Single sensor color camera with user selectable image record size

An electronic camera adapted for processing images of different resolution, said camera comprising:

• an image sensor for generating a baseband image signal representative of color image pixels arranged in vertical and horizontal directions as obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a pattern of luminance and chrominance color filters;
• a buffer member having sufficient capacity for storing the color image pixels as baseband signals corresponding to at least one image, said memory operable according to a timing signal that regulates the order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in said buffer memory;
• a resolution mode switch for selecting a pixel resolution of the stored image by specifying an order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in both vertical and horizontal directions, said order including a full resolution mode in which all color image pixels are stored and at least one reduced resolution mode in which a fewer number of color image pixels are stored;
• and
• a timing controller responsive to the pixel resolution selected by the resolution mode switch for generating the timing signal and accordingly changing the number of horizontal and vertical pixels that represent the image, said timing signal effecting a subsampling of the color image pixels for the reduced resolution mode wherein each chrominance image pixel is selected to be spatially adjacent to a selected luminance image pixel.

An electronic camera adapted for processing images of different resolution, said camera comprising:

• an image sensor for generating a baseband image signal representative of color image pixels arranged in vertical and horizontal directions as obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a pattern of luminance and chrominance color filters;
• a buffer memory having sufficient capacity for storing the color image pixels as baseband signals corresponding to at least one image, said memory operable according to a timing signal that regulates the order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in said buffer memory;
• a resolution mode switch for selecting a pixel resolution of the stored image by specifying an order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in both vertical and horizontal directions, said order including a full resolution mode in which all color image pixels are stored and at least one reduced resolution mode in which less than all color image pixels are stored;
• and
• a timing controlling responsive to the pixel resolution selected by the resolution mode switch for generating the timing signal and accordingly changing the number of horizontal and vertical pixels that represent the image, said timing signal effecting a subsampling of the color image pixels for the reduced resolution mode wherein (a) the luminance image pixels are subsampled in a checkerboard-type arrangement and (b) the chrominance image pixels are subsampled so as to be spatially adjacent to a luminance image pixel.

An electronic camera adapted for processing images of different resolution, said camera comprising:

• an image sensor for generating a baseband image signal representative of color image pixels arranged in vertical and horizontal directions as obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a pattern of luminance and chrominance color filters;
• a buffer memory having sufficient capacity for storing the color image pixels as baseband signals corresponding to at least one image, said buffer memory operable according to a timing signal that regulates the order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in said buffer memory;
• a resolution mode switch for selecting a pixel resolution of the stored image by specifying an order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in both vertical and horizontal directions, said order including a full resolution mode in which all color image pixels are stored and at least one reduced resolution mode in which less than all color image pixels are stored;
• a timing controller responsive to the pixel resolution selected by the resolution mode switch for generating the timing signal and accordingly changing the number of horizontal and vertical pixels that represent the image, said timing signal effecting a subsampling of the color image pixels for the reduced resolution mode wherein each chrominance image pixel is selected to be spatially adjacent to a luminance image pixel;
• a signal processor for generating a processed image signal by compressing the baseband image signal stored in said buffer memory;
• and
• an output memory having sufficient capacity for storing the processed image signal corresponding to at least one full resolution image, or to a greater number of reduced resolution images.

An electronic camera adapted for processing images of different resolution, said camera comprising:

• an image sensor for generating a baseband image signal representative of color image pixels arranged in vertical and horizontal directions as obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a pattern of luminance and chrominance color filters;
• means for exposing said image sensor to image light from at least one image;
• a buffer memory having sufficient capacity for storing the color image pixels as baseband signals corresponding to at least one image, said buffer memory operable according to a timing signal that regulates the order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in said buffer memory;
• a resolution mode switch for selecting a pixel resolution of the stored image by specifying an order in which the color image pixels are selected for storage in both vertical and horizontal directions, said order including a full resolution mode in which all color image pixels are stored and at least one reduced resolution mode in which less than all color image pixels are stored;
• a timing controller responsive to the pixel resolution selected by the resolution mode switch for generating the timing signal and accordingly changing the number of horizontal and vertical pixels that represent the image, said timing signal effecting a subsampling of the color image pixels for the reduced resolution mode wherein each chrominance image pixel is selected to be spatially adjacent to a luminance image pixel;
• a signal processor for generating a processed image signal by compressing the baseband image signal stored in said buffer memory;
• an output memory having sufficient capacity for storing the processed image signal corresponding to at least one full resolution image, or to a greater number of reduced resolution images;
• and
• means responsive to the reduced resolution mode selected by said resolution mode switch for enabling said exposing means to continuously expose said sensor to a series of images, whereby a corresponding series of processed image signals are generated by said signal processor and stored in said output memory.

An electronic camera adapted for processing images of different resolution, said camera comprising:

• an image sensor for generating a baseband image signal representative of color image pixels arranged in vertical and horizontal directions as obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a checkerboard pattern of luminance and chrominance color filters in which each luminance image pixel is horizontally and vertically adjoined by a chrominance image pixel;
• a buffer memory having sufficient capacity for storing the color image pixels as baseband signals corresponding to at least one image;
• a signal processor for generating a processed image signal by compressing the baseband image signal stored in said buffer memory;
• and
• a resolution mode switch for selecting a pixel resolution mode of the image selected for compression, said resolution modes including a full resolution mode in which all color image pixels are processed for compression and at least one reduced resolution mode in which less than all color image pixels are produced by averaging at least some of the color image pixels before compression.