JPH08273297A - Voice recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To record sound signals at a high speed under conditions improved in similarity to continuous recording. CONSTITUTION: A personal computer 1 compresses the sound signals generated by a sound synthesizer section 9 to a form which is suitable for recording the signals to an MD by a data compressing section 10. After that, the data is transmitted to the side of the MD device 2 through an interface section 3 and the MD device 2 records the above sound signals received through the interface section 4 into the MD in a recording/reproducing section 8 without applying compression.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a data processing device such as a personal computer and an audio compression recording / reproducing device such as an MD (Mini Disc) device, and an audio signal is compressed and recorded in a predetermined format. The present invention relates to an audio recording / reproducing apparatus that records and reproduces an audio signal synthesized by the data processing apparatus using a recording medium such as an MD.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a kind of audio recording / reproducing apparatus,
A so-called mini disc (hereinafter referred to as MD), which is a magneto-optical disc having a diameter of 64 mm, is used to record an audio signal such as music corresponding to a maximum reproduction time of about 74 minutes on the MD, There is known an MD device that reproduces an audio signal recorded in the MD.

The MD device for audio has a configuration shown in FIG. 7, and a voice signal input from a voice input / output terminal 66 is converted into a digital signal by a converter 63 capable of A / D conversion and D / A conversion. It is converted and compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 62. Here, ATR which is a compression method of MD
By the AC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding) method, the data amount is compressed to about 1/5. The signal compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 62 is sent to the digital signal processing circuit 54.
Is input to the magnetic head 65 via the head drive circuit 64 and is input to the optical pickup 52 via the analog signal processing circuit 53, and is recorded on the MD 51 by the magnetic head 65 and the optical pickup 52.

In recent years, for example, a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as personal computer) having a voice synthesizing function has been developed. This personal computer can output data as an audio signal, and this audio signal can be recorded in an MD device as an external storage device. In this case, an analog audio signal is output from the personal computer, and this signal is input to the audio input / output terminal 66 as in the case of other audio signals.

The structure in this case is shown in FIG. 8, and the personal computer 71 and the MD device 72 are connected by a cable 75.
Audio recording / reproducing device 70 is configured by these components. The personal computer 71 includes a voice synthesizer 73 for converting text data into a voice signal, and the voice signal generated here is output from the voice output terminal 74 as an analog signal. This audio signal is input to the audio input / output terminal 66 of the MD device 72 via the cable 75.

On the other hand, the above MD device for audio has a SC
SI (Small Computer System Interface) and IDE (Int
There is known an MD device that can be connected to a personal computer by providing a data interface such as eg rated Device Electronics). This device is generally called a mini disk data device. When this MD device is used, it is not necessary to convert the audio signal into an analog signal and output it from the personal computer to the MD device, and the audio signal can be output as a digital signal by the data interface.

The above-mentioned MD device has, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. 9, and the digital audio signal output from the personal computer is transferred to the compression / expansion circuit 62 through the interface section 56, and then the same path as that for normal audio recording. MD51
Recorded in.

The means shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 correspond to the means of the same name shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later, and have the same functions.

[0009]

When the above MD device is used as an external storage device of a personal computer, for example, text data taken in the personal computer is converted into a voice signal and recorded in the MD device, and then the MD device. There is a demand for the application to be carried away from a personal computer and to be able to easily check the recorded contents by voice regardless of the location. The MD device is used for such purposes in many cases, such as when going out, or when there is a demand that another person wants to use the personal computer for other processing, and the recording to the MD device is short. It is desirable to be done.

However, the above-mentioned conventional configuration has a problem that the audio signal cannot be recorded in the MD device in a short time.

That is, when an analog audio signal is recorded by the MD device, the audio signal to be recorded is transmitted as a real-time signal from the personal computer, sampling is performed by the converter 63, and the compression / expansion circuit 62 is used. Since the compression is performed, the recording of the data on the MD 51 after the compression becomes the intermittent recording as shown in FIG. Therefore, although the recording of each data itself is performed at a sufficiently high speed as compared with the compression of data,
The time required to record the entire audio signal cannot be shortened.

