JP2003339005A - Imaging apparatus, network system, data transfer control method for imaging apparatus, program, and computer-readable storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance efficiency of transfer of data from an imaging apparatus to an external apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A video camera 101 has an IEEE1394 interface 209 connected to an external apparatus such as a DVD-R deck 102 and at least two kinds of data transfer rates. The video camera 101 reads address information of the DVD-R deck 102, acquire the data transfer rate of the DVD-R deck 102 and stores the data transfer rate information into a memory 213. Then the video camera 101 refers to the data transfer rate information of the DVD-R deck 102 stored in the memory 213 and determines a prescribed data transfer rate on the basis of the data transfer rate of the video camera 101 itself, e.g. a maximum data transfer rate when both the transfer rates are coincident. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, a network system, a data transfer control method for an image pickup apparatus, a program, and a computer read which are suitable for use in data transfer between an image pickup apparatus and an external device. Possible storage media.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital video cameras (hereinafter referred to as DVCs) have become popular. Since the DVC digitally records moving image data, one of its characteristics is that the image quality is not deteriorated even by dubbing.

Further, since the moving image data is digitally recorded, it has a good affinity with computers, and together with the popularization of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs), image information is imported from the DVC to the PC and edited. The so-called non-linear editing, which works, has also attracted attention and is beginning to be recognized by the general user group.

In non-linear editing, a magnetic tape is used in DVC.
The video information recorded on the hard disk of the PC (hereinafter,
Once stored in the HDD), the functions of the application on the PC side are used to replace cuts, delete and add effect effects, and return the completed video data to DVC and write it back to the magnetic tape. Often take steps.

In general, a moving image has a large amount of information as compared with other media such as a still image. Therefore, in order to improve the convenience of communication between the DVC and PC, a high speed digital interface ( Hereinafter, it is usual to adopt D-I / F).

Under the above background, as a proposal for facilitating the utilization of moving image data, a video camera using a disk or a semiconductor memory as a recording medium has begun to appear. Disks and semiconductor memories have excellent random access to magnetic tapes that have been used up to that point, and have the advantage of being able to immediately search for the desired cut. As a result, in the non-linear editing procedure described above, the video data is
There is a possibility that the work of temporarily storing the moving image data in a randomly accessible medium, such as once storing it in the HDD of C, becomes unnecessary.

For example, since the arrangement order of the cuts must be sequential as a characteristic of the magnetic tape, the arrangement order on the actual tape must be changed, and as described above, the moving picture data is stored in the HDD or the like. It is necessary to transfer and work. However, the disc and the semiconductor memory make it possible to replace the cuts by taking advantage of the random accessibility and instructing the reproduction order of the cuts by software. As described above, there is an advantage that the user can enjoy simple editing work without investing in the system.

Further, a randomly accessible recording medium such as a disk or a semiconductor memory has a high affinity with a PC,
For example, record video data on a disc with a video camera,
It is also easy to reproduce or edit the disc as it is by the disc drive provided in the PC.

[0009]

Currently, there are DVD-ROM, MO, and DVD-ROM as candidates for recording disks for video cameras.
Alternatively, an HDD or the like can be used, but generally, those disks have a problem in increasing the capacity with respect to a magnetic tape. As described above, a moving image has a very high amount of information, and the amount of information also depends on the image quality. If a disc of the same capacity is used and a higher quality image is to be recorded, the total recordable time will decrease. Therefore, in order to improve the usability as a video camera, it is necessary to adopt a disk having a higher recording density.

Further, it is expected that such a disk will have a higher manufacturing cost than a widely used magnetic tape, and as a result, the medium price (bit unit price) per unit recording capacity will be higher than that of the magnetic tape.

Further, the video camera is desired to be further miniaturized from the aspect of a portable electronic device.
The above-mentioned DVD-ROM and MO have a form in which a disc having a diameter of about 12 cm and a disc having a diameter of about 8.9 cm are housed in a cartridge for a PC, respectively, but when considering downsizing of a video camera, a smaller diameter is adopted. It is also possible to adopt a dedicated disc that However, in that case, not only the media compatibility with the PC is impaired, but also because it is dedicated, the price does not easily drop.

On the other hand, when a semiconductor memory is used as the recording medium, the problem is to increase the capacity, as in the case of the disk described above. At present, the semiconductor memory has a higher bit unit price than a disk, and there is a cost disadvantage even if an attempt is made to realize the same recording capacity. In addition, a disk camera that greatly depends on the disk diameter has a high degree of freedom in component layout and is suitable for miniaturization. Therefore, it is possible to realize an ultra-small camera with a built-in semiconductor memory, but the semiconductor memory is not removable. Therefore, the next shot cannot be taken unless the shot contents are erased.

In view of the above disadvantages, it is considered that moving image data photographed by a video camera employing a disc or a semiconductor memory is often used after being transferred to another recording medium for storage and application. Considering the above-mentioned problems, it is desirable that the other recording medium has a larger capacity and a lower price.

