Eastman-kodak Company

Gte Sylvania Incorporated

David L Funston

Kenneth Alan Parulski

Stephen G Malloy Desormeaux

Robert G Hills

Hirohiko Ina

Robert Luke Walker

Hisanori Hoshikawa

Dong Woo Rhee

Zachariah H Milburn, Jr

Donald E O'Brien

A camera and method are usable for capturing images of scenes illuminated by ambient light. The camera has a body and an electronic imager disposed in the body. The electronic imager captures an ambient light image as a multicolored electronic image. A color detector is disposed in the body. The color detector measures the ambient light to provide a color value. A look-up table, disposed in the body, has an assignment of the color value to one of a designated illuminant and one or more non-designated illuminants. Each non-designated illuminant has a color cast relative to the designated illuminant. A user interface, disposed on the outside of the body, shows the electronic image and an indication of the illuminant to which the color value is assigned.

Camera having verification display with viewer adaptation compensation for reference illuminants and method

A camera and method usable for capturing images of scenes illuminated by ambient light. The camera has a body and an electronic imager disposed in the body. The electronic imager captures an ambient light image as a multicolored electronic image. A color detector assesses the ambient light to provide a color value. A white balancing circuit determines a white balance color space vector defining a white balancing of the electronic image from the color value to a white point for a predetermined designated illuminant. A reversal circuit determines a reverse color space vector originating at the color value and extending opposite the white balance color space vector. A color balance adjusting circuit color balances the electronic image at a compensation point located on the reverse color space vector to provide a compensated image. An image display, disposed on the outside of the body, shows the compensated image.

Camera having verification display with reverse white balanced viewer adaptation compensation and method

A camera and method are usable for capturing images of scenes illuminated by ambient light. The camera has a body and an electronic imager disposed in the body. The electronic imager captures an ambient light image as a multicolored electronic image. A color detector is disposed in the body. The color detector measures the ambient light to provide a color value. A user interface disposed on the outside of said body, shows the electronic image and an indication of the color value. The indication is independent of the color balance of the electronic image.

Camera having user interface with verification display and color cast indicator

According to a feature of the present invention, a method is provided for using a two-dimensional matrix of light emitting elements to display an image electronically encoded in the form of illumination values. An array of elements including less than all of the elements in the matrix to display the image is defined. A sweep rate for writing the illumination values for the elements in the array is determined, and a sweep signal having the illumination values for the elements in the array is generated, where the sweep signal writes illumination values for the elements in the array at the determined sweep rate. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a display driver generates an image encoded in the form of illumination values. The driver includes an image source and a controller receiving the image from the image source, said controller being adapted to (1) define an array of elements including fewer than all of the elements in the matrix for display of the image (2) determine a sweep rate for writing illumination values to the array of elements, and (3) generate images by writing illumination values to the elements in the array at the sweep rate.

Display driver and method for driving an emissive video display

A method demonstrates a film-unloaded verifying camera in response to shutter button actuation. In the method, an electronic image is captured and the electronic image is shown to the user along with an indicator that film is not loaded. The film shutter can optionally be fired to provide a more complete experience of camera use. A camera provides these features.

Verifing camera with demonstration mode and method

In a motion verifying photography method, a latent image is captured during a film exposure time interval. The film exposure time interval has an initial portion, a middle portion, and a final portion. A first digital image is captured during the initial portion of the film exposure time interval. A second digital image is captured during the final portion of the film exposure time interval. A representation of both electronic images is visualized. A motion verifying camera has an exposure frame, an electronic array imager spaced from the exposure frame, an optical system directing light along a first path to the exposure frame and along a second path to the imager. Shutters are disposed on both paths. A shutter release connects to an actuator and responsive to the actuator, momentarily opens the film shutter for a film exposure time interval having an initial portion, a middle portion, and a final portion. The actuator momentarily opens the imager shutter during the initial portion and momentarily opens the imager shutter during the final portion.

Motion verifying camera and motion verifying photography method

A digital image processing system for displaying digitized images on a screen of a display unit includes a data base such as a compact disc on which the digitized images are stored, a plurality of image memories for holding the digitized images for display, and a display unit having a screen including a two-dimensional array of pixels. The screen is divided into sections by designating subsets of the screen pixels by row and column, and the images stored in the image memories are allocated to the sections of the screen by mapping image data pixels to the screen pixels. Under user control, different images may be displayed on different sections of the screen. The number of images, and the specific images from the data base, are user selectable and independently manipulable. To reduce a latency time for displaying images responsive to user commands, the images may be arranged in a sequence. Responsive to a user command to load a first image into an image memory and display it, one or more other images adjacent to the first image in the sequence are read from the data base and held in other image memories, otherwise unused. Thus, if a subsequent user command directs the system to display one of the adjacent images, the latency time for reading that image from the data base and holding it in another image memory is reduced.

