Wildlife-sensing digital camera with instant-on capability and picture management software

A camera for creating a digital picture of a subject so that the digital picture can be displayed on a computer, the camera comprising:

• a weather-resistant case that can be opened for accessing an interior of the weather-resistant case;
• a digital image sensor disposed within the interior of the weather-resistant case for creating a raw image representation of an image of the subject;
• a lens for focusing the image onto a light sensing device;
• an exposure setting associated with the digital image sensor, wherein the exposure setting helps determine the raw image representation;
• a clock system that provides a clock signal;
• a subject detector that provides a trip signal in response to detecting that the subject is present;
• an illuminator for illuminating the subject;
• a controller operatively coupled to the clock system and the subject detector so as to be responsive to the clock signal and the trip signal, the controller is disposed within the interior of the weather-resistant case and is connected to receive the raw image representation from the digital image sensor and create an enhanced image representation of the image based on the raw image representation received from the digital image sensor, the controller is selectively operable in a sleep mode, a test mode, and a picture-taking mode, wherein the controller in the picture-taking mode can cooperate with the digital image sensor to adjust the exposure setting and can trigger the illuminator to illuminate the subject, and the controller in the test mode can cooperate with the digital image sensor to adjust the exposure setting and can trigger the illuminator to illuminate the subject, and the sleep mode forces at least one of the controller and the digital image sensor to function at an appreciably reduced level of power consumption so as to conserve energy as the camera has an electrical power consumption that is at least ten times greater in the picture-taking mode than in the sleep mode;
• a user input operatively coupled to the controller for determining an operating status of the camera;
• a user output operatively coupled to the controller for providing an indication of the operating status of the camera;
• an onboard memory operatively coupled to the controller for storing the enhanced image representation;
• a battery system for powering the digital image sensor, the controller, the onboard memory, and the illuminator;
• and
• a firmware program associated with the controller such that the controller in conjunction with the firmware program creates the enhanced image representation by adjusting a plurality of characteristics of the raw image representation, wherein the plurality of characteristics includes at least one of sharpness, contrast, and brightness, the firmware program also determines when the controller selectively switches to the sleep mode, the test mode, and the picture-taking mode, such that:
• a. the controller periodically switches from the sleep mode to the test mode in response to the clock signal, wherein the controller periodically works in conjunction with the digital image sensor to adjust the exposure setting to a preliminary value;
• b. the controller switches from the sleep mode to the picture-taking mode in response to the trip signal, wherein the controller receives a first raw image representation created by the digital image sensor, wherein the first raw image representation is based on the exposure setting being at the preliminary value, which was set during the test mode that occurred before the picture-taking mode;
• and
• c. the controller switches from the test mode to the sleep mode after the controller and the digital image sensor set the exposure setting at the preliminary value.