Abstract:
A digital camera comprising; a user controlled camera system; an orientation sensor for sensing whether the camera is in one of a horizontal or vertical positions; a user actuated switch located on the side of the camera when the camera is in the horizontal position; and means for selectively enabling/disabling said user controlled camera system as a function of the orientation of said orientation sensor.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates in general to digital cameras and more particularly to a digital camera having a vertical shutter release switch which is enables/disabled as a function of camera orientation.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A camera has external means by which the user can actuate the shutter mechanism to cause an image capture to occur. This mechanism is typically termed the “release” button. The release button typically is a 2-position switch which provide the functions of “half press” and “full press”. Actuating half press wakes up the camera electronics for exposure setting and autofocus. The full press action then actuates the capture sequence. The camera will not see a full press without seeing a half press first.  
           [0003]    Some cameras provide multiple release buttons, one on the top and one on the side. The top or horizontal button is used when taking pictures in a landscape mode. The side or vertical release can be used when holding the camera in a portrait orientation. The position of the vertical release button can cause it to be actuated inadvertently unless a lockout method is used to inhibit the ability to press the button. Lockout mechanisms to date have been done by a mechanical means preventing the switch from actuating. This mechanism adds additional components and cost to a design and provides only 2 modes of operation, LOCK or UNLOCK.  
           [0004]    Digital cameras can also include an orientation sensor that indicates orientation of the camera when an image is captured. (See: U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,149, issued Nov. 14, 2000, inventor Kagle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,909, issued May 4, 1999, inventors Parulski et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,584 B1, issued Apr. 24, 2001, inventor Pan). None of these patents disclose a solution to the problem of disabling/enabling a vertical shutter release switch when a camera is orientation is changed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    According to the present invention, there is provided a solution to the problems discussed above.  
           [0006]    According to a feature of the present invention, there is provided a digital camera comprising;  
           [0007]    a user controlled camera system;  
           [0008]    an orientation sensor for sensing whether said camera is in one of a horizontal or vertical positions;  
           [0009]    a user actuated switch located on the side of said camera when said camera is in said horizontal position; and  
           [0010]    means for selectively enabling/disabling said user controlled camera system as a function of the orientation of said orientation sensor.  
         ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The invention has the following advantages.  
           [0012]    1. A low cost, simple technique for disabling and enabling the function of a vertical release switch. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a digital camera incorporating the invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional components of the camera of FIG. 1.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a logic flow diagram useful in explaining the embodiment of FIG. 3.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    A block diagram of an electronic camera  10  incorporating the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The camera is ordinarily a hand-held unit including a lens  12  for focusing an image of a subject  14  on an image sensor  16 . On-off switch  36 ′ is also provided. The sensor  16  is clocked by a driver circuit  18  to produce an analog image signal corresponding to a still image of the subject, and the image signal is converted to a digital image signal by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter  20 . The exposure time is controlled by a conventional diaphragm  23 , which regulates the aperture of the lens  12 , and by conventional electronic shuttering of the image sensor  16  by use of the driver circuit  18 . (Alternatively, a mechanical shutter (not shown) can be used.) The digital image signal is processed by an image processor  22  and stored in a digital memory, such as a removable solid-state memory card  24 , which has memory for storing a plurality of processed digital images. The image can be displayed on display  28  on the back panel of camera  10 . Camera  10  includes a horizontal shutter button  30  on the top  32  of the camera  10  and a vertical shutter button  44  on the side  34  of camera  10 . A problem arises when camera  10  is in the horizontal position that vertical shutter button  44  can be accidentally actuated by the camera user&#39;s hand. This can result in an unwanted exposure.  