Method and apparatus for controlling rapid display of multiple images

The limited ability of an internal memory in a CD player to store user-generated image parameter data is augmented by a storage medium, such as an electrically programmable read only memory module, configured to be removably interfaced with the CD player's microcontroller for storing image parameter data that has been programmed by the user. The module can be then removed from the playback device and inserted into that or another playback device for controlling its operation. The customized image parameter data may include one or more image display parameters including contrast, image magnification, color balance, saturation, border type and border location. It may also store information from which a photofinisher may produce hard copy prints of selected images or an entirely new album disc of user selections taken from multiple discs.

Auxiliary removable memory for storing image parameter data

A film image retrieval and scanning apparatus having split first and second optical paths with each optical path being precisely aligned with the other, and each path containing coupled zoom optics. The first path projects a film image onto a first scanner array in the first path to provide a real time display of the image on a TV monitor. The second optical path projects an image onto a second scanner array, which may have a higher resolution than the first array to provide an analog signal that is converted to a digital signal of the image that may be stored, or transmitted on a network, or both. The first scanner provides a real time image and serves as a viewfinder that can be used to locate the proper position of an image; thus ensuring that the image will be aligned with the second array so that it can be scanned by the second scanner array when desired.

Dual sensor film scanner having coupled optics and a video viewfinder

The skip-field video recorder of the invention maintains the temporal sampling rate of the original incoming video signal by including information from both the odd and even video fields of each frame in a single composite recorded video field. During playback, an odd and an even video field are synthesized from the single composite recorded video field to generate a complete video frame.

Skip-field video recorder with high temporal sampling rate

A film video player includes an electronic strobe light operable for repetitively firing a flash tube to flash illuminate a solid state image sensor via a pulse of light projected via a photographic film during the vertical retrace interval of a standard television signal. Detector circuitry, responsive to a signal relating to an output of the image sensor, produces a control signal that is functionally related to whether or not the illumination of the image sensor is above, below, or within a predetermined range near the saturation level of the image sensor. A microprocessor adjusts an exposure level signal at the vertical retrace rate in accordance with the control signal. Logic switching circuitry, having an input coupled to the microprocessor and responsive to the exposure level signal and an output coupled to the electronic strobe light, causes the electronic strobe light to produce a pulse of light within each vertical retrace interval that is sufficient to illuminate the image sensor near its saturation level, without the illumination saturating the sensor, to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio of the image sensor. The amplitude of the flash-firing current through the electronic strobe light is adjusted to be one of two discrete levels, and the duration of the light pulse is adjusted to be greater than a minimum duration below which the energy of the light pulse cannot accurately be repeated, and less than the vertical retrace interval. Five stops of exposure variation in the photographic film can be accommodated.

Illumination control circuitry for a film video player electronic strobe

A digital gain control system is disclosed. A clock oscillator drives a counter which in turn provides an output to a D/A converter. The analog output of the converter is used to develop a signal for controlling the gain of a gain-controlled amplifier. In order to compensate for the nonlinear gain versus control current characteristic of the amplifier, additional circuitry is employed so that the initial increment in control current, that is, the increment that occurs as the counter goes from the 0000 to the 0001 state, is significantly greater than the remaining increments. In conjunction with volume control circuitry for audio amplifiers, this circuitry assures a muted condition in the 0000 state, and an audio output corresponding to at least the minimum discernible level in the 0001 state.

Digital gain control system

A remote control transmitter utilizing single-pole, single-throw switches for connecting frequency determining capacitors and a battery in circuit with an LC oscillator is shown. The switches can be push-button type switches which close a pair of contacts. The battery is connected in circuit with the oscillator by a semiconductor switch which is closed by closure of any one of the push-button switches. Diodes isolate the frequency determining capacitors from each other.

Oscillator frequency switching circuit for remote control transmitter

A remote control receiver for a television receiver remote control system having a memory capacitor and a field-effect transistor readout to provide a direct control voltage is shown. Circuit means illustrated as a diode connected in series with the memory capacitor limits the magnitude of the charge stored by the memory capacitor to prevent the field-effect transistor from being driven beyond cut-off by an excessive amount.

Growing community of inventors

Batavia, NY, United States of America

David L Funston