CN1249568C - Digital Motion and Still Image Capture Adapter for Motion Image Cameras - Google Patents

Abstract

A digital motion and still image capture adapter for a motion video camera includes an input for receiving a motion video signal from a motion video camera. The adapter also includes an image processor connected to the input terminal for capturing a selected frame from the motion picture image signal. A bi-directional serial interface is connected to the image processor for sequentially receiving data from an external device and outputting compressed captured pictures generated by the image processor. The adapter is also used for receiving an analog image signal, compressing the analog image signal and outputting a digital compressed image signal.

Description

Digital Motion and Still Image Capture Adapter for Motion Image Cameras

technical field

The invention relates to an image capture device, in particular to a device for moving and still images in an image camera.

Background technique

A traditional camcorder (camcorder) or moving picture camera (moving picture camera) includes a charge coupled device (Charge Coupled Device, referred to as CCD), which is used to convert light images into electronic signals. Generally speaking, such cameras and camcorders have a circuit to sequentially capture images at a speed of 60 fields per second and a speed of 30 frames per second. The camcorder outputs an analog motion picture image signal, which includes sequentially captured image signals, and control signals such as vertical and horizontal blanking pulses. This output image signal, called composite video signal (composite video signal), generally includes the analog signal of each image, which is generated according to certain specifications, such as NTSC, PAL, S-Video, etc. A general camcorder also contains an analog audio signal output port, which is used to output an analog audio signal. In addition, the camera can also only output sequential frames of the dynamic frame signal.

Although there are digital camcorders on the market, generally they are much more expensive than analog cameras. Therefore, analog camcorders are still in the majority. A frame capture card can be installed in a personal computer. The frame capture card has an image input capable of receiving an analog image signal. Frame capture cards can capture digital dynamic picture images. However, such frame capture cards have a number of disadvantages, as mentioned in US Patent Application No. 08/708,388. First, most computers don't come with frame capture cards. So a user with a camcorder must carry the correct frame capture card to allow the remote control to take pictures, and it must be properly installed on the computer, assuming that the computer at hand must also be compatible with this card. Second, not all frame capture cards are compatible with camcorders. In either case, a cable must be connected between the image signal and the frame capture card. Therefore, the camera must be able to interface with the frame capture card and the computer. Other drawbacks include the need for an experienced computer veteran to open the case to install the frame capture card, in order to achieve the features and guarantees that the manufacturer can provide. In addition, it is also necessary to correctly set the configuration of the frame capture card, and different cards have different configuration settings. As a result, frame capture cards are not widely available in the consumer market.

Therefore, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a device capable of capturing an analog dynamic image signal and outputting it from an analog camcorder or video camera to become a digital dynamic image signal.

Another type of video camera currently in circulation on the market is a digital still video camera or a digital camera. The camera also has a CCD chip that converts the light image into an electrical signal. A single image can be captured at a time and stored digitally on a flash memory card in a digital still camera. Some digital still cameras also include an image processor, such as a JPEG-compatible image processor, to reduce the amount of memory required to store the data needed to capture a portrait. In general, digital still cameras also have an interface device for downloading captured images to a computer for further image processing such as image enhancement and printing. A digital still camera manufactured by ^CasioTM also has an interface device for receiving images from a computer and outputting composite image signals for displaying still images. The resulting composite image signal can be output to a standard display. Some digital still cameras (eg, manufactured by Casio ^™ ) also include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD for short) for displaying captured images stored therein. Another digital still camera manufactured by Ricoh ^TM can record a sound along with the captured image.

A typical digital still camera has a resolution of 640×480 pixels and costs about $600. There are also lower priced cameras, but their resolution is lower. In addition, higher resolution still cameras, such as 1024×768 pixels, will also be available in the near future. However, such high-resolution cameras can cost around $1,000 or more. Therefore, the high price point reduces the willingness to make such high-resolution cameras widely accepted by consumers.

Another disadvantage of the digital still camera is that it does not provide a universal interface for connecting the camera and the computer. Kodak ^TM 's DC-40 ^TM has an interface that can be connected to a modem port or a printer port of a Macintosh ^TM compatible computer. However, an additional adapter is required to connect the DC-40 ^TM to a PC-compatible computer. It also took a very long time to download; it took about fifteen minutes to download 48 images compressed to 640×480 pixels.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages and inconveniences of the known techniques.

