AU4514697A - Digital camera with a detachable lens - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 399623

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Umax Data Systems Inc.

No.1-1, R&D Rd.2 Science-Based Industrial Park Hsinchu

TAIWAN

Kou-Lung Tseng, Chien-Chin Chan, Guang-Shang Chang, Chin-Shui Lin, Chih-Wen Pan and Chin-Wen Lin.

Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Digital Camera with a Detachable Lens The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845 DIGITAL CAMERA WITH A DETACHABLE

LENS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly, to a digital camera with a detachable lens.

2. Description of the Prior Art As is understood in the art, a digital camera is a device that uses an electronic sensor, such as charge-coupled device (CCD), to capture an image. The captured signal is then processed to be represented numerically. Further, some storage devices are used to preserve these numerical image data. Finally, the stored image data is transferred to a computer for displaying or printing.

FIGURE 1 shows a conventional system 1 that coordinates a digital camera and a computer. This system 1 includes a digital camera 10 with an electronic sensor 102, a digital processing section 104, an image data memory 106. The system 1 also includes a computer 12 with a memory 122 for storing the image data from the digital camera 10, a central processing unit (CPU) 124, a display 14, and a printer 16.

Images are captured by the sensor 102 (such as CCDs) via a lens 8, manipulated in the processing section 104, stored in the memory 106, and finally transferred to the computer 14 via the interconnection 11. Memory card can be used to replace the image data memory 106 as known in the art.

FIGUREs 2A and 2B schematically illustrate a back view and a front view of the conventional digital camera 20, respectively. The digital camera 20 primarily includes a viewfinder 202, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 204 mounted at the back, and a lens 206 mounted at the front.

In order to facilitate convenient use for users, some manufacturers propose a digital camera 30 with a lens section 302 and a rotary LCD section 304 as shown in FIGURE 3 (only back side is shown). The maximum range of the rotary angle on the digital camera 30 is generally 2700.

However, in some particular situations, such as capturing a plane flying over, or remotely capturing an image, it would become inconvenient or unsuccessful to capture the images using the conventional digital camera. Therefore, a need has arisen to propose another type of digital cameras.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a digital camera is provided so that a lens section can be detached therefrom. In one embodiment, this lens section includes an optical lens, an electronic sensor for transforming an image to an electrical signal, and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the electrical signal to a digital signal.

The digital camera also includes a camera section having an electronic processing section for processing the digital signal, wherein the lens section can be detached from the lens section. A first transceiver is connected to the lens section for transmitting or receiving data to or from, respectively, the camera section, the data including the digital signal from the lens section. A second transceiver is connected to the camera section for transmitting or receiving the data to or from, respectively, the lens section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 shows a conventional system that coordinates a digital camera and a computer; FIGUREs 2A and 2B schematically illustrate a back view and a front view of the conventional digital camera, respectively; FIGURE 3 schematically illustrates another conventional digital camera; FIGURE 4 shows a block diagram illustrating a digital camera with a detachable lens section in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; FIGUREs 5A schematically illustrates the digital camera according to the present invention, where the lens section is connected to the camera body; FIGURE 5B schematically shows the detached lens section; FIGURE 6A shows an application where a remote shutter control signal is transmitted from the camera body to the lens section; FIGURE 6B shows another application of the digital camera; FIGURE 7 illustrates a general flow of wireless communication using IrDA protocol.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

EMBODIMENT

FIGURE 4 shows a block diagram illustrating a digital camera 40 with a detachable lens section 44 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The digital camera 40 includes the detachable lens section 44 and a camera body 42.

The lens section 44 includes a lens 401, a charge-coupled device (CCD) 402, and an analog-to-digital converter 4041. The camera body 42 houses a digital processing section 404 (which includes a frame memory 4042 and a processor 4043), a liquid crystal display (LCD) 422, a firmware memory 408, and an image data memory 424 (which could be a random access memory or a memory card capable of being inserted in the camera body 42). Furthermore, transmitter/receivers (hereafter "transceiver") 406 and 426 are also included in the lens section 44 and the camera body 42, respectively, for transmitting data therebetween in a wireless manner when the lens section 44 is removed from the camera section 42. Images are captured by the CCD 402 via the lens 401, transformed to an equivalent digital signal in the analog-to-digital converter 4041, transferred to the camera body 42 via the transceivers 406 and 426, manipulated in the digital processing section 404, and displayed on the LCD 422.

FIGUREs 5A schematically illustrates the digital camera according to the present invention, where the lens section 44 is connected to the camera body 42. Note a connector 43 is used to electrically and physically connect the lens section 44 and the camera body 42 together. FIGURE 5B schematically shows the detached lens section 44, where a receiver 4061 and a transmitter 4062 are mounted at the front side of the lens section 44.

