IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

• US 20010046370A1
• Filed: 07/15/1997
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: YAMAGAMI, TAKU
• Granted Patent: US 6,522,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/69
• 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 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

The image pickup apparatus has a camera which encodes object image data, further comprises a recording unit 101 for recording image data, a connector 200 for connecting the camera with an expansion card 111 including a signal processor 701 for processing image data stored in the recording unit 101, and a memory and bus controller 102 for controlling image data, and the signal processor 701 controls so that program data transmitted from the camera 100 is written in a flash ROM 703 via an expansion bus interface 201.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus having a camera which encodes an object image into object image data, comprises:

recording means for recording the object image data;

connecting means for connecting a unit having a signal processing circuit which processes the object image data stored in said recording means; and

a branching means for determining either the camera or said recording means to which the object image data is transmitted via said connecting means when the unit is connected.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the unit is constructed to be detachable and attached via said connecting means to the camera, and has character recognition means for converting a character included in the object image data to character data.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 2

further comprising mean for calculating a recognition ratio of all characters included in the image data on the basis of the recognition result by the recognition means and for setting image pickup conditions of the object so that the recognition ratio becomes a maximum value.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 2

, wherein said character recognition means displays at least two kinds of image data out of image data based on the picked-up image, image data as the recognition result, and an image data in the character recognition process.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein the image data in the character recognition process is binary data.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 2

, wherein the unit includes RISC CPU capable of high speed processing.

7. An image pickup apparatus having a camera which encodes sound data, comprising:

recording means for recording the sound data;

connecting means for connecting with a unit having a signal processing circuit which encodes the sound data stored in said recording means; and

a branching means for determining either the camera or said recording means to which the sound data is transmitted via said connecting means when the unit is connected.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein the unit is constructed to be detachable and attached via said connecting means to the camera, and has sound recognition means for converting sound data into character data.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein the unit is constructed to be detachable and attached via said connecting means to the camera, and having character recognition means for converting a character included in the object image data to character data.

10. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 9

further comprising mean for calculating the ratio of the number of recognized characters to total number of to be recognized characters included in the image data on the basis of the recognition result by the recognition means and for setting image pickup conditions of an object so that the recognition ratio becomes a maximum value.

11. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 9

, wherein said character recognition means displays at least two kinds of image data out of image data based on the picked-up image, image data as the recognition result, and an image data in the character recognition process.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 11

, wherein the image data in the character recognition process is binary data.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 9

, wherein, when the recognition ratio shows its maximum and all the characters are not recognized, the character recognition means displays unrecognized characters of the image data.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 13

, wherein the unrecognized characters of the image data is changed by pronouncing correct character and by converting the pronounced character into character data.

15. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein the unit includes RISC CPU capable of high speed processing.

16. The image pickup apparatus taking sound data as well as image data, comprising:

image processing means for converting the image data into digital data; and

sound processing means for converting the sound data into digital data,

wherein the digitized image and sound data are combined and recorded.

17. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 16

, further comprising a detachable unit which can be connected to a camera comprising said image processing means and said sound processing means via connecting means provided on the camera.

18. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein said unit has sound recognition means for converting sound data into character data.

19. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein the unit has character recognition means for converting a character in the image data to character data.

20. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 18

further comprising mean for calculating a recognition ratio of all characters included in the image data on the basis of the recognition result by the recognition means and for setting image pickup conditions of an object so that the recognition ratio becomes a maximum value.

21. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 20

, wherein said character recognition means displays at least two kinds of image data out of image data based on the picked-up image, image data as the recognition result, and an image data in the character recognition process.

22. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the image data in the character recognition process is binary data.

23. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 16

, wherein, when the recognition ratio shows its maximum and all the characters are not recognized, the character recognition means displays unrecognized characters of the image data.

24. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 18

, wherein the unrecognized characters of the image data is changed by pronouncing correct character or characters and by converting the pronounced character or characters into character data.

25. The image pickup apparatus according to

claim 16

, wherein the unit includes RISC CPU capable of high speed processing.

26. A recording apparatus which encodes object image data and records it, comprising:

recording means for recording the image data; and

operation means for adding specific information to files on which predetermined process is performed so that those files can be automatically detected out of image data files stored in said recording means.

27. The recording apparatus according to

claim 26

, wherein the specific information is a file name.

28. The recording apparatus according to

claim 26

, wherein the specific information is flag information in a file.

29. The recording apparatus according to

claim 26

, wherein the specific information is directory information where files are stored.

30. The recording apparatus according to

claim 26

, further comprising character recognition means which convert a character in the image data into character data.

31. The recording apparatus according to

claim 30

, wherein said operation means comprises display means for displaying that recognition process by the character recognition means is under process.

32. An replaying apparatus according to one of

claims 26

to

31

, comprising operation means for detecting an image data file having a predetermined information and for executing a predetermined process.

33. The replaying apparatus according to

claim 32

, wherein said operation means comprises means for automatically performing a character recognition process on the image data file.

34. The replaying apparatus according to

claim 32

, wherein said operation means comprises transmitting means for transmitting the image data file automatically.

35. The replaying apparatus according to

claim 32

, wherein said operational mean comprises processing means for processing image of the image data file automatically.

36. The replaying apparatus according to

claim 33

, wherein character sequences in text file information produced by automatically applying character recognition process on the image data file are searched, and an original image of the searched text information and images relating to the original image are searched.

37. The replaying apparatus according to

claim 32

, wherein said operation means comprises display means for displaying that the predetermined process is under execution.

38. A recording and replaying apparatus which records object image as object image data, and replaying the object image data, comprising:

recording means for recording the image data;

first operation means for adding specific information to files on which first predetermined process is performed so that those files can be automatically detected out of image data files stored in said recording means; and

second operation means for detecting the image data files recorded with the specific information by said first operation means, and performing second predetermined process.