Still photographic camera and image generation process

• US 6,141,051 A
• Filed: 08/28/1995
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sinar Ag
• Original Assignee: Sinar Ag
• Inventors: Gfeller, Karl, Koch, Hans Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US08/495,465
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207, 348/208, 348/219, 348/239, 348/345, 348/349, 348/350, 348/351, 348/373, 348/348, 348/218, 348/333
• US Class Current: 348/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

In a still photographic camera, the focal plane is determined by a matrix-like transducer arrangement (7) of optoelectronic sensor elements (9). The viewfinder image is directly generated by evaluation of the electric output signals (e₉) from the transducerelements (9) that form the transducer arrangement (7).

Claims

1. An electronic still camera comprising:

a casing;

a lens mounted on said casing, said lens defining a lens plane relative to said casing;

at least a substantially planar two-dimensional opto-electric (O/E) transducer arrangement of opto-electric sensor elements mounted on said casing for receiving an image from said lens, said opto-electric transducer arrangement defining a focal plane and emitting output signals based on said received image;

an image viewer screen in the form of an electro-optical (E/O) transducer to which at least a part of the output signals of said opto-electric sensor elements are communicated to provide an image thereon for viewing;

means for adjustably mounting said image viewer screen on said casing; and

a focus-judging unit, wherein outputs of said O/E-elements are operationally connected to said focus-judging unit, said focus-judging unit sequentially controlling mutual positioning of said lens and said O/E-transducer arrangement for two different mutual positions, and wherein said focus-judging device determines, in said two positions, gradients between output signals of adjacent O/E-elements or adjacent groups of O/E-elements and determines from said gradients at said two positions a desired mutual position of said lens and said O/E-transducer arrangement for a rated focus by interpolation or extrapolation, and wherein further said focus-judging unit controls subsequently said mutual positioning according to said mutual positioning for said rated focus.

2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said E/O-transducer arrangement is an LCD-screen or an active planar screen.

3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said lens is supported to pivot relative to said casing around two mutually perpendicular axes.

4. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said O/E-transducer arrangement is supported to pivot around two mutually perpendicular axes with respect to said casing.

5. The camera according to claim 4, wherein said O/E-transducer arrangement is linearly displaceable in direction of at least one of said two axes.

6. The camera according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said lens and said O/E-transducer arrangement is linearly displaceable in focal direction of said camera.

7. The camera according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said O/E-transducer arrangements and said lens is movable with respect to said casing and further comprising a motor drive arrangement for moving said at least one of said O/E-transducer arrangement and said lens.

8. The camera according to claim 1, wherein a window-selecting unit is interconnected between said O/E-transducer arrangement and said E/O-transducer arrangement, said window-selecting unit comprising control inputs, at least a part of said control inputs controlling which of said output signals of said O/E-elements of said O/E-transducer arrangement are fed to said E/O-transducer arrangement.

9. The camera according to claim 8, wherein at least a part of said control inputs control to which E/O-elements of said E/O-transducer arrangement output signals of said O/E-elements of said O/E-transducer arrangement are fed.

10. The camera according to claim 9, wherein at least a part of said control inputs control the number of E/O-elements to which respective single ones of the output signals of said O/E-elements are fed.

11. The camera according to claim 1, wherein outputs of said O/E-elements are operationally connected to at least one of

said focus-judging unit,

an illumination-judging unit, and

a color-judging unit.

12. The camera according to claim 11, wherein a window-selecting unit is interconnected between said O/E-transducer arrangement and said at least one unit.

13. The camera according to claim 11, wherein output signals of said O/E-elements are operationally connected to said focus-judging unit, the output thereof acting via a motor drive on a positioning arrangement for said lens.

14. The camera according to claim 11, wherein output signals of said O/E-elements are operationally connected to an illumination-judging unit generating output signals for controlling at least one illumination source.

15. The camera according to claim 11, wherein output signals of said O/E-elements are operationally connected to inputs of a color-judging device for generating thereat input signals, said input signals being significant for the spectral composition of light impinging on said O/E elements, said color-judging unit generating output signals for setting a spectral color composition of illuminational light for imaging.

16. The camera according to claim 11, wherein outputs of said at least one unit are operationally connected to inputs of memory means.

17. The camera according to claim 16, further comprising a window-selecting unit interconnected between outputs of said O/E-elements and said at least one unit, and further comprising a selection unit for selectively connecting output signals of said at least one unit to separate areas of said memory means according to windows selected by said widow-selecting unit.

18. The camera according to claim 16, wherein outputs of said memory means are operationally connected to inputs of an optimizing unit generating control signals operationally connected to at least one of a motor driven positioning arrangement for at least one of said lens and said O/E-transducer arrangement, and an illumination source.

19. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising an erasable data storage operationally connected to the output of said O/E-elements.

20. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising a camera computer operationally connected to said E/O-transducer arrangement for displaying information from said computer.

21. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising at least one gravity sensor.

22. The camera according to claim 1, wherein output signals of O/E-elements are operationally connected to an input of a focus-judging unit, said focus-judging unit determining a gradient or gradients of output signals of adjacent O/E-elements or adjacent groups of O/E-elements, and wherein said focus-judging unit generates an output signal operationally connected to a motor drive for mutually positioning said lens and said O/E-transducer arrangement so long until said gradient or gradients determined have reached a rated value or a rated value distribution.

23. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising a controllable combining unit, the input thereof being operationally connected to outputs of O/E-elements, said controllable combining unit selectively combining at least two output signals of adjacent O/E-elements or of adjacent groups of O/E-elements to a single output signal.

24. The camera according to claim 23, wherein said combining unit averages said signals of said at least two adjacent elements or adjacent groups of elements to form said output signal of said combining unit.

25. The camera according to claim 23, further comprising a camera computer operationally connected to control inputs of said combining unit.

26. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of controllable amplifiers and of controllable attenuators operationally connected to outputs of said O/E-elements.

27. The camera according to claim 26, wherein said at least one of controllable amplifiers and of controllable attenuators are controlled by a camera computer.

28. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising a camera computer and a memory device for storing modulation transmission of at least one lens, the output of said memory device being operationally connected to inputs of said camera computer, said camera computer generating output signals operationally connected to amplifier and/or attenuation means operationally connected to outputs of said O/E-elements in order to change the memorized modulation transmission of a lens with respect to its effect on the output signal of said O/E elements.

29. An electronic still camera comprising:

a casing;

a lens mounted on said casing, said lens defining a lens plane relative to said casing;

at least a substantially planar two-dimensional opto-electric (O/E) transducer arrangement of opto-electric sensor elements mounted on said casing for receiving an image from said lens, said opto-electric transducer arrangement defining a focal plane and emitting output signals based on said received image;

an image viewer screen in the form of an electro-optical (E/O) transducer to which at least a part of the output signals of said opto-electric sensor elements are communicated to provide an image thereon for viewing;

means for adjustably mounting said image viewer screen on said casing; and

a focus-judging unit, wherein output signals of said O/E-elements are operationally connected to an input of said focus-judging unit, said focus-judging unit determining a gradient or gradients of output signals of adjacent O/E-elements or adjacent groups of O/E-elements, and wherein said focus-judging unit generates an output signal operationally connected to a motor drive for mutually positioning said lens and said O/E-transducer arrangement until said gradient or gradients determined have reached a rated value or a rated value distribution.

30. The camera according to claim 29, wherein said E/O-transducer arrangement is an LCD-screen or an active planar screen.