Electronic still camera having interval reproducing and erasing capability

• US 5,212,556 A
• Filed: 02/07/1991
• Issued: 05/18/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ogawa, Kimiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsia, Sherrie
• Application Number:
  US07/658,166
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 358/209, 358/909, 358/906, 358/224, 358/310, 358/335, 354/289.1, 354/75, 354/76, 360/66, 360/61, 360/78.07
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• 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 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• 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 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

Audio and/or video signals are recorded on coaxial tracks of a magnetic disk in an electronic still camera. Control circuitry is provided to implement playback from or erasure of a single track, all of the tracks, or a selected plurality of adjacent tracks In the latter case the R/W head is accessed to a predetermined "starting" track, whereafter the playback or erasing operation is performed on successive tracks radially inwardly or outwardly from the starting track until a predetermined "final" track is reached.

Claims

1. An electronic still camera having a plurality of operation switches, comprising:

an image processing mode setting means for setting an image processing mode; and

an additional image processing mode setting means for modifying the image processing mode into an additional image processing mode relative to the image processing mode when at least one of said operation switches which are not used in the image processing mode is operated with the image processing mode set by said image processing mode setting means, wherein image processing remains active and wherein said additional image processing mode setting means in itself serves to perform a function unrelated to the image processing mode.

5. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 1 wherein said image processing mode comprises an erasing mode and said additional image processing mode comprises a continuous erasing operation.

7. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 5 wherein the continuous erasing operation is carried out up to the fiftieth track when the erasing operation is made radially inwardly of a magnetic disk.

17. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 5 wherein the continuous erasing operation is made radially inwardly of a magnetic disk.

2. An electronic still camera having a plurality of operation switches, comprising:

an image processing mode setting means for setting an image processing mode; and

an additional image processing mode setting means for modifying the image processing mode into an additional image processing mode relative to the image processing mode when at least one of said operation switches which are not used in the image processing mode is operated with the image processing mode set by said image processing mode setting means, said additional image processing mode setting means in itself serving to perform a function unrelated to the image processing mode, wherein said image processing mode comprises a video image reproducing mode and said additional image processing mode comprises a continuous reproduction operation.

3. An electronic still camera having a plurality of operation switches, comprising:

an image processing mode setting means for setting an image processing mode; and

an additional image processing mode setting means for modifying the image processing mode into an additional image processing mode relative to the image processing mode when at least one of said operation switches which are not used in the image processing mode is operated, wherein said image processing mode comprises a video image reproducing mode and said additional image processing mode comprises a continuous reproduction operation and wherein during the continuous reproducing operation, the reproduction of a video track is continuously carried out until a corresponding audio track has been reproduced completely, and following tracks are successively reproduced thereafter.

4. An electronic still camera having a plurality of operation switches, comprising:

an image processing mode setting means for setting an image processing mode; and

an additional image processing mode setting means for modifying the image processing mode into an additional image processing mode relative to the image processing mode when at least one of said operation switches which are not used in the image processing mode is operated with the image processing mode comprises a video image reproducing mode and said additional image processing mode comprises a continuous reproduction operation and wherein the continuous reproducing operation is selected and interrupted to return to a usual reproducing mode by the function of an exposure correction switch and a continuous reproducing mode is displayed by the function of a continuous shooting mark in a display means.

6. An electronic still camera having a plurality of operation switches, comprising:

an image processing mode setting means for setting an image processing mode; and

an additional image processing mode setting means for modifying the image processing mode into an additional image processing mode relative to the image processing mode when at least one of said operation switches which are not used in the image processing mode is operated;

wherein said image processing mode comprises an erasing mode and said additional image processing mode comprises a continuous erasing operation; and

wherein the continuous erasing operation is selected and interrupted to return a usual erasing mode by the function of an exposure correction switch and the continuous erasing mode is displayed by the function of a continuous shooting mark in a display means.