That is, for example, an analog signal input from the personal computer from time t ₁ to time t ₂ is A / D-converted and compressed from time t ₂ to time t ₃ , for example. Data after this that has been compressed, from the time t ₃ MD5
The recording is completed in 1 and the recording is completed in a relatively short time. However, the recording of the next data starts at time t ₄ corresponding to the time when the compression of this data ends, and the recording of this data ends at time t ₅ .

Further, in the recording by the mini disk data device, the compression time in the compression / expansion circuit 62 does not change even if the transfer between the personal computer and the mini disk data device is high speed. Therefore, conversely, the time between the transfer operations of the signals of each unit, that is, the time during which the transfer is not performed becomes long, and similarly, the recording time cannot be shortened.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-176431 discloses an MD device for recording a digital audio signal transmitted from a computer without compression. However, in such a configuration in which the signal compression is simply omitted, the amount of recordable information becomes small, and the feature of the MD device that a large amount of information is recorded in the MD having a small diameter by compressing and recording the signal. It is something that cannot be utilized.

[0015]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is a data processing apparatus for generating an audio signal and a converter for analog / digital converting the audio signal. , And an audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus having a first compression section for compressing an audio signal into a predetermined form, and recording an audio signal in a state processed by these sections on a recording medium. The data processing device and the audio compression recording / reproducing device are connected via an interface for transmitting an audio signal as a digital signal from the data processing device to the audio compression recording / reproducing device. The audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus has a second compression section for compressing the audio signal thus obtained into a predetermined form by the first compression section of the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus. Compressed in reduced section, it is characterized in that the audio signal input through the interface, is intended to be recorded on the recording medium without compressing the first compression unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voice recording / reproducing apparatus in which a data processing device for generating a voice signal, a converter for analog / digital converting the voice signal, and a first format for compressing the voice signal into a predetermined form. An audio recording / reproducing apparatus having a compression section and an audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus for recording an audio signal in a state processed by each of these sections on a recording medium, wherein the data processing apparatus includes the generated audio signal. The audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus records the audio signal processed by the second compression section and transmitted from the data processing apparatus by the first compression section, and then records the audio signal. It is characterized by being recorded on a medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio recording / reproducing apparatus for producing a voice signal from character data, a voice signal from other than the data processor, and a voice signal from the data processor. The audio signal processed by the compression unit can be input, and has a conversion unit for analog / digital conversion of these audio signals and a compression unit for compressing the audio signal processed by the conversion unit into a predetermined form. In an audio recording / reproducing apparatus provided with an audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus for recording on a recording medium, the conversion unit inputs an audio signal input from the data processing apparatus from a device other than the data processing apparatus. The feature is that sampling is performed at a sampling frequency lower than that of the audio signal.

[0018]

According to the structure of claim 1, after the audio signal generated by the data processing device is compressed by the second compression part thereof into a predetermined form by the first compression part of the audio compression recording / reproducing device, It is transmitted to the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus. As a result, since the audio signal is transmitted as a compressed digital signal from the data processing device to the audio compression recording / reproducing device, the transmission time can be shortened.

Further, in the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus, since the compression by the first compression unit is unnecessary, the recording of the audio signal on the recording medium can be performed in a state close to the continuous recording, and the audio signal is recorded. It becomes possible to record on the medium at high speed.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the audio signal generated by the data processing device is transmitted to the audio compression recording / reproducing device after being compressed by the second compression section. As a result, since the audio signal is transmitted as a compressed digital signal from the data processing device to the audio compression recording / reproducing device, the transmission time can be shortened.

The audio signal input to the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus is further compressed by the first compression unit into a predetermined form and then recorded on the recording medium. In this case, the first
The compression operation in the compression unit is performed at high speed because the audio signal is compressed in advance by the second compression unit and the data amount is reduced. Therefore, after the audio signal is transmitted from the data processing device, the processing until the audio signal is recorded on the recording medium of the audio compression recording / reproducing device can be performed at high speed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the analog audio signal generated by the data processing device and transmitted to the audio compression recording / reproducing device is subjected to analog / digital conversion in the conversion unit and converted into a predetermined form in the compression unit. After being compressed, it is recorded on the recording medium. In this case, the conversion unit samples the audio signal input from the data processing device at a sampling frequency lower than that of the audio signal input from a device other than the data processing device. Therefore, the data amount of the audio signal input from the data processing device is reduced, and the compression of the audio signal in the compression unit can be performed at high speed. Thus, after the audio signal is transmitted from the data processing device, the processing until the audio signal is recorded on the recording medium of the audio compression recording / reproducing device can be performed at high speed.

