JP4917834B2 - Image recording / playback device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording / reproducing apparatus for recording an image of a surveillance camera or the like, and more particularly to an image recording / reproducing apparatus equipped with a removable recording unit such as a removable hard disk unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image recording / reproducing apparatus is used to record a monitoring image taken by, for example, a monitoring camera. An image recording / reproducing apparatus records an image on a recording medium such as an HDD, and reproduces and outputs the recorded image (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  As an image recording / reproducing apparatus, an apparatus for recording an image in a removable recording unit has been proposed. The removable recording unit is a recording unit that can be removed from the image recording / reproducing apparatus and carried. A typical example of the removable recording unit is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) unit (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  Conventionally, in a transition process from when an HDD unit is mounted on an image recording / reproducing apparatus to operation, the HDD unit is first recognized by the image recording / reproducing apparatus, and then the HDD unit is formatted, and then operation starts. Conventionally, a monitor or browser (computer) is connected to the image recording / reproducing apparatus for the transition to the above operation. The user operates the button while confirming the display on the monitor or browser, and causes the image recording / reproducing apparatus to perform the HDD unit recognition process and the format process.

Further, when the image recording / reproducing apparatus includes a plurality of HDD units, two operation states of single operation and mirror operation can be set. In single operation, a plurality of HDD units record different images. Therefore, an amount of images corresponding to the total capacity of the HDD unit can be recorded. On the other hand, in the mirror operation, the same image is recorded on a plurality of HDD units, thereby improving the reliability. Conventionally, operations such as setting switching related to single operation and mirror operation are also performed during the transition process up to the operation of the HDD unit, and the device status or the like may be confirmed on the monitor or browser here as well.
JP 2002-247515 A JP 2000-244870 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-123796

  However, in the conventional image recording / reproducing apparatus, since it is necessary to check the screen of a monitor or a browser, it takes time and effort to start operation of the removable recording unit, and there is a problem that transition to operation is not easy.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording / reproducing apparatus capable of facilitating the transition to the operation of the removable recording unit.

  An image recording / playback apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording unit mounting portion for mounting a removable recording unit for recording an image, and a recognition operation member operated to recognize the removable recording unit added to the recording unit mounting portion. A formatting operation member that is operated to format the removable recording unit, a recognition indicator that displays a recognition state of the removable recording unit, a format indicator that displays a format processing state of the removable recording unit, and Control means for controlling the display of the recognition indicator lamp and the format indicator lamp according to the operation to the recognition operation member and the format operation member, the control means when the recognition operation member is operated, The removable recording unit is recognized normally. Normal recognition display is performed on the recognition indicator lamp, and if the removable recording unit is in an unformatted state, an unformatted display different from the normal recognition display is performed on the recognition indicator lamp. When the formatting operation member is operated, the formatting indicator is displayed on the formatting indicator lamp, and when the formatting is completed normally, the normal recognition display is indicated on the recognition indicator lamp.

  According to this configuration, the recognition operation member, the format operation member, the recognition indicator lamp, and the format indicator lamp are provided in the image recording / reproducing apparatus, and the control means performs the recognition indicator lamp and the format operation member according to the operation on the recognition manipulation member and the format manipulation member. The display of the format indicator is controlled, and the recognition status and the format processing status of the removable recording unit are displayed as described above. Therefore, even if there is no monitor or browser, it is possible to proceed with the transition operation up to the unit operation by operating the operation member and confirming the indicator lamp, thereby facilitating the transition up to the operation of the removable recording unit.

  In the image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, when the recognition operation member is operated during operation of the removable recording unit, the control means recognizes a display indicating an unrecognized state due to the stop of the removable recording unit. Let the indicator light do.

  With this configuration, it is possible to easily stop the removable recording unit using the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp. The display of the unrecognized state may be “off” as in the example described later.

  Further, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, the recording unit mounting portion can be mounted with a plurality of removable recording units, and a plurality of recognition operation members, a plurality of format operation members corresponding to the plurality of removable recording units, A plurality of recognition indicator lights and a plurality of format indicator lights are provided.

  With this configuration, even in an image recording / reproducing apparatus of a type having a plurality of removable recording units, it is possible to easily make a transition to the operation of the removable recording unit. Since the operation member and the indicator lamp are individually provided for each of the plurality of removable recording units, it is possible to make a transition to the operation of another removable recording unit while continuing the operation of one removable recording unit. It is also possible to exchange other removable recording units while continuing to operate one removable recording unit.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention performs setting switching between single operation and mirror operation of the plurality of removable recording units when the plurality of format operation members are operated simultaneously.

  With this configuration, the setting operation for switching between single operation and mirror operation can be easily performed using a plurality of recognition operation members provided corresponding to a plurality of removable recording units.

  Further, the image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention sets mirror operation when the plurality of format operation members are operated simultaneously when the plurality of removable recording units are mounted on the recording unit mounting portion, Mirror format for multiple removable recording units.

  With this configuration, it is possible to easily switch to mirror operation by using a plurality of recognition operation members provided corresponding to a plurality of removable recording units.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention sets a single operation when the plurality of format operation members are operated simultaneously when the recording unit mounting portion is not mounted.