Furthermore, many consumers already have motion picture cameras themselves, but not digital still cameras. Therefore, the object of the present invention is also to provide this type of dynamic image camera with the ability to process still images.

Contents of the invention

According to the object of the present invention, a digital dynamic and still image capture adapter for a dynamic image camera is proposed, the adapter includes an input terminal for receiving a dynamic image signal from a dynamic image camera. The adapter also includes an image processor (compressor) connected to the input end for capturing selected images from the composite image signal and compressing the captured images. A bidirectional serial interface (bidirectional series interface) is connected to the image processor for sequentially receiving data from an external device and outputting compressed captured images generated by the image processor. In this way, the adapter enables a general analog video camera or camcorder to function like a digital still camera.

More advantageously, the adapter includes a casing whose volume is smaller than or equal to that of the video camera, and which can be directly installed on the video camera. In addition, the adapter can connect the image output end of the camera with the input end of the adapter via an image cable.

In addition, the present invention provides an adapter for converting an analog dynamic portrait image signal into a digital form. The adapter has an input end for receiving an analog image signal. An analog-to-digital converter is used to convert analog portrait image signals into digital image signals. The adapter also has an image processor connected to the analog-to-digital converter for compressing the digital image signal in real time and generating a compressed dynamic picture image signal. Furthermore, the adapter has a two-way serial interface connected to the image processor for receiving data from the external device and outputting the compressed dynamic image signal to the external device.

As shown in the figure, the bi-directional serial interface accepts commands dispersed in the output compressed dynamic picture image signal from an external device (which may be a personal computer) to change the compression of the image processor. The image processor responds to the command by changing the compression of the digital image signal according to each received command.

In addition, the bi-directional serial interface accepts an uploaded compressed still picture or moving picture signal from an external device among scattered download/output compressed moving picture signal or still picture signal for decompression by the adapter and output from the adapter.

Description of drawings

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, a preferred embodiment is specifically cited below, and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the detailed description is as follows:

1 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a digital dynamic and still image capture adapter according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 shows the communication between a host computer and the adapter in FIG. 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 is an adapter 300 for an analog or digital video camera 10 or a still video camera 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the adapter 300 is small in size and contained in a housing that is smaller than the volume used by the video camera 10 . More preferably, the housing of the adapter 300 can be designed to be directly installed on the housing of the video camera 10 . However, in one embodiment, the adapter 300 is designed to be compatible with various shapes and sizes of the video camera 10 , and it does not need to be directly connected to the casing of the video camera 10 . The adapter 300 can also be installed in a suitable motion picture camera 10 housing design.

As shown in the figure, a composite image signal, such as NTSC, PAL, S-video and other specifications, is output from an analog video camera 10, and is input to an image decoder via the first image input port 301 on the adapter 300 305. A typical composite video signal includes a digital color video signal including I and Q color component signals superimposed on a monochrome signal M. The monochrome signal M includes an analog luminance signal interspersed between horizontal and vertical mark pulse signals. A video decoder (video decoder) 305 separates the signals M, I, Q from the composite video signal. Image decoder 305 returns luminance signal Y and color signals Cr _and C _b or signals R, G, B from signals M, I, Q, but removes control signals such as horizontal and vertical mark pulse signals. By sampling analysis, etc., the received signal is generated into a digital image signal. In short, the image decoder 305 generates a sequence of restored image signals (excluding the carrier signal and control signal) in digital form.

In this embodiment, the adapter 300 also has a multiplexer 310 . Wherein, the second input terminal 302 is used to receive a digital image signal from a digital camera 20 , and the multiplexer 310 receives the digital image signal and the digital image signal generated by the image decoder 305 . Then, the multiplexer 310 selects one of the two inputs as an output according to a selection signal. In this embodiment, the selection signal may come from an external operation switch or from a video processor (video processor) 330 .

