Portable television camera-recorder and method for operating same

• US 5,379,159 A
• Filed: 08/24/1993
• Issued: 01/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Inventors: Lemelson, Jerome H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L.
• Application Number:
  US08/111,194
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 360/35.1, 360/31, 360/72.2, 360/10.3, 358/909.1, 358/335, 358/312, 358/906
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00397 Switches, knobs or the like
• 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 1/212 Motion video recording combined with still video recording television signal recording H04N5/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• 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

A portable camera and recording device capable of recording motion picture and still image signals on an erasable magnetic tape and, in an embodiment thereof, still images on hard copy as photographic images. A single assembly supports a television camera at one end, a videocassette recorder behind the television camera and an instant photographic camera below or to the side of the television camera. Still and motion picture images of image phenomena recorded as full-frame video picture signals on the magnetic tape and are displayable on a miniature electronic display screen within the housing. Controls on the housing permit select still images of frames of recorded picture information to be selectively displayed on the screen, viewed though an eyepiece and passed through an aperture of an instant photographic camera for photographic reproduction. Methods for effectively operating the camera and producing magnetic recordings and hard copy recordings are also provided.

Claims

1. A hand-held portable camera and recording unit comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a camera supported within said housing and having an input for image phenomena occurring outside said housing;

(c) an activation device that causes said camera to generate video picture signals on an output thereof;

(d) a video recorder supported within said housing and operable to record video picture signals;

(e) a video monitor supported within said housing and having a viewing screen viewable from the exterior of said housing;

(f) a memory supported within said housing structured to record video picture signals generated by said camera;

(g) a selectively operable controller that directs the recording of video picture signals of image phenomena in sabot memory and permits the passage of said signals to said video monitor to generate and sustain a still image of said scanned phenomena on the screen of said monitor without requiring said video picture signals to be recorded in said video recorder; and

(h) a further controller that permits video picture signals sequentially generated by said video camera to be applied to said video monitor to generate motion picture image phenomena on the,viewing screen of said video monitor.

2. The camera and recording unit in accordance with claim 1 further comprising means for controlling the video recorder to record either motion picture or still image video signals.

3. The hand-held unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said video recorder includes a reproduction unit supported by said housing adjacent to said television camera and a magazine containing magnetic tape, said magazine being operatively and removably retainable in said recorder and reproduction unit.

4. The hand-held unit in accordance with claim 3 including:

(a) a rotatable drum supporting a plurality of magnetic transducers including at least one recording transducer and one reproduction transducer rotatable with the rotation of said drum;

(b) means for guiding and driving solid tape from said magazine towards and around a portion of said drum to allow helical scanning by said magnetic transducing means as said drum rotates; and

(c) means for guiding said tape from said drum back to said magazine after transducing has been effected with respect to said tape.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller comprises a manually operated switch.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said further controller comprises a manually operated switch.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a transmission device configured to transmit video picture signals to a remote location.

8. A unitary hand-held video camera, recorder, monitor and playback apparatus comprising:

(a) a support structure including means for enabling an operator to hold said support structure in a selected orientation;

(b) a video camera mounted to said support structure and including an optical lens system directed in a first direction with respect to said support structure, and means for producing video signals on an output of said camera responsive to a scene toward which said optical lens system is directed;

(d) a video-cassette recording system including a rotary video transducer mounted to said support structure and including a receptacle structured to receive and permit removal of a video cassette;

(e) an electrically operated video display unit having a display screen mounted to said support structure and responsive to video signals received by said display unit; and

(f) a controller including (1) a preview controller that selectively applies said video signals to said video display to permit an operator to preview scanned images, (2) a recording controller that selectively applies said video signals to both said video display and said recording system for recording scanned images, and (3) a playback controller that selectively applies video signals to said video display from said recording system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein at least one of the controllers is located near said holding means.

10. A portable television camera apparatus comprising:

(a) a support structure including means for enabling an operator to hold said support arrangement in a selected orientation;

(b) a television camera mounted to said support structure and including an optical lens system directed in a first direction with respect to said support structure, and means for producing first video signals in response to light received by said optical lens system from a scene toward which said lens system is directed;

(c) a video cassette recording and reproduction system including rotary video transducer mounted to said support structure and including means for receiving and removing a video cassette;

(d) video display unit having a display screen mounted to said support structure and circuitry that responds to received video signals by displaying an image that may be viewed by said operator; and

(e) a controller including;

(1) means for selectively applying said first video signals to (i) said video display unit for preview and (ii) to said video display unit and said recording and reproduction system for recording, and (2) means for selectively applying video signals reproduced from said recording and reproduction system to said video display means.

