U.S. patent application number 10/321395 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-24 for modular electronic image-capturing system with dual functional modes.
Invention is credited to Chang, Matthew Tsu-Yang, Su, Jesse.
Application Number | 20040119830 10/321395 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32507105 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040119830 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Su, Jesse ; et al. |
June 24, 2004 |
MODULAR ELECTRONIC IMAGE-CAPTURING SYSTEM WITH DUAL FUNCTIONAL
MODES
Abstract
A modular electronic image-capturing system comprises at least
two detachable and interchangeable image-forming modules and an
electronic image-capturing module. The image-forming modules
include a film-scanning module with the lens designed for short
conjugate distances and an image-forming lens designed for long
conjugate distances for general photography. The film-scanning
module has an illumination device for illuminating transparent
film. The film-scanning module also includes a film carrier which
accepts and places at least one piece of photographic films in
correct location. The modular electronic image-capturing system
further includes the control circuits and connecting interface in
order to manipulate the image-forming modules.
Inventors: |
Su, Jesse; (Chung Ho City,
TW) ; Chang, Matthew Tsu-Yang; (Fremont, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE
3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101
ELLICOTT CITY
MD
21043
US
|
Family ID: |
32507105 |
Appl. No.: |
10/321395 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
348/207.99 ;
348/96; 348/E5.028; 348/E5.049 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 5/2254 20130101;
H04N 5/253 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
348/207.99 ;
348/096 |
International
Class: |
H04N 005/253; H04N
009/47 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A modular electronic image-capturing system comprising: at least
two interchangeable image-forming modules which include: a) an
optical lens of at least one optical element construction, designed
for long conjugate object distances; and b) a film-scanning module,
and an electronic image-capturing module comprises of: a) at least
one 2-dimensional array type electronic image sensor; b) at least
one signal processing component which converts the electronic
output signal from said image sensor into standard data format; c)
a mechanical interface that couples said interchangeable
image-forming modules; and d) an electronic connecting means which
conduct the control circuit between the electronic image-capturing
module and said image-forming modules;
2. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 1, the optical lens of at least one optical element
construction designed for long conjugate object distances further
comprises a mechanical interface that couples to said electronic
image-capturing module.
3. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 1, the film-scanning module comprises of: a) a mechanical
interface that couples to the electronic image-capturing module; b)
an optical lens of at least one optical element construction,
designed for short conjugate object distances; c) a mechanical
carrier that holds at least one piece of photographic films, which
places the photographic film in the object conjugate location of
the optical lens; and d) an illumination device which
back-illuminates said photographic film.
4. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 2, wherein the photographic film is one of the negative type
and diapositive type.
5. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 1, wherein the 2-dimensional array type electronic image
sensor is a CCD (charged-coupled device) sensor.
6. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 1, wherein the 2-dimensional array type electronic image
sensor is a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)
sensor.
7. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 1, further comprising at least one electrical energy that
powers said image-capturing module and image-forming modules.
8. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 3, wherein the illumination device which back-illuminates
said photographic film is one of the light emitting diodes, inert
gas discharge lamps and florescence discharge lamps.
9. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 1, one of the interchangeable image-forming modules comprises
of: a) a mechanical interface that couples to the electronic
image-capturing module; b) an optical lens of at least one optical
element construction, designed for short conjugate object
distances; c) a mechanical carrier that holds at least one piece of
photographic film, which places the photographic film in the object
conjugate location of the optical lens; and d) a light guiding
device which guiding the light of flashlight to illuminate said
photographic film.
10. The modular electronic image-capturing system as claimed in
claim 9, wherein the light guiding device is a light pipe.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a modular
electronic image-capturing system that has dual mode of operation,
and more particularly to the image-capturing system is used for an
electronic camera for general photography or a transparent film
image-capturing device depending on the image-forming modules
attached.
[0003] 2. The Related Art
[0004] Up to today, it is known to make the optical duplication of
photographic film in the form of negative or diapositive
transparencies by a conventional image-capturing apparatus with
linear image sensor. An example of such systems is disclosed in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,974,068, 5,088,813 and 5,872,591. In the '068
patent, there is a film image information reading apparatus which
includes adjustment means for adjusting the gain of the image. In
the '813 patent, a film scanner is disclosed which comprises: means
for urging the film against the support means; the urging means
contacting the film along an edge thereof, and guide means for
maintaining the film substantially flat in the imaging station. The
'591 patent discloses a photographic film scanner for scanning a
film strip containing a plurality of photography images.
[0005] In certain types of apparatus, for example, film scanners,
the film must be scanned by the linear image sensor. However, the
image-scanning system of past method take much time to scan a
transparent film, and user have to browse through pictures on an
additional screen, like a CRT screen or a TV. Conventional methods
take many steps and much time to transform the image data to
digital. Such devices, known as film scanners are often presented
as computer peripheral devices with a single dedicated function,
namely film recording.