[0023]

【Example】

[Embodiment 1] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The explanation is based on the following. As shown in FIG. 1, the audio recording / reproducing apparatus in this embodiment has a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) 1 as a data processing apparatus and an MD (Mi) as a magneto-optical recording medium.
ni Disc) as an audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus.
D device 2 and the like. As detailed later,
The MD device 2 is capable of recording / reproducing with respect to an MD as a data disc for recording data such as text and numerical values.

The personal computer 1 has software for processing data such as text and numerical values, software for synthesizing voice from text data, software (device driver) for controlling and managing the MD device 2, and the like. Is installed. By using these software, for example, when an e-mail is received but there is no time to display it on the screen for confirmation, the text of this e-mail can be converted into voice by voice synthesis and recorded in the MD. Since the MD device 2 is a portable size device, the contents of this e-mail can be confirmed later regardless of the location.

The connection between the personal computer 1 and the MD device 2 is through a well-known interface such as IDE or SCSI. Hereinafter, a configuration in which SCSI is used as the interface will be described. That is,
The personal computer 1 and the MD device 2 respectively include interface units 3 and 4 including an interface board on which a SCSI controller chip provided as an IC or an LSI is mounted, and connectors 5 and 6 provided on each interface board. Cable 7
By connecting with, the data can be transmitted and received between the personal computer 1 and the MD device 2.

First, the schematic configuration of the personal computer 1 will be described. The personal computer 1 is a CPU as hardware.
Also, the CPU is provided with a main memory that is a RAM for use in applications such as a work memory, a hard disk drive for recording various programs and data, and the like. Further, as described above, the MD device 2 of this embodiment
It has an interface unit 3 for inputting / outputting data to / from an external device such as.

As software, for example, MS
An OS (Operating System) such as DOS is installed, and as an application program that operates under the control of this OS, for example, a document editing program that edits text data, a calculation program that performs numerical calculation, or the like. , A voice synthesis program for converting text data into voice is installed. This speech synthesis program constitutes a speech synthesis unit 9. Further, a data compression unit 10 as a second compression unit described later for compressing digital data is provided.

Next, the configuration and operation of the MD device 2 will be outlined. The MD device 2 of the present embodiment has substantially the same outer shape as a known audio MD device, and as shown in FIG. 1, receives an analog signal such as an audio signal as a terminal for input / output with an external device. The audio input / output terminal 26 for outputting, and the interface section 4 and the connector 6 for transmitting / receiving a digital signal to / from the personal computer 1 as described above are provided. Further, the data received via the interface unit 4 and the connector 6 is recorded in an MD (not shown), or
Recording / playback unit 8 for reading and playing back data from the
It has.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the MD device 2. As shown in FIG.
As the recording / reproducing unit 8 for recording / reproducing on the MD 11 mounted as a recording medium, an optical pickup 12 for irradiating the MD 11 with a laser beam, an analog signal processing circuit 13, and a digital signal processing circuit 14 are provided. A system control microcomputer 17, a servo circuit 18, a mechanical section 19 including a motor drive circuit, and an optical pickup 12
A feed motor 20 for driving the MD, a spindle motor 21 for rotationally driving the MD 11, and a compression / expansion circuit 2 as a first compression unit for compressing and expanding digital data.
2, a converter 23 as a converter that performs A / D conversion and D / A conversion, a magnetic head 25 for applying a magnetic field when performing magneto-optical recording on the MD 11, and drive control of the magnetic head 25. A head drive circuit 24 is provided. The buffer memory 15 and the interface unit 16 constitute the interface unit 4 shown in FIG.

The operation of each part of the MD device 2 is controlled based on a control signal output from the system control microcomputer 17. Here, the operation of each unit when reproducing the signal recorded in the MD 11 will be described below. The signal is recorded on the MD 11 in a state of being compressed by the ATRAC method.

