Electronic photographic camera

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) a solid state imaging sensing device including a plurality of light-receiving elements disposed in the imaging plane of said optical system and producing a charge corresponding to the quantity of incident light and accumulating the charge therein, first and second gate means for transferring the charge accumulated in said elements respectively, register means for putting out the charge transferred by the opening of said first gate means successively in time-series fashion corresponding to each of said elements, and drain means for receiving the charge accumulated in said elements beyond a predetermined amount during the closing of said second gate means and receiving the charge produced in said elements during the opening of said second gate means;
• (c) first gate control means for closing said first gate means and opening said second gate means;
• (d) means connected to said drain means for metering the brightness of said object on the basis of the charge received in said drain means to produce an output for said brightness;
• (e) means for storing said output of said metering means;
• and
• (f) second gate control means for closing both said first and second gate means for a predetermined period which is determined according to said stored output to accumulate the charge at said elements.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) a solid state imaging sensing means including a plurality of light-receiving elements disposed in the imaging plane of said optical system and producing a charge corresponding to the quantity of incident light and accumulating said charge therein, first transfer means having a first output terminal and transferring the charge to said first output terminal, and second transfer means having a second output terminal and transferring the charge to said second output terminal;
• (c) means for executing a first control to shift the charge generated at said light-receiving elements to said first transfer means;
• (d) means for executing a second control subsequently to said first control execution to accumulate in each of said elements the charge generated at said light-receiving elements;
• (e) means for metering the brightness of said object on the basis of the charge generated at said first output terminal during said first control to produce an output for said brightness;
• and
• (f) means for storing the output produced at said metering means just before said second control execution.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) a solid state imaging sensing means including a plurality of light-receiving elements disposed in the imaging plane of said optical system and producing a charge corresponding to the quantity of incident light and accumulating said charge therein, first transfer means having a first output terminal and transferring the charge to said first output terminal, and second transfer means having a second output terminal and transferring the charge to said second output terminal;
• (c) means for executing a first control to shift the charge generated at said light-receiving elements to said first transfer means;
• (d) means for executing a second control subsequently to said first control execution to accumulate in each of said elements the charge generated at said light-receiving elements;
• (e) means for determining a time period of said second control on the basis of the charge generated from said first output terminal during said first control execution;
• and
• (f) means for executing a third control to shift the charge accumulated at said light-receiving elements after said determined time period has elapsed.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (c) means for generating an index signal distinguished from said electronic image signal;
• (d) solid state memory means;
• (e) means for transferring said electronic image signal and said index signal to said memory means in the same timing;
• (f) wherein said memory means has a first registration position to register said electronic image signal transferred by said transferring means and a second registration position to register said transferred index signal;
• and
• (g) means for monitoring said second registration position to detect the registration of said index signal at said second registration position.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means including a plurality of light-receiving elements disposed in the imaging plane of said optical system and producing electrical signals corresponding to the quantity of incident light, and means for transferring each of said electrical signals in time-series fashion and thereby emitting them as still image signals;
• (c) memory means for recording said still image signals;
• (d) means for taking out a first still image signal recorded in said memory means, in time-series fashion;
• (e) synthesizing means for synthesizing said first still image signal and a second still image signal put out from said image pickup means to thereby make a third still image signal;
• and
• (f) means for re-transferring said third still image signal to said memory means.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (c) memory means including a plurality of memories each of which being provided for recording said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of the optical image of said object;
• (d) means for generating a signal to release said camera;
• (e) means in response to said release signal for successively searching said plurality of memories to detect at least one unused memory where said electronic image signal is not stored;
• and
• (f) means in response to said release signal for transferring said electronic image signal from said image pickup means to said one detected unused memory.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (c) memory means including a plurality of memories each of which being provided for recording said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of the optical image of said object, each of said plurality of memories including means for indicating that said electronic image signal has been stored therein;
• (d) means for generating a signal to release said camera;
• (e) detecting means in response to said release signal for successively searching said plurality of memories to produce an output when a memory without the indication of said indicating means is detected;
• and
• (f) means in response to the output of said detecting means for transferring said electronic image signal from said image pickup means to said detected memory.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) a camera housing;
• (b) a phototaking lens unit mounted to said housing and including an optical system forming an image of an object to be photgraphed;
• (c) image pickup means provided within said housing for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (d) a storing unit including memory means including a plurality of memories each of which being provided for recording said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of the optical image of said object, signal member representing the total number of said plurality of memories;
• (e) means for releasing said camera, said camera releasing means comprising means for generating a release signal, means for detecting at least one unused memory where said electronic image signal from said plurality of memories is not stored, and means in response to said release signal for transferring said electronic image signal from said image pickup means to said one detected unused memory;
• (f) counter means provided to respond to said release signal for counting from among said plurality of memories the number of memories in which said electronic image signal has already been recorded;
• and
• (g) warning means coupled to said signal member and producing a warning when the number of memories counted by said counter means has become coincident with the number of memories represented by said signal member.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (c) memory means including a plurality of memories each of which being used to record said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of the optical image of said object, each of said memories having a determined memory position in said memory means respectively;
• and
• (d) display means having a plurality of display elements disposed at each of said plurality of memories in a position correspondence and means in response to the use for each of said plurality of memories for driving a corresponding display element, whereby the condition of use in said plurality of memories is displayed.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (c) memory means including a plurality of memories each of which being used to record said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of the optical image of said object;
• and
• (d) means for visually indicating the condition of use in said plurality of memories, said indicating means comprising means for detecting that each of said plurality of memories has been used to record said electronic image signal, a plurality of display elements correspondingly provided for each of said plurality of memories, and means in response to the detection of said detecting means for driving display elements used for said recording.

