Electronic camera

• US 20020018137A1
• Filed: 07/24/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuda, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,081,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00068 Calculating or estimating
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• 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 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• 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

Abstract

Image data photographed by an image capturing apparatus is temporarily stored in a volatile memory. The volatile memory temporarily is supplied with power from a battery to store the image data temporarily. The remaining capacity of the battery is detected, and a maintainable time of the image data maintained in the volatile memory is calculated based on the detected remaining capacity of the battery. The calculated maintainable time is displayed on a display.

Claims

1. An electronic camera comprising:

a volatile memory that temporarily maintains image data;

a detector that detects a remaining capacity of a battery for supplying power to said volatile memory; and

a maintain time calculator that calculates a maintainable time of the image data maintained in said volatile memory based on the remaining capacity detected by said detector.

2. An electronic camera according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying the maintainable time.

3. An electronic camera according to claim 2, further comprising a connecting portion communicating image data with an external memory.

4. An electronic camera according to claim 3, the external memory comprises a recording medium detachably accommodated to the camera, and said connecting portion comprises a connector.

5. An electronic camera comprising:

a volatile memory that temporarily maintains image data;

a detector that detects a remaining capacity of a battery for supplying power to said volatile memory;

a setter that sets a desired data maintain time for said volatile memory in which the image data is maintained;

a maintain capacity calculator that calculates a maintain capacity that is a battery capacity to allow the image data to be maintained for the desired data maintain time; and

an enabled time calculator that calculates a time during which the camera is enabled based on a capacity difference obtained by subtracting the maintain capacity from the remaining capacity of the battery.

6. An electronic camera according to claim 5, further comprising a display for displaying the camera enabled time.

7. An electronic camera according to claim 6, further comprising a maintain time calculator that calculates a maintainable time of the image data maintained in said volatile memory based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detector, wherein

said display displays the camera enabled time and the maintainable time.

8. An electronic camera according to claim 6, wherein said display displays the desired data maintain time set by said setter along with the camera enabled time.

9. An electronic camera according to claim 6, further comprising a connecting portion communicating image data with an external memory.

10. An electronic camera according to claim 9, the external memory comprises a recording medium detachably accommodated to the camera, and said connecting portion comprises a connector.

13. An electronic camera according to claim 5, further comprising a disabling unit that disables operations of the camera other than the maintenance of image data recorded in said volatile memory when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or smaller than the maintain capacity.

14. An electronic camera according to claim 6, further comprising a disabling unit that disables operations of the camera other than the maintenance of image data recorded in said volatile memory when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or smaller than the maintain capacity.

15. An electronic camera according to claim 7, further comprising a disabling unit that disables operations of the camera other than the maintenance of image data recorded in said volatile memory when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or smaller than the maintain capacity.

16. An electronic camera according to claim 8, further comprising a disabling unit that disables operations of the camera other than the maintenance of image data recorded in said volatile memory when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or smaller than the maintain capacity.

11. An electronic camera comprising:

a volatile memory that temporarily maintains image data to be transferred to an external memory of the camera;

a detector that detects a remaining capacity of a battery for supplying power to said volatile memory;

a maintain time calculator that calculates a maintainable time of the image data recorded in said volatile memory based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detector;

a recording mode selector that selects one of a first recording mode for transferring and recording the image data to the external memory after maintaining the image data in said volatile memory temporarily and a second recording mode for recording the image data in said volatile memory; and

a display for displaying the maintainable time when the second recording mode is selected by said recording mode selector.

12. An electronic camera according to claim 11, further comprising:

a setter that sets a desired data maintain time for said volatile memory in which image data is maintained;

a maintain capacity calculator that calculates a maintain capacity that is a battery capacity to allow image data to be maintained for the desired maintain time; and

an enabled time calculator that calculates a camera enabled time based on a capacity difference obtained by subtracting the maintain capacity from the remaining capacity of the battery, wherein

said display displays the camera enabled time and the maintainable time.

17. An electronic camera according to claim 12, further comprising a disabling unit that disables operations of the camera other than the maintenance of image data recorded in said volatile memory when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or smaller than the maintain capacity.

18. An electronic camera comprising:

a volatile memory that temporarily maintains image data;

a detector that detects a remaining capacity of a battery for supplying power to said volatile memory;

a maintain time calculator that calculates a maintainable time of the image data maintained in said volatile memory based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detector;

an enabled time calculator that calculates a camera enabled time based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detector; and

a display that displays the maintainable time and the camera enabled time.