Image processing system, digital camera, and printing apparatus

• US 6,445,461 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohtsuka, Kuniaki, Ozawa, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sealey, Lance W.
• Application Number:
  US09/591,775
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.6, 358/1.14, 358/1.01, 358/501, 358/502, 358/296, 382/237, 348/231, 348/211-213, 396/429, 396/311, 359/110
• US Class Current: 358/1.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0034 Details of the connection, e.g. connector, interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

In order to print an image sensed by a digital camera using a printing apparatus for forming an image on a print medium, image data corresponding to the sensed image is converted into print data, and the converted data is transmitted to the printing apparatus, thereby providing an image processing system which can print an image sensed by the digital camera using the printing apparatus without the intervention of any computer, and a digital camera and printing apparatus suitable for the image processing system.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

an image sensor adapted to convert an optical image into electric image signals;

a communication unit adapted to directly communicate with a printer;

a converter, after receiving characteristic information of a print medium used in the printer via said communication unit, adapted to convert said electric image signals from said image sensor into image data suitable for the printer on the basis of the characteristic information; and

a controller adapted to directly transmit the image data converted by said converter to the printer to cause the printer to print the image data.

2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said characteristic information of the print medium used in the printer includes information on a size of print paper set in the printer.

3. The camera according to claim 2, wherein said converter comprises a first mode of automatically changing a size of an image based on said electric image signals on the basis of the information on the size of the print paper.

4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein said converter comprises a second mode of converting said electric image signals on the basis of a fixed magnification ratio regardless of the information on the size of the print paper.

5. The camera according to claim 4, further comprising a selector adapted to select said first mode or said second mode.

6. A camera comprising:

an image sensor adapted to convert an optical image into electric image signals;

a communication unit adapted to directly communicate with a printer;

an acquisition unit adapted to acquire software for printing via said communication unit;

a converter, after acquiring the software for printing via said communication unit, adapted to convert said electric image signals from said image sensor into image data suitable for the printer using the software; and

a controller adapted to directly transmit the image data converted by said converter to the printer to cause the printer to print the image data.

7. The camera according to claim 6, wherein said acquisition unit acquires the software for printing from the printer.

8. The camera according to claim 6, wherein said acquisition unit acquires the software for printing from an external computer.

9. The camera according to claim 6, further comprising a display for displaying an image based on the electric image signals.

10. The camera according to claim 9, further comprising a correction unit adapted to correct the image displayed on said display.

11. The camera according to claim 10, wherein said controller transmits image data of the image corrected by said correction unit means to the printer.

12. The camera according to claim 9, wherein said correction unit corrects a zoom condition of the image displayed on said display.

13. The camera according to claim 6, wherein, after characteristic information of the printer is received via said communication unit, said converter converts said electric image signals from said image sensor into image data suitable for the printer on the basis of the characteristic information.

14. The camera according to claim 13, wherein said characteristic information of the printer includes information on a size of print paper set in the printer.

15. The camera according to claim 14, wherein said converter comprises a first mode of automatically changing a size of an image based on said electric image signals on the basis of the information on the size of the print paper.

16. The camera according to claim 15, wherein said converter comprises a second mode of converting said electric image signals on the basis of a fixed magnification ratio regardless of the information on the size of the print paper.

17. The camera according to claim 16, further comprising a selector adapted to select said first mode or said second mode.

18. The camera according to claim 6, wherein said communication unit is an optical communication unit.

19. The camera according to claim 6, wherein said communication unit communicates via a cable.

20. The camera according to claim 6, further comprising a pseudo half-tone process changing unit adapted to change a state of pseudo half-tone processing on the electric image signals under conversion by said converter.

21. The camera according to claim 6, further comprising a changer adapted to change at least one of a print paper size and printing quality.

22. The camera according to claim 6, further comprising a unit, after finishing acquiring the software for printing, adapted to automatically initiate the software.

23. The camera according to claim 6, wherein said controller temporarily stores the image data converted by said converter in a memory, reads the image data from the memory, then transmits the image data to the printer.

24. A printer comprising:

a communication unit adapted to communicate with a camera;

a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not predetermined additional data for printing is added to image data received from the camera via said communication unit;

a print unit adapted to print the image data with predetermined data of the printer when said determination unit determines that the predetermined additional data for printing is not added to the image data; and

an acquisition unit adapted to acquire software for printing.

25. The printer according to claim 24, wherein said print unit prints the predetermined data of the printer in an area outside of a print area of the image data.

26. The printer according to claim 24, the predetermined additional data includes at least one of date information, a name of the camera, an image sensing mode, number of-pixel information, and compression-ratio information.

27. The printer according to claim 24, further comprising a converter, after acquiring the software for printing, adapted to convert the image data from the camera into image data suitable for the print unit using the software.

28. The printer according to claim 24, wherein said acquisition unit acquires the software for printing from the camera.

29. The printer according to claim 24, wherein said acquisition unit acquires the software for printing from an external computer.

30. The printer according to claim 24, further comprising a unit adapted to store the software in a memory card.

31. The printer according to claim 24, wherein said communication unit is an optical communication unit.

32. The printer according to claim 24, wherein said communication unit communicates via a cable.

33. The printer according to claim 24, further comprising a unit, after finishing acquiring the software for printing, adapted to automatically initiate the software.