  With this configuration, it is possible to easily switch to single operation using a plurality of recognition operation members provided corresponding to a plurality of removable recording units.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention performs mirror restoration processing together with the format of the removable recording unit to be operated when one of the plurality of format operation members is operated in the mirror operation setting state.

  With this configuration, when the format of the added removable recording unit is instructed in the mirror piece yes operation state, mirror recovery is performed following the format. Therefore, recovery from the mirror piece yes operation state to the mirror operation state can be facilitated.

  In the image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp are integrally formed by a button with an indicator lamp, and the format operation member and the format indicator lamp are integrally formed by a button with an indicator lamp. It is structured.

  With this configuration, since the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp are integrated, operation and display confirmation can be facilitated.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes the recording unit mounting portion, the recognition operation member, the format operation member, the front panel that covers the recognition indicator lamp and the format indicator lamp, and the front panel that is locked so as not to be removable. And a key mechanism.

  With this configuration, since the front panel with a key is provided, it becomes impossible to operate the removable recording unit without the key, and the security can be improved. Thereby, the security can be ensured so that the device management security is not lowered with the improvement of the operability due to the characteristic configuration such as the above-mentioned indicator lamp.

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention further includes operation history storage means for storing operation histories for the recognition operation member and the format operation member.

  With this configuration, since the operation history is stored, the operation history for the image recording / reproducing apparatus can be known, and the unit replacement and format history can be known. The operation history can be used to determine whether or not there is an unauthorized operation.

  Also, the image recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention outputs the device main body state including the insertion / extraction state of the recording unit mounting portion and the formatting state of the removable recording unit, and the operation history information in response to an external request. Information output means is provided.

  With this configuration, it is also possible to monitor the device main body state of the image recording / reproducing apparatus and the above-described operation history from the outside.

  The present invention provides a recognition operation member, a format operation member, a recognition indicator lamp, and a format indicator lamp, and appropriately controls the display of the recognition indicator lamp and the format indicator lamp in accordance with the operation on the recognition operation member and the format operation member. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an image recording / reproducing apparatus having an effect of facilitating the transition to the operation of the removable recording unit.

  Hereinafter, an image recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, an image recording / reproducing apparatus is applied to a monitoring system. In the following embodiment, the removable recording unit is a removable HDD unit (hereinafter referred to as HDD).

  FIG. 1 shows an image recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an example of a monitoring system to which the image recording / reproducing apparatus is applied. First, referring to FIG. 2, the monitoring system 10 includes a plurality of cameras 12. The camera 12 is a network camera that transmits an image via a network such as a LAN, and is connected to the hub 14. The hub 14 is further connected to a recording device 16 that is an image recording / reproducing apparatus, and is connected to a monitoring PC (personal computer) 18 that is a browser.

  When the camera 12 captures the monitoring area, the monitoring video is sent to the recording device 16 using the TCP / IP protocol, and an image is recorded by the recording device 16. When the recording device 16 reproduces the image, the video is distributed using the HTTP protocol and displayed on the monitoring PC 18. In addition, notifications such as the device main body status of the recording device 16 are also transmitted from the recording device 16 to the monitoring PC 18 via the hub 14 using the HTTP protocol.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the recording device 16 is configured so that two HDDs 1 and 2 can be mounted. As described above, the HDDs 1 and 2 are an example of a removable recording unit and can be attached to and detached from the recording device 16. In the present embodiment, as the HDDs 1 and 2, 2.5-inch type HDDs with high earthquake resistance are employed.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the recording device 16. With reference to FIG. 1, first, the main configuration related to recording and reproduction will be described, and then the configuration related to operation will be described.

  In FIG. 1, the NW control unit 20 controls network communication with the camera 12 and the monitoring PC 18 (browser). The signal processing unit 22 is a circuit that processes signals transmitted to and received from the network. The encoding / decoding unit 24 performs transmission / reception data encoding processing and decoding processing. The memory 26 holds an image to be transmitted / received. In addition, the memory 26 holds various data processed by the recording device 16. The writing / reading unit 28 performs writing processing and reading processing on the HDDs 1 and 2. In the present embodiment, the writing / reading unit 28 is configured to operate independently for the two HDDs 1 and 2. The HDD mounting unit 30 is a form of the recording unit mounting unit, and is configured so that two HDDs 1 and 2 can be mounted.

  The recording device 16 further includes an NW control driver 40, a file system 42, and an HDD control driver 44 as software configurations for controlling the various configurations described above. These configurations are realized by executing software stored in the recording device 16 by the CPU.

  Among the software configurations described above, the NW control driver 40 causes the NW control unit 20 to perform network communication. Further, the HDD control driver 44 causes the writing / reading unit 28 to perform writing and reading operations. The file system 42 manages the HDD configuration, records, and images of the HDDs 1 and 2. Further, the file system 42 controls the NW control driver 40 and the HDD control driver 44, and further controls the entire recording device 16.

  Next, as an operation-related configuration, the recording device 16 includes a first ON / OFF button 50, a second ON / OFF button 52, a first format button 54, a second format button 56, and a button / LED control unit that controls these buttons. 58.