11. A method for generating, recording, and playing back video information comprising:

(a) hand holding and directing a portable television camera and recording unit defined by a housing that includes a television camera, a video magnetic tape recorder and playback unit, a selectively operable controller including a plurality of control switches, a video monitor having a display screen, and a battery connectable to power said television camera, said video, recorder, and said monitor;

(b) operating said control switches to cause said battery to operate said television camera to scan an image field and to output first video picture signals;

(c) applying said first video picture signals to said video monitor to preview and display image information of the field scanned by said camera;

(d) thereafter operating said control switches to cause video signals output by said camera to be transmitted to a magnetic recording transducer of said magnetic tape recorder to record said video signals on a first portion of the magnetic tape of the video recorder;

(e) while operating said television camera and recording the video signals on said first portion of said magnetic tape, also transmitting video signals output by said television camera to operate said video monitor to cause a display screen thereof to visually display picture information defined by the video signals being recorded on said tape;

(f) when it is desired to playback and monitor video information previously recorded on the magnetic tape, selectively operating said control switches in a manner to cause a playback transducer of said video magnetic tape recorder to reproduce select video picture signals from said magnetic tape; and

(g) applying said select video picture signals reproduced from said magnetic tape to said video monitor to cause it to display select video picture information.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 including generating and recording code signals along a second portion of said magnetic tape.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12 including employing said code signal recordings to effect the selective reproduction of video recordings from said magnetic tape.

14. A method in accordance with claim 11 including operating said control switches to cause said magnetic tape recorder to reproduce and apply a single select frame of recorded video information to said video monitor and to generate a still image on the display screen of said video monitor.

15. A method in accordance with claim 11 including operating said control switches to store in a buffer video signals corresponding to a selected still image scanned by said camera.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 including displaying on said video monitor viewable information defined by said video signals corresponding to a selected still image scanned by said camera.

17. A video camera and recording system supported in a unitary, portable housing comprising:

(a) first means for generating analog video picture signals including a camera having a lens system for electro-optically sensing light received while scanning an image field;

(b) second means for recording video picture signals;

(c) third means for receiving and convening said analog video signals to digital video signals;

(d) fourth means for storing digital video signals;

(e) fifth means for reproducing digital video signals from said fourth means;

(f) sixth means for displaying video information on a display screen;

(g) seventh means for receiving and converting digital video signals reproduced from said fourth means to analog video signals, and for causing said display screen to display images defined by the video signals generated by said camera; and

(h) eighth means for selectively recording in said second means selected of said video signals defining images displayed on said display screen.

18. The system in accordance with claim 17 further comprising ninth means for viewing on said display screen and storing with said second means still images, including (1) means for causing a frame of video picture signals corresponding to a selected still image to be stored in said fourth means, (2) means for selectively viewing on said display screen the image corresponding to said stored frame, and (3) means for recording in said second means frames of video picture signals stored in said fourth means and displayed on said monitor.

19. A portable camera, recorder, monitor, and playback unit comprising:

(a) a camera, video recorder, and video monitor supported in a single housing that may be hand-held by a person and directed to permit the camera, when energized, to electro-optically scan images in the viewing field of the camera and to output picture-defining video signals;

(b) first manually operable switch means for permitting the person holding the unit to preview motion picture images defined by video picture signals before recording same in said video recorder;

(c) second manually operable switch means accessible to a finger of a hand of a person holding said unit for controlling the operation of said video recorder to cause it to receive and record selected portions of motion picture images defined by video signals output by said television camera;

(d) third manually operable switch and control means for effecting controlled play back and display on said monitor of selected motion picture images defined by said video picture signals recorded on said video recorder;

(e) a memory capable of storing video picture signals output by said camera;

(f) fourth manually operable control means for effecting the storage in said buffer of a frame of video picture signals defining at least a portion of a still image scanned by said camera;

(g) means for effecting the display on said monitor of an image corresponding to the still image scanned by said camera; and

(h) means for controlling the operation of said video recorder to cause it to record said single frame of video signals recorded in said buffer.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 including means for digitizing the video signals output by said television camera and generating a train of digital codes corresponding to said video signals, and means for recording said digital codes.