8. An electronic still camera, comprising:

first switching means operable to set an erasing mode;

second switching means operable to start the erasing of a predetermined track of a magnetic disk;

third switching means operable to command a continuous erasing operation, and further operable to command an operation unrelated to an erasing operation;

moving means for moving a magnetic head to said predetermined track;

erasing means operable to erase said track; and

controlling means for controlling said erasing means such that, when said second switching means is operated with said erasing mode set by said first switching means, said track whereat said magnetic head is positioned is erased, and controlling said erasing means and said moving means such that, when said third switching means is operated with said erasing mode set by said first switching means, a plurality of tracks located radially inwardly or outwardly of said track whereat said magnetic head is positioned are successively erased, beginning with the track whereat said magnetic head is positioned.

9. An electronic still camera, comprising:

first switching means operable to set an erasing mode;

second switching means operable to input a predetermined instruction in a non-erasing mode so as to perform a function unrelated to erasing tracks of a magnetic disk, and further operable to start the continuous erasing of tracks of said magnetic disk;

moving means for moving a magnetic head to a predetermined one of said tracks;

erasing means operable to erase said tracks; and

control means for controlling said erasing means and said moving means such that, when said second switching means is operated with said erasing mode set by said first switching means, a plurality of tracks located radially inwardly or outwardly of said predetermined track whereat said magnetic head is positioned are successively erased, beginning with said predetermined track.

10. An electronic still camera, comprising:

reproducing means for reproducing signals from a magnetic disk;

switching means operable to perform a continuous reproducing operation and further operable to perform a function unrelated to said continuous reproducing operation;

moving means for moving said reproducing means to a predetermined track on said magnetic disk;

controlling means for controlling said moving means such that, when an instruction has been issued by said switching means to perform said continuous reproducing operation, said predetermined track is reproduced for a predetermined period of time, and following tracks are successively reproduced thereafter; and

display means for performing a predetermined display when a non-reproducing operation is selected, and for performing, when a continuous reproduction operation is selected, a display indicating that said continuous reproduction operation has been selected.

19. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 10 wherein during the continuous reproducing operation, the reproduction of a video track is continuously carried out until a corresponding audio track has been reproduced completely, and the following tracks are successively reproduced thereafter.

11. An electronic still camera, comprising:

reproducing means for reproducing signals from a magnetic disk;

first switching means operable to set a reproducing mode to reproduce signals from said magnetic disk;

second switching means operable to input a predetermined instruction during a non-reproducing operation, and to perform a continuous reproducing operation;

moving means for moving said reproducing means to a predetermined track on said magnetic disk; and

controlling means for controlling said moving means such that, when in a reproducing mode, said second switching means is operated, said predetermined track is reproduced for a predetermined period of time, and following tracks are reproduced in succession.

20. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 11 wherein during the continuous reproducing operation, the reproduction of a video track is continuously carried out until a corresponding audio track has been reproduced completely, and the following tracks are successively reproduced thereafter.

12. An electronic still camera having a display means capable of displaying a plurality of marks each representing a plurality of image processing modes, comprising:

an image processing mode setting means for setting one of the image processing modes; and

an additional image processing mode setting means for modifying the image processing mode into an additional image processing mode relative to the image processing mode,

said display means displaying the additional image processing mode by the function of at least one of the marks which are not used in the image processing modes.

13. An electronic still camera as defined in claim 12 wherein said image processing mode comprise a video image reproducing mode and said additional image processing modes comprise a continuous reproduction operation.

14. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 13 wherein the continuous reproducing operation is displayed by the function of a continuous shooting mark in said display means.

15. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 12 wherein said image processing modes comprise an erasing mode and said additional image processing modes comprises an continuous erasing operation.

16. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 15 wherein the continuous erasing operation is displayed by the function of a continuous shooting mark in said display means.

18. An electronic still camera, comprising:

reproducing means for reproducing signals from a magnetic disk;

first switching means operable to reproduce signals from said magnetic disk;

second switching means operable to perform a continuous reproducing operation;

moving means for moving said reproducing means to a predetermined track; and

controlling means for controlling said moving means such that, when an instruction has been issued by said second switching means to perform said continuous reproducing operation, said predetermined track is reproduced for a predetermined period of time, and following tracks are successively reproduced thereafter;

wherein during the continuous reproducing operation, the reproduction of a video track is continuously carried out until a corresponding audio track has been reproduced completely, and the following tracks are successively reproduced thereafter.