Wireless hand-held digital camera

• US 6,535,243 B1
• Filed: 01/06/1998
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HP Inc.
• Inventors: Tullis, Barclay J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOE, AUNG SOE
• Application Number:
  US09/003,265
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207, 348/211, 348/212, 348/213, 348/222, 348/233, 348/333.07, 348/373, 348/374, 348/376, 348/552, 348/723, 348/725, 348/739, 348/333.11, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.13, 348/14.14, 348/14.12, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/231.1, 348/231.2, 348/222.1, 348/211.3, 348/211.14, 348/211.2, 455/556, 455/557, 455/66, 455/566, 358/405, 358/435, 358/438, 358/443, 358/906, 358/909.1, 396/108, 396/106, 396/300, 396/311, 396/319, 396/429, 345/173
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• 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 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A method and system allow a hand-held digital camera to access and store large volumes of digital image data utilizing a wireless communications link between a host computer and the camera. In an embodiment of the invention, imaging optics and a photosensor array capture image data that represents an image of a subject. A transceiver integrated into the hand-held digital camera then transmits the image data to a host computer via a wireless communications link. The host computer stores the image data, or a copy of the image data, and retransmits related image data or, alternatively, the same image data back to the hand-held digital camera via the wireless communications link. Once the image data is received by the hand-held digital camera, an electronic image is formed by a display device that is integrated into the camera. The host computer may process the digital image data into enhanced digital image, thereby enabling the camera to display an enhanced electronic image of a subject. The communications link between the hand-held digital camera and the host computer can transfer data at a sufficiently high bandwidth to provide virtually real-time feedback to a computer operator.

Claims

1. A method of managing image information utilizing a hand-held camera comprising the steps of:

capturing raw image data representative of a subject of interest utilizing an imaging device of said hand-held camera;

transmitting said raw image data to a host computer during a continuous session via a wireless link between said hand-held camera and said host computer;

receiving, as an automated response by said host computer to said transmitting step, related image data at said hand-held camera during said continuous session via said wireless link;

forming an image from said related image data on a display device of said hand-held camera, wherein enabling a display of said subject of interest on said display device is dependent upon operations at said host computer; and

browsing stored image data that is stored in said host computer, where said browsing is controlled by operations at said hand-held camera.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of:

receiving said related image data includes a substep of receiving said related image data automatically echoed between said hand-held camera and said host computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting said raw image data includes a substep of storing said raw image data at said host computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps of:

receiving said related image data includes a substep of receiving enhanced image data, wherein said enhanced image data is generated at said host computer by processing said raw image data that is transmitted from said hand-held camera; and

forming said image from said related image data comprises processing said enhanced image data and forming an enhanced image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said substep of receiving said enhanced image data is executed in continuity with said steps of transmitting said raw Image data and forming said enhanced image, such that said enhanced image is formed at said hand-held camera in substantially real time with said capturing of said raw image data.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of transmitting said raw image data includes a substep of transferring said raw image data to a network of processors that rapidly processes said raw image data into said enhanced image data.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of receiving said enhanced image data comprises wirelessly inputting said raw image data originally captured by said hand-held camera and transmitted to said host computer for enhancement with respect to at least one of:

adjusting said raw image data for color balance;

adjusting said raw Image data for gamma;

adjusting luminance;

filtering said raw image data; and

changing zoom factors.

8. The method of claim 1 further including a step of buffering said raw image data in a memory within said hand-held camera.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein sold step of transmitting said raw image data comprises transmitting said image data in parallel via a plurality of wireless channels and wherein said step of receiving said related image data comprises receiving said related image data in parallel transmissions via a plurality of wireless channels.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of forming an image includes a substep of dynamically dithering pixel values of said related image data, thereby displaying a higher resolution image.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising steps of:

receiving said stored image data from memory of said host computer, wherein said stored image data represents a previously captured image, including using said hand-held camera to browse a database of captured images and to select said previously captured image; and

forming an image from said stored image data that is received from said memory.

12. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

capturing audio data; and

transferring said audio data to said host computer during said continuous session via said wireless link.

13. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

receiving, as an automated response by said host computer, audio data at said hand-held camera during said continuous session via said wireless link; and

projecting sound that is representative of said audio data from a transducer of said hand-held camera.

14. The method of claim 1 further including the step of receiving a broadcast signal via said wireless link from a broadcast signal source.

15. A wireless digital imaging system comprising:

a camera housing;

imaging means incorporated into said camera housing for imaging a subject and generating digital image data representative of said subject;

camera transceiver means, incorporated into said camera housing and operationally associated with said imaging means, for transmitting said digital image data to a remote computer over a wireless communications link and for subsequently receiving said digital image data from said remote computer over said wireless communications link;

control interface means incorporated into said camera housing for generating requests for image processing operations to be performed at said remote computer, said control interface means being user controlled and being cooperative with said camera transceiver means to transmit said requests to said remote computer via said wireless communication link, said control interface means enabling browsing through said digital image data transmitted via said camera transceiver means for storage in a database of images at said remote computer, where determinations of which of said images are accessed during said browsing are controlled by operation of said control interface means; and

camera display means, attached to said camera housing and operationally associated with said camera transceiver means, for displaying an image that corresponds to said digital image data that has been received by said camera transceiver means from said remote computer, said camera display means being cooperative with said control interface means to display images from said database of said remote computer during said browsing.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said remote computer has a computer transceiver means for receiving said digital image data from said camera transceiver means and for transmitting said digital image data to said camera transceiver means, and said remote computer has a computer memory means operatively associated with said computer transceiver means for accessibly storing said digital image data received from said camera transceiver means, thereby forming said database of images through which said browsing is enabled by said control interface means.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said remote computer has an image processor, said image processor having an input for inputting said digital image data from said camera transceiver means and having an output for outputting enhanced digital image data that is generated from said input digital image data.

18. The system of claim 15 further including a camera memory means having an input from said imaging means for buffering said digital image data.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said camera transceiver means includes:

a multi-channel transmitter for transmitting said digital image data in parallel over a plurality of wireless channels; and

a multi-channel receiver for receiving said digital image data in parallel over said plurality of wireless channels.