Electronic still camera including an EEPROM memory card and having a continuous shoot mode

• US 5,293,236 A
• Filed: 12/31/1991
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Satoru, Adachi, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan V.
• Application Number:
  US07/814,835
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 358/209, 358/909, 358/335
• US Class Current: 348/231.2
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9264 using transform coding

Abstract

An electronic still camera using a memory card as a picture recording medium, and a memory card applicable thereto and implemented by an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). A picture signal generated by a CCD array and representative of a picture is routed through an amplifier and an analog-to-digital converter to a signal processing circuit. The picture signal is subjected to interpolation and other similar processing by the signal processing circuit, coded by a compressing circuit, and then written to a buffer memory. These steps proceed on a real time basis. The buffer memory is constituted by a storage device having a reading speed and a writing speed which are different from each other. A memory card controller reads data out of the buffer memory and writes them in the memory card at a low speed matching the memory card.

Claims

1. An electronic still camera capable of continuously shooting a scene and storing picture data representative of pictures of said scene in a memory card, said camera comprising:

picture recording means including an EEPROM memory card;

image pick-up means for continuously shooting a scene;

signal processing means for executing signal processing with picture data fed from said image pick-up means to thereby produce processed picture data;

compressing means for coding said processed picture data by compression to thereby produce compressed picture data;

buffer means for storing said compressed picture data representative of a plurality of serial frames and outputted by said compressing means at a high speed, and feeding said compressed picture data to said picture recording means at a low writing speed; and

storage control means for causing said image recording means to record said data fed from said buffer means frame by frame;

said buffer means further comprising;

a dual port memory having a data writing speed and a data reading speed which are different from each other;

write address generating means for feeding a write address to said buffer means in synchronism with a read-out speed from said compressing means;

read address generating means for generating a read address in synchronism with a data write-in speed to said image recording medium;

control means for causing said write address generating means and said read address generating means to start operating when data outputted by said compressing means is valid and said image recording means is ready to write; and

detecting means for inhibiting a reading operation on detecting that the addressees from said write address generating means and said read address generating means are identical.

2. A camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising system control means for activating said compressing means, said buffer means, and said storage control means when a shutter button for driving said image pick-up means is pressed, and deactivating said compressing means, said buffer means, and said storage control means when all the picture data are read out of said buffer means.

3. An electronic still camera capable of continuously shooting a scene and storing picture data representative of pictures of said scene in a memory card, said camera comprising:

picture recording means using an EEPROM as said memory card;

image pick-up means for continuously shooting a scene;

signal processing means for executing signal processing with picture data fed from said image pick-up means to thereby produce processed picture data;

compressing means for coding said processed picture data by compression to thereby produce compressed picture data;

buffer means including a dual port memory for storing the compressed picture data representative of a plurality of serial frames and outputted by said compressing means at a high speed, and feeding the compressed picture data to said picture recording means at a low writing speed, said dual port memory further having a data writing speed and a data reading speed which are different from each other; and

storage control means for causing said image recording means to record said compressed picture data fed from said buffer means frame by frame,

system control means for activating said compressing means, said buffer means, and said storage control means when a shutter button for driving said image pick-up means is pressed, and deactivating said compressing means, said buffer means, and said storage control means when all the picture data are read out of said buffer means

said buffer means further comprising;

write address generating means for feeding a write address to said dual port memory in synchronism with a read-out speed from said compressing means;

read address generating means for generating a read address in synchronism with a data write-in speed to said image recording means;

control means for causing said write address generating means and said read address generating means to start operating when data outputted by said compressing means is valid and said image recording means is ready to write; and

detecting means for inhibiting a reading operation on detecting that the addresses from said write address generating means and said read address generating means are identical.