Digital camera

• US 7,612,806 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2003
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kazami, Kazuyuki, Itou, Masaharu, Ohta, Tadashi, Ohmura, Akira, Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Nhan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diep; Trung
• Application Number:
  US10/502,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20060152599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,469 Days
• Field of Search: 348/221.1, 348/221.3, 348/221.8, 348/221.9, 386/45, 386/106, 386/125
• US Class Current: 348/231.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00477 Indicating status, e.g. of a job for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00885 Power supply means, e.g. arrangements for the control of power supply to the apparatus or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00899 Detection of supply level or supply failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

A digital camera comprises an internal memory, an insertion port into which a storage medium is inserted; an imaging device; a storage control device that stores an image taken by the imaging device in one of the internal memory and the storage medium inserted into the insertion port; and a residual capacity display device that displays information on residual capacity to store the image by the storage control device.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

an imaging device;

an insertion port into which a storage medium limiting a number of overwrite is capable of being inserted,

an internal memory; and

a capacity control device that controls so as to secure temporal storage capacity to temporally store an image data taken by the imaging device in the internal memory when the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite is inserted into the insertion port, wherein

the capacity control device secures the temporal storage capacity of the internal memory in response to capacity of the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein:

the capacity control device secures the temporal storage capacity of the internal memory in response to capacity of the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite.

3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein:

the internal memory is a volatile memory.

4. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein:

the internal memory is a buffer memory for image processing work.

5. The digital camera according to claim 1 further comprising:

a residual capacity calculation device that decides capacity obtained by subtracting capacity of the image data stored in the internal memory from residual capacity of the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite as residual capacity for recording image data taken by the imaging device.

6. The digital camera according to claim 5 further comprising:

a residual capacity display control device that converts the residual capacity calculated by the residual capacity calculation device to a record frame number of the image data and displays a record frame number thereof.

7. The digital camera according to claim 1 further comprising:

a battery attachment device;

a battery power capacity detector that detects residual capacity of a battery power attached to the battery attachment device; and

an image record control device that records the image data temporally stored in the internal memory in the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite corresponding to the residual capacity of the battery power detected by the battery power capacity detector.

8. The digital camera according to claim 1 further comprising:

a battery attachment device;

a battery power capacity detector that detects residual capacity of a battery power attached to the battery attachment device; and

a record notification device that notifies so as to record the image data temporally stored in the internal memory in the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite corresponding to the residual capacity of the battery power detected by the battery power capacity detector.

9. The digital camera according to claim 1 further comprising:

a battery attachment device; and

a dismantle warning device that warns so as not to dismantle a battery when the image data is stored in the internal memory.

10. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein:

format of the image data to be stored in the internal memory is equal to format of image data to be recorded in the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite.

11. The digital camera according to claim 10, wherein:

the image data stored in the internal memory is EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) image data.

12. The digital camera according to claim 10, wherein:

information about a folder to be recorded in the storage medium limiting a number of overwrite set at a shooting is also stored in the internal memory along with the image data.