Electronic camera and electronic camera system

• US 7,161,622 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Oinoue, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGGARWAL, YOGESH K
• Application Number:
  US09/627,637
• Time in Patent Office: 2,356 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211, 348/552, 348/14.02, 348/14.12, 348/14.14, 348/231.1, 348/231.2, 348/231.9, 455/556, 455/566
• US Class Current: 348/211.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

An electronic camera system including an electronic camera having a recording medium which records image information obtained by shooting an image, a detection arrangement which detects that a memory capacity of the recording medium becomes a predetermined value, and a first interface which transmits and receives information, and a communication unit including a wireless communication arrangement which can transmit an image file, a transmission control arrangement to transmit the image information recorded on the recording medium by the wireless communication arrangement based on a detection signal from the detection arrangement, and a second interface which transmits and receives the information with the first interface of the electronic camera.

Claims

1. An electronic camera comprising:

a recording medium which records an image obtained by shooting an image;

wireless communication means which can transmit and receive an image information recorded on said recording medium;

setting means to set a memory capacity recorded on said recording medium;

detection means to detect that a memory capacity recorded on said recording medium reaches a capacity set by said setting means; and

transmission control means to transmit recorded information recorded on said recording medium with said wireless communication means based on a detection signal from said detection means, wherein

said transmission control means includes judgment means to judge the capability of transmitting the recorded information to a nearest communication base station, and

said setting means decreases the set memory capacity when said judgment means judges that there is a low capability to transmit the recorded information.

2. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein said setting means sets a memory capacity lower than the set memory capacity when said judgment means judges that there is a low capacity to transmit the recorded information.

3. The electronic camera according to claim 2, wherein said judgment means determines the low capacity to transmit the recorded information according to an electric field intensity of the nearest communication base station.

4. An electronic camera comprising:

a recording medium which records an image obtained by shooting an image;

wireless communication means which can transmit and receive an image information recorded on said recording medium;

detection means to detect that a memory capacity recorded on said recording medium becomes a set memory capacity;

transmission control means to transmit recorded information recorded on said recording medium with said wireless communication means based on a detection signal from said detection means, said transmission control means including judgment means to judge whether the recorded information can be transmitted to a nearest communication base station; and

setting means to decrease the set memory capacity when said judgment means judges that there is a low capability to transmit the recorded information.

5. The electronic camera according to claim 4, wherein said setting means decrease the set memory capacity when said judgment means judges that a capacity to transmit the recorded information becomes lower than a predetermined capacity.

6. The electronic camera according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined capacity is determined according to an electric field intensity of the nearest communication base station.

7. A method of transmitting an image from an electronic camera having wireless communication means which can transmit and receive an image information, comprising:

recording an image obtained by shooting an image on a recording medium as a transmittable capacity;

detecting that the memory capacity recorded on said recording medium becomes a set memory capacity;

judging whether the recorded information can be transmitted to a nearest communication base station, decreasing the set memory capacity when it has been judged that there is a low capability to transmit the recorded information.

8. A method of transmitting an image from an electronic camera having wireless communication means which can transmit and receive an image information, comprising:

recording an image obtained by shooting an image on a recording medium;

setting a memory capacity recorded on the recording medium as a transmittable capacity;

detecting that the memory capacity recorded on said recording medium becomes a set memory capacity;

judging whether the recorded information can be transmitted to a nearest communication base station, decreasing the set memory capacity when it has been judged that there is a low capability to transmit the recorded information.