Currently, other recording media for transferring moving image data include DVD-R / DVD-RA.
There are M, D-VHS, etc., and they are already commercialized. Further, it can be expected that storage devices (so-called home servers) using HDDs will appear in the future. It can be expected that the unit price of these media will decrease as their popularity increases.

Looking at the D-I / F required for data transfer, there is already a standard having sufficient capacity for transferring a huge amount of moving image data, represented by IEEE1394, and a higher speed D-I will be provided in the future. I / F may appear. The HDD recording / playback rate has increased rapidly over the last few years.
The recording / reproducing rate of a disc recording device such as a D-R is expected to be further increased in the future. Considering such an environment, it is not difficult to imagine that the time required for transfer is shortened and the usability is improved even with high-information video data.

As described above, as moving image data is handled digitally and the technology is remarkably advanced, there are problems to be solved in connection between recording media or products. Here, the mismatch of the recording / reproducing rate is taken up.

In the future, as the performance of the equipment will be improved one after another, if the difference between the recording and reproducing rates of the new product and the old product becomes large, inconvenience due to rate mismatch in the connection between the two is expected. it can.

Specifically, when the reproduction rate of the device of the data transfer source is high and the recording rate of the device of the data transfer destination is lower than that, the data transfer destination receives the transfer data having the recording capacity or more. A huge amount of buffering means must be provided, or the transfer source device must intermittently transmit data to apparently match the recording rate of the transfer destination device.

On the contrary, when the reproduction rate of the device of the data transfer source is low and the recording rate of the device of the data transfer destination is higher than that, the data transfer destination sends only the data having the recording capacity or less. The recording operation must be intermittently controlled, which complicates the control.

In either case, when intermittently controlling the mechanical unit such as a disk drive to cope with the problem, it is not preferable in terms of reliability and power consumption of the mechanism in that starting and stopping are repeated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the buffering is minimized by adjusting the data transfer rates between the image pickup device and the external device, and the intermittent transfer is performed. The purpose is to enable control so that efficient data transfer is possible.

[0022]

An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention is an image pickup apparatus having a communication interface for connecting to an external device and having at least two types of data transfer rates, wherein data transfer rate information of the external device is stored. It is characterized in that it is provided with an information acquisition means for acquiring and a rate control means for determining the data transfer rate of the own device based on the data transfer rate information of the external device.

A network system of the present invention is a network system including a communication interface, an imaging device having at least two types of data transfer rates, and a device connected to the communication interface. The information acquisition means for acquiring the data transfer rate information of 1. and the rate control means for determining the data transfer rate of the image pickup apparatus based on the data transfer rate information of the device are characteristic.

A data transfer control method for an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention comprises a communication interface for connecting to an external device,
A data transfer control method for an image pickup apparatus having at least two types of data transfer rates, comprising: an information acquisition procedure for acquiring data transfer rate information of the external device; and the data transfer rate information of the external device. And a rate control procedure for determining the data transfer rate of the machine.

The program of the present invention is a program for controlling data transfer of an image pickup apparatus having a communication interface for connecting to an external device and having at least two types of data transfer rates, and the data transfer rate of the external device. It is characterized in that an information acquisition process for acquiring information and a rate control process for determining the data transfer rate of the own device based on the data transfer rate information of the external device are executed.

The computer-readable storage medium of the present invention is characterized in that the program is stored therein.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of an image pickup apparatus, a network system, a data transfer control method of the image pickup apparatus, a program, and a computer-readable storage medium according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a network system according to the first embodiment. In the figure, 101
Is a video camera using a disc as a recording medium, and 102 is a D
VD-R stationary recorder (hereinafter, DVD-R deck) 103 is a monitor. Video camera 101 and D
It is connected to the VD-R deck 102 through a D-I / F 105, and analog video and audio signals are output from the DVD-R deck 102 to the monitor 103.

The video camera 101 and the DVD-R
As the D-I / F 105 that connects to the deck 102,
IEEE 1394 is a representative technology. IEEE1394-1995
(High Performance Serial Bus) (hereinafter referred to as 1394 serial bus) is an interface developed from the viewpoint of supporting real-time and high-information-volume data transfer such as moving image data and audio data.

The connection method between the respective devices on the 1394 serial bus allows the daisy chain method and the node branch method to coexist, and the connection with a high degree of freedom is possible. In addition, each device has its own unique ID, and by recognizing each other, one network is configured in the range connected by the 1394 serial bus. By simply connecting each digital device with a single 1394 serial bus cable, each device acts as a relay and constitutes one network as a whole. It also has a 1394 serial bus, plug and
The play function has a function of automatically recognizing the device and the connection status when the cable is connected to the device.

When a device is deleted from the network or is newly added, the bus is automatically reset, the network configuration up to that point is reset, and then a new network is reconstructed. . With this function, it is possible to constantly set and recognize the network configuration at any given time.

