Event recording apparatus

• US 6,542,183 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lynx System Developers Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lynx System Developers Incorporated
• Inventors: DeAngelis, Douglas J., Ciholas, Mike, Sigel, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US08/981,757
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5335, 348/207, 348/220, 348/222, 348/231, 348/232, 348/239, 348/311, 348/312, 348/157, 348/145, 348/148
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 13/02 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/24 Race time-recorders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/192 the adaptation method, adaptation tool or adaptation type being iterative or recursive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/503 involving temporal prediction adaptive coding with adaptive selection between spatial and temporal predictive coding H04N19/107; adaptive coding with adaptive selection among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes H04N19/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/93 Run-length coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/76 by influencing the image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/63 applied to dark current
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 : Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

The invention provides a system for recording and displaying a time sequential scene on a computer (16). The digital camera (12) transmits a sequence of digital image frames to the timer (14) representative of the image of a body passing a plane in space. Each frame represents a line object (18) of the body, thus forming a fractional part of the scene. Once the frame reaches the image timer (14), it is digitally marked with a time reference (34) and buffered into a block of information. The main control computer (16) stores blocks of information from the image timer (14) for a variety of processing and features available to the user. The invention also provides a selected memory (36), preferably a virtual memory subsystem, or hard-disc drive. Preferred constructions for adjusting camera pixel processing of light values, time-marking the images, creating color palettes for interactive viewing of color images, and video data coding to accommodate the high volume of line image data are described.

Claims

1. An event recording camera system for forming a time sequence of images, comprising:

A. a first digital camera which generates a first sequence of digital image frames, each frame of said first sequence representing a first view that is captured by said first digital camera at a first moment in time and imaged onto a first array of detector elements;

B. a second digital camera which generates a second sequence of digital image frames, each frame of said second sequence representing a second view that is captured by said second digital camera at a second moment in time and imaged onto a second array of detector elements;

C. a precision timer associated with said first digital camera, and a timer processing means which marks frames of said first sequence of digital image frames with a time reference indicative of said first moment in time,

D. a tunable timer in said second digital camera, said tunable timer being operative in at least a faster mode and in a slower mode, and timer processing means which marks frames of said second sequence with a time reference representative of said second moment in time as determined by the tunable timer; and

E. mode selection means for accessing the precision timer and selecting a mode having a speed to maintain said tunable timer synchronous with said precision timer, so that said first and second sequences of digital image frames are marked with a common time reference.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said tunable timer includes a prescaler with different dividers for providing different frequency bases, the different frequency bases determining modes of different speed.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said precision timer is in said first digital camera.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said second digital camera is connected to said precision timer by a coaxial cable.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said coaxial cable provides power to said second digital camera.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a main control computer capable of communicating with said first digital camera and said second digital camera to process said first sequence of digital image frames and said second sequence of digital image frames.

7. A system according to claim 6, further comprising a printer in communication with said main control computer.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said first array of detector elements is a line sensor.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said second array of detector elements is a line sensor.

10. An event recording digital camera including an optical imaging element for forming a light image of a visual field, and an image sensing element for generating a digital image frame from the light image, timing means in said camera for generating time signals at tunable discrete rates, and means responsive to communication with a precision time source for selecting a said rate so as to maintain synchronization of the timing means with the precision time source, said digital camera further including time processing means for marking frames generated by said camera with their time of generation as determined by said timing means.

11. A digital camera according to claim 10, wherein the image sensing element is a line sensor.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein said digital camera is connected to said precision time source by a coaxial cable.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said coaxial cable provides power to said digital camera.

14. A system according to claim 10, further comprising a main control computer capable of communicating with said digital camera to process said digital image frame.

15. A system according to claim 14, further comprising a printer in communication with said main control computer.

16. An event recording digital camera including an optical image forming element and an image sensing element for generating digital image frames, a tunable timer and means for periodically varying a rate at which said tunable timer operates so as to maintain it in synchrony with a precision time source, and means for marking the digital image frames with time generated by said tunable timer.

17. A digital camera according to claim 16, wherein said sensing element is a line sensor which generates frames at a rate substantially over one hundred frames per second, and said tunable timer is phase locked to said precision time source to maintain a timing accuracy of greater than approximately 10⁻

3 sec.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein said digital camera is connected to said precision time source by a coaxial cable.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said coaxial cable provides power to said digital camera.

20. A system according to claim 16, further comprising a main control computer capable of communicating with said digital camera to process said digital image frames.

21. A system according to claim 20, further comprising a printer in communication with said main control computer.

22. A camera system for forming a time sequence of images, comprising:

a first digital camera capable of generating a first sequence of digital image frames and having a first tunable timer to provide an absolute time stamp to said first sequence of digital image frames;

a second digital camera capable of generating a second sequence of digital image frames and having a second tunable timer to provide an absolute time stamp to said second sequence of digital image frames; and

a precision timer in communication with said first digital camera and said second digital camera to periodically, synchronize said first tunable timer and said second tunable timer to said precision timer.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said first digital camera and said second digital camera are connected to said precision timer by at least one coaxial cable.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein said coaxial cable provides power to said first digital camera.

25. A system according to claim 22, further comprising a main control computer capable of communicating with said first digital camera to process said first sequence of digital image frames.

26. A system according to claim 25, further comprising a printer in communication with said main control computer.