DIGITAL CAMERA WITH REDUCED IMAGE BUFFER MEMORY AND MINIMAL PROCESSING FOR RECYCLING THROUGH A SERVICE CENTER
First Claim
1. A method of processing a frame of data from a sensor of an image thereon within a hand-held camera having a two-dimensional array of photodetecting elements that generate data, in a plurality of primary colors, comprising within the camera:
- reading the image data from the photodetecting elements in a time sequence in different ones of the primary colors,writing the image data of different ones of the primary colors into a first memory in the order read from the photodetector in sequential strips across the image,reading the image data of individual image strips from the first memory in groups of image data of different ones of the plurality of primary colors,wherein the writing and reading occur at rates wherein less than fifteen percent of the frame of image data are stored in the first memory at one time,compressing the groups of image data of different ones of the plurality of primary colors within individual strips across the image read from of the first memory, andstoring the compressed groups of image data in a second memory within the camera that is non-volatile.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A digital camera system in which capture, processing and storage functions are partitioned differently than in existing systems. A hand-held digital camera is used with a workstation that may exist in a commercial image processing service center. A minimal amount of image data processing is performed in the digital camera, thereby allowing significant digital camera cost reductions due to lower memory requirements, lower processing requirements, and lower power requirements. Real-time single pass image compression techniques are employed within this digital camera to permit rapid gathering and storage of raw or minimally processed image data. The workstation to which the image data are transferred performs the image processing normally done within existing cameras. This processing takes advantage of the increased computational power that is possible to have in such a workstation, compared to that of a small camera, and the increased time over which such processing may be performed.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of processing a frame of data from a sensor of an image thereon within a hand-held camera having a two-dimensional array of photodetecting elements that generate data, in a plurality of primary colors, comprising within the camera:
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reading the image data from the photodetecting elements in a time sequence in different ones of the primary colors, writing the image data of different ones of the primary colors into a first memory in the order read from the photodetector in sequential strips across the image, reading the image data of individual image strips from the first memory in groups of image data of different ones of the plurality of primary colors, wherein the writing and reading occur at rates wherein less than fifteen percent of the frame of image data are stored in the first memory at one time, compressing the groups of image data of different ones of the plurality of primary colors within individual strips across the image read from of the first memory, and storing the compressed groups of image data in a second memory within the camera that is non-volatile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A hand held camera, comprising within an enclosure:
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a two-dimensional sensor having an array of individual photodetectors of optical radiation that generate signals related to optical radiation directed onto the sensor in a plurality of primary colors, an optical system positioned through the enclosure to direct a field of optical radiation from outside the camera onto the sensor, a first memory receiving and temporarily storing data of values of the optical radiation directed onto the individual detectors of the sensor in a time sequence, said first memory having a storage capacity of an amount of data less than fifteen percent of an amount of data generated by the individual detectors of the sensor to represent one field of optical radiation directed onto the sensor, a processor that reads out the data in the first memory and compresses said data for each of the plurality of primary colors, a second memory that stores the compressed data of a plurality of fields of optical radiation in a non-volatile manner, and a communications device connected to the second memory for communicating the compressed data files outside of the enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for processing digital image data, comprising:
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a sensor including an array of photodetectors that generate a plurality of signals proportional to an intensity of light incident on the sensor for an image; an optical system positioned to direct the light onto the sensor for the image; a first memory receiving and temporarily storing at least one value for each of a plurality of color components of the light for the image; a processor that reads the at least one value stored in the first memory and compresses the at least one value independently for each color component of each of a plurality of strips that form the image, based at least in part on at least one quantization table for each color component that is adjusted with an adjustable scale value for each of the plurality of strips of the image; a second memory that stores the compressed at least one value; and a communications device connected to the second memory that enables communication of the compressed at least one value with another apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for processing digital image data, comprising:
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an image processing workstation; and an apparatus, including; a sensor including an array of photodetectors that generate a plurality of signals proportional to an intensity of light incident on the sensor for an image; an optical system positioned to direct the light onto the sensor for the image; a first memory receiving and temporarily storing at least one value for each of a plurality of color components of the light for the image; a processor that reads the at least one value stored in the first memory and compresses the at least one value independently for each color component of each of a plurality of strips that form the image, based at least in part on at least one quantization table for each color component that is adjusted with an adjustable scale value for each of the plurality of strips of the image; a second memory that stores the compressed at least one value; and a communications device connected to the second memory that enables communication of the compressed at least one value with the image processing workstation.
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Specification