Imaging device

• US 6,449,495 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuba, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, TUAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/457,993
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556-557, 358/1-6, 358/448, 358/434, 358/435, 358/438, 348/207, 348/211-213, 348/373, 348/375, 348/552, 348/231-232
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0036 Detecting or checking connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0044 Connecting to a plurality of different apparatus; Using a plurality of different connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0046 Software interface details, e.g. interaction of operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0056 Using mechanical couplings, e.g. mating elements H04N2201/0049, H04N2201/0051, H04N2201/0058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

When sending photographic image data obtained in an electronic camera 1 via a communication interface 42 to a radio telephone line of a PDC 3, a PHS 4, etc., an RISC-CPU 11 converts the image data to data having a configuration allowing communication and further converts by software processing the communication-allowing configuration data to data corresponding to the type of the radio telephone line.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

a connector adapted to be connected to a radio telephone line;

a detecting means for automatically detecting a type of a radio telephone line connected to the connector;

a first converting means for converting image data of a picked up or recorded scene to communication data;

a storage means, in which error correcting programs are stored, wherein each of the error correcting programs is associated with a type of a radio telephone line;

a selecting means for selecting, based on a detected type of a radio telephone line, one of the error correcting programs associated with the type of radio telephone line detected;

a second converting means for converting, at a time of image data transmission, the communication data obtained by conversion in the first converting means to radio telephone line data corresponding to the detected type of radio telephone line based on the detected type of radio telephone line and the selected one of the error correcting programs, and converting, at a time of image data reception, received radio telephone line data corresponding to the type of radio telephone line detected, to communication data recognizable by the imaging system based on the detected radio telephone line type and the selected one of the error correcting programs; and

a camera body, wherein the camera body is provided with the connector, the detecting means, the storing means, the selecting means, the first converting means and second converting means.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the second converting means includes a memory means with a plurality of stored error correction programs corresponding to respective different radio telephone lines, the error correction programs contributing to the correction of the digital values of communication data obtained in the first converting means.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the second converting means further includes a means for selecting a specified error correction program corresponding to the discriminated type of radio telephone line from the memory means.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the discriminating means discriminates a telephone line connected to the device to be a radio telephone line or a wired telephone line, and outputs, when the connected telephone line is discriminated to be a radio telephone line, the type of the connected radio telephone line.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4, which further comprises:

a serial interface functioning as part of the communication interface when a connected telephone line is discriminated to be a radio telephone line and functioning as a wired telephone line interface when the connected telephone is discriminated to be a wired telephone line; and

a switching means for switching the serial interface according to the output of the discriminating means.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising:

a wired telephone line connector provided separately from the connector;

a second detecting means for checking whether either of the connector and the wired telephone line connector has a connected line;

an interface circuit adapted to function as part of a communication interface when the second detecting means detects a line connected with the connector, and adapted to function as a wired interface when the second detecting means detects a line connected with the wired telephone line connector; and

a switch for controlling the function of the interface circuit based on whether the second detecting means detects a line connected with the wired telephone line connector.

7. An imaging device comprising:

an electronic imaging means for converting a scene image to an image signal;

an image processing means for converting the image signal obtained in the electronic imaging means to image data;

a communication processing means for converting the image data obtained in the image processing means to image communication data having a configuration allowing communication;

means for automatically detecting a type of a radio telephone line connected with the imaging device;

a memory means storing data conversion programs, each of the data conversion programs adapted to convert, at a time of data transmission, the image communication data to data conforming to a type of radio telephone line or to convert, at a time of data reception, data conforming to a type of the telephone line to image communication data; and

means for selecting one of the data conversion programs stored in the memory means based on the type of radio telephone line connected with the imaging device detected by the means for detecting.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein:

the memory means stores a plurality of different data conversion programs corresponding to respective different types of telephone lines, and the imaging device includes;

a connecting means for connecting the device to a telephone line;

a discriminating means for discriminating the type of a telephone line connected thereto via the connecting means; and

a selecting means for selecting a particular data conversion program among the plurality of data conversion programs stored in the memory means in correspondence to the discrimination result in the discriminating means.

9. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the data conversion programs are error correction programs.

10. The imaging device according to claim 7, which further comprises:

a line connecting means for connecting a telephone line.

11. The imaging system of claim 7 further comprising:

a second converting means for converting the image communication data for transmission based on the one of the data conversion programs selected by the means for selecting.

12. The imaging system of claim 7 further comprising:

a second converting means for converting received radio telephone data to image communication data based on the one of the data conversion programs selected by the means for selecting.

13. The imaging system of claim 7 further comprising:

a second converting means for

converting the image communication data for transmission based on the one of the data conversion programs selected by the means for selecting, and

for converting received radio telephone data to image communication data based on the one of the data conversion programs selected by the means for selecting.

14. The imaging system of claim 13 further comprising camera body, the camera body being provided with the communication processing means, the memory means, the means for detecting, the means for selecting, and the second converting means.

15. The imaging system of claim 14 further comprising a connector adapted to be connected with a radio telephone line, wherein the connector is provided in the camera body.