Electronic camera including enhanced functionality to change length-to-breadth ratios of captured images

• US 7,136,099 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tabata, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): JERABEK, KELLY L
• Application Number:
  US10/007,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 396/435, 396/436, 396/378, 396/381, 396/374, 348/230.1, 348/222.1, 348/311, 348/373, 348/231.6, 348/219.1, 348/287, 348/207.99, 348/335, 348 36- 39, 348/231.99, 348/231.2, 348/231.3
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

The digital camera 1, when a length-direction range expanding button 14 or a breadth-direction range expanding button 15 is operated, changes the length-direction and breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges of a solid state image pickup device 40 using an image pickup effective range setting table 41. Due to this, there can be obtained picked-up images with a length-to-breadth ratio changed without rotating the main body of the digital camera 1. Also, since the length-direction and breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges are adjusted such that the area of the image pickup effective ranges of the solid state image pickup device 40 can provide a substantially constant value, there can be always obtained an image of good quality.

Claims

1. A digital camera, comprising:

an image record member for recording images, which are formed within length-direction image pickup effective ranges and breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges set in a solid state image pickup device disposed in a main body of said digital camera, into a record medium in a form of electronic data;

an image pickup effective range change member for changing the length-direction image pickup effective ranges and the breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges in said solid state image pickup device; and

an image pickup effective range setting table having a register of a plurality of records respectively indicating correspondences between the length-direction image pickup effective ranges and the breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges,

wherein said image pickup effective range change member includes a length-direction range change button capable of executing an input operation to increase the length-direction image pickup effective ranges, and a breadth-direction range change button capable of executing an input operation to increase the breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges; and

when said length-direction range change button or said breadth-direction range change button is operated, said image pickup effective range change member changes the length-direction image pickup effective ranges and breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges using the image pickup effective range setting table.

2. A digital camera, comprising:

an image record member for recording images, which are formed within length-direction image pickup effective ranges and breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges set in a solid state image pickup device disposed in a main body of said digital camera, into a record medium in a form of electronic data;

an image pickup effective range change member for changing the image pickup area of said images set in said solid state image pickup device, that is, said length-direction image pickup effective ranges and said breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges; and

an image pickup effective range setting table having a register of a plurality of records respectively indicating correspondences between the length-direction image pickup effective ranges and the breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges,

wherein when there is input a change instruction for said length-direction range change button or said breadth-direction range change button, said image pickup effective range change member changes the length-direction image pickup effective ranges and the breadth-direction image pickup effective ranges using the image pickup effective range setting table.