The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing moving pictures on/from a disk recording medium such as a hard disk and a method of protecting the disk recording medium.
The recent development of image compression techniques, such as MPEG, has been enabling moving pictures and still pictures to be handled as digital data. A recording medium, e.g. an optical disk, such as DVD and a hard disk, has had a large capacity, and accordingly such a random accessible recording medium has been used for recording moving pictures and still pictures as digital data. A DVD recorder, a hard disk recorder, and a hybrid recorder including both a DVD drive and a hard disk are random accessible and easily used, thus spreading rapidly.
A portable moving picture recording/reproducing apparatus, such as a digital still camera and a digital camcorder, has employed a disk recording medium, a random accessible recording medium. Since the hard disk has an advantage, such as a small size and a large capacity while not being detachable, the hard disk have been used as a recording medium in a portable type moving picture recording/reproducing apparatus which is required to be portable and to record and reproduce large data, such as moving pictures.
The hard disk has a problem, as a recording medium used for a portable type moving picture recording/reproducing apparatus. The hard disk is weak to shock accompanying vibration or drop, and data recorded in it may be destroyed by the shock. The hard disk includes a head which moves while slightly floating from the disk and which accesses data on the disk. When the disk receives a large shock, the head may contact the disk and destroy the recorded data physically. Even if the head does not contact the disk, when the disk receives shock during the recording of data, the head may be displaced from a correct position and incorrectly overwrite another data on the data already recorded, thus destroy the data already recorded.
Conventional recording/reproducing apparatuses including disk recording media and conventional methods of protecting the disk recording media will be described below.
Japanese Patent No. 3223359 discloses an elastic member attached to a hard disk and an acceleration sensor. When the acceleration sensor detects shock, a head is moved from a disk recording medium to an escape zone before the shock reaches the hard disk. The elastic member causes the shock to delay. This protects the disk recording medium from the shock.
Japanese Patent No. 3441668 discloses an acceleration sensor detecting drop of components in three directions. When an acceleration detected continues to be appropriately zero for a predetermined time, the acceleration sensor judges that a recording medium is dropping. While the recording medium is dropping, the head escapes from a disk recording medium to a head escape zone. Thus, the head escapes to such a safe position before receiving shock due to collision, thereby protecting the disk recording medium from the shock.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-143371 discloses four apparatuses.
The first apparatus includes a memory for temporarily storing data. Except the time data are recorded from the memory in a disk recording medium, the head escapes from the disk recording medium to an escape zone. Since this apparatus can record moving picture data on the disk recording medium faster than the actual time of the moving picture data, the time during which the apparatus does not record data can be longer than the time during which the apparatus records data in disk recording medium. When data are not recorded in the disk recording medium, the head escapes to an escape zone, thereby reducing the ratio of an unsafe time. This operation reduces the possibility that data in the disk recording medium is destroyed.
The second apparatus includes a switch with which a user instructs data to be recorded. When the user releases himself/herself from the switch, the apparatus allows a head to escape from a disk recording medium to an escape zone. In this apparatus, the head escapes to the escape zone between the detection of the start of dropping and the occurrence of shock due to collision, thereby protecting the disk recording medium from the shock.
The third apparatus includes a device for detecting that a user holds the apparatus by a hand of the user. When it is detected that the user's hand removed from the apparatus, the apparatus allows the head to escape from a disk recording medium to an escape zone. In this apparatus, the head escapes to the escape zone between the detection of the start of dropping and the occurrence of shock due to collision, thereby protecting the disk recording medium from the shock.
The fourth apparatus includes a device for capturing an image of an object and a device for detecting a motion vector of the captured image. The apparatus judges that the apparatus is dropping when the detected motion vector represents a punning operation accompanying drop, and allows a head to escape from a disk recording medium to an escape zone. In this apparatus, the head escapes to such safe position between the detection of the start of the dropping and the occurrence of shock due to collision, thereby protecting the disk recording medium from the shock.
The above-mentioned conventional apparatuses may not be able to protect the disk recording mediums from shock. These conventional apparatuses protect the disk recording medium from shock by allowing the head to escape to such safe positions while the elastic member have the shock delay, or while the apparatus detects that the apparatus is dropping and then shock due to collision occurs, or while the apparatus detects the start of dropping and then shock due to collision occurs. However, portable type moving picture recording/reproducing apparatuses are used in various conditions, hence receiving shocks occurring in various situations. For example, the shock may be very strong, or the time to collision may be very short. In such cases, since the period from the time of the start of the escape of the head to the time when the shock is transmitted to the head or the disk recording medium is short, the head may not be moved to the safe position, and the disk recording medium cannot be protected from the shock.