The data transfer rate is 100/200/40.
It is equipped with 0 Mbps, and devices with higher transfer rates support lower transfer rates and are compatible. Data transfer modes include Asynchronous transfer mode for transferring asynchronous data (Asynchronous data: hereinafter, Async data) such as control signals, and synchronous data (Isochronous data: hereinafter, Iso data) such as real-time video data and audio data. Is to transfer
There is an ochronous transfer mode. In each cycle (usually 125 μs for one cycle), the Async data and Iso data are transferred within the cycle after transferring the cycle start packet (CSP) indicating the cycle start, and prioritizing the Iso data transfer over the Async data. It is mixed and transferred.

FIG. 2 shows the video camera 101 shown in FIG.
3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a DVD-R deck 102. FIG. Both of them have a 1394 serial bus as the D-I / F 105, and each device has an IEEE 1394 interface 209, 222 as a connection port, and an IEEE 1394 connection cable 22.
Connected at 7.

In the video camera 101, the user operates the operation unit 2
The system controller 211 controls each unit by operating 14 to instruct the start of shooting, and starts the shooting / recording operation.

The image pickup unit 201 takes out a subject image as a video signal, the camera signal processing unit 202 performs a predetermined process on the video signal, and the compression / expansion circuit 203 converts the video signal into a predetermined recording format and performs a recording / reproducing process. The unit 204 outputs the video signal converted into a predetermined recording format to the disc 2
Record in 05. MPEG2 and Motion JPEG are generally known as general-purpose recording formats for moving images. In the present embodiment, the recording format is MPEG2, but it goes without saying that other recording formats do not impair the gist of the present invention.

When the photographing mode is set by the switching circuit 206 for switching between the photographing mode and the reproduction mode (the switching circuit shown in the figure is an image and the switch position in the figure has no meaning), the camera signal processing is performed. The video signal output from the unit 202 is combined with display information such as characters generated by the character generator 207 and displayed on the LCD monitor 208. In addition, the video signal converted into the predetermined recording format by the compression / expansion circuit 203 is sent to the IEEE 13
94 Output from the interface 209 to the outside. That is, from the IEEE1394 interface 209, MPEG2
The data is output.

When the reproduction mode is set by the switching circuit 206, the recording / reproduction processing unit 204 discriminates the disc 2
05, the compression / expansion circuit 203 expands the read signal into a predetermined video signal, and the video signal is combined with display information such as characters generated by the character generator 207 and displayed on the LCD monitor 208. To be done. In addition, the signal read from the disk 205 is transferred from the recording / reproducing processing unit 204 via the buffer memory 210 to the IEEE standard.
It is externally output from the 1394 interface 209. That is, from the IEEE1394 interface 209, MPEG2
The data is output as is.

On the other hand, in the DVD-R deck 102, the system controller 224 controls each part, and also controls each part according to the input from the operation part 226. Tuner section 215
Selects and receives broadcast waves such as terrestrial waves from the outside,
The received radio wave is modulated into a predetermined video signal. The compression / expansion processing unit 216 converts the video signal into a predetermined recording format, and the recording / reproduction processing unit 217 records the video signal converted into the predetermined recording format on the disk 218.
The predetermined recording format is MPEG2 like the video camera 101.

When the recording mode is set by the switching circuit 219 (the switching circuit shown in the drawing is an image and the switch position shown in the drawing has no meaning) for switching between the recording mode and the reproduction mode,
The signal output from the tuner unit 215 is combined with display information such as characters generated by the character generator 220 and output from the video / audio output terminal 221 to the outside. In the present embodiment, the signal output from the video / audio output terminal 221 is the monitor 103 not shown in FIG.
(See FIG. 1) and can be viewed.

A signal input from the IEEE1394 interface 222 is also recorded on the disk 218. The signal is sent to the recording / playback processing unit 217 via the buffer memory 223 and recorded on the disk 218. The recording / reproducing processing unit 217 selectively records the signal from the tuner unit 215 or the signal from the IEEE1394 interface 222, and the selection is controlled by the system controller 224.

When the reproduction mode is set by the switching circuit 219, the recording / reproduction processing unit 217 determines that the disc 2
18, a compression / expansion circuit 216 expands the read signal into a predetermined video signal, and the video signal synthesized with the display information such as characters generated by the character generator 220 is a video / audio output terminal. 221 is output to the outside. Further, the signal read from the disk 218 is transferred from the recording / playback processing unit 217 to the buffer memory 22.
It is externally output from the IEEE 1394 interface 222 via 3. That is, the IEEE1394 interface 222
Will output the MPEG2 data as is.

Further, the video camera 101 and the DVD-R deck 102 are provided with IEEE1394 interfaces 209, 2
Control signals are also exchanged via 22.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing relating to the data transfer of the video camera 101 in the present embodiment, at the time when the video camera 101 and the DVD-R deck 102 are connected by the IEEE1394 connection cable 227. It shows the processing from.

