Digital camera with optical viewfinder and method of using same to visualize optical and digital zoom effects

Abstract

A digital camera having a viewfinder includes a zoom control and switch arrangement that enables a user to zoom in and zoom out of an object image while visualizing in the viewfinder the optical and digital zooming effects selected by the user via the switch arrangement.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A digital camera having a viewfinder for viewing an object image, comprising: 
 a zoom control switch arrangement for enabling a user to zoom in and zoom out of an optical visualization of the object image;    a zoom control responsive to said zoom control switch arrangement for effecting zooming of the object image in the viewfinder;    said zooming the object image in the viewfinder being an effective zoom indicative of the effects of optical zoom and digital zoom.    
     
     
         2 . A digital camera according to  claim 1 , wherein said zoom control switch arrangement includes: 
 a zoom in switch for generating a zoom in control signal; and    a zoom out switch for generating a zoom out control signal.    
     
     
         3 . A digital camera according to  claim 2 , wherein said zoom control includes: 
 a primary lens arrangement mounted in a primary light path for facilitating the capture of the object image with optical zoom effects;    a secondary lens arrangement mounted in a common light path with the viewfinder for facilitating the visualization of the object image with optical zoom and digital zoom effects;    a motor arrangement for moving the secondary lens arrangement along at least a portion of said common light path to help effect the visualization of the optical zoom effects;    said motor arrangement motor for moving the secondary lens arrangement along at least another portion of said common light path to help effect the visualization of the optical zoom and digital zoom effects;    said motor arrangement further for moving the primary lens arrangement along at least a portion of said primary light path for helping to effect the capture of the object image with optical zoom effects; and    a microprocessor coupled to said motor arrangement and response to said zoom in control signal and said zoom out control signal for controlling the movement of said secondary lens arrangement to effect the visualization of the optical zoom and digital zoom effects in the viewfinder.    
     
     
         4 . A digital camera according to  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 a control program for causing said microprocessor to operate in a predetermined manner in response to said zoom in control signal and said zoom out control signal;    said control program for helping to cause said primary lens arrangement to move along said at least a portion of said primary light path to help effect the capture of the object image with optical zoom effects and for helping to cause said secondary lens arrangement to move along said at least a portion of said common light path to help effect visualization of the object image with optical zoom effects in the viewfinder; and    said control program for further helping to cause said secondary lens arrangement to move along said at least another portion of said common light path to help effect visualization of the object image with optical zoom effects and digital zoom effects in the viewfinder.    
     
     
         5 . A digital camera according to  claim 4 , wherein said control program helps facilitate a combined optical zoom effect and digital zoom effect in a predetermined zoom in order of continuous finite steps from a 1× optical zoom factor by a 1× digital zoom factor to provide an effective 1× zoom factor, to a 2× optical zoom factor by a 2× digital zoom factor to provide an effective 4× zoom factor.  
     
     
         6 . A digital camera having a viewfinder including a viewfinder lens, comprising: 
 zoom switch means for generating zoom in and zoom out control signals; and    zoom control means responsive to said zoom in and zoom out control signals for generating motion control signals to move the viewfinder lens along a visualization path in a series of finite steps between a minimum effective optical digital zoom factor of Z 1 D 1  and a maximum effective optical digital zoom factor of Z n D n .    
     
     
         7 . A digital camera having a viewfinder and a display for viewing an object image, comprising: 
 a selection switch arrangement for enabling a user to select either a viewfinder mode of zoom operation or a display mode of zoom operation; and    a zoom control responsive to said selection switch when actuated in said viewfinder mode for causing optical and digital zoom operations with effects viewable in the viewfinder only; and    said zoom control responsive to said selection switch when actuated in said display mode for causing optical and digital zoom operations with effects viewable via the viewfinder and the display.    
     
     
         8 . A digital camera according to  claim 7 , wherein said selection switch arrangement includes: 
 a single actuation switch and a pair of digital switches;    said single actuation switch for setting said pair of digital switches to said viewfinder mode and said display mode respectively; and    said single actuation switch for providing said zoom control with a signal indicative of a user request to zoom in and zoom out of the object image to be previewed prior to being captured by the camera.    
     
     
         9 . A digital camera system, comprising: 
 a digital camera having a viewfinder and display for viewing an object image;    said digital camera further including: 
 a selection switch arrangement for enabling a user to select either a viewfinder mode of zoom operation or a display mode of zoom operation;  
 a zoom control responsive to said selection switch when actuated in said viewfinder mode for causing optical and digital zoom operations with effects viewable in the viewfinder only; and  
 said zoom control responsive to said selection switch when actuated in said display mode for causing optical and digital zoom operations with effects viewable via the viewfinder and the display; and  
 removable storage media means for temporarily storing a captured object image; and  
 a printing processing system having a reading device for accepting said removable storage media means and for printing a hardcopy of said captured object image.  
   
