Electronic still video camera with direct personal computer (PC) compatible digital format output

• US 5,138,459 A
• Filed: 11/20/1990
• Issued: 08/11/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: St Clair Intellectual Property Consultants Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Personal Computer Cameras Inc.
• Inventors: Roberts, Marc K., Chikosky, Matthew A., Speasl, Jerry A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, David K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan V.
• Application Number:
  US07/615,848
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 358/903, 358/909, 358/209, 358/217, 364/521, 364/900, 364/200, 340/723, 340/724, 382/56
• US Class Current: 348/231.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/01 Conversion of standards , e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

An electronic still camera comprising a lens, shutter, and exposure control system, a focus and range control circuit, a solid state imaging device incorporating a Charge Couple Device (CCD) through which an image is focused, a digital control unit through which timing and control of an image for electronic processing is accomplished, an Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter circuit to convert the analog picture signals into their digital equivalents, a pixel buffer for collecting a complete row of an image'"'"'s digital equivalent, a frame buffer for collecting all rows of an image'"'"'s digital equivalent, and a selectively adjustable digital image compression and decompression algorithm that compresses the size of a digital image and selectively formats the compressed digital image to a compatible format for either the IBM Personal Computer and related architectures or the Apple Macintosh PC architecture as selected by the operator so that the digital image can be directly read into most word processing, desktop publishing, and data base software packages including means for executing the appropriate selected decompression algorithm; and a memory input/output interface that provides both temporary storage of the digital image and controls the transmission and interface with a standard Personal Computer (PC) memory storage device such as a digital diskette. The digital diskette is removable inserted into the housing of the camera prior top use in recording digital image data.

Claims

1. In an electronic still image camera comprising:

an optical lens,

a shutter mechanism operably associated with said lens,

an array of discrete light sensing pixel elements, each pixel element being responsive when said shutter mechanism is operated to incident illumination from a subject image radiating through said lens and shutter mechanism to generate an analog picture information signal corresponding to said subject image,

pixel multiplexing means responsive to each array of pixel elements for separating an output from each pixel element into its primary color components,

analog to digital converter means responsive to the outputs of said pixel multiplexing means for converting said analog picture information signal into corresponding digital data information signals,

removably mounted memory means for storing said digital data information signals,

the improvement comprising output data control means for selecting one of a plurality of different output data format codes prerecorded in said camera to be associated with each said digital data information signals where each of said plurality of output data format codes corresponds respectively to one of a like plurality of different data formats for different types of computer apparatus, and

logic means responsive to said output data control means for determining the output data format of said digital data information signals in accordance with a selected one of said plurality of different output data format codes.

2. The improved electronic still camera of claim 1 further comprising picture image resolution determining means and digital data compression means for selectively determining which of a plurality of compression algorithm parameters are to be applied to said digital data information signals in response to an operator activated switch means.

3. The improved electronic still image camera of claim 2 wherein said removably mounted memory means comprises digital diskette means having thereon a plurality of selectively addressable magnetic sector and track sections for recording said digital data information signals.

4. The improved electronic still image camera of claim 3 hwerein said digital compression algorithm of said digital data compression means is also recorded in its entirety on said diskette means and further comprising record marking means for recording a digital coded mark for indicating the compression alogorithm parameters utilized in compressing each said digital data information signals.

5. The improved electronic still image camera of claim 2 further comprising record marking means for recording a unique digital mark indicating the compression alogorithm parameters utilized in compressing each said digital data information signals.

6. The improved electronic still camera of claim 2 further comprising record marking means for generating and recording with each said digital data information signals a coded mark indicating the compression algorithm parameters utilized in compressing said digital data information signals.

7. The improved electronic still image camera of claim 1 further comprising memory formatting means operable during the camera power-up routine to automatically format said memory means in acccordance with one of a plurality of output data formats.

8. The improved electronic still image camera of claim 1 further comprising audio recording means for simultaneously recording digital audio signals associated with each subject image and memory file correlation means for associating in said memory means the respective storage locations of said audio signals with its associated image signals.

9. The improved electronic still image camera of claim 1 further comprising switch activated control means for improving the image signal storage efficiency by selectively determining the amount of storage of said removably mounted memory means to be associated with storage of each picture image.

10. An electronic still image camera comprising:

an optical lens,

a shutter mechanism operably associated with said lens,

an array of discrete light sensing pixel elements, each pixel element being responsive when said shutter mechanism is operated to incident illumination from a subject image radiating through said lens to generate an analog picture information signal corresponding to said subject image,

pixel multiplexing means responsive to said array of pixel elements for separating an output from each pixel element into its primary color components,

analog to digital converter means responsive to the output of said pixel multiplexing means for converting said analog picture information signal into corresponding digital data information signals,

removably mounted memory means for temporarily storing said digital data information signals,

output data format control means for storing in said camera at least one of a plurality of different output data format codes where each of said plurality of output data format codes corresponds respectively to one of a like plurality of different data formats for different types of computer apparatus, and

logic means responsive to said format control means for selectively controlling the formatting of said digital data information signals in accordance with a selected one of said plurality of different output data codes.

11. The electronic still image camera of claim 10 further comprising memory formatting means operable to automatically format said removably mounted memory means in accordance with one of a plurality of operator selectable data storage formats.

12. The electronic still image camera of claim 10 further comprising image resolution determining means for selectively determining which of a plurality of compression algorithm parameters are to be applied to said digital data information signals.

13. The electronic still image camera of claim 12 further comprising record marking means for indicating which one of said plurality of compression alogorithm parameters were utilized to compress said digital data information signals.

14. The electronic still image camera of claim 10 wherein said removably mounted memory means comprises digital data diskette means and further comprising selectable diskette formatting means for automatically formatting diskette means in accordance with one of a plurality of operator selectable data formats.

15. The electronic still image camera of claim 10 further comprising remote activation means for selectively activating said camera and logic means responsive to said remote activation means for intiating an output data format check of said removably mounted memory means.

16. A process for storing an electronically sensed video image comprising the steps of:

generating an analog image signal corresponding to the imagewise pattern of radiant light incident on a plurality of light sensing pixel elements,

converting the analog image signals into digital electronic information signals wherein a distinct digital electronic signal corresponds to the analog image signals corresponding to the intensity of radiant light falling on the light sensing pixel elements,

temporarily storing the digital electronic information signals,

recording in selectable addressible memory means at least one of a plurality of different digital output data format codes where each of said plurality of output data format codes corresponds respectively to one of a like plurality of different data formats for different types of computer apparatus,

selecting from said selectable addressible memory means one of said different digital output data format codes to be associated with each said digital electronic information signals, and

storing said digital electronic information signals in a digital memory in accordance with said selected output data format code.

17. The process of claim 16 further including steps of:

detecting the presence at an electronic still camera of a remotely generated activating signal, and

activating said generating of said analog signal in response to the detecting of said activating signal.

18. An electronic video image signal output data format translator comprising:

input means for receiving image signals corresponding to sensed picture information,

converter means for converting said image signals to digital image signals,

buffer storage means for temporarily storing said digital image signals,

output data format selection means for selecting one of a plurality of different data format codes stored in the translator to be associated with each said digital image signals where each of said plurality of different data format codes corresponds respectively to one of a like plurality of different data formats for different types of computer apparatus, and

output memory means for storing said digital image signals formatted in accordance with said selected data format code.