[0006] On the other hand, there exists an electronic imaging
device, which captures images onto a 2-dimensional electronic array
sensor such as CCD (charged-coupled-device) or CMOS (complementary
metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors. Such device is often used for
general photography in which the image could be digitized into
computer readable format for easy image processing and storage.
Such device is better known as digital camera.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a modular
electronic image-capturing system with dual functional modes having
at least two interchangeable and detachable modules which can be
use for both general photography and film image capture. The output
of the electronic image-capturing system could be in the form of
analogue signal or digital signal.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
modular electronic image-capturing system with dual functional
modes in order to apply the method of 2-dimensional image capture
on transparent film. Such method eliminates the use of an otherwise
complicated mechanical scanning mechanism. The 2-dimensional image
recorded on the film is simultaneously captured imaged onto a
2-dimensional sensor array such as 2-dimensional CCD
(charged-coupled-device) or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor).
[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, it is an
object of the present invention to provide a modular electronic
image-capturing system in which an image-forming component can be
in the form of an optical lens designed for long conjugate
distances for general photography.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, the
image-forming component can be a fixture that consists of an
optical lens specifically designed for short conjugate distance.
The fixture also consists of a film carrier that hold and register
the film. The transparent film could be in the form of a filmstrip
or the film which could be mounted in a frame, similar to the
common negative filmstrips and mounted diapositive transparencies
respectively. In addition, the fixture also possesses an
illumination device that is used to back-illuminate the film. The
illumination can be provided by auxiliary light emitting elements
such as but not limited to light emitting diodes, florescence
discharge lamps, and inert gas discharge flash lamps. The
illumination brightness or duration would be controlled by the
image-capturing device. The electrical energy that powers the
illumination could be supplied by a build-in energy source that
resides in the image-forming fixture. Alternatively, the electrical
energy could be supplied by the image-capturing device. The
illumination can be in the form of redirected light originated from
the electronic image-capturing device. Such configuration would
require light coupling and guiding using light pipes of either
solid or hollow construction. In such case, the image-forming
fixture can be a passive device, which contains no electrical
components. Consequently, the image-forming fixture is only
attached to the image-capturing device by mechanical linkage.
[0011] A modular electronic image-capturing system with dual
functional modes of the present invention includes a module which
can scan a photographic film onto a 2-dimensional electronic array
sensing device such as CCD (charged-coupled-device) or CMOS
(complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors and creates
corresponding digital representations of the images, and another
module which can take the digital images as the conventional
digital camera.
[0012] Although the functions of the film-scanning module and a
digital still camera are very different, there are substantial
similarities between the two classes of devices. Both devices
capture images in electronic form. Both devices require some sort
of image-forming device that produces the images onto the
electronic detector. Both devices possesses similar electronic
signal processing components, which convert raw electronic signal
generated at the sensor to output signal of certain standardized
format.
[0013] For a digital camera, the image-forming device is in the
form of an optical lens that is designed for long object conjugate
distances. In a digital film scanner, the image-forming device is
in the form of a copy lens that is designed specifically for short
conjugate distances.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in
the art by reading the following description of a preferred
embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in
which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the combination of
the image-capturing module and the film-scanning module of the
present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention showing
the film-scanning module and image-capturing module separated;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image-capturing module
of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the combination of the
image-capturing module and the lens designed for long conjugate
distance;
[0019] FIG. 5 showing the lens designed for long conjugate
distances detached from the image-capturing module of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the transparent film
feeding rollers;
[0021] FIG. 7 shows the film-scanning module with a spiral
connecting structure;
[0022] FIG. 8 shows a connecting means of push and twist fastener
of the film-scanning module with image-capturing module;
[0023] FIG. 9 shows the film-scanning module having an electrical
connector and cable assembly;
[0024] FIG. 10 shows the normal constitution of the basic devices
inside the film-scanning module;
[0025] FIG. 11 is an illustration of placing the illumination
device and transparent film in the left-front side of the focus
lens by use a reflective mirror;
[0026] FIG. 12 is an embodiment of placing the illumination device
and transparent film in the right-front side of the focus lens by
use a reflective mirror;
[0027] FIG. 13 is an illustration of a method for reducing the
distances between the focus lens and the transparent film by
utilizing a set of reflective mirrors;
[0028] FIG. 14 is a drawing of the film-scanning module with a
prism to guide the light path from the illumination to the image
sensor which behind the focus lens;
[0029] FIG. 15 is an illustration showing a convex prism which
guides the light path from the illumination to the image sensor
which behind the focus lens;
[0030] FIG. 16 is an illustration of the film-scanning module uses
a triangular convex prism for guiding the light to the
image-capturing module; and
[0031] FIG. 17 is an embodiment of the film-scanning module
utilizes a light pipe for guiding the flashlight energy to
illuminate the film.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0032] The preferred embodiments of this invention will be
described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0033] With reference to FIGS. 1.about.2 and FIGS. 6.about.7, a
film-scanning module 20 can be attached to and detached from the
front side of the image-capturing module 10 by a connecting means
220, such as an outer spiral structure of the film-scanning module
20 corresponding to an inner spiral structure 131, of the
image-capturing module 10. The module 10 can become a film-scanning
apparatus with the film-scanning module 20. A transparent film 30
can be inserted into the module 20 by a film carrier, such as a
film roller 27 (see FIG. 6 in which shows a pair of film rollers
27) and be set a correct location for capturing the film images.