     
     
         10 . A digital camera comprising: 
 a primary lens system disposed in a primary light path, said primary lens being moveable between about a 1× optical magnification factor and about a 2× optical magnification factor;    a secondary lens system disposed in a secondary light path, said secondary lens being moveable in tandem with said primary lens between about another 1× optical magnification factor and another 2× optical magnification factor;    a viewfinder disposed in said secondary light path for observing the magnification of an object to be reproduced digitally, the object being subject to magnification over a combined optical digital magnification factor range from about a 1× magnification factor to about a 4× magnification factor;    a stepper motor coupled to said primary lens system and to said secondary lens system for moving said secondary lens system in tandem with said primary lens system between about said another 1× optical magnification factor and about said another 2× optical magnification factor;    a microprocessor coupled to said stepper motor for causing said stepper motor to move said primary lens system along said primary light path in tandem with said secondary lens as it moves along said secondary path to facilitate visualization of the object as it is magnified optically by aid primary lens; and    a control program acting on said microprocessor to cause said secondary lens system to move along another portion of said secondary light path to facilitate visualization of the optical magnification of the object, said secondary lens being movable along said another portion of said secondary light path between about said 2× optical magnification factor and about a 4× optical magnification factor.    
     
     
         11 . A digital camera according to  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 a charged coupled device responsive to said microprocessor for causing the generation of an electrical signal indicative of the object magnified between about 1× digital magnification factor and said about 2× digital magnification factor to facilitate digital magnification of the object.    
     
     
         12 . A digital camera method of visualizing an object to be digitally captured, comprising: 
 moving a primary lens along at least a portion of a primary light path to facilitate optical magnification of the object to be captured between about a 1× optical magnification factor and a 2× optical magnification factor;    manipulating an electrical signal to facilitate digital magnification of the object to be captured between a 1× digital magnification factor and a 2× digital magnification factor; and    moving a secondary lens along at least a portion of a secondary light path to facilitate visualization of the object image with a combined optical zoom and digital zoom effects of between about a 1×-magnification factor and about a 4×-magnification factor.    
     
     
         13 . A digital camera method of visualizing an object according to  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 observing in a viewfinder disposed in said secondary light path said combined optical zoom and digital zoom effects.    
     
     
         14 . A digital camera system, comprising: 
 a digital camera having a viewfinder and display for viewing an object image;    said digital camera further including: 
 a zoom control switch arrangement for enabling a user to zoom in and zoom out of an optical visualization of the object image; and  
 a zoom control responsive to said zoom control switch arrangement for optically and digitally zooming the object image in the viewfinder.  
   
     
     
         15 . A digital camera system according to  claim 14 , wherein said zoom control switch arrangement includes: 
 a zoom in switch for generating a zoom in control signal; and    a zoom out switch for generating a zoom out control signal.    
     
     
         16 . A digital camera system according to  claim 15 , wherein said zoom control includes: 
 a primary lens arrangement mounted in a primary light path for facilitating the capture of the object image with optical zoom and digital zoom effects;    a secondary lens arrangement mounted in a common light path with the viewfinder for facilitating the visualization of the object image with optical zoom and digital zoom effects;    a motor arrangement for moving the secondary lens arrangement along at least a portion of said common light path to help effect the visualization of the optical zoom effects;    said motor arrangement motor for moving the secondary lens arrangement along at least another portion of said common light path to help effect the visualization of the optical zoom and digital zoom effects;    said motor arrangement further for moving the primary lens arrangement along at least a portion of said primary light path for helping to effect the capture of the object image with optical zoom effects; and    a microprocessor coupled to said motor arrangement and responsive to said zoom in control signal and said zoom out control signal for controlling the movement of said secondary lens arrangement to effect the visualization of the optical zoom and digital zoom effects in the viewfinder.    
     
     
         17 . A digital camera system according to  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 a control program for causing said microprocessor to operate in a predetermined manner in response to said zoom in control signal and said zoom out control signal;    said control program for helping to cause said primary lens arrangement to move along said at least a portion of said primary light path to help effect the capture of the object image with optical zoom effects and for helping to cause said secondary lens arrangement to move along said at least a portion of said common light path to help effect visualization of the object image with optical zoom effects in the viewfinder; and    said control program for further helping to cause said secondary lens arrangement to move along said at least another portion of said common light path to help effect visualization of the object image with optical zoom effects and digital zoom effects in the viewfinder.    
     
     
         18 . A digital camera system according to  claim 17 , wherein said control program helps facilitate a combined optical zoom effect and digital zoom effect in a predetermined zoom in order of a 1× optical zoom factor by a 1× digital zoom factor to provide an effective 1× zoom factor, to 2× optical zoom factor by a 2× digital zoom factor to provide an effective 4× zoom factor.  
     
     
         19 . A digital camera system according to  claim 18  wherein said zoom switch arrangement further includes: 
 a selection switch for enabling a user to select either a viewfinder mode of zoom operation or a display mode of zoom operation; and  
 wherein said zoom control is further responsive to said selection switch when actuated in said viewfinder mode for causing optical and digital zoom operations with effects viewable in the viewfinder only; and  
 said zoom control responsive to said selection switch when actuated in said display mode for causing optical and digital zoom operations with effects viewable via the viewfinder and the display.  
 
     
     
         20 . A digital cameral comprising: 
 a viewfinder arrangement including a lens for permitting a user to visualize an object image with combined optical digital zoom effects;    zoom switch means for generating zoom in and zoom out control signals; and    zoom control means for generating motion control signals to cause the movement of said viewfinder lens along a visualization path in a series of finite steps between a minimum effective optical digital zoom factor and a maximum effective optical digital zoom factor.