The multiplexer 310 outputs the selected composite video signal to the video processor 330 via the video bus or V-BUS. The illustrated image processor 330 may be a W9962 ^™ image compression/decompression processor manufactured by Winbond Systems Laboratories ^™ located in San Jose, California. The image processor 330 receives the composite image signal output from the multiplexer 310 . According to a selection signal, which can be generated externally (such as a key switch on the adapter 300 or connected to the host computer 120) or generated internally by the image processor 330, the image processor 330 extracts a signal from the composite image signal. Choose a portrait. As shown in the figure, the selected image is stored in the frame buffer 350, and the frame buffer 350 may be constituted by DRAM. This can be accomplished by the method described below. The composite image signal is output from the multiplexer 310 to the image processor 330 . As shown in the figure, the composite image signal is also output to an LCD display 30, or output to a TV fluorescent screen 35 via an image encoder 370 (more detailed description will be given below). When each image of the composite image signal is received by the image processor 330 , the image processor 330 outputs the image to the frame buffer 350 via the DRAM bus or D-BUS. When the user decides to capture one of the dynamic images as a static image (for example, the image composition displayed on the LCD display 30 or the TV fluorescent screen 35 after correct focus), the user generates a selection signal. According to an externally generated selection signal, the image processor 330 compresses the image in the frame buffer 350 in real time, and transfers the compressed image to the non-volatile buffer 360 .

The image processor 330 is a programmable processor that provides various image compression and decompression according to various still and dynamic image formats, such formats include JPEG, MPEG, MPEG-2, H.263 and so on. There will be a more detailed description below. A particular compression format can be selected by the user and can be uploaded to the image processor 330 by the host computer 120 or from a nonvolatile buffer 360 . Compressed images reduce storage capacity. For example, suppose the original image is 525×352 pixels in size. This image can be converted by image encoder 305 (using subtraction and extrapolation) to a size of 640x480 pixels in 3 bits/pixel, RGB format. Storing such an image requires 921,600 bytes (bytes, B for short). The storage capacity can be greatly reduced when using the JPEG compression format (depending on the image and various selection parameters). For example, in the JPEG format, good image quality is usually achieved with a compression ratio of 20:1, so the reduced storage capacity is 46KB, and a higher compression ratio of 10-25KB can also be achieved.

The image processor 330 can store a selected image from an optional non-volatile buffer 360, which can be stored in flash memory on a removable flash card. to form. As shown in the figure, in order to save storage space, images should be compressed before storage. In addition, the compressed selection image can also be output from the image processor 330 to a radio frequency module (RF module) 355 . The radio frequency module 355 modulates the image signal on a carrier signal, and transmits the modulated signal to a remote receiver. The radio frequency module 355 can be used in video teleconferencing system. For example, the receiver may be part of a video conference for receiving incoming video signals and transmitting the video signals to a remote station via the telephone network. At the remote station, the video signal is decoded and displayed on a remote fluorescent screen. Therefore, the adapter 300 provides a larger space for the camera in teleconferencing applications, because the camera is not connected with other teleconferencing equipment. Similarly, before outputting to the radio frequency module 355, it is beneficial to compress the image to save communication bandwidth.

The captured image can also be output to an external device via the interface 340 , such as the host computer 120 of FIG. 2 . As shown in the figure, the interface 340 is a universal serial bus hub (Universal Series Bus hub, hereinafter referred to as USB hub). Basically, the USB hub 340 is a bidirectional serial interface that provides data transfer at a low rate of 1.2Mbit/sec or at a faster rate of 12Mbit/sec. Multiple USBhubs can be connected into a tree structure. After a 1024×768 resolution image is compressed with a compression ratio of 20:1, it can be downloaded via the USB interface 340 at a rate of less than 0.1 second.

The advantage of USB hub 340 is that it can provide two-way transmission. Accordingly, images may be downloaded by host computer 120 , processed, and then uploaded to image processor 330 . The image processor 330 may decompress the uploaded image. The uploaded image can be stored in the non-volatile buffer 360, stored in the mass storage device, decompressed by the radio frequency module 355, and output to the image decoder 370 via the V-bus, or directly output to the LCD display. Similarly, commands/commands for the image processor 330 to change the compression or commands and commands for controlling the circuits of the adapter 300 can be uploaded from the host computer 120 via the USB hub. The uploaded data (such as images or commands/commands) transmitted from the host computer 120 to the image processor 330 is the download data (such as compressed images) transmitted from the image processor 330 to the host computer 120 via the USB hub.