A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a disk recording medium, a head for accessing the disk recording medium, an escape zone to which the head escapes, a controller operable to control the head, a sensor for detecting vibration or drop of the disk recording medium, and an actuator for moving the head from the disk recording medium to the escape zone based on a detection result of the sensor. The controller is operable to record first data in a first region of the disk recording medium with the head and to record second data in a second region of the disk recording medium with the head. The second region is located farther from the escape zone than the first region. The second data has an attribute different from an attribute of the first data.
This recording/reproducing apparatus can protect the disk recording medium from shock even when the shock occurs in various circumstances.
Operation unit 110 includes, for example, an operation mode switch, a picture recording switch, a four-direction switch, and a determination switch, and activated by a user. The operation mode switch instructs the apparatus to initiate operation modes including a moving picture recording mode, a still picture recording mode, and a reproducing mode. The picture recording switch instructs the apparatus of the start and stop of picture recording. The four-direction switch instructs the apparatus of up, down, left, and right directions. The determination switch instructs the apparatus of a determination result. Operation unit 110 may be implemented by operation icons displayed on a display, such as a touch panel, instead of the above-mentioned switches.
An operation of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 recording a moving picture after the operation mode switch of operation unit 110 is switched to the moving picture recording mode will be described below. Upon detecting that the picture recording switch of operation unit 110 is pressed, controller 109 starts the recording of moving pictures. Light from an object passes through lens 101, forms an image on image-capturing unit 102, such as CCD, and captured as an image of the object. Sound from the object is captured by microphone 103. Signal processor 104 performs camera signal processing of moving pictures to an image captured by image-capturing unit 102 so as to provide moving picture data. The moving picture data is output together with audio data produced from the sound from microphone 103. Compressor/decompressor 105 multiplexes and compresses the moving picture data and the audio data in a moving picture compression format, such as MPEG2, so as to form compressed moving picture data. The compressed moving picture data is temporarily stored in memory 106. When a predetermined amount of the compressed moving picture data are stored in memory 106, recording/reproducing unit 107 reads the compressed moving picture data from memory 106 and records the data on hard disk 108. Upon detecting that the picture recording switch of operation unit 110 is pressed again, controller 109 stops the recording of the moving picture. At this moment, compressed moving picture data remaining in memory 106 are read from memory 106 and recorded in hard disk 108 by recording/reproducing unit 107.
Next, an operation of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 recording a still picture after the operation mode switch of operation unit 110 is switched to the still picture recording mode will be described below. Upon detecting that the picture recording switch of operation unit 110 is pressed, controller 109 executes the recording of still pictures. Light from an object passes through lens 101, forms an image on image-capturing unit 102, and captured as a picture of an object. Signal processor 104 performs camera signal processing as still pictures to the image captured by image-capturing unit 102 so as to output still picture data. Compressor/decompressor 105 compresses the still picture data in a still picture compression format, such as JPEG, and temporarily stores the still picture data in memory 106 as compressed still picture data. Recording/reproducing unit 107 reads the compressed still picture data from memory 106 and records the data in hard disk 108.
Upon controller 109 detecting that the operation mode switch of operation unit 110 is set to the reproducing mode, display unit 113 displays information for allowing the user to select from the compressed moving picture data and the compressed still picture data recorded in hard disk 108.
The four-direction switch and the determination switch of operation unit 110 cause controller 109 to detect that one of the compressed moving picture data is selected. Then, recording/reproducing unit 107 reads a predetermined amount of portion of the compressed moving picture data recorded in hard disk 108 and temporarily stores the portion in memory 106. Compressor/decompressor 105 reads the portion of the compressed moving picture data stored in memory 106, decompresses the portion so as to reproduce an image and sound, and stores the image and sound in memory 106. Display unit 113 reads the image and sound stored in memory 106 and outputs them from the display and the loudspeaker, respectively. When all the compressed moving picture data stored in memory 106 are read out and no compressed moving picture data remains in memory 106, recording/reproducing unit 107 reads a predetermined amount of subsequent portion of the compressed image data recorded in hard disk 108 and temporarily stores them in memory 106. Upon detecting that the determination switch of operation unit 110 is pressed again, controller 109 stops the reproduction of moving pictures.
When the four-direction switch and the determination switch of operation unit 110 causes controller 109 to detect that compressed still picture data is selected, recording/reproducing unit 107 reads a predetermined amount of data including compressed still picture data recorded in hard disk 108 and temporarily stores the data in memory 106. Compressor/decompressor 105 reads compressed still picture data stored in memory 106, decompresses the data so as to form a still picture image, and stores the still picture image in memory 106. Display unit 113 reads the still picture image stored in memory 106 and displays it on the display. Then, upon the four-direction switch of operation unit 110 causes controller 109 to detect that a user instructs the apparatus of frame-by-frame advance, compressor/decompressor 105 reads subsequent compressed still picture data stored in memory 106, decompresses the data so as to form a still picture image, and stores the still picture image in memory 106. Display unit 113 reads the still picture image stored in memory 106 and displays the image on the display. When all the compressed still picture data stored in memory 106 are read out and no still picture data remains in memory 106, recording/reproducing unit 107 reads a predetermined amount of data including subsequent compressed still picture data recorded in hard disk 108 and temporarily stores the data in memory 106.
