Portable television camera and recording unit

Claim 2

A camera recording apparatus comprising: a housing, a television camera supported within said housing and having an input for optical image phenomena occurring exterior of said housing, means for controlling the operation of said camera to cause said camera to scan the image field thereof and to generate a single full-frame video picture signal on its output, receiving means for said full-frame video picture signal including: a video recorder operable to record full-frame video picture signals on a recording means thereof, and a video monitor supported within said housing and having a viewing screen viewable from the exterior of said housing, buffer means supported within said housing for recording full-frame video picture signals and having means for reproducing picture signals recorded therein and applying same to said video monitor, means for operating said buffer means for sustaining a still image on said viewing screen of said video monitor defined by a full-frame video picture signal recorded in said buffer means, selectively operable control means for passing selected full-frame video picture signals of still image phenomena recorded in said buffer means to said video monitor and applying same to control said monitor and to generate a still image of said scanned phenomena on the screen of said monitor, and further control means for disconnecting said buffer means from said video monitor to permit video picture signals sequentially generated by said video camera to be applied to said video monitor to cause motion picture image phenomena to be generated on the viewing screen of said video monitor.

Claim 3

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said signal conversion means comprises a motorized optical shutter for said camera and a charge coupled photoelectric receiving means for light passed through said shutter and responsive to said light, first means for recording a full frame of video information passed to said photoelectric receiving means and second means for reading said full-frame video information recorded by said first means, said second means being operable to read said information at a fixed rate and to generate a full-frame video picture signal thereof, said video recorder being connected to receive and record said full-frame video picture signal therein.

Claim 4

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said television camera is a flying spot scanner, and operator controllable means for controllably varying the scanning rate of said flying spot scanner, first means for recording the signal output of said flying spot scanner in accordance with the scanning rate and second means for reproducing information recorded by said first means at a fixed rate, and passing same to said video recorder to effect the recording of all video information received thereby at said fixed rate.

Claim 5

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including connection means for connecting the source of video signals to said recorder and for connecting the output of said television camera and recorder to another device such as a recorder or monitor.

Claim 6

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including switch means operable by the operator of said recording apparatus for controlling said camera to scan its image field and to generate a single full-frame video picture signal on its output each time said switch means is activated, and control means for causing one full-frame video picture signal output by said video camera to be passed to said buffer means to generate a still image on the display screen of said video monitor so as to provide the operator of said camera apparatus with a visual presentation of the image phenomenon defined by the full-frame video picture signal generated by said television camera.

Claim 7

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 5 including first recording control means operable from the exterior of said housing for effecting the selective recording of selected full-frame video picture signals defining the image phenomenon scanned by said camera in said video recorder each time after presentation of the full-frame video picture signal to said video monitor so that the operator may select still image phenomenon to be recorded in said video recorder.

Claim 8

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 6 including a second control means selectively operable by the operator of said television camera for causing said video recorder to record a series of full-frame video picture signals generated by said camera without the need to operate said first control means after each full-frame video picture signal is generated.

Claim 9

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 7 including third control means operable from the exterior of said housing for controlling said video recorder to selectively play back recordings of full-frame video picture signals recorded in said video recorder and to pass the reproduced full-frame video picture signals to said buffer means for applying same to said video monitor so as to provide selected still images on the viewing screen of said monitor.

Claim 10

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 8 including a first hand-holdable pistol gripping means attached near one end of said housing to a second hand-holdable gripping means attached apart from said first pistol gripping means for holding said housing in both hands.

Claim 11

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including a visual sighting means for aiming said camera and viewing its scanning field before operating said camera to generate full-frame video signals.

Claim 12

A camera apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including image converter means in the output of said television camera and means for varying the full-frame scanning rate of said camera, means for controlling said varying means to cause said camera to scan at different rates.

Claim 13

A video recording and reproduction apparatus comprising in combination: a support, hand gripping means connected to said support, a television camera supported by said support including first lens means for receiving light from a field to be scanned in a given direction when said support and camera are operatively held by said hand gripping means, trigger means supported adjacent said hand gripping means and a normally open monostable first switch closable when said trigger means is manually depressed, said switch being operatively connected to operate said camera when closed, a video recorder supported by said support adjacent said television camera and connectable to receive picture signals output by said camera, reversible motor means for operating said video recorder, control means for controlling operation of said video recorder including: (a) first control means for controlling operation of said motor means in a first driving mode to operate said video recorder in a recording mode, said first switch being operatively connected to said first control means for activating said first control means and causing said video recorder to record video motion picture signals output by said television camera, (b) second control means including a bistable switch supported by said support for controlling said video recorder to record selected single frame video picture signals output by said camera as determined by the image field scanned thereby when said second control means is activated, (c) said second control means being operable, when said second switch and said finger operated monostable switch are simultaneously closed to permit the operation of said camera by operating said trigger means to either effect the recording of multiple tandem frames of video picture signals output by said television camera over an extended period of time and defining a motion picture phenomena or the recording of single selected frames of video picture signals in said video recorder.

Claim 14

A video recording and reproduction apparatus comprising in combination: a support, hand gripping means connected to said support, a television camera supported by said support including first lens means for receiving light from a field to be scanned in a given direction when said support and camera are operatively held by said hand gripping means, trigger means supported adjacent said hand gripping means and a normally open monostable first switch closable when said trigger means is manually depressed, said switch being operatively connected to operate said camera when closed, a video recorder supported by said support adjacent said television camera and connectable to receive picture signals output by said camera, reversible motor means for operating said video recorder, control means for controlling operation of said video recorder including: (a) first control means for controlling operation of said motor means in a first driving mode to operate said video recorder in a recording mode, said first switch being operatively connected to said first control means for activating said first control means and causing said video recorder to record video motion picture signals output by said television camera, (b) second control means including a bistable switch supported by said support for controlling said video recorder to record selected single frame video picture signals output by said camera as determined by the image field scanned thereby when said second control means is activated, (c) said second control means being operable, when said second switch and said finger operated monostable switch are simultaneously closed to permit the operation of said camera by operating said trigger means to either effect the recording of multiple tandem frames of video picture signals output by said television camera over an extended period of time and defining a motion picture phenomena or the recording of single selected frames of video picture signals in said video recorder.

Claim 15

A video recording and reproduction apparatus in accordance with claim 12 wherein said video recorder is a video magnetic tape cassette recorder.

Claim 16

A video recording and reproduction apparatus in accordance with claim 12 wherein said first and second control means include manually operable switch actuating means supported at the side of said support.

Claim 17

A video recording and reproduction apparatus in accordance with claim 12 including a video monitor and a control means supported by said support for controlling said video recorder to selectively reproduce either motion picture video recordings recorded therein or selected single frame video picture signals from said video recorder to present said video picture signals to said video monitor so as to control the monitor to display either still or motion picture phenomenon.

Claim 18

A video recorder in accordance with claim 15 including optical viewing means supported adjacent said camera and having an eyepiece for viewing the image field of said camera.

Claim 19

A video recording and reproduction apparatus in accordance with claim 12 wherein said video recorder is a video-tape recorder.

Claim 20

A video recorder in accordance with claim 17 wherein said video monitor is supported by said support for viewing and monitoring by a person operating said television camera.

Claim 21

A video recorder in accordance with claim 18 wherein said video monitor is supported at the rear end of said support and contains a television viewing screen facing rearwardly and in the opposite direction to the input to said television camera.