  The first ON / OFF button 50 and the second ON / OFF button 52 are buttons that are operated to recognize and stop the HDD 1 and the HDD 2, respectively. The first format button 54 and the second format button 56 are buttons operated to format the HDD 1 and the HDD 2, respectively.

  These four buttons are all buttons with LEDs. That is, the button is made of a translucent member, and the LED is disposed on the back side of the button. When the LED shines, the button allows light to pass, thereby causing the button to function as an indicator light. The first ON / OFF button 50 and the second ON / OFF button 52 display the recognition status of the HDD 1 and the HDD 2, respectively. The first format button 54 and the second format button 56 respectively perform the formatting process of the HDD 1 and the HDD 2. Displays the status of. The button / LED control unit 58 has a circuit configuration for controlling these buttons, senses the operation of each button, and controls display operations such as lighting, blinking, and extinguishing of each button.

  The recording device 16 further includes a button / LED control driver 60 as a software configuration for controlling the buttons. The button / LED control driver 60 is also realized by executing the software stored in the recording device 16 by the CPU. The button / LED control driver 60 receives button operation information from the button / LED control unit 58 and transmits the information to the file system 42 via the HDD control driver 44. The button / LED control driver 60 controls lighting of each button based on information received from the file system 42 via the HDD control driver 44.

  In the above configuration, each of the first ON / OFF button 50 and the second ON / OFF button 52 corresponds to both the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp of the present invention, and the first format button 54 and the second format button 56 are This corresponds to both the format operation member and the format indicator of the present invention. The button / LED control driver 60 functions as a control unit of the present invention together with the file system 42 and the like.

  In addition, although not shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 16 is provided with various indicator lights for displaying the device state such as the energized state, and these indicator lights are also the button / LED control driver 60 or other appropriate light. It may be controlled by configuration. These indicator lights will be described later.

  The recording device 16 can set single operation and mirror operation as the operation states of the HDDs 1 and 2. Single operation is a mode in which different images are recorded in the two HDDs 1 and 2. The mirror operation is a mode in which the same image is recorded in duplicate on the two HDDs 1 and 2. As described later, the single operation and the mirror operation are set by operating the device main body using the first format button 54 and the second format button 56. When single operation or mirror operation is set, this setting is stored and held in the memory 26 as the operation state of the device main body. Further, the setting of the operation state is written to the HDDs 1 and 2 in accordance with an instruction from the file system 42 and is held as the operation state of the HDD.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows the structure of the file system 42. The file system 42 includes an HDD configuration management file, a record management file, and an image management file. These files are provided for each HDD. An HDD configuration management file is provided for each HDD, a plurality of record management files are located under the HDD configuration management file, and a plurality of image management files are located under each record management file. Multiple images are located below. The HDD configuration management file manages the current system configuration (number of HDDs, operation), and manages the record management file. The record management file manages the connection of records and manages the image management file. The image management file manages image positions.

  Next, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the recording device 16 as viewed from the front. The recording device 16 includes a housing 70, a front panel 72 attached to the front surface of the housing 70, and a key mechanism 74 that locks the front panel 72 so that it cannot be removed.

  The front panel 72 covers a part of the front surface of the device. In an area not covered by the front panel 72, an energization indicator lamp 76, an error indicator lamp 78, a mirror indicator lamp 80, and HDD access indicator lamps 82 and 84 are provided. These indicator lights are composed of LEDs. The energization indicator lamp 78 is lit when the recording device 16 is energized, and the error indicator lamp 80 is lit when an error occurs. Further, the mirror indicator lamp 80 displays the mirror operation state as will be described later, and the HDD access indicator lamps 82 and 84 are lit when the HDDs 1 and 2 are being accessed. These indicator lights are composed of LEDs.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the front panel 72 is removed. As shown in the drawing, an insertion port 90 for the HDD 1 and an insertion port 92 for the HDD 2 are provided on the front surface of the recording device 16. These insertion openings 90 and 92 are part of the HDD mounting portion 30 in FIG.

  Further, a first ON / OFF button 50 and a first format button 54 are arranged beside the insertion slot 90 of the HDD 1. A second ON / OFF button 52 and a second format button 56 are arranged beside the insertion slot 92 of the HDD 2. As described above, the first ON / OFF button 50 and the first format button 54 are provided for operating the HDD 1, and the second ON / OFF button 52 and the second format button 56 are provided for operating the HDD 2. ing.

  In FIG. 5, a dotted rectangle indicates an area covered by the front panel 72 of FIG. 4. As shown in the drawing, the two insertion openings 90 and 92 and the four buttons 50 to 58 are arranged at a place covered by the front panel 72. Therefore, the HDD insertion openings 90 and 92 and the buttons 50 to 58 are not exposed unless the key mechanism 74 is unlocked and the front panel 72 is removed. While the key mechanism 74 is locked, operations such as removal, replacement, recognition, and formatting of the HDDs 1 and 2 cannot be performed.

  FIG. 5 also shows details of the functions of the first ON / OFF button 50, the second ON / OFF button 52, the first format button 54, and the second format button 56.

