Resolution selector for image capturing system

• US 20050012829A1
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atsushi Tashiro, Kunio Takagi
• Original Assignee: Atsushi Tashiro, Kunio Takagi
• Inventors: Tashiro, Atsushi, Takagi, Kunio
• Application Number:
  US10/729,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20050012829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33328 Resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

The present invention provides a selector on the body of a digital camera that permits a user to select a resolution for a JPEG image that is generated from a RAW image and is embedded in the RAW image'"'"'s data structure. The user may select from available embedded JPEG resolutions of, for example, 1440×960, 2304×1536, or 3024×2016. The present invention also provides a display on the digital camera that shows the user which of the available JPEG resolutions currently selected.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a light sensor capture device that samples light from an object to be photographed and converts the sampled light into unprocessed bitmap data;

a memory that stores the unprocessed bitmap data in a raw image file;

an image processor, wherein said image processor converts the unprocessed bitmap data into a first compressed image having a first resolution, converts the unprocessed bitmap data into a second compressed image having a second selectable resolution, and embeds the first compressed image and the second compressed image into the raw image file; and

a selector that facilitates selection of the second selectable resolution from one or more selectable resolution values.

2. The digital camera of claim 1, further comprising a display operable to show the one or more resolution values selectable for the second selectable resolution.

3. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein said display is operable to show which of the resolution values for the second selectable resolution is currently selected.

4. The digital camera of claim 3 wherein said light sensor capture device comprises a charge-coupled device.

5. The digital camera of claim 4 wherein the first and second compressed images comprise JPEG images.

6. The digital camera of claim 5 wherein the raw image file is in RAW format.

7. The digital camera of claim 6 wherein the first resolution is suitable for generating thumbnail images on the display.

8. The digital camera of claim 7 wherein the values for the second selectable resolution include 1440×

960, 2304×

1536, and 3024×

2016.

9. The digital camera of claim 8 wherein said display is operable to show one or more icons, each icon corresponding to at least one of the one or more selectable resolution values

10. A method for generating a digital image from an object photographed by a digital camera, comprising:

sampling light from the object;

converting the sampled light into unprocessed bitmap data and storing the unprocessed bitmap data in a raw image file;

converting the unprocessed bitmap data into a first compressed image having a first resolution;

selecting a resolution value from one or more selectable resolution values;

converting the unprocessed bitmap data into a second compressed image having a second resolution that corresponds to the resolution selected in the selecting step; and

embedding the first compressed image and the second compressed image into the raw image file that includes the unprocessed bitmap data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying one or more selectable resolution values for selection in the selecting step.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying which of the selectable resolution values is currently selected.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said sampling step includes sampling light from the object using a charge-coupled device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first and second compressed images are JPEG images.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the raw image file is in RAW format.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first resolution is suitable for generating thumbnail images on the display.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the values for the second selectable resolution include 1440×

960, 2304×

1536, and 3024×

2016.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying one or more icons, each icon corresponding to at least one of the one or more selectable resolution values.