Video camera 101 and DVD-R deck 1
When 02 is connected by the IEEE1394 connection cable 227 (step S101), the voltage is detected when the IEEE1394 connection cable 227 is inserted, and a bus reset occurs (step S102). The bus reset is a mode for re-recognizing the network configuration, whereby the node IDs of the video camera 101 and the DVD-R deck 102 are determined for each (step S10).
3). In the process of determining the node ID, the parent-child relationship is given to all the devices connected by the 1394 serial bus. In this embodiment, since there are two devices connected to the 1394 serial bus, one of them serves as the parent and the root, and the other serves as the child, but this time, the video cameras 101 and D are used.
It does not matter which of the VD-R decks 102 is the parent and the root.

If the video camera 101 is the node ID first
When the decision sequence is activated, the video camera 101
Declares itself as a child to the DVD-R deck 102, and the node ID is determined. Then, the node ID information of its own is transmitted by broadcasting in the network of the 1394 serial bus (step S104). Then, the DVD-R deck 102 becomes a parent to the video camera 101, and at the same time becomes a route in the network,
When the own node ID is determined, the node ID information is broadcasted.

The video camera 101 is the root D
The node ID information of the VD-R deck 102 is received (step S105). The above is the case where the video camera 101 first activates the node ID determination sequence, but conversely, the DVD-R deck 102 may activate the node ID sequence first. In this case, the video camera 101 is the route in this network. From the above, the configuration of the 1394 serial bus network of the present embodiment is determined.

The 1394 serial bus is 100/200/400 Mbps
Each data transfer rate of s is provided, and a device having a higher transfer rate supports a lower transfer rate. Further, these transfer rates are identified by detecting the voltage level of the bus. Here, it is assumed that the IEEE1394 interface 209 included in the video camera 101 according to the present embodiment has a maximum data transfer capacity of 200 Mbps. That is, the video camera 101
Can support both 100Mbps and 200Mbps bus transfer rates. On the other hand, the IEEE provided in the DVD-R deck 102
Maximum transfer rate of 1394 interface 222 is 100 Mbps
If it is s, when the video camera 101 and the DVD-R deck 102 are connected, the transfer rate of the 1394 serial bus connecting them is determined to be 100 Mbps.

When the network configuration is established as described above, the video camera 101 is connected to the DVD-
The address information of the R deck 102 is read (step S106). A device connected to the 1394 serial bus stores a unique 64-bit address in each ROM, and 48 bits of this unique address is an area given to the device itself. In this embodiment, the data transfer rate information of each device is stored here. The data transfer rate includes both the data reproduction rate and the data recording rate in the recording / reproducing device. Generally, the data transfer rate of DVD-R is based on 11.08 Mbps. For convenience, this is referred to as 1 × speed, 22.16 Mbps is 2 × speed, 44.32 Mbps is 4 × speed, and the transfer rate of (11.08 × n) Mbps is expressed as n × speed (n is a natural number).

DVD-R deck 1 in the present embodiment
02 corresponds to four types of data transfer rates of 1x speed, 2x speed, 4x speed, and 6x speed. That is, the DVD-R deck 102 can support a maximum data transfer rate of 66.48 Mbps. These four transfer rate information are stored in the above address area as codes. When the video camera 101 accesses this information, the video camera 101 can know the data transfer rate of the DVD-R deck 102. The video camera 101 acquires the D
The node ID of the VD-R deck 102 and its data transfer rate information are stored and held in the memory 213 controlled by the system controller 211 (step S107).

Next, the video camera 101 has the memory 213.
The data transfer rate information of the video camera 101 itself is determined by referring to the data transfer rate information of the DVD-R deck 102 stored in (step S108). The video camera 101 has six data transfer rates: 1x speed, 2x speed, 4x speed, 8x speed, 10x speed, and 16x speed.
This time, the transfer rate of the 1394 serial bus is 10 as described above.
Since it is determined to be 0 Mbps, the transfer rates of 10x speed and 16x speed, which exceed the capability of the 1394 serial bus, are unnecessary. Therefore, the video camera 101 selects its own data transfer rate from 8 times or less. Here, since there are four types of writing rates of the DVD-R deck 102, which are 1 × speed, 2 × speed, 4 × speed, and 6 × speed, the maximum transfer rate, ie, 4 Select double speed.

As described above, the video camera 101 is 1394
Serial bus transfer rate and the connection destination DVD-
Based on the data transfer rate of the R deck 102, the data transfer rate of the video camera 101 itself was determined to be quadruple speed (step S108). The determined data transfer rate information is stored in the memory 213. This DVD-R
The data transfer rate information of the video camera 101 with respect to the deck 102 is retained until the next bus reset occurs, and when the bus reset occurs, the process is performed again from step S102 described above, and is determined again in step S108, and the memory is stored. Stored in 210.