"Operation of ON / OFF button"
An ON / OFF button (refers to the first ON / OFF button 50 and the second ON / OFF button 52, the same applies hereinafter) is a button operated to recognize and stop the HDD. If the ON / OFF button is pressed when the HDD is already recognized, the recording device 16 stops the HDD. If the ON / OFF button is pressed while the HDD is in an unrecognized state, the recording device 16 performs HDD recognition processing.

"ON / OFF button LED display"
Furthermore, the following five types of display are set as the LED display of the ON / OFF button, and the recognition state is indicated by these displays.
“Off”: HDD not recognized “Green light”: Recognized as an unformatted HDD “Green light”: Normal recognition of HDD “Amber blinking”: “Amber light on” during HDD recognition / stop processing ..Recording

  Note that the amber lighting is an orange-colored lighting. The ON / OFF button includes an LED device that can be lit in green and amber.

"Format Button Operation"
A format button (refers to the first format button 54 and the second format button 56, hereinafter the same) is a button operated to format the HDD. For the format button, two operations, one-point pressing and two-point simultaneous pressing, are set.

(Format button, 1 point press)
One-point press is an operation of pressing only one format button. When one point is pressed, the HDD is formatted, or formatting and mirror recovery are performed. Mirror recovery means recovery processing from the mirror piece yes operation state to the mirror operation state. More specifically, when only one HDD is mounted despite the mirror operation being set in the recording device 16, the recording device 16 records an image on the mounted HDD. This is called mirror piece yes operation. Assume that another HDD is added during mirror piece yes operation. At this time, the recorded image of the installed HDD is copied to the added HDD, and the mirror operation state is restored. This operation is called mirror recovery.

(Format button, 2 point press)
On the other hand, two-point simultaneous pressing is an operation of simultaneously pressing two format buttons. When the two-point simultaneous pressing is performed, the recording device 16 performs mirror formatting or mirror cancellation. As a result, switching between single operation and mirror operation can also be performed.

  More specifically, it is assumed that single operation is set and two-point simultaneous pressing is performed in a state where two HDDs are mounted. In this case, the operation status setting is switched from single operation to mirror operation, and mirror formatting is performed for two HDDs.

  Also, assume that two-point simultaneous pressing is performed in a state where mirror operation is set and neither of the two HDDs is mounted. In this case, the mirror operation state is canceled and single operation is set.

"LED display of format button"
Also, the following three types of display are set as the LED display of the format button, and the format processing state is indicated by these displays.
“Off”: Other than the following “Green blinking”: Format / mirror recovery in progress “Red”: Format / mirror recovery failed

  The function and display of the ON / OFF button and the format button have been described above. The recording device 16 further includes write protect indicator lights 94 and 96 for the HDD 1 and HDD 2 below the first format button 54 and the second format button 56, respectively. The write protect indicator lamps 94 and 96 are LED lamps, and light up when the HDDs 1 and 2 are in a write-inhibited state.

"LED display of mirror indicator"
Furthermore, the function of the mirror indicator lamp 80 is also shown in FIG. The mirror indicator lamp 80 is an indicator lamp for displaying the state of a device related to a single mirror. The mirror indicator lamp 80 is also an LED lamp, and is configured to be lit in green and red. The mirror indicator lamp 80 performs the following four types of display.
“Off”: Single operation “Green light”: Mirror operation “Green blinking” ... Mirror recovery “Red light”: Mirror piece yes operation or 0 mirror operation

  The configuration of the recording device 16 that is the image recording / playback apparatus according to the present embodiment has been described above. Next, the operation of the recording device 16 will be described.

  First, an overview of the overall operation of the recording device 16 will be described. When image data is transmitted from the camera 12, the image data is recorded in the HDDs 1 and 2 via the NW control unit 20, the signal processing unit 22, the encoding / decoding unit 24, the memory 26, and the writing / reading unit 28. . If the operation state is single operation, different images are recorded in the HDDs 1 and 2. If the operation state is mirror operation, the same image is recorded on the HDDs 1 and 2 in duplicate. At the time of image reproduction, the images are read from the HDDs 1 and 2, sent to the network via the memory 26, the encoding / decoding unit 24, the signal processing unit 22, and the NW control unit 20, and then sent to the monitoring PC 18.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, an operation of transitioning the HDD added to the recording device 16 in operation to the operation state will be described. The addition of the HDD is that the HDD 1 or the HDD 2 is mounted on the HDD mounting unit 30 of the recording device 16. In the following description, the added HDD is appropriately referred to as an added HDD.

  In FIG. 6, when an HDD is added during operation of the recording device 16 (S1), the added HDD is recognized (S3). This recognition process is executed when the ON / OFF button (50 or 52) corresponding to the added HDD is pressed.

  In the recognition process, the HDD control driver 44 recognizes that the HDD has been added, and notifies the file system 42 and the button / LED control driver 60 of the addition of the HDD. The button / LED control driver 60 causes the corresponding ON / OFF button (50 or 52) to blink amber. The amber blinking is a display showing a state during the HDD recognition process as shown in FIG. The file system 42 instructs the HDD control driver 44 to read the management information of the additional HDD. The HDD control driver 44 controls the writing / reading unit 28 to execute a command from the file system 42 and reads management information from the additional HDD. At this time, in order to continue the operation, the HDD control driver 44 controls the HDD 1 and the HDD 2 so that the HDD 1 and the HDD 2 operate completely independently. The HDD control driver 44 notifies the file system 42 of the management information data read from the additional HDD.