In addition to the static image capture and compression mentioned above, the image processor 330 also has the ability to perform dynamic image capture, and according to a set of H.261, H.262, H.263, MPEG, MPEG-2, motion JPEG, etc. Ability to compress standard specifications for on-the-fly compression. As shown, the compression standard, its associated parameters or additional encoding techniques may be selected or encoded by commands received from the host computer 120 or from the non-volatile buffer 360 via the USB hub. The still image procedure described above is modified by capturing and compressing a sequence of multiple images. If image processor 330 is unable to compress and/or output a compressed motion picture signal at the full frame rate of the input motion picture signal, it is also possible to extract only one from a sequence of N compressed images, where N is greater than 1 an integer of . The output dynamic picture signal can be output to the same device as the still image, i.e. to the image decoder 370 (after decompression), the frame buffer 350, the non-volatile buffer 360, the RF module 355, and the USB hub 340. If the compressed dynamic image signal is output to the host computer 120 via the USB hub 340, the host computer 120 can send commands/commands to compress the dynamic image signal, and process it in the host computer 120, which is basically very similar to the still image processing mode.

For dynamic picture compression, such as according to MPEG, MPEG-2, H.263, etc., the storage demand increases dramatically, especially for the entire image chip or a sequence of multiple dynamic images. Compressed dynamic images can be output from the image processor 330 to a high bandwidth and mass storage device 60 via an interface, such as a SCSI port 380 . Examples of the high-bandwidth and large-capacity storage device 60 may be a hard disk (harddisk), a read-writable compact disk (CD-R), and a writable digital video disk. As is well known, the SCSI port 380 provides bidirectional information transfer, so compressed moving (or still) images and/or instructions/commands can also be retrieved from the mass storage device 60 to the image processor 330 via the SCSI port 380 .

The image decoder 370 receives the moving image output from the multiplexer 310 or the decompressed image output from the image processor 330 . The image decoder 370 includes a digital-to-analog converter for converting the digital image signal into an analog form. The analog image signal is converted into appropriate signals M, Q, I and appropriate control signals (such as horizontal and vertical mark pulse signals) are inserted into signal M. The signals M, Q, and I are then combined to generate a composite image signal, which can be in the form of NTSC, PAL and other standards.

The adapter 300 can also have an audio input port 303 for receiving a digital audio signal input from the camcorder 10 . The second audio input 304 can be used to receive an analog audio signal generated from a second audio device, such as the microphone 40 . The analog audio signals input from the audio input terminals 303 and 304 are input to an analog multiplexer 315 . According to a selection signal, which may be generated or supplied by the external sound processor 335 , the multiplexer 315 selects one of the analog sound signals for output to the ADC 320 . The analog-to-digital converter 320 selects audio signal samples and outputs a digital audio signal on the audio bus or A-BUS.

The sound processor 335 receives the digital sound signal from the A-BUS. The sound processor 335 can process the sound signal in various ways, including filtering the digital sound signal, compressing the digital sound signal, and the like. The sound processor 335 also has a USB hub 345, which is connected to the USB hub 340. This enables the sound processor 335 to communicate with the host computer 120 and the graphics processor 330 in a two-way manner. Therefore, the audio signal can be downloaded to or uploaded from the image processor 330 and/or the host computer 120, and dispersed with the downloaded audio signal. Similarly, the sound processor 335 can receive instructions or commands from the image processor 330 and (or) the host computer 120, and can also transmit instructions or commands to the image processor 330 and (or) the host computer 120, and the transmitted sound is dispersed together. . Such a connection allows the sound processor 335 to access modules connected to the image processor 330 . In addition, the sound processor 335 is connected to the image processor 330 through the second port, so that two-way communication can be directly performed with each other. Such as the image processor 330 and the sound processor 335 are also connected to the non-volatile buffer 360, which can read information from the non-volatile buffer 360, such as sound clippings and commands, or write information into the non-volatile buffer. In the loss buffer 360. In addition, as shown in the figure, the sound processor 335 is also connected to the radio frequency module 355, and can output a sound signal on a carrier wave to be transmitted to a receiver. The sound processor 335 can operate simultaneously with the image processor 330 or independently. Thus, for example, both compressed audio and video can be simultaneously modulated on a carrier and transmitted from the RF module 355 to a remote station.

