UNDERWATER CAMERA WITH PRESSSURE SENSOR

• US 20110228074A1
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Parulski, Kenneth A., Fredlund, John R., Spaulding, Kevin E., Madden, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US12/728,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228074A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/81
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A digital image capture device for use in capturing underwater digital images, comprising a watertight housing; an image sensor for capturing a digital image; an optical system for imaging a scene onto the image sensor; a means for sensing a pressure outside the watertight housing; and a processor. The processor performs the steps of determining a sensed pressure; capturing a digital image of a scene using the image sensor; using the sensed pressure to determine an indication of whether the digital image capture device is being operated underwater and selecting an underwater photography mode or a normal photography mode accordingly; processing the captured digital image according to the selected photography mode; and storing the processed digital image in a processor accessible memory.

Claims

1. A digital image capture device for use in capturing underwater digital images, comprising:

a watertight housing;

an image sensor for capturing a digital image;

an optical system for imaging a scene onto the image sensor;

a means for sensing a pressure outside the watertight housing; and

a processor for performing the steps of

determining a sensed pressure;

capturing a digital image of a scene using the image sensor;

using the sensed pressure to determine an indication of whether the digital image capture device is being operated underwater and selecting an underwater photography mode or a normal photography mode accordingly;

processing the captured digital image according to the selected photography mode; and

storing the processed digital image in a processor accessible memory.

2. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the processor further performs the step of associating metadata pertaining to the selected photography mode with the stored digital image.

3. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the processor further performs the step of associating metadata pertaining to the sensed pressure with the stored digital image.

4. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein a color reproduction of the captured digital image is adjusted according to the selected photography mode.

5. The digital image capture device of claim 4 wherein the processor in the digital image capture device is used to adjust the color reproduction of the captured digital image.

6. The digital image capture device of claim 4 wherein the processor further performs the step of associating metadata providing an the indication of the selected photography mode with the stored digital image, and wherein a processor in an external computing device is used to adjust the color reproduction of the stored digital image responsive to the associated metadata.

7. The digital image capture device of claim 4 wherein the color reproduction of the captured digital image is adjusted by applying an underwater color transformation when the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode.

8. The digital image capture device of claim 7 wherein color reproduction characteristics associated with the underwater color transformation are adjusted responsive to the sensed pressure.

9. The digital image capture device of claim 7 further including a means for determining an object distance between the digital image capture device and a main subject in the scene, and wherein color reproduction characteristics associated with the underwater color transformation are adjusted responsive to the determined object distance when the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode.

10. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the step of processing the captured digital image according to the selected photography mode includes adjusting a degree of sharpening applied to the captured digital image by a digital image sharpening algorithm responsive to the selected photography mode.

11. The digital image capture device of claim 10 wherein the degree of sharpening applied to a red color channel of the captured digital image is reduced for the underwater photography mode.

12. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the step of processing the captured digital image according to the selected photography mode includes adjusting a degree of noise reduction applied to the captured digital image by a noise reduction algorithm responsive to the selected photography mode.

13. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein a warning signal is provided when the sensed pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold.

14. The digital image capture device of claim 13 wherein the warning signal includes activating a signal light, flashing an electronic flash, or displaying a message or icon on a display screen.

15. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the processor further performs the step of using the sensed pressure to determine a depth between the digital image capture device and the surface of the water when the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode, and wherein a warning signal is provided to the user when the determined depth exceeds a predetermined threshold.

16. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the digital image capture device is powered down when the sensed pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold.

17. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the processor further performs the step of using the sensed pressure to determine a depth between the digital image capture device and the surface of the water when the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode, and wherein the digital image capture device is powered down when the determined depth exceeds a predetermined threshold.

18. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the digital image capture device is a digital still camera.

19. The digital image capture device of claim 1 wherein the digital image capture device is a digital video camera.

20. The digital image capture device of claim 1 further including an underwater microphone, and wherein the digital image capture device uses the underwater microphone to record underwater sounds when the digital image capture device is being operated in the underwater photography mode.

21. The digital image capture device of claim 1 further including an underwater microphone for recording sounds when the digital image capture device is being operated underwater and an air microphone for recording sounds when the digital image capture device is not being operated underwater, and wherein the digital image capture device automatically selects either the underwater microphone or the air microphone according to whether the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode or the normal photography mode.

22. The digital image capture device of claim 1 further including an electronic flash illumination source, and wherein flash illumination produced by the electronic flash illumination source is adjusted responsive to whether the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode.

23. The digital image capture device of claim 21 wherein the flash illumination is adjusted by adjusting a correlated color temperature or an illumination level of the flash illumination.

24. The digital image capture device of claim 21 further including a means for determining an object distance between the digital image capture device and a main subject in the scene, and wherein the flash illumination is adjusted responsive to the determined object distance when the digital image capture device is operated in the underwater photography mode.