In the above structure, when the signal recorded in the MD 11 is reproduced, the operator inputs a reproduction instruction from an operation panel (not shown) provided in the main body of the MD device 2 or the personal computer 1. When this reproduction instruction is input to the system control microcomputer 17, the motor drive circuit of the mechanical section 19 outputs a control signal to each motor under the control of the system control microcomputer 17, whereby the feed motor 20 and the spindle. The motor 21 is driven. The spindle motor 21 rotationally drives the MD 11, and the feed motor 20 drives the optical pickup 12 in the radial direction of the MD 11. At this time, the optical pickup 12 irradiates the MD 11 with laser light and receives the reflected light, thereby
The signal recorded in 11 is read.

With this optical pickup 12, the MD1
The signal recorded in 1 is read as an analog signal. The read signal is the analog signal processing circuit 1
3 is amplified and output to the digital signal processing circuit 14. At the same time, the analog signal processing circuit 13 also generates a servo control signal such as a focus error signal or a tracking error signal from the signal read by the optical pickup 12, and outputs the servo control signal to the servo circuit 18. The servo circuit 18 outputs a feedback signal for performing focus control, tracking control, and spin control to the mechanical section 19 based on the servo control signal and the control signal from the system control microcomputer 17.

The analog signal output to the digital signal processing circuit 14 is demodulated into a digital signal by A / D conversion, and further processed such as error correction. After that, when the reproduction instruction is an audio reproduction instruction, the digital signal is output from the digital signal processing circuit 1 under the control of the system control microcomputer 17.
4 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 22, while the reproduction instruction is an instruction to output a reproduction signal to the personal computer 1, the digital signal is based on the control of the system control microcomputer 17 as described above. And is output from the digital signal processing circuit 14 to the interface section 16.

If the reproduction instruction is an audio reproduction instruction, the digital signal output to the compression / expansion circuit 22 is in the state of being compressed by the ATRAC system as described above, and therefore, the compression / expansion circuit. After being decompressed in 22, it is output to the converter 23 and converted into an audio signal which is an analog signal. This audio signal is output from the audio input / output terminal 26 to a speaker or the like via, for example, an amplifier, whereby the reproduction processing of the audio signal recorded in the MD 11 is completed.

Alternatively, as described above, when the reproduction instruction is an instruction to output the reproduction signal to the personal computer 1, the digital signal output from the digital signal processing circuit 14 to the interface unit 16 is the interface unit. In 16, the data is converted into a predetermined data format defined by the data interface while being compressed in the ATRAC system, and is sent to the personal computer 1 through the cable 7. This completes the reproduction of the signal from the MD 11 and the transmission processing to the personal computer 1.

Next, the recording process on the MD 11 will be described. The audio signal to be recorded is the audio input / output terminal 26.
The audio signal that is input from and is sampled by the converter 23 at a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz and converted into a digital signal. The digital signal is compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 22 by the ATRAC method, and then output to the digital signal processing circuit 14.

In the digital signal processing circuit 14, EFM (Eight to Fourt) is applied to the compressed digital signal.
een Modulation) modulation, and CIRC (Cross Interleave Reed-solomon Code) is added as an error correction code to generate recording data in a format suitable for recording on the MD 11.

Next, the system control microcomputer 1
According to the control of 7, the optical pickup 2 irradiates the MD 11 with laser light, and the head drive circuit 24
Drives the magnetic head 25 to apply a magnetic field modulated based on the recording data to the MD 11,
The above recording data is magneto-optically recorded on the MD 11.

Next, the processing for recording data such as texts and numerical values created by the personal computer 1 will be described. In this case, the above-mentioned data is processed as digital data inside the personal computer 1, and in the above-mentioned SCSI interface board of the personal computer 1,
More precisely, the SCSI controller chip mounted on the interface board is divided into transmission units according to the SCSI standard, and after various transmission control bits and the like are added, the MD device 2 is connected via the cable 7. Sent to.

Interface unit 16 on the side of the MD device 2
When the digital data sent from the personal computer 1 as described above is received, the above-mentioned transmission control bits and the like are removed, the original data is restored, and then output to the digital signal processing circuit 14. After this, the digital signal processing circuit 14
The processing up to the magneto-optical recording of the digital data output to the MD 11 is the same as that described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the processing when the data compression unit 10 of the personal computer 1 records the voice synthesized on the basis of the text data in the MD 11 will be described.

The data compression section 10 receives text data and first divides the text data into words. Next, the data compression unit 10 obtains the reading of each word using the built-in dictionary. Furthermore, each sound included in this phonetic sound is replaced with a voice signal stored in advance corresponding to, for example, each of the 50 sounds, and the voice signal is processed so that the voice becomes smoother if necessary. In addition, for a word that is used relatively frequently, a voice signal corresponding to the word itself is stored in advance.

