Portable digital photographing system combining position navigation information and image information

• US 8,102,420 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuejun Yan, Yuepeng Yan
• Original Assignee: Yuejun Yan, Yuepeng Yan
• Inventors: Yan, Yuejun, Yan, Yuepeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US12/053,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20080231697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 348/113, 348/373, 348/231.2
• US Class Current: 348/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data

Abstract

Taught is a portable digital photographing system combining position navigation information and image information, wherein the position navigation information and the captured image information is combined and processed by a digital signal processing unit. The combined information then is stored in a register and displayed through an interface circuit. The portable digital photographing system can merge the location, time, and position information into the image or video. In addition, an electronic map corresponding to a position navigation information can be displayed on a display monitor.

Claims

1. A portable digital photographing and positioning apparatus for combining position navigation information and image information, comprising

a portable digital photographing apparatus having a display screen;

and

a position information receiver for capturing position and navigation information;

wherein

the captured position and navigation information is displayed on said display screen.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said position information receiver functions as a GPS receiver, a Galileo receiver, or a ground position receiver.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said portable digital photographing apparatus is a portable digital camera or a portable digital video recorder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a position resolving and image digital signal processing unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the position and navigation information received by said position information receiver, and outputs processed information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the image information captured by said portable digital photographing apparatus, and outputs processed information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit combines the position and navigation information received by said position information receiver and the image information captured by said portable digital photographing apparatus to obtain a combined information, and outputs the combined information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a position and image data register, which stores the position and navigation information received by said position information receiver, the image data captured by said digital photographing apparatus, and/or the combined information from said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said portable photographing apparatus comprises a camera head, a image signal processing circuit, an analog-to-digital converter and display monitor;

said position information receiver comprises an antenna, a radio frequency front end, an analog-to-digital converter, and a received signal correlator; and

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit is connected with the received signal correlator of said position information receiver, the analog-to-digital converter of said portable photographing apparatus, and the display monitor.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit and said position and image data register are embedded inside of said position information receiver;

and

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit is connected with said portable digital photographing apparatus via the interface circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit and said position and image data register are embedded inside of said portable digital photographing apparatus;

and

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit is connected with said portable position information receiver via the interface circuit.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit and said position and image data register are combined as an independent module;

and

said independent module exchanges and processes data with said portable digital photographing apparatus and said position information receiver via the interface circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is loaded with electronic maps, the position and navigation information received by the position information receiver then can be displayed through the display screen in accordance with the correspondent electronic map.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a 1 pps data port serving as a synchronous clock.

15. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit offers the function of encryption.

16. A portable digital photographing and positioning apparatus for combining position navigation information and image information, comprising

a portable digital photographing apparatus having a display screen;

a position information receiver for capturing position information at location of said portable digital photographing apparatus and for capturing navigation information around the location; and

a position resolving and image digital signal processing unit;

wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the position and navigation information received by said position information receiver, and outputs processed information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor; and

the portable digital photographing and positioning apparatus is loaded with an electronic map software, the position and navigation information is then displayed through said display screen in accordance with the correspondent electronic map.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the image information captured by said portable digital photographing apparatus, and outputs processed information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the image information captured by said portable digital photographing apparatus, and combines the position and navigation information and the image information to obtain a combined information, and outputs the combined information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit offers the function of encryption.

20. A portable digital photographing and positioning apparatus for combining position navigation information and image information, comprising

a portable digital photographing apparatus having a display screen;

a position information receiver for capturing position information at location of said portable digital photographing apparatus and for capturing navigation information around the location; and

a position resolving and image digital signal processing unit;

wherein

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the position and navigation information received by said position information receiver;

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit processes the image information captured by said portable digital photographing apparatus;

said position resolving and image digital signal processing unit combines the position and navigation information and the image information to obtain a combined information, and outputs processed information to a register, an interface circuit, and/or said display monitor; and

the portable digital photographing and positioning apparatus is loaded with an electronic map software, the processed combined information is then displayed through said display screen in accordance with the correspondent electronic map.