Portable information terminal apparatus having image processing function

• US 5,663,552 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Komizo, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRECH, KARL D
• Application Number:
  US08/623,811
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472, 235/462, 235/454, 235/471
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1013 Multi-focal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning

Abstract

A portable terminal apparatus provided with an image processing function permitting automatic image-pickup without manual focusing which includes an optical system for forming an optical image of a surface of a subject, a two-dimensional photoelectric conversion element for performing photoelectric conversion onto the formed optical image, a signal conversion device for converting an output signal of the photoelectric conversion element into a digital signal, a memory device for temporarily storing the two-dimensional image signal digitized by the signal conversion device, a subject position detecting device storing the optimum image-formation distance of the optical system in advance and for detecting the distance between the subject and the optical system, and an image inputting device including an electronic shutter device which supplies a video signal on the two-dimensional photoelectric conversion element to the memory device to hold the video signal in the memory device instantaneously when the subject position detecting device detects that the subject is located at an image-forming distance.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal apparatus having an image processing function, comprising:

an optical system for forming an optical image of a surface of a subject;

a two-dimensional photoelectric conversion element for performing photoelectric conversion of the formed optical image into a two-dimensional image signal;

a signal conversion means for converting said two-dimensional image signal of said photoelectric conversion element into a digital image signal;

a memory means for temporarily storing said digital image signal;

a subject position detection means including a position sensor for transmitting an ultrasonic wave signal to the subject and for receiving a reflected signal reflected therefrom, said position sensor continuously measuring a distance between the subject and said optical system, the subject position detection means having stored therein a predetermined value corresponding to an image-formation distance of said optical system, said subject position detection means generating a detection signal when the distance measured by said position sensor corresponds to said predetermined value;

an image inputting means including an image signal fetching means for receiving said detection signal, said image signal fetching means supplying instantaneously said digital image signal to said memory means upon receipt of said detection signal, said digital image signal being held in said memory means when said subject position detection means detects that the subject to be picked up as an image is located at a distance from said optical system corresponding to said predetermined value; and

output means for reading out the digital image signal stored in said memory means, said output means editing the read-out digital image signal together with other information in a predetermined format, and outputting the result of said editing.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a flashing light means for emitting light instantaneously in response to an external signal, said image inputting means supplying a light-emission request signal to said flashing light means to flash light on to the subject thereby obtaining an enhanced image signal on said two-dimensional photoelectric conversion element when said subject position detection means detects that the subject to be picked up as an image is located at the distance corresponding to said predetermined value.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a character reading means for extracting a predetermined character information region from said digital image signal temporarily stored in said memory means and for reading the contents thereof, wherein the predetermined character information contained in the subject is read from the image of the subject.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output means includes a small-sized printer means for printing the edited read-out image signal as a hard copy output.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a character reading means for extracting a predetermined character information region from said digital image signal temporarily stored in said memory means and for reading the contents thereof, wherein the predetermined character information contained in the subject is read from the image of the subject.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a barcode reading means for extracting a barcode region from said digital image signal temporarily stored in said memory means and for reading contents thereof, wherein barcode information contained in the subject is read from the image of the subject.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a barcode pattern generating means for converting information into a barcode pattern, wherein the contents of the barcode read by said barcode reading means are converted into a barcode pattern again and the barcode pattern is edited together with the fetched digital image signal of the subject and other information into a predetermined format and produced as a hard copy output.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a character reading means for extracting a predetermined character information region from said digital image signal temporarily stored in said memory means and for reading the contents thereof, wherein the predetermined character information contained in the subject is read from the image of the subject.

9. A portable information terminal apparatus having an image processing function, comprising:

an optical system for forming an optical image of a surface of a subject;

a photoelectric conversion element for performing photoelectric conversion of the formed optical image into a converted image signal;

a memory means for temporarily storing said converted image signal;

a subject position detecting means having a predetermined value corresponding to an image-formation distance of said optical system stored therein in advance, said detecting means detecting a distance between the subject and said optical system;

an image inputting means including an image signal fetching means which supplies said converted image signal to said memory means to hold the converted image signal in said memory means instantaneously when said subject position detecting means detects that the subject to be picked up as an image is located at a distance from said optical system of said predetermined value;

a barcode recognition means for extracting a barcode pattern region from said converted image signal temporarily stored in said memory region and for reading out contents of the extracted barcode pattern region; and

output means for reading out the converted image signal stored in said memory means, editing the read-out converted image signal together with other information including the contents of the extracted barcode pattern region read out by said barcode recognition means in a predetermined format, and outputting a result of said editing.