Fully Digitalized Electronic Still Camera

Abstract

NHK has developed a new electronic still camera system category. The developed camera has an interline transfer CCD for image sensor and 64Kbit C-MOS static RAM array with back-up battery for picture recording.
In the camera, the output video signal from the CCD is digitized and immediately recorded in the RAM array without any signal processing. After one still picture recording, the RAM array is removed from the camera and attached to the playback equipment.
In the playback equipment a field memory, clocked by the television rate, is provided for the picture display. A micro computer is applied primarily for signal processing, such as color separation, γ-collection and NTSC encode.
The advantage of this new system can be summarised as follows.
1) Camera construction is simplified.
2) By digital signal processing, a high-quality still-picture is obtained.
3) It is suitable for incorporating LSIs.