The sound processor 335 may decompress the sound signal and output it via the A-BUS. The output sound signal provided by the sound processor 335 or by the analog-to-digital converter 320 is received at the digital-to-analog converter 325 . The digital-to-analog converter 325 converts the received digital audio signal into an analog audio signal. The returned analog audio signal can then be output to a speaker 50 .

As shown, the adapter 300 has a power supply in the form of a battery pack (such as NiCd, NiMH, Li-ion, etc.). The power supply 375 is connected to a power management circuit 365 . The power management circuit 365 is used to manage power consumption for saving power. The power management circuit 365 outputs the voltage sources required by each circuit, such as the image decoder 305, the multiplexer 310, the analog multiplexer 315, the analog-to-digital converter 320, the digital-to-analog converter 325, the image processor 330, the sound Processor 335, frame buffer 350, radio frequency module 355, non-volatile buffer 360, image encoder 370, SCSI port, etc. As shown in the figure, the power management circuit 365 only provides power to circuits that need power, and does not provide power to circuits that do not need power. The power management circuit 365 receives a control signal from the image processor 330 or the sound processor 335, which is used to indicate which circuit is activated and needs power, and which circuit does not function in the activated state, and the power can be turned off.

As mentioned above, the image processor 330 and the sound processor 335 can communicate with each other through external devices, such as the host computer 120 or the non-volatile buffer 360 (as shown, which can be controlled by a removable medium such as a flash memory card). formed). There are several reasons for doing this, such as storing static pictures, dynamic picture clips, sound clips, instructions or commands, etc.; it can also be used to restore previously stored pictures, dynamic picture clips, sound clips, instructions or commands, etc. In the case of connection to a host computer, instructions or commands can be uploaded to the image processor 330 and/or the sound processor 335 to perform a particular compression, to select a compression static mode of operation or a dynamic mode of operation, for To change various parameters, etc. In the standard case, without the host computer 120 present, the adapter 300 can receive instructions or commands from a suitable non-volatile buffer device 360 , such as a flash memory card inserted in the adapter 300 . This allows the basic adapter 300 product to have some basic functionality, but allows its capabilities to be augmented or expanded by appropriate flash memory cards or by software executing on the host computer 120 . Therefore, as only the base adapter 300 provides only still image processing capability. However, additional flash memory cards or software can be used to provide adapter 300 with dynamic image processing capabilities. In addition, the adapter 300 can provide still image and dynamic image processing capabilities, such as using JPEG and H.263, and additional flash memory cards or software can be used to provide MPEG-2 compression capabilities. Instructions from uploading to the image processor 330 or the sound processor 335 may be stored in registers in the image processor 330 or the sound processor 335, respectively.

In addition to providing still/moving image selection mode commands and compressed mode commands, the host computer 120 or the non-volatile buffer 360 may provide commands or commands for generating one or more photographic effects. For example, the image extracted from the image processor 330 may be filtered before being compressed. Filtering can be done before compression, which can produce a picture with a higher value. In addition to providing instructions and commands for operating graphics processor 330 and sound processor 335, host computer 120 and/or non-volatile buffer 360 may provide instructions for operating any of the circuits, such as 305, 310, 315 , 320, 325, 340, 345, 350, 355, 360, 365, 370 and 380. For example, the host computer 120 and/or the non-volatile buffer 360 can provide instructions for selecting a specific frame as the fetching frame, for selecting a specific audio input terminal 303 or 304 , and so on.

Referring now to Figure 2, it shows the host computer in more detail. This computer architecture is described in detail in US Patent Application Serial No. 08/708,388. Only a brief description is given here.

As shown in the figure, the host computer system 120 includes a CPU bus 122 , a system bus 124 (such as a PCI bus) and an I/O expansion bus 126 (such as an ISA bus). Connected to the CPU bus 122 is at least a processor 128 and a north bridge or memory controller 130 . The north bridge 130 connects a cache memory 132 and a main memory 134 to the processor 128 on the CPU bus 122 . North bridge 130 also enables data to be transferred between devices on system bus 124 , memory banks 132 , 134 or processor 128 . Connected to system bus 124 is graphics adapter 136 . A display 138 is also connected to the graphics adapter 136 . As shown, an Ethernet adapter 160 is also connected to the system bus 124 .