An electronic photographic camera converting an optical image of a object into an electronic image signal and storing said electronic image signal, which comprises:

• (a) a first unit including a first housing and electric circuit means;
• (b) a second unit including a second housing power supply battery means;
• (c) first connecting means for electrically connecting said electric circuit means with said battery means;
• (d) second connecting means for mechanically connecting said first housing with said second housing;
• (e) means for manually operating said circuit means during said electrical connection;
• and
• (f) means for holding said mechanical connection in accordance with said operating means.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) a camera unit including a first housing means for forming the optical image of an object to be photographed, image pickup means for converting said optical image into an electronic image signal, means for electrically energizing said image pickup means to start the operation of said image pickup means and means for emitting said electronic image signal outside of said first housing;
• (b) a monitor device including a second housing means for receiving said electronic image signal emitted from said first housing into said second housing, means for reproducing said electronic image signal and visibly displaying said object and operating means for producing an operation signal and for emitting said operation signal outside of said second housing;
• and
• (c) said camera unit further including means for receiving said operation signal into said first housing and said electrically energizing means actuating in response to said operation signal.

An electronic photographic camera comprising:

• (a) an image pickup unit including a first housing, optical means for forming an image of an object to be photographed, image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal, and first power supply battery means for supplying power to said image pickup means;
• (b) a storing unit including a second housing, volitile memory means for recording said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of the optical image of said object, and second power supply battery means for supplying power to said volatile memory means;
• (c) first coupling means for mechanically coupling said first housing with said second housing;
• (d) second coupling means for electrically coupling, during said mechanical coupling, both of said image pickup means and said first power supply battery means with said volatile memory means;
• and
• (e) means for cutting off the power supply from said second power supply battery means to said volatile memory means in response to said second coupling means.

An electronic photographic camera system comprising:

• (a) an optical system forming an image of an object to be photographed;
• (b) image pickup means for converting the optical image of the object formed by said optical system into an electronic image signal;
• (c) storing means including a plurality of memories each of which registering said electronic image signal corresponding to a still image of said optical image;
• (d) means for reproducing said electronic image signal and visibly displaying said object;
• (e) means for transferring said electronic image signal from each of said memories into said reproducing means;
• and
• (f) means for marking the memory registering therein said electronic image signal corresponding to said object which is being displayed by said reproducing means, said marking means having manually operated means for actuating said marking means.

An electronic photographic system for recording still images of objects, each of said still images being formed by an image forming optical device and converted into an electronic image signal, said system comprising:

• (a) first storing means including a plurality of memories each of which registers said electronic image signal;
• (b) second storing means for recording said electronic image signal;
• (c) means for editing said still images registered in said plurality of memories;
• and
• (d) said editing means including means for reproducing said electronic image signal and visibly displaying the corresponding object, manual operating means, first transfer means for transferring said electronic image signal in response to the manual operation of said operating means from each of said memories into said reproducing means, means responsive to another manual operation of said operating means for marking the memory registering therein said electronic image signal which is being reproduced by said reproducing means, and second transfer means for transferring said electronic image signal registered in said memory being marked by said marking means into said second storing means.

A camera system for photographing a still or a moving picture of an object, comprising:

• (a) a camera unit including a first housing, means for forming the optical image of said object to be photographed, image pickup means for converting said optical image into an electronic image signal and means for emitting said electronic image signal outside of said first housing;
• (b) a view finder unit including a second housing separated from said first housing, means for receiving said electronic image signal emitted from said first housing into said second housing and means for reproducing said electronic image signal and visibly displaying said object;
• (c) operating means provided on said second housing for producing an operation signal to drive said camera unit and for emitting said operation signal outside of said second housing;
• (d) an image recording unit connected with said camera unit including means for storing said electronic image signal;
• (e) control means provided on said first housing for receiving said operation signal and for controlling said camera unit and said image recording unit in response to said operation signal;
• and
• (f) means for coupling said view finder unit with said camera unit.

A camera system for photographing a still or a moving picture of an object, comprising:

• (a) an image recording unit provided with a first housing;
• (b) a view finder unit provided with a second housing separated from said first housing;
• (c) transmission means provided between said first and second housings;
• (d) image pickup means for forming a video signal representing said picture of said object;
• (e) means provided in said first housing for storing said video signal;
• (f) means for emitting said video signal into said second housing through said transmission means;
• (g) visible display means provided in said second housing for receiving said video signal from said transmission means and reproducing said picture of said object;
• (h) operating means provided on said second housing for producing an operation signal to drive said image pickup unit and emitting said operation signal into said first housing through said transmission means;
• and
• (i) control means provided on said first housing for receiving said operation signal from said transmission means and controlling said storing means in response to said operation signal.