  In the above operation, the file system 42 and the HDD control driver 44 function as management information acquisition means for acquiring management information of the additional HDD. The management information is information for managing the HDD configuration and the like, and is written in a specific area of the HDD. More specifically, the management information includes information corresponding to the HDD configuration management file and the record management file used in the file system 42 described above. This management information includes HDD format status and HDD operation status (single or mirror) information. The format state and the operation state are included in the HDD configuration management file.

  When the file system 42 receives management information acquired from the added HDD from the HDD control driver 44, the file system 42 performs recognition processing based on the management information. In the recognition process, the file system 42 refers to the HDD configuration file included in the management information, and determines whether or not the format state of the additional HDD is the recording device formatted. “Recording device formatted” means a state where the recording device is formatted by the same type of recording device. For example, an HDD formatted with another recording device of the same model has already been recorded. In addition, even when the HDD formatted in the past operation is once removed and remounted, the formatting state is already recorded on the recording device. If the recording device is not formatted, the additional HDD is an unformatted HDD. An unformatted HDD is an HDD that has not been formatted.

  As the details of the processing when the format state of the additional HDD is already formatted for the recording device, the file system 42 rewrites the HDD configuration management file and the record management file based on the management information of the additional HDD. Due to this rewriting process, the number of HDDs also increases in the structure of the file system 42. If an additional HDD is mounted during operation of one HDD, the management file is rewritten as shown in FIG. Further, the file system 42 compares the device operation state (operation state of the device main body) with the HDD operation state of the additional HDD, and determines whether or not they match. The device operation state is an operation state set in the recording device 16, and the HDD operation state is an operation state written in the HDD. In the case of an additional HDD, the HDD operation state at the time of addition is a past operation state written when the HDD is attached to another recording device. If the HDD operating state of the additional HDD is the same as the device operating state, the file system 42 does not format the additional HDD and normally recognizes the additional HDD while maintaining the current HDD operating state. On the other hand, it is assumed that the HDD operation state of the additional HDD is different from the device operation state. Also in this case, the file system 42 does not format the additional HDD. However, the file system 42 rewrites the HDD configuration management file in the management information of the additional HDD so as to match the device operation state (the operation state of the main body), and normally recognizes the additional HDD.

  When the recognition process is completed (S5, Yes), the recognition result is transmitted from the file system 42 to the button / LED control driver 60 via the HDD control driver 44 (S7). The button / LED control driver 60 controls the display of the ON / OFF button according to the recognition result. If the additional HDD has already been formatted for the recording device (Yes in S9), the button / LED control driver 60 causes the ON / OFF button to perform “green lighting” as a display of normal recognition of the additional HDD (S11). In this case, HDD formatting is not necessary. Further, if the additional HDD has not been formatted with the recording device (No in S9), the button / LED control driver 60 causes the ON / OFF button to perform “green blinking” as an unformatted HDD recognition display (S13). In this case, it is necessary to format the additional HDD.

  After the process of step S11 or step S13 in FIG. 6, the recording device 16 refers to the operation state of the device body, and if the device body is in the single operation state, performs the processing in FIG. 7 (S15, Yes). If is a mirror operation state, the process of FIG. 8 is performed (S15, No).

  In FIG. 7, the recording device 16 determines whether or not to format the unformatted HDD (S21). The recording device 16 ends the process if Step S21 is No. For example, when the HDD is normally recognized in step S11 of FIG. 6, reformatting is not performed, step S21 is No, and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the process of step S13 in FIG. 6 is performed and the format button is pressed, the determination in step S21 is Yes. In this case, the recording device 16 determines whether or not to perform a single format (S23).

  If the format button is pressed once, step S23 is Yes, single formatting is performed, and LED display during single formatting is performed (S25). At this time, the format button corresponding to the additional HDD is pressed, and the ON / OFF button of the additional HDD and the LED of the format button are displayed. In the LED display, the ON / OFF button is “green blinking”, the format button is “green blinking”, and the mirror indicator (FIG. 4, reference numeral 78) is “off”.

  Further, if the single format is normally completed (S27, Yes), the recording device 16 recognizes the HDD normally and displays a normal recognition LED (S29). In this case, the ON / OFF button is “green”, the format button is “off”, and the mirror indicator is “off”.

  When the single format does not end normally (S27, No), the recording device 16 displays a format failure LED (S31). In this case, the ON / OFF button is “green blinking” (that is, unformatted), the format button is “lit red”, and the mirror indicator is “off”.

  On the other hand, if two points of the format button are pressed simultaneously, step S23 is No, mirror formatting is performed, and two HDDs are formatted. In this case, LED display during mirror formatting is performed (S33), the two ON / OFF buttons are “green flashing”, the two format buttons are “green flashing”, and the mirror indicator lamp (reference numeral 78 in FIG. 4). “Turn off”.

