Method for predicting quantity of taking pictures

• US 20080158390A1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Altek Corporation
• Inventors: Chuang, Shih-Fang
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

A method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken is applied to a picture-taking function of a digital still camera. Firstly, a lookup table is individually built for different power using operations of a battery according to the operational modes of the picture-taking function. Next, the method looks up the corresponding lookup table according to an obtained battery voltage value of the digital still camera and the operational mode. Finally, a quantity of pictures that can be taken is obtained from the lookup table, and is displayed on a display unit of the digital still camera and is provided to the user. Thereby, the user can change the operational mode to reduce power consumption and take more pictures.

Claims

1. A method for predicting a quantity of pictures that can be taken, applied to a digital still camera, the steps comprising:

building a lookup table, wherein the lookup table provides a relationship between a battery voltage value and a quantity of pictures that can be taken; and

obtaining the battery voltage value of the digital still camera and looking up the lookup table to obtain the quantity of pictures that can be taken.

2. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lookup table comprises a voltage column, a current consumption column, a power consumption column, a battery discharging power column, and a picture-taking quantity column.

3. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 2, wherein the current of the current consumption column is obtained by measuring current via a current probe when the digital still camera is operating under an operational mode.

4. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 2, wherein each power value of the battery discharging power column is generated by calculating corresponding voltage value of the voltage column according to a battery characteristic curve diagram.

5. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 2, wherein the picture-taking quantity column is generated by calculating a ratio between the power consumption column and the battery discharging power column.

6. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery voltage value of the digital still camera is converted by an analog-to-digital converter.

7. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 1, wherein the quantity of pictures that can be taken is displayed on a display unit of the digital still camera as a suggestion.

8. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 7, wherein the suggestion is a text or a pattern.

9. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 1, further comprising updating the lookup table when the obtained battery voltage value is not recorded in the lookup table for updating the lookup table according to the battery voltage value of the digital still camera.

10. A method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken, applied to a picture-taking function of a digital still camera, the steps comprising:

individually building a lookup table according to operational modes of the picture-taking function, wherein the lookup table provides a relationship between a battery voltage value and a quantity of pictures that can be taken; and

obtaining the battery voltage value of the digital still camera and looking up the corresponding lookup table according to the operational mode of the picture-taking function to obtain the quantity of pictures that can be taken.

11. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 10, wherein the operational mode of the picture-taking function is a normal mode, a flash mode, a live view mode, or a zoom mode.

12. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 10, wherein the lookup table comprises a voltage column, a current consumption column, a power consumption column, a battery discharging power column, and a picture-taking quantity column.

13. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 12, wherein the current of the current consumption column is obtained by measuring current via a current probe when the digital still camera is operating under the operational mode.

14. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 12, wherein each power value of the battery discharging power column is generated by calculating corresponding voltage value of the voltage column according to a battery characteristic curve diagram.

15. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 12, wherein the picture-taking quantity column is generated by calculating a ratio between the power consumption column and the battery discharging power column.

16. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 10, wherein the battery voltage value of the digital still camera is converted by an analog-to-digital converter.

17. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 10, wherein the quantity of pictures that can be taken is displayed on a display unit of the digital still camera as a suggestion.

18. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 17, wherein the suggestion is a text or a pattern.

19. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 17, wherein the battery voltage value of the digital still camera is repeatedly obtained to continuously obtain the quantity of pictures that can be taken after the suggestion is displayed.

20. The method for predicting the quantity of pictures that can be taken as claimed in claim 10, further comprising updating the lookup table when the obtained battery voltage value is not recorded in the lookup table for updating the lookup table according to the battery voltage value of the digital still camera.