Thereafter, the video camera 1 is operated by a user operation.
When the data transfer command from 01 to the DVD-R deck 102 is received (step S109), the video camera 101 notifies the DVD-R deck 102, which is the data transfer destination, of the start of the data transfer (step S110). This is to send the channel ID of the data to be transferred and the transfer rate information to the DVD-R deck 102 by asynchronous transfer. Upon receiving the notification, the DVD-R deck 102
The own data recording mode is set to the notified data transfer rate, that is, the mode corresponding to the quadruple speed here, the channel ID information is stored and held, and the state shifts to the data reception waiting state.

After that, the video camera 101 tries to acquire the right to use the bus by performing arbitration (arbitration) (step S111). When the right to use the bus is acquired, the data is transferred synchronously (step S112). In the transfer, the video camera 101 controls the servo 212 to continuously drive the disk drive at the rotation speed set in advance in the quadruple speed mode, reads data at a constant rate of quadruple speed, and sends the data to the buffer memory 210. The system controller 211 controls the buffer memory 210 to adjust the data rate to be output to the IEEE1394 interface 209, so that the data rate becomes 4 times. The data reproduction rate from the disk does not have to be exactly 4 × speed, and the data transfer rate may be 4 × speed at the final output time from the buffer memory 210.

The DVD-R deck 102 receives the packet having the previously notified channel ID from each packet synchronously transferred in the 1394 serial bus, and temporarily stores it in the buffer memory 223. System controller 2
Reference numeral 24 controls the buffer memory 223, transfers it to the recording / reproducing processing unit 217 at a quadruple rate, and is recorded on the disk 218.

Until the data transfer process is completed (step S113), step S111 is performed according to a predetermined cycle.
~ The process of step S113 is repeated. When there is no data transfer command or when the data transfer is completed, the process stands by (step S114).

In addition, steps S111 to S11
While data transfer up to 3 is being performed, video camera 1
01 always monitors the remaining capacity of the data to be transferred. Then, with reference to the currently selected transfer rate, the remaining time required for the transfer is calculated, and the information is displayed on the LCD monitor 208 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, 401 is a character string expressing the currently selected transfer rate,
Reference numeral 402 is an estimated required time until the transfer of the designated data is completed, and 403 is a so-called progress bar indicating the ratio of the data capacity of the transfer processing to the total data capacity. These displays are displayed by the system controller 21.
The character signal is generated by the character generator 207 under the control of 1, and is combined with the video signal from the compression / expansion circuit 203 and displayed on the LCD monitor 208.

In this embodiment, the video camera 1
Although the data transfer rate of 01 is automatically determined by the video camera 101 itself, the data transfer rate may be selected by the user. FIG. 5 shows a selectable data transfer rate 501, that is, 1 × speed, 2 × speed, 4
The double speed is displayed on the LCD monitor 208, showing a state of waiting for the user's decision. In addition, the estimated required time 502 for data transfer at each data transfer rate is also shown.
The user operates the operation unit 214 to move the arrow cursor 50.
3 is moved up and down to select and determine a desired data transfer rate. The video camera 101 uses the step S110 of FIG.
The data transfer rate determined in 1 is notified to the DVD-R deck 102, and thereafter, the synchronous transfer is performed at the transfer rate determined by the user as in the above description. Also, FIG.
Similarly, the LCD monitor 208 displays the data transfer rate selected by the user and the required time based on the transfer rate.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the present embodiment, IEEE1394 is adopted as the D-I / F, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the same kind of configuration is also possible with, for example, USB or 100BASE-T, and the transfer capability of the D-I / F determines the transfer rate. The same applies to the parameter.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, a video camera 101 corresponding to the image pickup device according to the present invention and a D corresponding to an external device according to the present invention.
The case where the VD-R deck 102 and the VD-R deck 102 are connected one-to-one with the D-I / F has been described, but the same can be applied to the case where the video camera 101 and a plurality of other devices are connected one-to-many. It is possible.

In the case of one-to-many connection, the video camera 101
Performs step S106 of FIG. 3 for all the devices connected to the network, and stores the acquired information in the memory 213. When starting the data transfer, the information stored in the memory 213 may be retrieved from the node ID of the transfer destination to determine the transfer rate of the video camera 101 itself.

By the way, for example, in IEEE1394, the maximum is 644.
Since 49 devices can be connected, considering such a large-scale network, the memory 213 has 644
This is inefficient because it must have a storage capacity capable of storing information for 49 units. Therefore, a configuration suitable for one-to-many connection will be described below as a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows the same D as in the first embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the structure of the network system which employ | adopted IEEE1394 as -I / F. In the figure, 601 is a video camera using a semiconductor memory as a recording medium, 602 is a digital VHS recorder (hereinafter, D-VHS deck), 60
3 is a digital television monitor (hereinafter, TV monitor), 60
4 is a digital satellite broadcasting tuner, 605 is a DVD-R stationary recorder (hereinafter, DVD-R deck), 606
Is a personal computer (hereinafter, PC), and these devices are connected via a 1394 serial bus 607.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a part of the configuration of the network system shown in FIG. In the figure, for convenience of explanation, the video camera 60 as the data transfer source is shown.
1 and TARGET Device that is a data transfer destination, and a part of Another Device that is not involved in data transfer.
This time, the TARGET Device that is the data transfer destination is D-VHS.
It is assumed that the deck 602 is a video camera 601 and a DV.
The structure of the HS deck 602 will be described below.