         [0018]    As an aspect of the invention, the camera includes an orientation determination section  36 , which determines whether the camera is in the horizontal “landscape” orientation, or the first (clockwise) or second (counterclockwise) vertical “portrait” orientations. The orientation determination section  36  includes one or more orientation or tilt sensors  40  and a logic section  42  that produces an orientation signal indicating the orientation of the camera relative to the subject. Orientation or tilt sensor  40  may be a photointeruptor sensor which can detect tilt in either direction, a mercury switch, gyroscope device, or the like. The orientation signal is applied to a camera control interface  38 . The orientation signal indicates at least the vertical orientation of the camera (the absence thereof, in that case, indicating a horizontal orientation), or, alternatively, the orientation signal may provide positive indication of either the vertical or the horizontal orientation of the camera. When signaled by a shutter button  30  or  44 , the camera control interface  38  instructs driver circuit  18  to capture an image on the sensor  16 . At the same time, the interface  38  applies the orientation signal from the orientation determination section  36  to the image processor  22 . If processor  22  determines that vertical shutter button  44  has been actuated while camera  10  is in a horizontal position, image acquisition by sensor  16  will be prevented in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0019]    According to the invention, a means by which a sensor internal to the camera is used to enable and disable the function of the vertical release switch. In the digital camera application, a tilt sensor is used to detect the landscape to portrait rotation of the camera, left and right rotation of the camera along the optical axis. If the camera is rotated when the switch is enabled.  
         [0020]    Once the sensor and support electronics is in place to control the “lock” of the release switch the design can be enhanced at essentially no cost to the product. Through soft logic, i.e., signals controlled by the programming of the microprocessor, the “lockout” feature can be extended to other user controllable functions. This creates a means by which the user can enable or disable the sensor, by allowing the user to completely lockout the release switch.  
         [0021]    Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, sensor  40  produces a tilt left output signal when camera  10  is tilted left and a tilt right output signal when camera  10  is tilted right. Both signals=1 and are applied to logic element  70  which produces a tilt output  1  which is applied to logic element  72 . When an Enabled Tilt Control signal=1 from processor  22  is also applied to logic element  72 , element  72  produces a Tilt Control Switch Enable signal which is applied to logic element  74 . A System Switch Enable signal produced by processor  22  can also be applied to logic element  74 . The Switch Enable output of logic element  74  equals 1 when switch detect is allowed. When switch  44  is activated, logic element  76  produces a Switch On=1 signal. The signals from elements  74  and  76  are applied to logic element  78  which produces a Switch Out=1 signal when an enabled switch is pressed. The Switch Out signal is sent to processor  22 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 depicts a logic flow diagram of the technique according to the invention. As shown, at diamond  80  it is determined whether the switch  44  press (activation) has been detected. If NO, the flow recycles back to the input of diamond  80 . If YES, it is determined at diamond  82  whether the tilt sensor  40  has been enabled. If NO, it is determined at diamond  84  if the system override is on. If YES, it is determined at diamond  86  whether Tilt Left of Tilt Right have been detected. If NO, the flow recycles to the input of diamond  80 . If the decision is NO at diamond  84 , the flow also recycles to the input of diamond  80 . If the decision at either of diamonds  84  or  86  is YES, a valued switch detected output  88  is produced.  
         [0023]    It will be understood that other user controlled camera functions and systems can be disabled/enabled by a camera orientation sensor.  
         [0024]    The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.  
       Parts List  
       [0025]    [0025] 10  camera  
         [0026]    [0026] 12  lens  
         [0027]    [0027] 14  image of subject  
         [0028]    [0028] 16  sensor  
         [0029]    [0029] 18  driver circuit  
         [0030]    [0030] 20  A/D converter  
         [0031]    [0031] 22  image processor  
         [0032]    [0032] 23  analog-to-digital  
         [0033]    [0033] 24  solid state memory card  
         [0034]    [0034] 28  display  
         [0035]    [0035] 30  horizontal shutter button  
         [0036]    [0036] 32  top of camera  
         [0037]    [0037] 34  side of camera  
         [0038]    [0038] 36  orientation determination section  
         [0039]    [0039] 38  camera control  
         [0040]    [0040] 40  tilt sensor  
         [0041]    [0041] 42  logic section  
         [0042]    [0042] 44  vertical shutter button  
         [0043]    [0043] 72  logic element  
         [0044]    [0044] 74  logic element  
         [0045]    [0045] 76  logic element  
         [0046]    [0046] 78  logic element  
         [0047]    [0047] 80  switch press detected  
         [0048]    [0048] 82  tilt sensor enabled  
         [0049]    [0049] 84  system override on  
         [0050]    [0050] 86  tilt left/right detected  
         [0051]    [0051] 88  valid switch detected