  Further, if the mirror format is normally completed (S35, Yes), the recording device 16 recognizes the HDD normally and displays a normal recognition LED (S37). In this case, the two ON / OFF buttons are “green”, the two format buttons are “off”, and the mirror indicator is “green”.

  On the other hand, when the mirror format does not end normally (S35, No), the recording device 16 displays an LED indicating that the format has failed (S31). In this case, the two ON / OFF buttons are “green blinking” (that is, unformatted), the two format buttons are “lit red”, and the mirror indicator is “off”.

  Reference is now made to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 8 shows the operation when the device main body is determined to be in the mirror operating state in step S15 of FIG.

  In FIG. 8, the recording device 16 determines whether or not to format the unformatted HDD (S41). The recording device 16 ends the process if Step S41 is No. For example, when the HDD is normally recognized in step S11 of FIG. 6, reformatting is not performed, step S41 is No, and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the process of step S13 in FIG. 6 is performed and the format button is pressed, the determination in step S21 is Yes. In this case, the recording device 16 determines whether or not to perform mirror recovery (S43).

  If the format button is pressed once, step S43 becomes Yes, the HDD is formatted, mirror recovery is performed, and LED display during formatting and mirror recovery is performed (S45). Here, the format button corresponding to the additional HDD is pressed, and the ON / OFF button of the additional HDD and the LED of the format button are displayed. In the LED display, the ON / OFF button is “green blink”, the format button is “green blink”, and the mirror indicator is “green blink”.

  Further, when the mirror recovery is normally completed (S47, Yes), the recording device 16 recognizes the HDD normally and displays a normal recognition LED (S49). In this case, the ON / OFF button is “green”, the format button is “off”, and the mirror indicator is “green”.

  If the format and mirror recovery are not normally completed (S47, No), the recording device 16 displays a format failure LED (S51). In this case, the ON / OFF button is “flashing green” (that is, unformatted), the format button is “lit red”, and the mirror indicator is “lit red”.

  On the other hand, when the two-point pressing of the format button is performed, step S43 becomes No, mirror formatting is performed, and two HDDs are formatted. In this case, LED display during mirror formatting is performed (S53), the two ON / OFF buttons are “green blinking”, the two format buttons are “green blinking”, and the mirror indicator lamp is “green lighting”.

  Further, when the mirror format is normally completed (S55, Yes), the recording device 16 recognizes the HDD normally and displays a normal recognition LED (S57). In this case, the two ON / OFF buttons are “green”, the two format buttons are “off”, and the mirror indicator is “green”.

  On the other hand, when the mirror format does not end normally (S55, No), the recording device 16 displays an LED indicating that the format has failed (S61). In this case, the two ON / OFF buttons are “green blinking” (that is, unformatted), the two format buttons are “lit red”, and the mirror indicator is “lit red”.

  9 and 10 show the flow of HDD operation start in accordance with the above-described device operation. FIG. 9 shows the flow up to single operation. First, when there is no HDD, the ON / OFF button is “OFF”, the format button is “OFF”, and the mirror indicator is “OFF”.

  When the HDD is added, the ON / OFF button is pressed, and the recognition process is executed, the ON / OFF button becomes “amber blinking” (FIG. 6, S3). As a result of the recognition process, when the HDD is recognized as having been formatted with the recording device, the ON / OFF button becomes “green” (FIG. 6, S11).

  As a result of the recognition processing, when the HDD is an unformatted HDD, the ON / OFF button becomes “green blinking” (FIG. 6, S13). When the format button is pressed, the format button becomes “green blinking” (S25 in FIG. 7). When the formatting is completed, the ON / OFF button becomes “green” and the format button becomes “extinguished” (S29 in FIG. 7).

  FIG. 10 shows the flow up to the mirror operation. First, when there is no HDD, the ON / OFF button is “OFF”, the format button is “OFF”, and the mirror indicator is “OFF”.

  When the HDD is added, the ON / OFF button is pressed, and the recognition process is executed, the ON / OFF button becomes “amber blinking” (FIG. 6, S3). As a result of the recognition process, when the HDD is recognized as having been formatted with the recording device, the ON / OFF button becomes “green” (FIG. 6, S11). In addition, the mirror indicator light also turns “green”.

  As a result of the recognition processing, when the HDD is an unformatted HDD, the ON / OFF button becomes “green blinking” (FIG. 6, S13). The mirror indicator lamp is still “off”. When the format button is pressed, the format button becomes “green blinking” (FIG. 7, S33). When the formatting is completed, the ON / OFF button becomes “green”, the format button becomes “off”, and the mirror indicator light becomes “green” (FIG. 7, S37).

  The operation when the HDD is installed and the operation is started has been described above. As an operation for removing an HDD in operation, an ON / OFF button corresponding to the HDD to be removed is pressed. During the stop process, the button / LED control driver 60 causes the pressed ON / OFF button to perform “amber blinking”. When the stop process is completed, the ON / OFF button is turned off and the HDD can be taken out.

