Pre-event/post-event recording in a solid state fast frame recorder

Claim 1

A fast frame recorder comprising: solid state image sensor means for sensing an image of an event; means for selectively reading out said sensor means to produce image frame signals at a plurality of frame rates F up to several hundred frames per second, wherein each of said image frame signals has a frame period 1/F; solid state memory means connected to said sensor means, having a capacity for storing a plurality of image frame signals produced by said image sensor means; trigger means for producing a trigger signal in response to an external event; control means for controlling said memory means (1) to continuously store image frame signals produced by said sensor means, such that when the capacity of said memory means is full, the newest image frame signal is stored over the oldest image frame signal, and (2) to stop image frame signals when a trigger signal is received from said trigger means; and programmable delay means which is programmable to delay by a selectable number of image frame periods the application of said trigger signal to said control means so that said memory means stores image frames from both before and after the triggering event, wherein said number of image frame periods selected is independent of the image sensor frame rate F selected but the delay period is a function of the frame rate selected.