Image pickup apparatus capable of selecting output according to time measured by timer

• US 7,391,444 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aono, Tomoko, Nomura, Toshio, Takahashi, Maki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Nhan T.
• Application Number:
  US09/619,917
• Time in Patent Office: 2,896 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/149, 348/208.14, 348/239, 348/333.12, 348586-592, 382/282, 382/283, 345/629
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

In an image pickup apparatus, timer 2 starts a time measuring operation when a shutter button is pressed. When a time T1 is measured by timer 2, the image from CCD 1 is output as a background image to a background image buffer 4. In addition, when a time (T1+T2) is measured by timer 2, the image from CCD 1 is output as a normal image to a region extracting portion 5 and image compressing portion 6. The background image mainly refers to an image only including a background. The normal image mainly refers to an image with an object of interest arranged in front of the background.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus taking a first image including only a background but not an object and a second image including the object, and having a shutter button for releasing a shutter, comprising:

a time measuring portion measuring a time after said shutter button is manually pressed;

an output selecting portion outputting only a single image taken when a first predetermined period of time is measured by said time measuring portion as said first image, and outputting an image taken when a second predetermined period of time is further measured by said time measuring portion after the first period of time as the second image, wherein said first image is updated by using an image of a region of said second image other than the object region of said second image every time a prescribed period is elapsed, only said single image is taken before said second predetermined time is measured, and said shutter button is located on a body of said image pickup apparatus.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a region extracting portion using said first and second images for outputting information of an object region of said second image; and

a recording portion recording positional information data of said object region, and one of data representing said second image and image data included in said object region onto a recording region.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a region extracting portion using said first and second images for outputting positional information of an object region of said second image;

an image composing portion replacing an image in a region other than said object region of said second image with a prepared background image; and

a recording portion recording data of the image composed by said image composing portion onto a recording medium.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording portion recording the data of said first image and second image onto a recording medium.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying portion notifying a timing at which pickup of said first image is finished and a timing at which pickup of said second image is started.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said recording portion records said positional information data in a compressed form.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said recording portion records said data in a compressed form.

8. An image pickup apparatus taking a first image including only a background but not an object and a second image including the object, and having a shutter button for releasing a shutter, comprising:

a time measuring portion measuring a time after said shutter button is manually pressed; and

an output selecting portion outputting only a single image taken when a first predetermined period of time is measured by said time measuring portion as said first image, and outputting an image taken when a second predetermined period of time is further measured by said time measuring portion after the first period of time as said second image, wherein said first image is updated by using an image of a region of said second image other than the object region of said second image every time a prescribed period is elapsed, wherein only said single image is taken before said second predetermined time is measured, and said shutter button is located on a body of said image pickup apparatus.