The video camera 601 and the D-VHS deck 602 use the 1394 serial bus described above as a D-I / F.
As an IEEE 1394 interface 7
01 and 702 are provided. Both are connected by IEEE1394 connection cables 703 and 719 via a DVD-R deck 605 as shown in FIG. In IEEE1394, devices in the network can relay the bus.

The video camera 601 uses the semiconductor memory 706 in which the subject image is in the MPEG2 format according to the user operation.
It is recorded in, except that the recording medium is different,
This is the same as the video camera 101 of the first embodiment. The fact that other recording formats may be used is also the same as in the first embodiment.

When the switching circuit 704 switches to the reproduction mode, the memory controller 705 reads a signal from the semiconductor memory 706 in response to a user operation, and the compression / expansion circuit 707 expands the read signal to a predetermined video signal, The video signal is a character generator 70.
8 is displayed on the LCD monitor 709 after being combined with the generated display information such as characters. The signal read from the semiconductor memory 706 is sent to the buffer memory 710, and then output from the IEEE1394 interface 701 to the outside. That is, the MPEG2 data is directly output from the IEEE1394 interface 701.

The output data is the IEEE1394 cable 70
3 to reach the IEEE1394 interface 717 of the DVD-R deck 605, and the IEEE1394 interface 717 relays and passes through the IEEE1394 cable 719 to D-
IEEE 1394 interface 702 of VHS deck 602
Reach Thereafter, similarly, the IEEE1394 interface also acts as a relay, and the output data is broadcast-transferred in the network.

The signal input from the IEEE1394 interface 702 of the D-VHS deck 602 is sent to the recording / playback processing unit 712 via the buffer memory 711, and is transferred to the D-VHS.
It is recorded on the cassette tape 720 of the HS mechanism 713.
The series of operations is controlled by the system controller 714. If the D-VHS deck 702 has a tuner section like the DVD-R deck 102 of the first embodiment, it is possible to record an image received by the tuner section with a similar configuration. .

The signal from the video camera 601 which is synchronously transferred in the 1394 serial bus is the D-VHS deck 602.
Other devices can also be used. As an operation of Another Device, for example, the TV monitor 603 can output the signal (MPEG2).
Is received and displayed as a video.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing relating to data transfer of the video camera 601 in this embodiment. The video camera 601 has a data transfer mode as a menu in the reproduction mode described above. The flowchart of FIG. 8 shows from the time when the user selects the data transfer mode.

When the video camera 601 enters the data transfer mode (step S201), it displays on the LCD monitor 709 asking the user to select a data transfer destination (step S202). FIG. 9 shows a display example thereof. In the figure, 901 represents an ID of a recording device connected to this network, and 902 is a device type representing a device corresponding to the ID 901. As the ID 901, a node ID may be adopted according to the IEEE1394 specifications, or the node I
A unique ID number that uniquely corresponds to D may be assigned. The device type 902 can be easily identified by storing the type information in the address area of each device and allowing the video camera 601 to access the address area. From the data transfer target devices listed as above, the user moves the arrow cursor 9903 up and down to make a selection (step S203).

When the data transfer destination device is determined, the video camera 601 inquires the data transfer destination device (this time, the D-VHS deck 602) about the data transfer rate (step S204). The inquiry is made by transmitting a packet including predetermined procedure information from the video camera 601 to the data transfer destination device by asynchronous transfer.

Upon receiving the packet, the D-VHS deck 602 asynchronously transfers the response packet to the video camera 601 in response to the predetermined procedure. The response packet includes data transfer rate information of the D-VHS deck 602.

The video camera 601 can obtain the data transfer rate information of the D-VHS deck 602 by receiving the response packet (step S205), and the obtained data transfer rate information of the D-VHS deck 602 is It is stored and held in the memory 716 controlled by the system controller 715 together with the node ID of the D-VHS deck 602 (step S206). The held data transfer rate information is held until the next data transfer destination selection. In this way, if the data transfer rate information of the transfer destination is acquired according to the determination of the data transfer destination, the memory 716 can be minimized.

