Portable electronic camera providing optional parameter setting from a computer

Claim 2

An electronic camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said signal interface device includes an adaptor (16) that is interposed between the camera (10) and the computer.

Claim 3

An electronic camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said imaging stage (21a) includes an image compression stage (38).

Claim 4

An electronic camera as claimed in claim 3 wherein said parameter setting stage (50) for setting the mode of compression causes the level of compression utilized by said image compression stage (38) to be set.

Claim 5

An electronic camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said parameter setting stage (50) for setting the resolution level causes the image signal to be processed either from substantially all the photosites or from at least one pattern of sampled photosites.

Claim 6

An electronic camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said parameter setting stage (50) for setting the color or monochrome capture mode causes either substantially all the photosites to be processed or a subset of the photosites comprising the luminance photosites to be processed.

Claim 7

An electronic camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control stage (21c) includes a control processor (44) and a capture control stage (68), interposed between the parameter setting stage (50) and the control processor (44), for determining whether the capture control parameters are input from the parameter setting stage (50) or the signal interface device (14).

Claim 8

A portable, electronic camera (10) connectable to a computer (12) and operable either by itself or in direct connection with the computer for capturing an image and providing the captured image to the computer for storage therewith; said camera comprising: a signal interface device (14) for linking the camera to the computer; an image sensor (24) for generating an image signal representative of color image pixels obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a pattern of color filters; means (50, 68, 44) for obtaining a plurality of pixel resolutions from the image sensor, including at least a full resolution in which the image signal represents all color image pixels and a reduced resolution in which the image signal represents a fewer number of color image pixels; a memory (37) for storing the color image pixels corresponding to at least one image in either full or reduced resolution; a parameter setting stage (50) for setting capture parameters including at least the resolution level; and a control stage (21c) responsive to either the parameter settings from the parameter setting stage (50), or to like parameters input through said signal interface device (14) from the computer (12), for accordingly operating upon the image signals to produce the selected level of resolution.

Claim 9

A portable, electronic camera (10) connectable to a computer (12) and operable either by itself or in direct connection with the computer for capturing an image and subsequently providing the captured image to the computer for storage therewith; said camera comprising: a signal interface device (14) for linking the camera (10) to the computer (12); an image sensor (24) for generating image signals representative of color image pixels arranged in vertical and horizontal directions as obtained from a two-dimensional array of photosites covered by a pattern of luminance and chrominance color filters; a buffer memory (37) having sufficient capacity for storing the color image pixels corresponding to at least one image; a signal processor (38) for generating a processed image signal by compressing the image signal stored in said buffer memory (37) according to a variable compression factor; an output memory (40), connected subsequent to the buffer memory (37), for storing processed image signals obtained from the buffer memory; a parameter setting stage (50) for setting capture parameters including at least the variable compression factor; a camera control stage (21c) responsive to either the parameter settings from the parameter setting stage (50), or to like parameters input through said signal interface device (14) from the computer (12), for applying at least the variable compression factor to said signal processor (38).