Digital still camera utilizing a progressive image sensor

Details Digital still camera utilizing a progressive image sensor Digital still camera utilizing a progressive image sensor

1997-12-23

2001-12-04

Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)

Television

Camera, system and detail

Combined image signal generator and general image signal...

C348S294000, C358S526000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06326997

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital still camera, and more particularly, to a digital still camera that uses a progressive image sensor.
(b) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a conventional digital still camera. As shown in
FIG. 1
, a lens unit
1
forms an image and directs it toward an image sensor/driving unit
3
. The image sensor/driving unit
3
converts the light signals into corresponding electric signals.
The electric signals are applied to an analog/digital converter
5
and converted to digital image signals, which, in turn, are converted to digital color image data by an image sensor signal/color signal processing unit
7
.
A lens driving/controlling unit
9
controls zooming, focusing, and the iris of lens unit
1
. A control unit
11
controls operation of the entire system.
The digital color image data from the image sensor signal/color signal processing unit
7
is stored in a frame memory/strip memory
13
. The frame memory/strip memory
13
includes a frame memory for storing one or more images and a strip memory for storing each line of the frame image. The data stored in the frame memory/strip memory
13
is applied to still image compression/decompression unit
15
. The still image compression/decompression unit
15
compresses each still image stored in the frame memory/strip memory
13
and sends the compressed data to an image recording memory unit
17
. The image recording memory unit
17
stores the compressed data.
The compressed data stored in the image recording memory unit
17
is decompressed by the still image compression/decompression unit
15
, as needed. The decompressed data is applied to the image sensor signal/color signal processing unit
7
through the frame memory/strip memory
13
. The image sensor signal/color signal processing unit
7
converts the decompressed data to digital image data, which are applied to a digital/analog converter
19
and converted to analog image signals. An image filter
21
generates analog color image signals from the analog image signals.
The compressed data stored in the image recording memory unit
17
is also transmitted to a computer through a computer interface unit
23
.
As described above, the conventional digital still camera of prior art has to store a frame of digital image data in the frame memory
13
for data compression because the image sensor of the conventional digital still camera generates the image field-by-field in an interlace mode. The image data either needs to be stored in the frame memory unit
13
for compression, or the data must be compressed at the interlace speed.
A conventional digital still camera of the prior art uses the frame memory as a time delay because it employs an image sensor that is designed to output sequential images continuously. However, the increased number of pixels requires a large frame memory, which increases the cost of the camera.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital still camera employing a progressive image sensor that generates analog image signals corresponding to an entire image while simultaneously storing a frame of the image, without employing a frame memory.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and/or will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention includes a progressive image sensor for capturing images and for generating image signals corresponding to the images, an image processor for generating image data corresponding to the image signals from the image sensor, and a strip memory for storing the image data from the image processor line-by-line. The invention further includes an image memory for storing the image data from the strip memory by means of the image processor.
Also, to achieve this object, the invention includes a progressive image sensor for capturing images and for generating image signals corresponding to the images, an image processor for generating image data corresponding to the image signals from the image sensor, and a memory for storing the image data from the image processor line-by-line. The invention further includes an image compression/decompression means for compressing the image data stored in the memory, for decompressing compressed image data, and for storing the decompressed image data in the memory. The invention also includes a camera controller for controlling the image sensor, the image processor, and the image compression/decompression means.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4658287 (1987-04-01), Chen
patent: 5164831 (1992-11-01), Kuchta et al.
patent: 4100400A1 (1992-07-01), None
patent: 8-335688 (1966-12-01), None
patent: 8-9269 (1996-01-01), None
patent: 8-125957 (1996-05-01), None

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