The film rollers 27 also can resist the light source from outside
of the module 20. The film-scanning module 20 has a lens assembly
210 designed for short conjugate distances. The transparent film 30
can be inserted into the slot (not labeled) through the
film-scanning module 20. The image-capturing module 10 includes a
viewfinder 110 and a flashlight 120 in the front of the module 10.
The viewfinder 110 has an objective lens in the front of the
image-capturing module 10 and an eyepiece (not shown) in the rear
of the image-capturing module 10. The image-capturing module 10
further comprises a set base 130 with the inner spiral structure
131 in the front of module 10 for accepting the interchangeable and
detachable image-forming modules. A shutter control button 140 is
set on the top of the image-capturing module 10 to control the
action of the shutter circuit and the processing circuit (not
shown) inside the image-capturing module 10. An image sensor 160 is
arranged in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the
focus lens 70 inside the module 10. The image sensor 160 can be a
2-dimensional sensor array such as 2-dimensional CCD or CMOS
[0034] With reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the image-capturing
module 10 can be combined with a lens 40 designed for long
conjugate distances by inner spiral structure 131 corresponding to
the outer spiral connecting means 410. When the lens 40 attached to
the front of the image-capturing module 10, the module 10 can be
used for the general photography as conventional digital
cameras.
[0035] FIGS. 7-9 are drawings of some different embodiments for
connecting the mechanism and control circuit between the
film-scanning module 20 and the image-capturing module 10. In one
embodiment described in FIG. 7, the connecting means 220 utilized
an outer spiral structure corresponding to the set base 130 of the
image-capturing 10. Another embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the
connecting means 220' is a design of a push and twist fastener. The
set base 130 of the image-capturing module 10 is correspondingly
designed. The connecting means 220 or 220' can further comprise
electrical connecting contacts (not shown) corresponding to the set
base 130 in order to connect the control circuits in the
image-capturing module 10 and the film-scanning module 20.
Furthermore, in accordance with FIG. 9, this embodiment shows
another method that utilized an electrical connecting means 230,
such as an electrical connector 231 and cable assembly 232 for
connecting the control circuit in the module 10 and the module
20.
[0036] Inside the film-scanning module 20, there are several
methods for guiding the light path 50 of the film image through a
lens 70 and forming onto a digital image sensor 160 by illuminating
of an illuminated means 250 (see FIG. 10). The illuminated means
250 is disposed at the position behind the film 30 with the same
direction. The streams of light irradiate from the illuminated
means 250 in the direction is substantially perpendicular to the
transparent film 30. The illuminated means 250 comprises a
lightening means 251 and a light diffuser 252. The lightening means
251 can be light emitting diodes, florescence discharge lamps, and
inert gas discharge flash lamps. The illumination brightness and
duration are controlled by the image-capturing device through
electronic connecting means. The irradiation of the lightening
means 251 diffused and equalized by a light diffuser 252 which pass
through the transparent film 30 and the focus lens 70 then form
image signals onto the image sensor 160 finally.
[0037] A reflection mirror 260 is used in order to reduce the
actual distance between the lens 70 and the transparent film 30.
FIG. 13 shows the embodiment of using two reflection mirrors 260
for shortening the distances from the film 30 to the focus lens
70.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 14, a prism 80 with a triangular
cross-section utilized for guiding light path 50 through the focus
lens 70 to the image sensor 160. Another embodiment is shown in
FIG. 15 in which a fan-shaped prism 81 is used to refract the light
path 50 from the transparent film 30 to the focus lens 70. In FIG.
16, a triangular optical prism 82 with a convex side in front of
the focus lens 70 collects the beam of the illumination means 250
and reflects to the lens 70.
[0039] A special embodiment of the illuminated devices is shown in
FIG. 17. At least a light pipe 60 can be applied to guide the light
from the flashlight 120 for illuminating the transparent film
30.
[0040] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to
those skilled in the art that a variety of modications and changes
may be made without departing from the scope of the present
invention which is intended to be defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *