 |
| patentlyapple.com © |
Apple's
newly granted patent covers their invention relating to the field of
digital video cameras, and more particularly to a digital camera having a
remote control. Due to the fact that Apple's granted patent includes an
acquired patent from Kodak, we'll present you with the full patent
background and patent summary below, as we've never covered this as a
patent application.
Digital
capture devices, such as digital cameras and camera phones typically
capture and store both still digital images and video clips. These
digital capture devices typically include a color display which is used
to display captured still digital images and video clips. In many
situations, these digital capture devices are held by the user, who uses
the color display to compose the images as they are captured. In some
situations, the digital capture device is mounted on a tripod or another
type of camera mounting device, so that it does not need to be held by
the user. In some situations, the digital capture device is controlled
using a remote control, in order to initiate and terminate the capture
of images.
It
is known to provide rugged digital capture devices that can be secured
to various objects, such as a bike helmet or scuba mask, or mounted to
the handlebars of a motorcycle or the front of a surfboard. For example,
the GoPro HD Hero2 digital cameras, sold by GoPro Inc, Half Moon Bay,
Calif. are sold as part of an "Outdoor edition" package which includes
various straps, pivot arms, and adhesive mounts to enable the digital
camera to capture images while performing activities such as biking,
skiing, skating and kayaking. However, the HD Hero2 camera includes only
a single image capture system, which captures images using an optical
axis directed outward from the "front" of the camera. This can cause
excessive wind resistance and presents a high profile that is more
susceptible to damage and image artifacts from vibrations in some
situations.
It
is also known to provide remote controls as accessories for digital
cameras. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
2011/0058052 to Bolton, et al., entitled "Systems and methods for remote
camera control" describes a portable media device (PMD)
which includes a digital camera capable of capturing still images and
video that can be controlled remotely using an accessory. The accessory
can register with the PMD to automatically receive notifications
whenever there is a change in the camera state. The camera states can
include mode, operation status, and configuration settings. The
accessory can send instructions to a camera application that interfaces
with the camera to control the camera. The accessory can remotely
activate the digital camera, change the digital camera's mode, and send
instructions to operate the digital camera. The accessory and the PMD
can concurrently control the camera. The PMD can send the captured still
images and recorded video to the accessory for preview and can receive
instructions from the accessory. Unfortunately, because the accessory
receives notifications whenever there is a change in the camera state,
power must be continuously supplied to ensure that a notification can be
received by the accessory. This can rapidly deplete the batteries which
control the accessory.
It
is also known to provide a video camera having two lenses pointing in
perpendicular directions, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,742 to
Ansari et al., entitled "Video Camera Including Multiple Image Sensors."
This patent describes a digital motion camera useful in
teleconferencing which includes two lenses and two image sensors. The
first lens is used to provide a relatively wide angle view of a room and
the second lens is used to provide high resolution document
transmission capability. During a video telephone conference, the camera
permits fast switching between an image of the room as seen through the
first lens or an image of a document as seen through the second lens,
without the need for pan and tilt stages or a plurality of complete
camera units. However, this camera is always mounted in the same
orientation, regardless of which lens is used to capture images. The
camera does not include multiple camera mounts to enable the camera to
be mounted in different orientations when the second lens is used to
capture images.
It
is also known to provide a camera carrying case that includes more than
one tripod screw socket on different sides of the cases, as described
in U.S. Pat. No. 1,258,437 "Camera carrying case" to Nord. However, the
case is designed for a camera having a single lens with a single optical
axis. The two tripod screw sockets are used to capture landscape and
portrait orientation images in the direction of this single optical
axis.
Thus,
there remains a need to provide a digital camera that can be used in a
"conventional" capture mode, where the digital camera is held by the
user while capturing digital images, and which can also be used in
"streamlined" mounted mode, which provides a lower profile and reduced
wind resistance when the digital camera captures images while mounted to
moving object such as a bicycle.
The Patent Summary
Apple's newly acquired patent
which has been granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office notes
that the invention represents a digital camera system, comprising the
following:
An image Capture Module including:
a first image capture system including: a first image sensor for
capturing a digital image; and a first optical system for forming an
image of a first portion of a scene onto the first image sensor; and a
first wireless communication system; and
A Remote Control Module including:
a remote control status display including one or more remote control
status display elements for displaying status information pertaining to
the image capture module; a battery-operated power supply; one or more
remote control user controls; a second wireless communication system for
communicating with the first wireless communication system using a
wireless interface; and a power management system providing a
normal-power state where the remote control status display and the
second wireless communication system are active and a low-power state
where the remote control status display and the second wireless system
are inactive; wherein when none of the remote control user controls have
been activated for a predefined first time interval the power
management system sets the remote control module to operate in the
low-power state; and wherein when a user activates one of the remote
control user controls while the remote control module is in the
low-power state: the power management system sets the remote control
module to operate in the normal-power state; the remote control modules
sends a status inquiry to the image capture module using the second
wireless communication system, and in response the image capture module
sends status information back to the remote control module using the
first wireless communication system; and the status information is
displayed using the remote control status display elements of the remote
control status display.
The
present invention has the advantage that the image capture module can
be controlled using the user controls on the remote control module.
It
has the additional advantage that the remote control module enters a
reduced power mode after a period of inactivity in order to conserve
battery power.
Random Patent Figures
Apple's
patent FIG. 7A noted below is a high-level diagram showing the
components of a remote control module in accordance with the present
invention; FIG. 7B is a drawing depicting a front view of the remote
control module of FIG. 7A which is found in a digital watch. Will Apple
integrate this....... Continue reading ........
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire