Eastman-Kodak Company

Applied Research & Technology Ltd.

Mitchell J Milton

Richard M Vogel

Thomas C Nutting

Richard A Neatrour

Anthony A Gambacurta, Jr

A still video camera produces a still signal for recording on a magnetic disk and a movie signal for displaying in an electronic viewfinder. In recording the still picture . . . after previewing the scene in the viewfinder . . . , a vertical synchronizing signal is recorded in predetermined relation to a reference position on the disk. Instead of phase locking the disk drive to the vertical synchronizing signal, the time base of the camera is 'locked' to variations in the location (phase) of the reference position. The camera is thus affected by a relatively instantaneous reset of the time base rather than an inertially-limited adjustment of the drive motor, which tends to 'blind' the electronic viewfinder for the duration and renders previewing unacceptable. By attempting the video reset only after the disk has been stabilized at a standard velocity (by a velocity servo) and by 'windowing' the reference position for 'acceptable' phase error, the viewfinder is further unburdened of visually-disruptive effects that impede effective still photography.

Still video camera having video synchronized to drive motor phase

A multi-band graphic equalizer is provided that includes a plurality of controllable frequency response determining elements, each element having a primary effect in its primary frequency band and a secondary effect in at least one adjacent frequency band, a graphic input device for entering an input that graphically represents a desired frequency response characteristic, and a controller connected between the input means and the frequency response determining elements for calculating the necessary frequency response characteristic for each controllable frequency response element based on the in band and out of band effects of each element to produce the desired overall frequency response characteristic and for generating a plurality of sets of control signals, one set of control signals for each frequency response determining element, so that the overall frequency response characteristic produced by the plurality of frequency response determining elements is as close as possible to the desired frequency response characteristic entered at the graphic input device.

Self-compensating equalizer

A driving circuit (30) generates multi-phase signals for operating the vertical charge-coupled registers (V1, V2 . . . ) of an interline-transfer image sensor (12). Though having full-frame still capability, the sensor (12) is included in a still video camera for single-field recording. After a still exposure is completed, the phase signals (XV1 . . . XV4) applied to the vertical registers generate an array of charge wells in the registers alongside the photoelectric elements (P1, P2) corresponding to each field. The image charges residing in these elements transfer to the registers as separate fields, where they are merged as one field in order to increase the photosensitivity for a single-field still recording. Such increased photosensitivity is translated into increased photographic range by controlling the exposure of the sensor (12) to accord with the increased image charge by, for example, reducing the exposure time provided by the sensor or the optical aperture presented to the image sensor. In this manner, the 'speed' of the sensor is increased for merged field operation.

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Webster, NY, United States of America

Mitchell J Milton