Digital camera and controlling method therefor

• US 7,830,558 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shiomi, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US11/733,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20070242313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 358/474, 358/475, 358/448, 358/443, 358/400, 358/401, 358/434, 358/435, 358/407, 370/252, 370/315, 370/230.1, 370/333, 455/550.1, 455/419, 455/420, 455/411, 455/410, 455/63.11, 455/67.1, 455/435.2, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/504, 455/506
• US Class Current: 358/405
• 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 1/23 Reproducing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/333 Mode signalling or mode changing; Handshaking therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0008 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3335 Speed or rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33357 Compression mode

Abstract

In a digital camera performing wireless communication, the communication speed of the wireless communication is changed according to the state of the wireless communication, and a clock frequency associated with producing packet data according to the changed communication speed is also changed.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

an image sensing unit configured to shoot a subject and output an image signal;

an image processing unit configured to apply an image process to the image signal to produce image data;

an image recording unit configured to record the image data in a storage medium;

a network processing unit configured to convert the image data into packet data according to a transfer method to transfer the image data to an external device;

a wireless controlling unit configured to control wireless communication with the external device to wirelessly transfer the packet data;

a communication speed controlling unit configured to change a communication speed of the wireless communication; and

a process speed controlling unit configured to change a process speed of the network processing unit according to the communication speed changed by the communication speed controlling unit.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the communication speed controlling unit changes the communication speed by altering a data modulation method according to a receiving sensitivity of the wireless communication or an error ratio of data associated with the wireless communication.

3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the process speed controlling unit changes the process speed of the network processing unit as well as the process speed of the image processing unit according to the communication speed changed by the communication speed controlling unit.

4. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the process speed controlling unit changes the process speed of the network processing unit by changing a clock frequency supplied to the network processing unit according to the communication speed changed by the communication speed controlling unit.

5. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the process speed controlling unit changes an image data transferring speed for transferring images from the image processing unit to the network processing unit according to the communication speed changed by the communication speed controlling unit.

6. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage controlling unit configured to control a voltage supplied to the network processing unit according to the communication speed changed by the communication speed controlling unit.

7. A digital camera comprising:

an image sensing unit configured to shoot a subject and output an image signal;

an image processing unit configured to apply an image process to the image signal to produce image data;

a network processing unit configured to convert the image data into packet data according to a transferring method to transfer the image data to an external device;

a wireless controlling unit configured to control wireless communication with the external device to wirelessly transfer the packet data to the external device;

a process speed controlling unit configured to change a process speed of the image processing unit; and

a communication speed controlling unit configured to change a communication speed of the wireless communication by the wireless controlling unit according to the process speed of the image processing unit changed by the process speed controlling unit.

8. The digital camera according to claim 7, further comprising a mode setting unit configured to set the shooting mode,

wherein the process speed controlling unit changes the process speed of the image processing unit according to the shooting mode set by the mode setting unit.

9. The digital camera according to claim 7, further comprising an image process setting unit configured to set the image process executed by the image processing unit,

wherein the process speed controlling unit changes the process speed of the image processing unit according to the image process set by the image process setting unit.

10. The digital camera according to claim 7, wherein the process speed controlling unit changes the process speed of the image processing unit by altering a clock frequency supplied to the image processing unit.

11. A digital camera comprising:

an image sensing unit configured to shoot a subject and output an image signal;

an image processing unit configured to apply an image process to the image signal to produce image data;

an image recording unit configured to record the image data in a storage medium;

a network processing unit configured to convert the image data into packet data according to a transferring method to transfer the image data to an external device;

a wireless controlling unit configured to control wireless communication with the external device to wirelessly transfer the packet data to the external device;

a process speed controlling unit configured to determine a process speed of the image processing unit or the network processing unit; and

a setting unit configured to set a shooting mode for the image process in the image processing unit,

wherein the process speed controlling unit can switch between a mode of determining the process speed based on a state of the wireless communication and a mode of determining the process speed based on contents set by the setting unit.

12. The digital camera according to claim 11, wherein the process speed controlling unit changes how the process speed is determined according to contents set by the setting unit.

13. A method for controlling a digital camera comprising:

shooting a subject and outputting an image signal;

applying an image process to the image signal to produce image data;

recording the image data in a storage medium;

converting the image data into packet data according to a transfer method to transfer the image data from the digital camera to an external device;

controlling wireless communication between the digital camera and the external device to wirelessly transfer the packet data from the digital camera to the external device;

changing the communication speed of the wireless communication; and

changing the process speed associated with converting the image data into packet data according to the changed communication speed.

14. A method for controlling a digital camera comprising:

shooting a subject and outputting an image signal;

applying an image process to the image signal to produce image data;

converting the image data into packet data according to a transfer method to transfer the image data from the digital camera to an external device;

controlling wireless communication between the digital camera and the external device to wirelessly transfer the packet data from the digital camera to the external device;

changing a process speed of the image process;

changing a communication speed of the wireless communication according to the changed process speed.

15. A method for controlling a digital camera comprising:

shooting a subject and outputting an image signal;

applying an image process to the image signal to produce image data;

recording the image data in a storage medium;

converting the image data into packet data according to a transfer method to transfer the image data from the digital camera to an external device;

controlling a wireless communication between the digital camera and the external device to wirelessly transfer the packet data from the digital camera to the external device;

setting a shooting mode for the image process;

determining a process speed of the image processor of converting the image data into packet data;

wherein a mode of determining the process speed based on a state of the wireless communication and a mode of determining process speed based on shooting mode can be switched to each other.