Eastman-kodak Company

Fujitsu Corporation

Nippon Steel Corporation

Nippon Kinzoku Co., Ltd.

Masaki Izumi

Kenneth Alan Parulski

Seiichi Mizukoshi

Clay A Dunsmore

Seishi Ohmori

Atsushi Hatakeyama

Nobuyuki Mori

Mikio Yamanaka

Naoko Yoshida

Thomas A Napoli

Yasushi Nakamura

Keiichi Ohmura

Kyoichi Omata

Tsutomu Miura

Yoshitaka Ishida

Toshiyuki Yashiro

Hideki Akiyama

John J Uebelacker

Hiromi Akuta

Warren D Severin

Carolyn A Bussi

Yoshio Wachi

John K Lynch

Motoyuki Ohsugi

Motohiko Arakawa

An electronic camera includes a sensor for capturing an image, an electronic image display for displaying the captured image, and a user interface for selectively enabling a quick view feature in which the image display is automatically turned on for a set period of time after an image is captured, and then automatically turned off, in order to quickly review the captured image. The camera further includes a processor for performing processing on the captured image and generating a processed image file therefrom, and a memory for storing the processed image file. When an erase command is provided to the processor, the processing of the image file is terminated and the partially completed image file is deleted from the second memory.

Electronic camera with quick view and quick erase features

An automatic program generation unit automatically generates a program according to designing information. When a code is added by a change in designing information, a corrected portion inheriting unit retrieves an added portion from a new program automatically generated according to the latest designing information. When a code is deleted by a change in designing information, the deleted portion is retrieved from a corrected program obtained by correcting the previous automatically-generated program. Then, the added portion obtained by the retrieval is added to the corrected program, and the deleted portion is deleted from the corrected program.

METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY GENERATING CORRECTED PROGRAM INHERITED PROGRAM, AUTOMATIC PROGRAM GENERATION APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM FOR AUTOMATICALLY GENERATING CORRECTED PROGRAM INHERITED PROGRAM

A digital still camera comprises a full image processor and a rough image processor. The full image processor generates compressed full image data as primary image data, while the rough image processor generates non-compressed rough image data as secondary image data whose data volume has been reduced by limiting pixels thereof. In a reproduction mode, rough image data is read from a memory and subjected to display processing. A rough image is generated based on non-compressed rough image data with a short reproduction waiting time and displayed on an image display device. Thereafter, corresponding full image data is processed for display so that a relevant full image replaces the displayed rough image data, to be finally displayed.

Image display method and digital still camera providing rapid image display by displaying low resolution image followed by high resolution image

Test data for each item and listing item information defining an item of a listing are generated. In addition, link table information defining a link between items is generated. Then, an item of test data for use in verifying an output of a listing is defined according to the listing item information, test data for each item, and the link table information. The test data of each item is read from a test data table, combined with each other to generate test data, and stored in a work table. Using the test data stored in the work table, an output of a listing can be verified.

Method for generating test data for listing program, listing program generation apparatus, and storage medium storing program for generating test data

An electronic still camera is provided with an electronic image sensor for generating an image signal corresponding to a still image of a subject and an orientation determination section for sensing the orientation of the camera relative to the subject. The orientation determination section provides an orientation signal recognizing either the vertical or the horizontal orientation of the camera relative to the subject. An image processor is responsive to the orientation signal for processing the image signal and correcting the orientation thereof so that the still image is output from the image processor in a predetermined orientation. In this way, the electronic still camera can be positioned in a variety of orientations relative to a subject, including both clockwise and counterclockwise vertical 'portrait' orientations and a horizontal 'landscape' orientation, without affecting the orientation of the images output by the camera.

Electronic still camera having automatic orientation sensing and image

A flash quench controller for a camera having a flash unit includes a light detector for producing a signal, an integrator for integrating the signal from the detector and producing an integrated signal, a comparator for comparing the integrated signal to a reference value, and means for quenching the flash unit when the integrated signal reaches the reference value. By using a pulse signal having a variable pulse width to programmably set the reference value, many different quench time values can be easily established. The flash unit may also be quenched by setting a maximum flash time value. The flash is automatically quenched if this flash time value is reached before the integrated signal level reaches the programmed reference value.