Connected to the I/O expansion bus 126 are a disk storage 140 and interfaces such as an IDE interface, a modem 158 and an input device 142 such as a keyboard 144 and a mouse 146 . In addition, the keyboard 144 and the mouse 146 can also be connected to a USB hub 150. Also connected to the system bus 124 and the I/O expansion bus 126 is a south bridge interface 148 or I/O interface. The south bridge interface 148 can transfer data between devices on the I/O expansion bus 126, such as the modem 158, and devices on the USB 200 or devices on the system bus 124. From the figure, according to the present invention, the south bridge 148 also includes a USB hub 150. The USB hub 150 includes one or more serial ports 152 that allow connection to a standard USB connector 154 so that it can be fully connected externally to a computer case 156. As shown in the figure, USB hubs 150, 340, and 345 form a USB bus 200 with cables 119.

USB hub 150, 340, and 345 have transmission and reception circuits, so that data on USB 200 can be transmitted bidirectionally. Other peripheral devices can also be connected to the USB 200. The bandwidth of the USB 200 is shared in the form of a time division multiplexing.

The portrait or compressed dynamic portrait image signal downloaded from the adapter 300 is transmitted from the USB hub 340 to the USB hub 150. From then on, the portrait or compressed dynamic portrait image signal is transmitted to the graphics adapter 136 via the south bridge 148 and the system bus 124 . As shown, graphics adapter 136 includes a graphics processor capable of decompressing a portrait or compressed motion portrait image signal and presenting it on display 138 . In addition, if the graphics adapter 136 does not include decompression functions, the portrait or compressed dynamic portrait image signal can be transmitted from the south bridge 148 to one of the memories 132 and 134 via the system bus 124 and the north bridge 130 . Processor 128 accesses the compressed still picture or motion picture image signal and decompresses it. The decompressed still or moving image data is sent to graphics adapter 136 where it can be displayed on display 138 .

Processor 128 or the graphics processor of graphics adapter 136 may perform various procedures on the decompressed still or motion images, such as filtering, clipping, magnification, and image warping. Here, the illustrated processor 128 can execute appropriate image processing software, such as Photoshop ^™ image processing software issued by Adobe ^™ Corporation.

After processing the downloaded picture or dynamic picture, the processor 128 (or the graphics processor of the graphics adapter 136) compresses the picture or dynamic picture. After compression, the processed picture or dynamic picture is uploaded to the USB hub 340 of the image processor 300 through the USB 200 (reversely with the way of downloading and transmitting). In addition, pre-stored or artificially generated pictures or dynamic pictures contained in the host computer 120, such as in the hard disk 140, can be uploaded to the adapter 300 in the same manner.

Compressed sound clips can also complete the same download and upload actions. During a download transfer, the compressed sound clip is transferred from USB hub 345 to USB hub 340, USB hub 150, south bridge interface 148, system bus 124 and graphics adapter 136. Graphics adapter 136 is shown with a sound decompressor for decompressing sound and reproducing the sound on a speaker (such as the speaker of display 138). Additionally, the sound is first transferred to one of memory 132 or 134 and decompressed by processor 128 . The decompressed sound is then sent to the graphics adapter 136 . The decompressed sound signal can be processed such as filtering, clipping and so on. During an upload operation, the graphics processor or processor 128 of the graphics adapter 136 first compresses the audio. After that, the sound is uploaded to the sound processor 335 via the south bridge interface 148, the USB hub 150, the USB hub 340 and the USB hub 345. Prestored or artificially generated sounds can also be uploaded to the adapter 300 in this manner.

The processor 128 can download instructions/commands from the adapter 300 or upload to the adapter 300 using the same data path as the picture and sound. The uploading/downloading command/instruction is distributed between the uploading/downloading picture and the sound signal in the way of time division multiplexing. This offers many options. As mentioned above, the image processor 330 and the sound processor 335 are programmable processors, which include memory for storing parameters and instructions. Therefore, the uploading of instructions/commands can be used to upgrade the software of the adapter 300 . In addition, the processor 128 can check the parameters and data stored in the various memories, registers of the sound processor and the image processor. This allows the processor 128 to "auto-sense" or automatically determine which compression technique to use, and optionally the parameters used to generate the compressed image. For example, the same hardware can be used to capture dynamic or still images, and to compress images according to instructions/commands uploaded from the host computer 120 .

