# US 7,746,389 B2 · Image capture apparatus including generation of backup data

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- Number: US 7,746,389 B2
- Document ID: US7746389B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/790,166
- Filed: 2007-04-24
- Published: 2007-12-06
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2006-04-25
- Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation
- Inventors: Yukitaka Takeshita
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7746389B2

## CPC

- H04N 5/772: {the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure}
- H04N 1/2112: {using still video cameras}
- H04N 1/32683: {Preventive counter-measures, e.g. using redundant hardware, or anticipating a fault (arrangements for keeping a communication line open H04N1/32795)}
- H04N 23/634: {Warning indications}
- H04N 23/635: {Region indicators; Field of view indicators}
- H04N 1/32122: {in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data}
- H04N 5/907: using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories (H04N5/91 takes precedence)
- H04N 9/7921: {for more than one processing mode}
- H04N 9/8047: {using transform coding}
- H04N 2101/00: Still video cameras
- H04N 2201/212: Selecting different recording or reproducing modes, e.g. high or low resolution, field or frame
- H04N 2201/216: Arrangements for recording on different types of storage medium, e.g. IC card or magnetic tape; Recording on a plurality of storage media
- H04N 2201/325: Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
- H04N 2201/3274: Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
- H04N 2201/33321: Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4
- H04N 2201/33378: Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A digital camera generates principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a maximum size, and records the principal image data and the backup image data in a memory card and an internal memory respectively. In a resize processing in a replay mode, if the backup image data corresponding to the principal image data has been recorded, and a designated size is larger than the principal image data, a resize processing section reads the backup image data from the internal memory and performs the resize processing to the backup image data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image capture apparatus for converting an image of a subject into an image signal with an image sensor and generating digital image data from said image signal, said image capture apparatus comprising:
an image processing section for generating principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a size larger than said principal image data as said image data;
a memory for storing said principal image data and said backup image data;
a memory control section for controlling operation of said memory;
a first resize processing section for performing a resizing processing to change a size of said image data stored in said memory,
wherein said first resize processing section performs said resize processing to said backup image data if a size of said image data after said resize processing becomes larger than said size of said principal image data; and
wherein said first resize processing section performs said resize processing to said principal image data if a size of said image data after said resize processing becomes smaller than said size of said principal image data.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory has a backup image recording area for recording a predetermined number of frames of said backup image data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if said backup image data recording area does not have a sufficient space, said memory control section deletes earliest backup image data and records latest backup image data in said backup image data recording area.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said memory is an internal memory incorporated in a main body of said image capture apparatus.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:
a first operation unit for changing a recordable frame number of said backup image data in said backup image data recording area.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:
a second operation unit for deleting all of said backup image data at once.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said backup image data is image data of a maximum size or RAW data obtained by performing analog signal processing and A/D conversion to said image signal.

### Claim 8

An image capture apparatus for converting an image of a subject into an image signal with an image sensor and generating digital image data from said image signal, said image capture apparatus comprising:
an image processing section for generating principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a size larger than said principal image data as said image data;
a memory for storing said principal image data and said backup image data; and
a memory control section for controlling operation of said memory;
wherein said memory has a backup image data recording area for recording a predetermined number of frames of said backup image data, and a shared memory area in which both said principal image data and said backup image data are recorded;
wherein if said backup image recording area does not have a sufficient space and said shared memory area has a sufficient space, said memory control section transfers earliest backup image data from said backup image data recording area to said shared memory area, and records latest backup image data in said backup image data recording area.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 8, wherein if said shared memory area does not have a sufficient space, said memory control section deletes said earliest backup image data and records latest principal image data or said latest backup image data in said shared memory area.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said memory includes an internal memory incorporated in a main body of said image capture apparatus and an external memory removably installed to said main body, and said internal memory has said backup image data recording area, and said external memory has said shared memory area.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising:
a display section for displaying a recordable frame number of said principal image, which is estimated from a remaining space in said memory, said display section displaying said recordable frame number added with a number of frames corresponding to an amount of said backup image data recorded in said shared memory area.

### Claim 12

An image capture apparatus for converting an image of a subject into an image signal with an image sensor and generating digital image data from said image signal, said image capture apparatus comprising:
an image processing section for generating principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a size larger than said principal image data as said image data;
a memory for storing said principal image data and said backup image data; and
a memory control section for controlling operation of said memory, wherein if said principal image data is designated to be the same size as said backup image data, said memory control section only records said principal image data.

### Claim 13

An image capture apparatus for converting an image of a subject into an image signal with an image sensor and generating digital image data from said image signal, said image capture apparatus comprising:
an image processing section for generating principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a size larger than said principal image data as said image data;
a memory for storing said principal image data and said backup image data; and
a memory control section for controlling operation of said memory, further comprising:
a trimming processing section for performing a trimming processing to trim a part of an image to said backup image data; and
further comprising:
a resize processing section for changing said trimmed backup image data to be the same size as said principal image data if said trimmed backup image data being larger than said principal image data.

### Claim 14

An image capture apparatus for converting an image of a subject into an image signal with an image sensor and generating digital image data from said image signal, said image capture apparatus comprising:
an image processing section for generating principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a size larger than said principal image data as said image data;
a memory for storing said principal image data and said backup image data; and
a memory control section for controlling operation of said memory; and
further comprising:
a color conversion processing section for converting a color tone of said image data from a standard color tone into other color tone,
wherein in the case a color tone of said principal image data is converted into said other color tone in said color conversion processing section and recorded in said memory, said memory control section restores said color tone of said principal image data to said standard color tone by rewriting said principal image data with said backup image data having said standard color tone as new principal image data.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

An image capture apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising:
a resize processing section for changing said backup image data to be the same size as said principal image data when said color tone of said principal image data is restored to said standard color tone.

### Claim 16

An image capture apparatus for converting an image of a subject into an image signal with an image sensor and generating digital image data from said image signal, said image capture apparatus comprising:
an image processing section for generating principal image data of a predetermined size and backup image data of a size larger than said principal image data as said image data;
a memory for storing said principal image data and said backup image data; and
a memory control section for controlling operation of said memory; and
further comprising:
an operation unit for allowing a user to select whether to automatically replace said principal image data with said backup image data at the time of recording said principal image data and said backup image data in said memory after an image being captured.