Digitally controlled quench flash circuit

A technique for automatically focusing the lens of an electronic still camera employs a progressive scan image sensor 20 with a fast dump structure 62. The image sensor 20 itself is operated first in a 'fast flush ' mode to focus a lens 22, and then in a normal readout mode to obtain the final still image. To focus the lens 22, an image is integrated on the sensor 20. The average contrast of a central region 66 of the image is used to determine how well the image is focused. The portion of the image surrounding a central focusing area 66 is rapidly read out and discarded, using 'fast flush' clocking where the vertical and horizontal registers are continuously clocked and lines of image charge are dumped to the substrate through the fast dump structure 62. In the central focusing area 66, a pattern of lines are eliminated through the fast dump structure 62, and the intervening lines are transferred out to generate a focus adjustment signal. The process is repeated numerous times as the lens focus is adjusted until the maximum average contrast is obtained. At this point, the entire sensor is cleared using 'fast flush' clocking, and the final image is then captured and read out.

Electronic camera with rapid automatic focus of an image upon a

The present invention relates to a bar code reader for reading bar codes and converting them into resepective alphanumeric code signals. The bar code reader includes a scanner for scanning bar codes presented thereto, a timing pulse generating circuit, a sample and holding means, a pattern memory for storing matching bit patterns for a set of bar codes, and a pattern matching circuit. In operation, levels of a rectangular wave output signal generated by the scanner from scanning a bar code are successively read into the sample and holding means in response to predetermined sequence timing pulses provided by the time pulse generating means to store corresponding data bit pattern output signals. The pattern matching circuit compares the data bit pattern output signals from the sample and holding means with matching bit pattern signals stored in the pattern memory. From such pattern signal comparisions, the pattern matching circuit determines which of the matching bit pattern signals is the most likely to be the bar code in question. The pattern matching circuit then converts the determined most similar matching bit pattern signals into the alphanumeric code signal and outputs it.

Bar code reader

A barcode reader provided with a skewed reading circuit is provided wherein the image of a barcode symbol to be scanned by a scanner is divided into as multiplicity of pixels by dividing it in the scanning direction of the scanner and the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction and the pixels or the binary data corresponding to the pixels along lines of a skewed reading direction which are relative to the scanning direction of the scanner by a specified angle of n (.THETA.) are read out by the skewed reading circuit where n is an integer greater than 1. This skewed reading circuit allows the angle allowable for scanning and readign when the barcode symbol is skewed relative to the scanning direction.

A radiation image reading apparatus using a storage phosphor plate as a radiation image record is disclosd which includes a light beam scanning device, detection device and control device. The light beam scanning device generates a laser beam and scans the phosphor plate with the laser beam. The detection device detects a phosphor light from the phosphor plate generated by the irradiation of the laser beam and outputs an electrical image signal corresponding to the image information recorded at each of the pixels of the plate. The control device includes an optical shutter which is controlled so that the light beam from the scanning device is provided to generate only one beam spot for each of the pixels of the plate.

Apparatus for reading a phosphor plate image

A radiation image reading apparatus is described which is adapted to read out a radiation image from a storage phosphor plate by scanning an excitation light on the plate and detecting phosphor light caused by the scanning of the excitation light. In the apparatus, the excitation light is emitted onto each of the pixels of the plate from a plurality of laser beam sources, so that the combined total beam spots on the pixel has a sharp light intensity rising characteristics so that the image information stored on the neighboring pixels is hardly affected.

Multiple beam radiation image reading apparatus

A method of reading bar codes which enables incomplete readings of bar code data produced by excessive misalignment between the bar code and the bar code scanning line to be assembled automatically into a complete reading of the bar code data. This is done by combining incomplete data obtained by multiple passes of the read scanner, using a superimposition technique.

Bar code reading method

A method of transferring an image to a receiver in a thermal transfer printer including a printing head having a plurality of heating elements for effecting one-line printing by selectively driving the heating elements on the basis of transfer data. While a recording medium is moved with respect to the heating elements during the one-line printing period, the printing based on the same one-line transfer data is effected by driving each heating element the same consecutive number of times in a plurality of different positions within the width of one-line pitch.

Method of and apparatus for transferring an image in a thermal transfer

A thermal print head driver circuit which turns on and off each heating resistor at times uniformly distributed about the center (halfway) of the time to print a line (pixel interval).

Selective energization of thermal printers

A thermal recording apparatus is provided with a recording head and a sheet of recording paper shiftable relative to each other in a direction parallel to a row of heating elements through a distance which is smaller than the pitch of the heating elements, whereby the transfer process which has in the past been completed in one step is carried out in a multiplicity of steps. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain an image of higher density than can be obtained in the prior art.

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Yokohama, Japan

Masaki Izumi