In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed above with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Changes and modifications, so the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope defined in the claims.

Claims (33)

1. A digital dynamic and static image capture adapter for a dynamic image camera, comprising: an input terminal for receiving a composite image signal from a video camera; an image processor connected to the input terminal to extract a selected image from the composite image signal and compress the selected image; and A two-way serial interface is connected to the image processor for sequentially receiving data from an external device, and outputting compressed captured images generated by the image processor to the external device. 2. The digital dynamic and static image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an image decoder connected between the input terminal and the image processor for receiving a composite The image signal captures each dynamic picture included in the composite image signal, digitizes the dynamic picture and sequentially outputs each of the digital pictures to the image processor. 3. The digital dynamic and static image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: a second input terminal for receiving a digital image signal; and a multiplexer having a first multiplexer input, a second multiplexer input and an output, wherein the first multiplexer input is used to receive the digital image signal, The input end of the second multiplexer receives the restored image signal, and the output end is coupled to the image processor, so that the multiplexer outputs both the digital image signal and the restored image signal according to a selection signal. one of them to the image processor. 4. The digital dynamic and static image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile buffer connected to the image processor for storing data from the image processor One or more of these frames are captured. 5. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a buffer connected to the image processor for storing the image before being compressed by the image processor Capture screen. 6. The digital dynamic and still image capturing adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a host computer, and the host computer transmits data to the image processor. 7. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an image encoder connected between the image processor and an output end of the adapter, It is used to receive a picture and generate a composite signal containing the picture for display on a fluorescent screen, wherein the image processor also includes a decompression image processor for selectively decompressing the compressed picture and compressing the picture Each decompressed picture is output to the image encoder. 8. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a power supply connected to a power management circuit for at least supplying power to the image processor and The bidirectional serial interface. 9. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a power management circuit, at least connected to the image processor and the bidirectional serial interface, for converting all Connected devices are powered off when not in use to save power. 10. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sound processor for compressing an input sound signal to generate a compressed sound signal, the sound processing The converter is also connected to the two-way serial interface and outputs the compressed sound signal. 11. The digital dynamic and still image capturing adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 10, further comprising: a first sound input terminal, used for receiving the first analog sound signal; a second sound input terminal for receiving a second analog signal; and An analog multiplexer having a first multiplexer input for receiving the first analog sound signal, a second multiplexer input for receiving the second analog sound signal, and a The output end is connected to the sound processor, and the multiplexer selects the first analog sound signal or the second analog sound signal according to a selection control signal. 12. The digital dynamic and still image capturing adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a digital-to-analog converter connected between a speaker and the sound processor for the sound A digital sound signal output by the processor is converted into an analog sound signal, which is output by the speaker. 13. The digital motion and still image capturing adapter of a motion image camera as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a non-volatile buffer connected to the sound processor for storing the compressed sound signal. 14. The digital dynamic and still image capturing adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 10, wherein the two-way serial interface receives a command for changing the compression of the sound processor, and wherein the sound processing The converter changes the compression of the input sound signal according to the command designation. 15. The digital dynamic and still image capturing adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a digital-to-analog converter connected to the sound processor for receiving a digital sound signal and converting the converting the digital sound signal into an analog sound signal; Wherein the sound processor further includes a sound decompressor, used for selectively decompressing the compressed sound signal, and outputting the decompressed sound signal to the digital-to-analog converter. 16. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a radio frequency module connected to the sound processor for selectively receiving a compressed sound signal, and in a The compressed audio signal is modulated on a carrier signal, and the modulated carrier signal is transmitted to a receiver. 17. The digital dynamic and still image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a non-volatile buffer connected to the sound processor for storing a command to enable the The sound processor is uploaded to control an operation of the adapter. 18. The digital dynamic and static image capture adapter of a dynamic image camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency module connected to the image processor for capturing a video captured by the image processor The selected image is modulated on a carrier signal, and the modulated carrier signal is transmitted to a receiver. 