Electronic still video camera having electro-developing recording medium

• US 5,983,039 A
• Filed: 06/25/1998
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Aoki, Harumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chizmar, John
• Application Number:
  US09/104,179
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 396/30, 396/429, 396/430, 348/103, 348/106, 358/486
• US Class Current: 396/429
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00249 with a photographic apparatus, e.g. a photographic printer or a projector photographic apparatus per se G03B, G03D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00257 with an electro-developing recording medium, e.g. generating image signals by reading such a medium in a still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0405 Different formats, e.g. A3 and A4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1013 with sub-scanning by translatory movement of at least a part of the main-scanning components H04N1/107 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/193 using electrically scanned linear arrays , e.g. linear CCD arrays
• 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 1/2307 Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity H04N1/27, H04N1/29 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic still video camera has an electro-developing recording medium. As soon as an optical image is formed on the medium, the image is recorded and developed as a visible image therein. The developed image is electronically read as image data by a line sensor, and the read image data may be stored in an IC memory card, a floppy disk, a hard disk or the like. Optionally, the read image data may be transferred from the camera to an external device such as a computer, a TV monitor or the like. The developed image can be thermally erased from the medium by using an electric heater. One of these operations is executed by a depression of a single switch in accordance with a mode-selection switch.

Claims

1. An electronic still video camera having an electro-developing recording medium, comprising:

a photographing system that forms an optical image on said electro-developing recording medium to record and develop said optical image therein;

an image-sensing system that optically senses and obtains image data from said recorded image of said electro-developing recording medium, said image-sensing system including a line image sensor for sensing said image data such that said recorded image of said electro-developing recording medium is scanned with said line image sensor by an intermittent movement of said line image sensor at regular intervals;

a scan-mode selector that selects one of at least two scan-modes; and

an alteration system that alters an interval of said intermittent movement of said line image sensor of said image-sensing system in accordance with a scan-mode selected by said scan-mode selector.

2. An electronic still video camera as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a system that sub-samples said sensed image data in accordance with a scan-mode selected by said scan-mode selector.

3. An electronic still video camera having an electro-developing recording medium, comprising:

a photographing system that forms an optical image on said electro-developing recording medium to record and develop said optical image therein;

an image-sensing system that optically senses and obtains image data from said recorded image of said electro-developing recording medium;

a transfer system that transfers said sensed image data to a monitor device for reproducing said optical image on the basis of said transferred image data;

a operation-mode selector that selects one of a plurality of operation-modes including an operation-mode for executing said transfer of said image data to said monitor device;

an image-sensing system that optically senses and obtains image data from said recorded image of said electro-developing recording medium, said image-sensing system including a line image sensor for sensing said image data such that said recorded image of said electro-developing recording medium is scanned with said line image sensor by an intermittent movement of said line image sensor at regular intervals;

a scan-mode selector that selects one of at least two scan-modes, one of said two scan-modes being suitable for a reproduction of said optical image on said monitor device; and

an alteration system that alters an interval of said intermittent movement of said line image sensor of said image-sensing system in accordance with a scan-mode selected by said scan-mode selector,

wherein said scan-mode suitable for said reproduction of said optical image on said monitor device is selected regardless of the selection carried out by said scan-mode selector whenever said operation-mode for executing said transfer of said image data to said monitor device is selected.