storage means for storing said selected image data selected by said selecting means as a selected photographed image.

12. An electronic still camera according to claim 11, wherein said photographing control means includes:

means for changing a shutter speed to various values which photographing a plurality of images.

13. An electronic still camera according to claim 11, wherein said photographing control means includes:

means for changing an exposure to various values which photographing a plurality of images.

14. An electronic still camera according to claim 11, wherein said photographing control means includes:

means for transferring the generated image data from said temporary storage means to said second storage means for storage therein; and

means for directly storing the generated image data in said second storage means.

22. An electronic still camera according to claim 11, wherein said second storage means comprises a non-volatile storage device.

23. An electronic still camera according to claim 14, wherein said second storage means comprises a non-volatile storage device.

15. An electronic still camera having a shutter, comprising:

imaging means for photographing a plurality of images and for generating a corresponding plurality of image data responsive to one detected shutter operation;

first storage means including a semiconductor memory, for storing said plurality of image data which has been generated by said imaging means;

display means for displaying the image data stored in the first storage means as a visual image;

key input means for producing a key input signal;

display selecting means for selecting at least one of said plurality of image data stored in said first storage means in accordance with a key input signal of said key input means; and

second storage means including a non-volatile memory, for storing the image data selected by said display selecting means.

16. An electronic still camera according to claim 15, wherein said display means includes:

means for displaying a selected image which has been photographed during the shutter operation as a still image.

17. An electronic still camera according to claim 15, wherein said display means includes:

an electronic view finder.

18. An electronic still camera comprising:

imaging means including optical means and an imaging element;

photographing control means for controlling said imaging means to photograph a plurality of images and to generate a plurality of image data corresponding to said plurality of images at a time period less than a television field period, responsive to a single shutter operation;

first storage means including a memory accessible at a high speed, for sequentially storing said plurality of image data corresponding to said plurality of photographed images generated by said imaging means under the control of said photographing control means at the time period less than the television field period;

second storage means including a memory accessible at an access speed slower than that of said first storage means for storing the image data read out from said first storage means; and

video output means for outputting the image data which have been stored in said second storage means at a timing in synchronism with the television field period.

19. A still camera including an electronic view finder, comprising:

imaging means;

temporary storage means including a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing image data;

means for causing an image photographed by said imaging means to be temporarily stored in said temporary storage means and for displaying said image on said electronic view finder;

optical means; and

means for recording on a photosensitive film an image photographed by said optical means by operating a shutter, and also for displaying on said view finder as a still image the image which has been photographed by said imaging means and has been temporarily stored in said temporary storage means.

20. A still camera including a semiconductor memory, comprising:

optical means;

means for recording on a film an image photographed by said optical means while operating a shutter;

imaging means;

temporary storage means including of a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing image data;

control means for causing image data photographed by said imaging means to be temporarily stored in said temporary storage means;

detecting means for detecting a blurring phenomenon based upon the image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

means for announcing a warning when the blurring phenomenon is detected by said detecting means.

21. An electronic still camera comprising:

imaging means for generating image data corresponding to at least one image;

temporary storage means including a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing said image data generated by said imaging means;

detecting means for detecting a blurring phenomenon based upon the image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

announcing means for announcing a warning when the blurring phenomenon is detected by said detecting means.

24. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, comprising:

photographing control means for photographing a plurality of images responsive to one detected shutter operation, and for generating a plurality of image data corresponding respectively to the photographed images;

temporary storage means for temporarily storing said plurality of image data generated by said photographing control means;

selecting means for selecting one image data from among said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means;

said selecting means including movement detecting means for detecting a degree of movement between a plurality of image data which have been stored in said temporary storage means; and

second storage means for storing said selected image data selected by said selecting means.

25. An electronic still camera according to claim 24, wherein said selecting means includes means for selecting image data which has been judged by said movement detecting means as image data having the least movement degree.

26. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, comprising:

photographing control means for photographing a plurality of images responsive to one detected shutter operation, and for generating a plurality of image data corresponding respectively to the photographed images;

temporary storage means for temporarily storing said plurality of image data generated by said photographing control means;

selecting means for selecting one image data from among said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means;

said selecting means including judging means for judging image data having the least blurring phenomenon among said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

second storage means for storing said selected image data selected by said selecting means.

27. An electronic still camera according to claim 26, wherein said judging means includes means for judging a magnitude of the blurring phenomenon by detecting a degree of movement among said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means.

28. An electronic still camera including photographing means and a shutter, comprising:

photographing control means for photographing a plurality of images responsive to one detected shutter operation, and for generating a plurality of image data corresponding respectively to the photographed images;

temporary storage means for temporarily storing said plurality of image data generated by said photographing control means;

selecting means for selecting one image data from among said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means;

said selecting means including blurring phenomenon detecting means for detecting blurring phenomena of said plurality of image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

second storage means for storing said selected image data selected by said selecting means.

29. An electronic still camera according to claim 28, further comprising means for announcing a warning when said blurring phenomenon detecting means detects a blurring phenomenon.

30. A still camera including a semiconductor memory, comprising:

optical means for photographing an image;

means for recording on a film an image photographed by said optical means while operating a shutter;

imaging means for generating image data corresponding to a photographed image;

temporary storage means including a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing image data;

control means for causing image data generated by said imaging means to be temporarily stored in said temporary storage means;

detecting means for detecting a blurring phenomenon based upon the image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

means for announcing a warning when the blurring phenomenon is detected by said detecting means.

31. An electronic still camera comprising:

imaging means for generating image data corresponding to at least one photographed image;

temporary storage means including a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing said image data generated by said imaging means;

detecting means for detecting a blurring phenomenon based upon the image data temporarily stored in said temporary storage means; and

announcing means for announcing a warning when the blurring phenomenon is detected by said detecting means.