Next, the video camera 601 has a memory 71.
The data transfer rate information of the video camera 601 itself is determined by referring to the data transfer rate information of the D-VHS deck 602 stored in 6 and the transfer rate of the 1394 serial bus (step S207). This time, the DVD-R deck 6 that relays the video camera 601 and the D-VHS deck 602
05 IEEE1394 interface 717 transfer capability,
As described in the first embodiment, assuming 100 Mbps, the video camera 601-DVD-R deck 60
Transfer rate between 5 and DVD-R deck 605-D
-Transfer rate between VHS deck 602 is 100Mbps
Becomes

Next, regarding the data transfer rate of the video camera 601, the reproduction rate of MPEG2 is called 1 × speed for convenience.
It has a 2x speed mode and a 4x speed mode as high-speed playback modes. The recording rate of MPEG2 generally varies from about 4 Mbps to about 9 Mbps depending on the compression rate, but the video camera 601 is configured to be able to reproduce a moving image at a certain recording rate at 2 × / 4 × speed. There is.

Further, the D-VHS deck 602 has a 1 × speed recording mode and a 2 × speed recording mode as recording modes. Data transfer rate is 12 Mbps in 1x speed recording mode
It is fixed. This transfer rate is a rate that has enough reserve capacity to record MPEG2. The double speed recording mode is a mode in which the tape feed speed and the head rotation speed are driven at twice the normal speed to perform high speed recording at a fixed rate of 24 Mbps, that is, double speed.

Now, the video camera 601 refers to the recording rate information of the D-VHS deck 602 previously acquired, and selects the maximum transfer rate, that is, the double speed, when the transfer rates of the two match. The transfer rate of the 1394 serial bus is 100 Mbps as described above, and the video camera 601-
There is sufficient capacity for double-speed transfer between the D-VHS decks 602. The determined data transfer rate information is D-
It is stored in the memory 716 as information for the VHS deck 602.

As described above, the data transfer destination from the video camera 601 is the D-VHS deck 602, and the data transfer rate is determined to be double speed. Here, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, when a display prompting confirmation is displayed on the LCD monitor 709 and the user selects and determines “start” 1001 (step S208), the video camera 601 starts data transfer to the D-VHS deck 602 which is a data transfer destination. Is notified (step S209). This is to send the channel ID and the transfer rate information to the D-VHS deck 602 by asynchronous transfer, as in the first embodiment.

Upon receiving the notification, the D-VHS deck 602 sets its own data transfer rate to the notified rate, that is, the double speed recording mode in this case, and
The channel ID information is stored and held, and the state shifts to a data reception waiting state.

After that, the video camera 601 tries to acquire the right to use the bus by performing arbitration (arbitration) (step S210). When the right to use the bus is acquired, the data is transferred synchronously (step S211). Upon transfer, the video camera 601 reads data from the semiconductor memory 706 and sends it to the buffer memory 710. The system controller 715 controls the buffer memory 710 to adjust the data rate output to the IEEE1394 interface 701 to double the speed.

For example, when the bus use right cannot be acquired because communication is being performed between other devices and the band cannot be secured (step S210), the bus use right is waited until the next packet cycle is tried again. (Step S21
0). Note that once the bus use right is acquired, thereafter, the data rate is guaranteed every cycle until the transfer is completed.

The D-VHS deck 602 receives a packet having the previously notified channel ID from each packet synchronously transferred in the 1394 serial bus, and sends it to the recording / playback processing unit 712 via the buffer memory 711. It is sent and recorded on the cassette tape 720.

Until the data transfer process is completed (step S212), step S210 is performed according to a predetermined cycle.
~ Repeat step S212. When there is no data transfer command or when the data transfer is completed, the process stands by (step S213).

In addition, steps S210 to S21
While the data transfer up to 2, the video camera 6
01 always monitors the remaining capacity of the data to be transferred. Then, with reference to the currently selected transfer rate, the remaining time required for the transfer is calculated, and the information is displayed on the LCD monitor 709 as shown in FIG. In the figure, 1101
Is a character string that represents the currently selected transfer rate, 1
102 is the ID number of the data transfer destination (or the device type or device name may be displayed), and 1103 is the estimated required time until the transfer of the designated data is completed. These displays are generated by the character generator 708 under the control of the system controller 715, are combined with the video signal from the compression / expansion circuit 707, and are displayed on the LCD monitor 70.
9 is displayed.

In the second embodiment, the device selected as the data transfer destination responds to the inquiry from the video camera 601. However, similar to the first embodiment, the video is transmitted. It does not matter if the camera 601 goes to access the address information of the device. On the contrary, also in the first embodiment, the video camera 1
It goes without saying that the device selected as the data transfer destination may respond to the inquiry from 01.

Further, also in the second embodiment, the data transfer rate may be configured so that the user can select it from the candidates, as in the first embodiment.

Finally, as is clear from the configurations of the first and second embodiments, the recording medium of the video camera may be a disk medium or a semiconductor memory. Also, now
As for the magnetic tape generally used in video cameras, the D-VHS deck 6 described in the second embodiment is also used.
If it has a plurality of transfer rates such as 02, the configuration of the present invention can be applied.

(Other Embodiments) In order to operate various devices so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments, a computer in an apparatus or system connected to the various devices is operated in the above-described embodiment. Supply the program code of software to realize the function of
What was carried out by operating the above-mentioned various devices according to the program stored in the computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus is also included in the category of the present invention.