In this embodiment, an infrared communication protocol proposed by Infrared Data Association (IrDA) is used to transfer the image data from the lens section 44 to the camera section 42 through the transceivers 406 and 426. In addition, some control signals, such as remote shutter control signals, can be transmitted from the camera section 42 to the lens section 44 as illustrated by an application shown in FIGURE 6A. FIGURE 6B shows another application of the digital camera, where the lens section 44 is mounted at the top of a monitor 60, and the camera section 42 (not shown in this diagram) is constructed inside a computer 62. The combination of the lens section 44 and the camera section 42 functions as a personal computer

(PC)

camera.

Among many protocols proposed by the IrDA, a modulation rate of 4 M bits/sec is preferably adapted in this embodiment to transfer the moving and/or the captured images data between the lens section 44 and the camera section 42. A general flow of wireless communication using the IrDA protocol is illustrated in FIGURE 7, where device A and device B represent the lens section 44 and the camera section 42, respectively. At the beginning, device A detects existence of device B in block 701, and then device A sends a "connection request" to device B in block 702.

This connection request generally includes address and data transfer rate. After device B receives the request, it acknowledge with return information, such as the address and the data transfer rate (block 703), and therefore both device A and device B will use common data transfer rate in the following communication. Subsequently, device A encodes the image data to be transferred according to the IrDA protocol (block 704), and then transmits the encoded data via infrared signal (block 705).

After the data are received and decoded by device B, if a complete set of data is recovered (block 706), the communication ends subsequently (block 707); otherwise, an error is acknowledged by device B, followed by retransmitting encoded data by device A. It is appreciated that the communication protocol used is not limited to those proposed by IrDA. Other protocol or proprietary method may also be used.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit which is intended to be limited solely by the appended claims.

Claims (15)

1. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said capturing means comprises an optical lens.
2. 3. A digital camera with a detachable lens, said digital camera comprising: a lens section housing an optical lens for capturing an image, said image being then transformed to an electrical signal; a camera section having an electronic processing section for processing said electrical signal, wherein said lens section can be detached from said camera section; a first transceiver connected to said lens section for transmitting or receiving data to or from, respectively, said camera section; and a second transceiver connected to said camera section for transmitting or receiving the data to or from, respectively, said lens section.
3. 4. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein said lens section comprises a charge-coupled device for transforming said image to the electrical signal. The digital camera according to claim 4, wherein said lens section comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting said electrical signal to a digital signal.
4. 6. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein said camera section comprises: a frame memory for storing the digital signal; a processor for processing the digital signal; and an image data memory for storing the processed digital signal.
5. 7. The digital camera according to claim 6, wherein said image data memory comprises a memory card which can be inserted into said camera section.
6. 8. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein said camera section further comprises a liquid crystal display. A digital camera with a detachable lens, said digital camera comprising: a lens section having an optical lens, an electronic sensor for transforming an image to an electrical signal, and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the electrical signal to a digital signal; a camera section having an electronic processing section for processing said digital signal, wherein said lens section can be detached from said camera section; a first transceiver connected to said lens section for transmitting or receiving data to or from, respectively, said camera section, said data including said digital signal from the lens section; and a second transceiver connected to said camera section for transmitting or receiving the data to or from, respectively, said lens section. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said electronic sensor comprises a charge-coupled device.
7. 11. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said electronic processing section comprises: a frame memory for storing the digital signal; and a processor for processing the digital signal in a way suitable for displaying.
8. 12. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said camera section further comprising an image data memory.
9. 13. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein said image data memory comprises a memory card which is capable of being inserted into said camera section.
10. 14. The digital camera according to claim 12, further comprising a liquid crystal display connected to said image data memory. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said data is further encoded before being transmitted from said first transceiver to said second transceiver.
11. 16. The digital camera according to claim 15, wherein said encoded data is further decoded after being received by said second transceiver.
12. 17. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said data is further encoded before being transmitted from said second transceiver to said first transceiver.
13. 18. The digital camera according to claim 17, wherein said encoded data is further decoded after being received by said first transceiver.
14. 19. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said transmitting and receiving is done following an infrared protocol proposed by Infrared Data Association (IrDA). The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein said data comprises a control signal transmitted from said camera section to said lens section for controlling a shutter in said camera section.
15. 21. A digital camera with a detachable lens substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 4, 5A and DATED this TWELFTH day of NOVEMBER 1997 Umax Data Systems Inc. Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON DLG:2877F