Wireless hand-held digital camera

• US 7,256,820 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tullis, Barclay J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannett; James M.
• Application Number:
  US10/198,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20020171737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.11, 348/207.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.14
• 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 a single frame of image data representative of a picture of a subject of interest utilizing an imaging device of said hand-held camera;

transmitting said single frame of image data to a host computer during a continuous session via a wireless link between said hand-held camera and said host computer, said host computer being a conventional general-use computer having programming configured to enable automated transmissions and retransmissions between said host computer and said hand-held camera;

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; and

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 from said image data of said single frame is dependent upon operations at said host computer to generate image information that is compatible with said display on said display device;

wherein said transmitting. receiving and forming are executed while orocessing only one frame of image data.

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 image data includes a substep of storing said 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 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 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 image data.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of transmitting said image data includes a substep of transferring said image data to a network of processors that rapidly processes said 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 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 image data for color balance;

adjusting said image data for gamma;

adjusting luminance;

filtering said image data; and

changing zoom factors.

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

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting said 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 stored image data from memory of said host computer, wherein said stored image data represents a previously captured image, including transferring first image data from said hand-held camera to said host computer as a basis for automated processing 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, said broadcast signal being specific to designating availability of said host computer for enabling said continuous session.

15. A digital image system having a host computer and a hand-held digital camera, said host computer being a conventional computer, wherein said host computer and said hand-held digital camera are co-operative in the absence of a physical connection, comprising:

an Image camera, having imaging optics and a photosensor array, said image capture module outputting a single frame of electronic image data representative of a picture of a subject;

a camera transceiver located within said digital hand-held camera and operatively connected to said image capture module, said camera transceiver having a first input for receiving said electronic image data as only said single frame output by said image capture module and having a camera transmitter and a camera receiver for transmitting said electronic image data and for receiving related electronic image data;

a computer transceiver located at said host computer and compatible with said camera transceiver for receiving said electronic image data and for transmitting said related electronic image data as only one related frame in a generally continuous manner by which said transmitting is an automated response to said receiving said only single frame, said host computer being a general-use computer having programming configured to enable said automated response;

a computer memory, located within said host computer and operatively connected to said computer transceiver for storing said electronic image data and said related electronic image data;

an image processor located within said host computer and operatively connected to said computer transceiver and said computer memory for processing said only single frame of electronic image data that is received from said camera transceiver to generate said related electronic image data that is transmitted as said automated response, said image processing being configured to adjust said electronic image data for color balance; and

a camera display device, associated with said digital hand-held camera and operatively connected to said camera transceiver, for displaying a related image from said related electronic ,camera transceiver from said computer transceiver of said host computer, said camera display device being dependent upon said processing by said image processor of said electronic image data by said host computer for image information that is compatible with displaying an image on said camera display device.

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

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

transmitting said single frame of image data to a host computer during a continuous session via a wireless link between said hand-held camera and said host computer, said host computer being a conventional general-use computer having programming configured to enable automated transmissions and retransmissions between said host computer and said hand-held camera;

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 from said image data of said single frame is dependent upon operations at said host computer to generate image information that is compatible with said dlsplay on said display device; and

retransmitting said related image data to said host computer for storage in host computer memory following said step of forming said image on said display device.

17. The method of claim 16 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 image 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.d 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.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said substep of receiving said enhanced image data is executed in continuity with said steps of transmitting said 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 image data.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of transmitting said image data includes a substep of transferring said image data to a network of processors that rapidly processes said image data into said enhanced image data.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of receiving said enhanced image data comprises wirelessly inputting said 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 image data for color balance;

adjusting said image data for gamma;

adjusting luminance;

filtering said image data; and

changing zoom factors.