External I/F 112 may be a network, such as a USB, a wireless LAN, or a mobile telephone network, or a slot for a removable recording medium, such as a memory card. External I/F 112 is used to transfer data between the outside of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 and hard disk 108 via memory 106. External I/F 112 enables data other than images captured by image-capturing unit 102 to be recorded in hard disk 108. For example, recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 can be used as a portable viewer for recording in hard disk 108 television programs recorded with a DVD recorder and for reproducing the programs with display unit 113. Furthermore, the image captured by image-capturing unit 102 and recorded in hard disk 108 can be read to the outside of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001. For example, recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 can be used as a portable type camera, a peripheral device of a server. Recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 allows images recorded in hard disk 108 to be recorded in a DVD recorder as a backup, and the images from the DVD recorder is displayed on television sets.
Sensor 111, such as an acceleration sensor, detects the change in physical states, such as vibration or drop, of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001, and accordingly transmits signals to controller 109. According to the transmitted signals, controller 109 judges whether or not hard disk 108 (recording/reproducing apparatus 1001) is vibrating or dropping which causes shock. Configuration of sensor 111, a method for detecting the vibration or the dropping which causes the shock, a method for judging states, or a method for detecting the shock itself may be conventional methods. Any methods for detecting the transmission of shock before the shock is transmitted to magnetic head 205 or magnetic disk 201 of hard disk 108 may be employed.
Sensor 111 detects a physical movement, such as acceleration, vibration, or velocity, applied to hard disk 108 when recording/reproducing unit 107 accesses data recorded in hard disk 108. When controller 109 judges, based on a detection result of sensor 111, that hard disk 108 is vibrating or dropping which causes shock, recording/reproducing unit 107 stops recording and reproducing of data in/from hard disk 108. Controller 109 instruct magnetic head 205 to escape from a position where head 205 accesses data to escape zone 206 that is apart from the magnetic disk 201. Escape zone 206 is a safe position protecting magnetic disk 201 from the shock.
The distance from escape zone 206 to region 501 having the compressed moving picture data recorded therein is shorter than the distance from escape zone 206 to region 502 having the compressed still picture data recorded therein. Therefore, the time for moving magnetic head 205 to escape zone 206 during the accessing of the compressed moving picture data is shorter than the time for moving magnetic head 205 to escape zone 206 during the accessing of the compressed still picture data.
An operation of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 will be described.
The amount of moving picture data is generally larger than that of still picture data, and the total of periods 312 to 318 is accordingly longer than the total of periods 345 to 348. That is, the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 201 to record moving picture data is longer than the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 201 to record still picture data.
The amount of data of moving picture A1 is larger than that of still pictures, and the total of periods 410 to 416 is longer than the total of periods 440 and 441. That is, the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 201 to record moving picture A1 is longer the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 201 to reproduce still pictures.
An operation of magnetic head 205 of hard disk 108 will be described below. When recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 does not operate, magnetic head 205 is positioned at escape zone 206 that is not affected by vibration. As shown in
Recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 in accordance with Embodiment 1 records and reproduces moving picture A1 and still pictures. Recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 may records and reproduce signals, such as sound, having smaller data amount than that of moving picture A1 instead of still pictures, providing the same effect.
In
A recording/reproducing apparatus in accordance with Exemplary Embodiment 2 of the present invention includes magnetic disk 1201 shown in
When an operation mode switch of operation unit 110 is in a moving picture recording mode, controller 109 detects that a menu switch of operation unit 110 is pressed, and then, a setting menu about the recording of moving pictures is displayed on display unit 113. A user can set a compression ratio or a bit rate of compressed moving picture data for recording moving pictures through operation unit 110 while looking at the setting menu. According to Embodiment 2, one bit rate is selected from two of bit rates, i.e., a higher bit rate and a lower bit rate, through a four-direction switch and a determination switch of operation unit 110. The bit rate may be selected from more than two bit rates.
Upon detecting that the higher bit rate is selected and that a picture recording switch of operation unit 110 is pressed, controller 109 allows the moving picture to be recorded at the higher bit rate. Compressor/decompressor 105 multiplexes and compresses images and sound at the higher bit rate in a moving picture compression format, such as MPEG2, as to provide compressed moving picture data. The compressed moving picture data is temporarily stored in memory 106. The other operations are the same as those of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 in accordance with Embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.
