Camera device for portable equipment

• US 7,443,447 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shirakawa, Hirotsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bemben; Richard M
• Application Number:
  US10/323,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 348/218.1, 348/373, 348/374, 348/375, 348/376, 348/262, 348/14.01, 455/556.1, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 348/376
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/53 of electronic viewfinders, e.g. rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/665 involving internal camera communication with the image sensor, e.g. synchronising or multiplexing SSIS control signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A camera device captures a plurality of images and superimposes them to output image data of a superimposed image. The plurality of images are captured by a plurality of cameras. A processor superimposes the plurality of images to produce the superimposed image, which is displayed on screen and is sent by moving-image mail.

Claims

1. A camera device for portable equipment, comprising:

a first camera and a second camera directed in different directions, each of the first camera and the second camera capturing an image to produce image data;

a selector which alternately reads a single horizontal line of a first camera sensor of the first camera to store image data from the first camera in a memory, immediately followed by reading a horizontal line of a second camera sensor of the second camera to store image data from the second camera in the memory, immediately followed by reading another single line from the first camera sensor to store the image data from the first camera in a memory.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the image data captured by each of the cameras is moving-image data.

8. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising a processor to produce output data of a superimposed image.

12. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the image data produced by the first camera sensor is a background image and the image data produced by the second camera sensor is a foreground image.

16. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the selector alternately selects between the first camera sensor and the second camera sensor in units of a single horizontal line.

20. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein a frame of image data from the first camera sensor and a frame of image data from the second camera sensor are combined to form a single frame of image data in the memory.

3. A camera device for a portable communication terminal, comprising:

at least two cameras including a back camera and a front camera which are provided in the back and front of the portable communication terminal, respectively, wherein each of the front camera and the back camera capture an image to produce image data; and

a selector which alternately reads a single horizontal line of a first camera sensor of the back camera to store image data from the back camera in a memory, immediately followed by reading a horizontal line of a second camera sensor of the front camera to store image data from the front camera in the memory, immediately followed by reading another single line from the first camera sensor to store the image data from the back camera in a memory.

9. The camera device according to claim 3, further comprising a processor for processing the stored image data to produce output data of a superimposed image.

13. The camera device according to claim 3, wherein the image data produced by the first camera sensor is a background image and the image data produced by the second camera sensor is a foreground image.

17. The camera device according to claim 3, wherein the selector alternately selects between the front camera and the back camera in units of a single horizontal line.

4. A method for capturing a plurality of images in a portable communication terminal having at least two cameras including a back camera and a front camera which are each provided in the back and front of the portable communication terminal, wherein each of said at least two cameras captures an image to produce image data, said method comprising:

inputting image data from each of said at least two cameras;

reading, alternately, a single horizontal line of a first camera sensor of the back camera to store image data from the back camera in a memory, immediately followed by reading a horizontal line of a second camera sensor of the front camera to store image data from the front camera in the memory, immediately followed by reading another single line from the first camera sensor to store the image data from the back camera in a memory.

10. The method according to claim 4, further comprising superimposing the image data stored in the memory to produce a superimposed image data such that one image is superimposed on another.

14. The camera device according to claim 4, wherein the image data produced by the back camera is a background image and the image data produced by the front camera is a foreground image.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the image data input is alternately selected from the front camera and the back camera in units of a single horizontal line.

5. A method for capturing a plurality of images in a portable communication terminal having at least two cameras including a back camera and a front camera which are each provided in the back and front of the portable communication terminal, wherein each of said at least two cameras captures an image to produce image data, said method comprising the steps of:

inputting image data from each of said at least two cameras;

selecting first image data to store it in a memory;

reducing a size of second image data to initially store the second image data in the memory such that the second image data is overwritten on a portion of the memory storing the first image data; and

outputting a superimposed image data such that a second image of the second image data is superimposed on a first image of the first image data,

reading, alternately, a single horizontal line of a first camera sensor of the back camera to store image data from the back camera in a memory, immediately followed by reading a horizontal line of a second camera sensor of the front camera to store image data from the front camera in the memory, immediately followed by reading another single line from the first camera sensor to store the image data from the back camera in a memory.

19. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first image is a background image and the second image is a foreground image.

6. A portable communication terminal with a moving-image communication function, comprising:

a display;

an operation key section;

a main circuit section including a microprocessor of the portable communication terminal; and

a camera section,

wherein the camera section comprises;

a back camera provided in the back of the portable communication terminal, wherein the back camera outputs first image data;

a front camera provided in the front of the portable communication terminal, wherein the front camera outputs second image data;

a memory for storing the first image data and the second image data produced by each of the back and front cameras; and

a selector which alternately reads a single horizontal line of the stored first image data to store the first image data in a memory, immediately followed by reading a horizontal line of the stored second image data to store the second image data in the memory, immediately followed by reading another single line from the stored first image data to store the first image data in a memory,

wherein the microprocessor instructs the display to display the superimposed image to be sent.

7. The portable communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein position and/or size of a second image of the second image data is allowed to be changed by the processor under control of the microprocessor depending on operations of the operation key section.

11. The portable communication terminal according to claim 6, further comprising a processor for processing the stored image data to produce output data of a superimposed image.

15. The camera device according to claim 6, wherein the first image data is a background image and the second image data is a foreground image.