  In addition, when the HDD is detached, operated, or stopped, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the key mechanism 74 is unlocked and the front panel 72 is removed. As a result, the HDD insertion openings 90 and 92 are exposed, and the HDD can be removed. Also, the ON / OFF button and the format button can be operated.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, by providing the buttons and LEDs as described above, the operability and convenience are improved, and the operation start (start) and stop of the HDD can be performed only by operating the device main body. it can. On the other hand, ensuring device management reliability and security is required. In the present embodiment, by providing the above-mentioned front panel 72 with a key, it is possible to appropriately meet security requirements.

  Next, the processing function of the operation history and device main body state information in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the operation history is stored in the recording device 16. More specifically, when a button such as the first ON / OFF button 50, the second ON / OFF button 52, the first format button 54, and the second format button 56 is operated, the button operation is detected by the button / LED control driver 60. The button operation history is stored in the memory 26. The memory 26 is a nonvolatile storage means and functions as an operation history storage means of the present invention. The operation history includes information on the operated button and operation date / time information. The operation date and time is obtained from the built-in clock of the recording device 16.

  In addition, the recording device 16 receives a request for information on the device main body state and the operation history from the monitoring PC 18. This request is received by the NW control unit 20 and transmitted to the file system 42 via the NW control driver 40. In response to the request, the file system 42 performs processing for returning information on the device main body state and operation history. The device main body state includes a state where the HDD is being inserted and removed from the HDD mounting unit, a state where the HDD is being formatted, and the like. The operation history is the above-described button operation history, and is read from the memory 26. These pieces of information are sent from the NW control unit 20 and provided to the monitoring PC 18 by the HTTP protocol.

  In the monitoring PC 18, the device main body state and operation history are displayed on the monitor. More specifically, the display on the monitor is switched in accordance with a user operation, a camera image is displayed, and the above-described device main body state and operation history are displayed. On the monitoring PC 18, the user can check the device main body status and operation history as well as the camera video. By providing such a function, the monitoring PC 18 can collectively manage the system configuration.

  By confirming the above operation history, the user can know the history of HDD replacement and formatting. The operation history information can be used to determine whether or not an HDD replacement or formatting operation has been performed for an unauthorized purpose, and can be used to determine whether or not an image has been illegally deleted. Thus, the security can be preferably improved by providing the operation history.

  The recording device 16 that is the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the present embodiment, the first ON / OFF button 50 and the second ON / OFF button 52 correspond to the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp of the present invention. The first format button 54 and the second format button 56 correspond to the format operation member and the format indicator lamp of the present invention. Further, the button / LED control driver 60 functions as the control means of the present invention together with the file system 42 and the like.

  According to the present embodiment, the recognition operation member, the format operation member, the recognition indicator lamp, and the format indicator lamp are provided in the image recording / reproducing apparatus, and the control means responds to operations on the recognition operation member and the format operation member. The display of the recognition indicator lamp and the format indicator lamp is controlled, and the recognition status and the format processing status of the removable recording unit are displayed as described above. When the recognition operation member is operated, the control means causes the recognition indicator lamp to perform normal recognition display if the removable recording unit (HDD) is normally recognized, and normal recognition if the removable recording unit is in an unformatted state. The unformatted display different from the display is displayed on the recognition indicator lamp, and when the formatting operation member is operated during the unformatted display, the formatting indicator is displayed on the format indicator lamp. When the formatting is completed normally, the normal recognition display is recognized. (In the above example, the normal recognition display is lit green, the unformatted display flashes green, and the formatting display flashes green (FIG. 5)). Therefore, even if there is no monitor or browser, it is possible to proceed with the transition operation up to the unit operation by operating the operation member and confirming the indicator lamp, thereby facilitating the transition up to the operation of the removable recording unit.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the recognition operation member is operated during operation of the removable recording unit, the recognition operation lamp causes the recognition indicator lamp to display an unrecognized state due to the stop of the removable recording unit. The stop operation of the removable recording unit can be easily performed using the recognition indicator lamp. In the above example, the LED is turned off as the display operation in the unrecognized state (since the turn-off state can be distinguished from the turn-on state from the viewpoint of display, turn-off is also included in the display operation in the present invention).