19. An adapter for converting an analog dynamic picture signal into a digital form, comprising: an input terminal for receiving an analog image signal; an image decoder, connected to the input terminal, for converting the analog image signal into a digital image signal; An image processor, connected to the image decoder, is used to compress the digital image signal in real time to generate a compressed dynamic picture image signal; and A two-way serial interface is connected to the image processor for sequentially receiving data from an external device and outputting the compressed dynamic image signal to the external device. 20. The adapter for converting an analog dynamic picture image signal into a digital form as claimed in claim 19, wherein the image decoder receives a composite analog image signal from the input terminal, and extracts the composite analog image signal contained in the composite analog image signal. Each dynamic picture is digitized and each captured dynamic picture is output to the image processor as the digital image signal. 21. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital form as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: a second input terminal for receiving a digital image signal; and A multiplexer, which has a first multiplexer input, a second multiplexer input and an output, wherein the first multiplexer input is used to receive digital image signals, the The input end of the second multiplexer receives the restored image signal, and the output end is coupled to the image processor, so that the multiplexer outputs both the digital image signal and the restored image signal according to a selection signal one of the image processors. 22. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital form as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: An image encoder, connected between the image processor and the output end of the adapter, for receiving a digital image signal and generating a composite signal including the digital image signal for display on a fluorescent screen ; Wherein the image processor further includes a decompressor, which is used for selectively decompressing the compressed digital image signal and outputting the decompressed digital image signal to the image encoder. 23. The adapter for converting an analog dynamic picture image signal into a digital form as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a radio frequency module connected to the image processor for receiving a compressed digital image signal, in a carrier signal up-modulate the compressed digital image signal, and transmit the modulated carrier signal to a receiver. 24. The adapter for converting an analog dynamic picture signal into a digital form as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a second interface connected to the image processor for transferring a compressed dynamic picture signal to the Image processor and a high bandwidth mass storage device. 25. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital forms as claimed in claim 19, wherein the bidirectional serial interface is also used to receive a second compressed dynamic picture image signal output from the external device, and Wherein the image processor includes a decompressor for decompressing the second compressed dynamic image signal. 26. The adapter for converting an analog dynamic picture image signal into a digital form as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a sound processor for compressing an input sound signal to generate a compressed sound signal, and the sound processor also Connect to the bidirectional serial interface to output the compressed sound signal. 27. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital form as claimed in claim 26, further comprising: a first sound input terminal for receiving a first analog sound signal; a second sound input terminal for receiving a second analog sound signal; and an analog multiplexer having a first multiplexer input for receiving the first analog audio signal, a second multiplexer input for receiving the second analog audio signal, and An output terminal is connected to the sound processor; the analog multiplexer selects the first analog sound signal or the second analog sound signal according to a selection control signal. 28. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital forms as claimed in claim 27, further comprising a digital-to-analog converter connected between a speaker and the sound processor for processing the sound A digital sound signal output by the device is converted into an analog sound signal, which is output by the speaker. 29. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture signal into digital form as claimed in claim 28, further comprising a non-volatile buffer connected to the sound processor for storing the compressed sound signal. 30. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital forms as claimed in claim 26, wherein the bidirectional serial interface receives a command to change a compression of the sound processor, and wherein the sound processor The compression of the input sound signal is changed according to the command designation. 31. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital forms as claimed in claim 26, further comprising a digital-to-analog converter connected to the sound processor for receiving a digital sound signal, and converting the converting the digital sound signal into an analog sound signal; Wherein the sound processor also includes a sound decompressor, which is used to selectively decompress the compressed sound signal, and output the decompressed sound signal to the digital-to-analog converter. 32. The adapter for converting analog dynamic picture image signals into digital forms as claimed in claim 26, further comprising a radio frequency module connected to the sound processor for selectively receiving a compressed sound signal, in a The compressed audio signal is modulated on a carrier signal, and the modulated carrier signal is transmitted to a receiver. 33. The adapter for converting an analog dynamic picture image signal into a digital form as claimed in claim 26, further comprising a non-volatile buffer connected to the sound processor for storing a command to enable the sound The processor is uploaded to control an operation of the adapter.

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