In this case, the program code itself of the software realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself constitutes the present invention. As a transmission medium of the program code, a communication medium (a wired line such as an optical fiber or a wireless line) in a computer network (LAN, WAN such as the Internet, a wireless communication network, etc.) system for propagating and supplying the program information as a carrier wave. Etc.) can be used.

Further, means for supplying the program code to the computer, for example, a recording medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. A flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used as a recording medium for storing the program code.

Further, by executing the supplied program code by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (operating system) or the other operating the program code in the computer. It goes without saying that the program code is also included in the embodiment of the present invention when the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized in cooperation with the application software of the above.

Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion board of the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or function expansion unit is instructed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the present invention also includes a case where the CPU or the like included in the above-mentioned performs some or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

The shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is thereby provided. It should not be construed as limiting. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit or the main features thereof.

[0095]

As described above, according to the present invention, at the time of data transfer with an external device, the data transfer rate of the image pickup apparatus itself can be switched according to the data transfer rate of the external device to match the two rates. Therefore, the efficiency of data transfer can be improved. Specifically, the buffering of the transfer is minimized, and the transfer can be continuously performed, so that the load of intermittent transfer control can be reduced. Further, when the mechanism control is involved as in the disk recording apparatus, the problem of durability reliability due to the intermittent control of the mechanism is improved, and the servo system can be driven at a constant speed, so that the power consumption is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a video camera 101 and a DVD-R deck 10.
It is a block diagram which shows the structure of 2.

FIG. 3 is a video camera 101 according to the first embodiment.
5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to the data transfer of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example during data transfer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example when a user selects a data transfer rate.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing configurations of a video camera 601 and a D-VHS deck 602 which is a TARGET device.

FIG. 8 is a video camera 601 according to the second embodiment.
5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to the data transfer of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example when a user is requested to select a data transfer destination.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example in a case where a user is prompted to confirm at the time of data transfer.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example during data transfer.

[Explanation of symbols]

101,601 video camera 102 DVD-R stationary recorder 602 Digital VHS Recorder 103,603 monitor 209,222 IEEE1394 interface 209,222 IEEE1394 interface 701, 702 IEEE1394 interface 227 IEEE1394 connection cable 703, 719 IEEE1394 connection cable 205,218 disc 706 Semiconductor memory 208,209 LCD monitor

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04L 29/08 H04N 5/76 Z 5K034 H04N 5/225 5/91 L 5/76 H04L 13/00 307C F Terms (reference) 5C022 AA13 AC42 AC69 5C052 AA02 AB02 CC01 DD02 5C053 FA08 FA23 GB36 GB37 JA21 KA01 KA24 KA26 LA01 LA14 5D044 AB07 BC01 BC02 CC01 CC04 CC09 EF06 GK05 HL07 HI07H02 501

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An imaging apparatus having a communication interface for connecting to an external device and having at least two types of data transfer rates, the information acquiring unit acquiring data transfer rate information of the external device; An image pickup apparatus comprising: a rate control unit that determines a data transfer rate of the own device based on data transfer rate information. 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores the data transfer rate information of the own device. 3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores data transfer rate information of the external device. 4. A detection unit for detecting connection of an external device to the communication interface, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires data transfer rate information of the external device based on an output of the detection unit. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup apparatus is an image pickup apparatus. 5. A selection unit for selecting an arbitrary device from a plurality of external devices connected to the communication interface, wherein the information acquisition unit targets the external device selected by the selection unit. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition of the data transfer rate information is executed. 6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays the data transfer rate information of the own device on a display unit. 7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying data transfer rate information of the external device on a display unit. 8. A display means is provided for calculating the remaining time required for the transfer by referring to the currently selected data transfer rate during the data transfer to the external device, and displaying the remaining time information on the display unit. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that. 9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the external device of the data transfer rate of the own device. 10. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein a magnetic disk or a magneto-optical disk is used as a recording medium. 11. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein a semiconductor memory is used as a recording medium. 12. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein a magnetic tape is used as a recording medium. 13. A network system including a communication interface, an imaging device having at least two types of data transfer rates, and a device connected to the communication interface, wherein data transfer rate information of the device is provided. And a rate control means for determining a data transfer rate of the imaging device based on the data transfer rate information of the device. 14. A data transfer control method for an image pickup apparatus having a communication interface connected to an external device and having at least two types of data transfer rates, the information acquisition procedure acquiring data transfer rate information of the external device. And a rate control procedure for determining the data transfer rate of the own device based on the data transfer rate information of the external device. 15. A program for controlling data transfer of an imaging device having a communication interface for connecting to an external device and having at least two types of data transfer rates, the data transfer rate information of the external device being acquired. A program for executing an information acquisition process and a rate control process for determining a data transfer rate of the own device based on data transfer rate information of the external device. 16. A computer-readable storage medium in which the program according to claim 15 is stored.