Upon detecting that the lower bit rate is selected and the picture recording switch of operation unit 110 is pressed, controller 109 allows the moving picture to be recorded at the lower bit rate. Compressor/decompressor 105 multiplexes and compresses images and sound at the lower bit rate in a moving picture compression format, such as MPEG2, as to provide compressed moving picture data. The compressed moving picture data is temporarily stored in memory 106. The other operations are the same as those of recording/reproducing apparatus 1001 in accordance with Embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.
With reference to
The distance between escape zone 206 and region 601 of magnetic disk 1201 in which the compressed moving picture data of the higher rate are recorded is shorter than the distance between escape zone 206 and region 602 in which the compressed moving picture data of the lower rate are recorded. Therefore, the time during which magnetic head 205 moves to escape zone 206 to record and reproduce the compressed moving picture data of the higher rate can be shorter than the time during which magnetic head 205 moves to escape zone 206 to record and reproduce the compressed moving picture data of the lower rate.
With reference to
With reference to
In order to record moving picture B1 having the bit rate lower than that of moving picture A1, a user starts the recording of moving picture B1 at time point 301 and stops the recording at time point 302. The user restarts the recording of moving picture B1 at time point 303 and stops the recording at time point 304. When a predetermined amount of compressed moving picture data of a predetermined amount of moving picture B1 are stored in memory 106, the data in memory 106 are recorded in hard disk 108 during periods 322 to 323. At time point 302 when the recording of moving picture B1 is stopped, no data remains in memory 106. When a predetermined amount of compressed moving picture data are stored in memory 106, the data in memory 106 are recorded in hard disk 108 during periods 324 to 325. Data remaining in memory 106 at time point 304 when the recording is stopped are recorded in hard disk 108 during period 326. During periods 322 to 326 when the compressed moving picture data are recorded in hard disk 108, magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 1201.
Since the amount of the data of moving picture A1 having the bit rate higher than a bit rate of moving picture B1 is larger than the amount of the data of moving picture B1, the total of periods 312 to 318 is longer than the total of periods 322 to 326. That is, the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 1201 to record moving picture A1 having the bit rate higher than that of moving picture B1 is longer than the time during which when magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 1201 to record moving picture B1.
With reference to
When moving picture B1 having a bit rate lower than that of moving picture A1 is reproduced, a predetermined amount of compressed moving picture data are read from hard disk 108 during periods 420 to 421 and are stored in memory 106. At time point 402 when the reproduction of moving picture B1 is stopped, no data is read from hard disk 108. The compressed moving picture data are decompressed by compressor/decompressor 105 to provide moving picture data, and the moving picture data are stored in memory 106. The moving picture data of moving picture B1 stored in memory 106 is sequentially displayed on display unit 113 during period 425. After the reproducing of moving picture B1 restarts at time point 403, compressed moving picture data are read from hard disk 108 during periods 422 to 424 and are stored in memory 106. The compressed moving picture data stored in memory 106 are decompressed by compressor/decompressor 105 and stored in memory 106 as moving picture data. The moving picture data stored in memory 106 is sequentially displayed on display unit 113 during period 426. At time point 404 when the reproduction is stopped, recording/reproducing unit 107 stops the reading of the compressed moving picture data read from hard disk 108 during period 424 are stored in memory 106 at time point 404 when the reproducing is stopped. During periods 420 to 424 when the compressed picture data are read from hard disk 108, magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 1201.
Since the amount of data of moving picture A1 having the higher bit rate is larger than the amount of data of moving picture B1 having a bit rate lower than the bit rate of moving picture A1, the total of periods 410 to 416 is longer than the total of periods 420 to 424. That is, the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 1201 to reproduce moving picture A1 having the higher bit rate is longer than the time during which magnetic head 205 is positioned at magnetic disk 1201 to reproduce moving picture B1 having the bit rate lower than that of moving picture A1.
As shown in
According to Embodiment 2, moving picture A1 having the higher bit rate is recorded in region 601 of magnetic disk 1201, and moving picture B1 having the bit rate lower than that of moving picture A1 is recorded in region 602 farther to escape zone 206 than region 601. Besides the above data, data causing magnetic head 205 to be located at magnetic disk 1201 for a long time period for accessing the data are recorded in region 601, and data causing magnetic head 205 to be located at magnetic disk 1201 for a short time period for accessing the data are recorded in region 602, providing the same effects. Furthermore, data to be reproduced more often may be recorded in region 601, and data to be reproduced less often may be recorded in region 602, providing the same effects.
In
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2004-301151 | Oct 2004 | JP | national |