Television – Camera – system and detail – Camera connected to computer
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-03
2001-04-03
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2712)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Camera connected to computer
C348S231900, C348S333040
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211909
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera such as digital camera or video camera and, in particular, to an electronic still camera equipped with a storage device such as a semiconductor memory which stores image data of subjects.
2. Related Background Art
The conventional electronic still camera has a liquid crystal display (LCD) for notifying various kinds of information to its user. Normally installed within the camera are a custom LCD panel and an LCD driver for driving the LCD. A microcomputer within the camera notifies various kinds of display information to the LCD driver and controls a semiconductor chip which performs processing of the subject image data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Since the custom LCD panel, the LCD driver, and the image processing chip are not of general purpose, they increase the initial cost of the product. When the image processing is realized by means of software in order to reduce the cost of the product, this processing occupies the CPU or MCU for a longer time. Accordingly, when such a processing is performed, the LCD cannot be driven at a high speed so as to instantaneously notify various kinds of information to the user.
The present invention relates to a camera such as digital camera or video camera. The camera of the present invention comprises a storage device which can store a predetermined amount of image data, the image data being arranged in blocks corresponding to camera shot; a light-emitting diode which emits visible radiation; and a control unit which, based on information about an available image data storage space on the storage device, controls the visible radiation emitted by the light-emitting diode. The light-emitting diode is controlled by the control unit so as to emit a number of pulses of visible radiation in a predetermined period, the number of the pulses representing the number of blocks that may be stored in the storage device, provided that the pulses are generated when the number of available blocks is one, two or three. The number blocks of storable image data coincides with the number of image shots which can be photographed.
As the storage device, a semiconductor non-volatile memory such as EPROM or E
2
PROM can be used. An example of the control unit is a microcomputer equipped with a central processing unit.
Also, a camera having a storage device, which is driven by an electric power supplied from a battery, and a control unit for controlling the storage device may further comprise at least three light-emitting diodes each of which emits a visible radiation, while the control unit may regulate the emission of the light-emitting diodes on the basis of operational states of the battery, storage device, and control unit. The control unit can simultaneously flicker the three light-emitting diodes when an error is detected in the camera.
An image of the subject is captured by a solid-state imaging device, and image data of the subject captured by this solid-state imaging device are stored into the storage device without image processing. An error code corresponding to an error which occurs at the time when the image data are stored is written into a first non-volatile memory. The camera further comprises therewithin a second non-volatile memory which can store the error code; while the control unit detects the error which has occurred at the time when the image data are stored, reads out from the first non-volatile memory the error code corresponding to thus occurred error, and writes thus read-out error code into the second non-volatile memory.
These cameras can be connected to a computer by way of a detachable cable or the like. This computer performs at least one of white-balance adjustment, gamma correction, edge enhancement, and contrast adjustment of the image data read out from the storage device.
Stored in an equipment is a program which can be read out by the computer connectable to the camera and includes an instruction for controlling an operation of the computer when the program is installed into the computer. The program stored in this equipment is installed into the computer, which then performs, according to the instruction, a processing for reading out the error code stored in the second non-volatile memory. Also, this camera comprises a terminal for connecting the camera to the computer which can read out the error code stored in the second non-volatile memory.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4746993 (1988-05-01), Tada
patent: 5633976 (1997-05-01), Ogino
patent: 5852467 (1998-12-01), Ogino
patent: 62-113338 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 1-211106 (1989-08-01), None
patent: 6-269066 (1994-09-01), None
Aruga Urato
Itoh Kazuki
Maeshima Yoshihiro
Nakamura Hideo
Chinon Kabushiki Kaisha
Hickman Coleman & Hughes LLP
Ho Tuan
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