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the recording unit mounting unit can mount a plurality of removable recording units, and a plurality of recognition operation members, a plurality of format operation members, and a plurality of recognitions corresponding to the plurality of removable recording units. Since the indicator lamp and the plurality of format indicator lamps are provided, the transition to the operation of the removable recording unit can be facilitated even in an image recording / reproducing apparatus of a type having a plurality of removable recording units. Since the operation member and the indicator lamp are individually provided for each of the plurality of removable recording units, it is possible to make a transition to the operation of another removable recording unit while continuing the operation of one removable recording unit. It is also possible to exchange other removable recording units while continuing to operate one removable recording unit.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of format operation members are operated at the same time, the setting operation is switched between single operation and mirror operation of a plurality of removable recording units, so that it corresponds to a plurality of removable recording units. Using a plurality of recognition operation members provided, it is possible to easily perform setting switching work between single operation and mirror operation.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of format operation members are operated simultaneously when a plurality of removable recording units are mounted on the recording unit mounting portion, a mirror operation is set and a plurality of removable recording units are set. Since the mirror format is performed for this, it is easy to switch to mirror operation.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of format operation members are operated simultaneously when the recording unit mounting portion is not mounted, single operation is set, and switching to single operation can be facilitated.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when one of the plurality of format operation members is operated in the mirror operation setting state, mirror recovery processing is performed together with the format of the removable recording unit to be operated. Accordingly, when the format of the added removable recording unit is instructed in the mirror piece yes operation state, mirror recovery is performed following the format. Thereby, the recovery from the mirror piece yes operation state to the mirror operation state can be facilitated.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp are integrally configured by a button with an indicator lamp, and the format operation member and the format indicator lamp are integrally configured by a button with an indicator lamp. ing. In the above example, a button with LED is provided. Thereby, since the recognition operation member and the recognition indicator lamp are integrated, operation and display confirmation can be facilitated.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the recording unit mounting portion, the recognition operation member, the format operation member, the recognition indicator lamp, and the format indicator lamp are covered by the front panel, and the key mechanism that locks the front panel so that it cannot be removed is provided. Is provided. Since it has a front panel with a key, it is impossible to operate the removable recording unit without a key, and security can be improved. Thereby, the security can be ensured so that the device management security is not lowered with the improvement of the operability due to the characteristic configuration such as the above-mentioned indicator lamp.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the image recording / reproducing apparatus includes an operation history storage unit that stores operation histories for the recognition operation member and the format operation member. The operation history storage means is realized by the nonvolatile memory 26 in the above example. With this configuration, since the operation history is stored, the operation history for the image recording / reproducing apparatus can be known, and the unit replacement and format history can be known. The operation history can be used to determine whether or not there is an unauthorized operation.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the image recording / reproducing apparatus can respond to the request from the outside with the apparatus body state including the insertion / extraction state of the recording unit mounting portion and the formatting state with respect to the removable recording unit, and the operation history information. Information output means for outputting. In the above example, the information output means is a network communication function, and the output destination is the monitoring PC 18. With this configuration, it is also possible to monitor the device main body state of the image recording / reproducing apparatus and the above-described operation history from the outside.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that those skilled in the art can modify the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention has an effect of facilitating the transition from the operation and installation of the removable recording unit, and is useful as an image recording / reproducing apparatus for a surveillance camera system.

Block diagram of an image recording / reproducing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows the monitoring system provided with the image recording / reproducing apparatus The figure which shows the structure of the file system of an image recording / reproducing apparatus Front view of the image recording and playback device with the front panel attached Front view of the image recording / playback device with the front panel removed Flow chart showing operation of image recording / playback apparatus Flow chart showing operation of image recording / playback apparatus Flow chart showing operation of image recording / playback apparatus The figure which shows the example of operation | movement of an image recording / reproducing apparatus The figure which shows the example of operation | movement of an image recording / reproducing apparatus

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 HDD
10 Monitoring System 12 Camera 14 Hub 16 Recording Device 18 Monitoring PC
20 NW Control Unit 22 Signal Processing Unit 24 Encode / Decode Unit 26 Memory 28 Write / Read Unit 30 HDD Mounting Unit 40 NW Control Driver 42 File System 44 HDD Control Driver 46 Operation Unit 50 First ON / OFF Button 52 Second ON / OFF Button 52 Button 54 First format button 56 Second format button 58 Button / LED control unit 60 Button / LED control driver

Claims (5)

A recording unit mounting portion for mounting a removable recording unit for recording images;
A recognition operation member operated to recognize the removable recording unit mounted on the recording unit mounting unit;
A formatting operation member operated to format the removable recording unit;
A recognition indicator for displaying the recognition status of the removable recording unit;
A format indicator for displaying the format processing status of the removable recording unit;
Control means for controlling the display of the recognition indicator lamp and the format indicator lamp according to the operation to the recognition operation member and the format operation member,
The recording unit mounting part can be mounted with a plurality of removable recording units,
Corresponding to the plurality of removable recording units, the recognition operation member, the format operation member, the recognition indicator lamp and the format indicator lamp are individually provided,
When the recognition operation member is operated during operation of the removable recording unit, the control means causes the recognition indicator lamp to display an unrecognized state due to the stop of the removable recording unit, and the plurality of formats. An image recording / reproducing apparatus that switches between single operation and mirror operation of the plurality of removable recording units when operating members are operated simultaneously . When the plurality of format operation members are operated at the same time when the plurality of removable recording units are mounted on the recording unit mounting portion, a mirror operation is set, and a mirror format is set for the plurality of removable recording units. image recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that. 3. The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein single operation is set when the plurality of format operation members are simultaneously operated when the recording unit mounting portion is not mounted . When one of the plurality of format operation member in Mirror operation setting state is operated, claims 1 and performing mirror recovery process with the format of the removable recording unit to be operated in one of three The image recording / reproducing apparatus described. A recording unit mounting portion for mounting a removable recording unit for recording images;
A formatting operation member operated to format the removable recording unit;
The recording unit mounting part can be mounted with a plurality of removable recording units,
The format operation member is individually provided corresponding to the plurality of removable recording units,
An image recording / reproducing apparatus that switches between single operation and mirror operation of the plurality of removable recording units when the plurality of format operation members are operated simultaneously .

Images