The voice signal thus synthesized is a digital signal and is temporarily stored in the memory of the personal computer 1. When the operator instructs the audio signal to be output from the speaker so as to be confirmed by the ear, the audio signal is converted into an analog signal by D / A conversion,
A speaker built in the PC 1 via an amplifier,
Alternatively, it is output to a speaker as an external device.

Further, the operator sends the above audio signal to the MD
When the device 2 instructs the MD 11 to record the audio signal, first, the audio signal is taken out from the memory and the data compression unit 10 of the personal computer 1 causes the ATRA.
It is compressed by the C method. The compressed data is S
The CSI controller chip is divided into transmission units according to the SCSI standard, and after various transmission control bits and the like are added, the MD device 2 is connected via the cable 7.
Sent to

On the MD device 2 side, the data transmitted from the personal computer 1 as described above is received by the interface section 16 and temporarily stored in the buffer memory 15. Further, the interface unit 16 restores the audio signal to the state before the transmission by sequentially taking out the above data from the buffer memory 15 and performing processing such as removing the transmission control bit added for the transmission. And outputs it to the digital signal processing circuit 14. At this time, the audio signal remains compressed in the ATRAC system.

After this, the system control microcomputer 1
Under the control of 7, the optical pickup 12 irradiates the MD 11 with laser light, and the head drive circuit 24 controls the magnetic head 25 so as to apply the magnetic field modulated based on the audio signal to the MD 11. The audio signal is magneto-optically recorded on the MD 11.

FIG. 3 is a time chart when an audio signal input from the personal computer 1 in a compressed state is recorded. As shown in the figure, an audio signal is intermittently input from the personal computer 1 by dividing it into a predetermined data length.
Since this audio signal has been compressed on the personal computer 1 side, recording can be performed in a state close to continuous recording, and high speed recording is possible.

As described above, the audio recording / reproducing apparatus of this embodiment uses the audio signal synthesized on the personal computer 1 side as
This is a structure in which the data is sent to the MD device 2 side after being compressed by the ATRAC method so as to have a form suitable for MD recording. That is, since the audio signal is transmitted in a compressed digital signal state, the data transmission time between the personal computer 1 and the MD device 2 is shortened, and further, the time required for compression on the MD device 2 side is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to record the audio signal at high speed. Furthermore, since the amount of data is reduced by compression, the storage capacity of the buffer memory 15 provided corresponding to the interface unit 16 of the MD device 2 can be small.

Further, for example, another configuration is conceivable in which the audio signal converted into a digital signal by A / D conversion is transmitted to the MD device without being compressed, and the audio signal is recorded after being compressed on the MD device side. However, in such a configuration, it is necessary to newly provide the MD device with a dedicated terminal for inputting a digital audio signal, whereas in the configuration described in this embodiment, the audio signal and the personal computer 1 are connected. Since both the control signal and the control signal can be transmitted to the MD device 2 through one system of signal lines compatible with the above-mentioned interface, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to newly provide the above-mentioned dedicated terminal.

Further, in the above-mentioned another configuration, it is difficult to reduce the cost because it is necessary to additionally provide a compression processing circuit and a memory for compressing the input digital audio signal on the MD device side. In terms of cost, it can be said that the configuration of this embodiment is superior.

In this embodiment, an example in which SCSI is used as an interface for inputting / outputting data between the personal computer 1 and the MD device 2 has been described, but other various interfaces can be applied. Is. Further, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the data compression unit 10 made of software installed in the personal computer 1 performs voice synthesis from text data or compresses a synthesized voice signal. This can be replaced by hardware such as an LSI that realizes these functions.

[Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Incidentally, for convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to the means having the same functions as those shown in the drawings of the above-mentioned embodiment, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

The basic structure of the audio recording / reproducing apparatus in this embodiment is shown in FIG. 4, and the personal computer 1 is provided with a data compression section 31 which replaces the data compression section 10. The data compression unit 31 is for compressing the data amount of the audio signal generated by the audio synthesis unit 9. That is, the data compression unit 31 has a bit number of 1 of the audio signal generated by the audio synthesis unit 9 which is about the same as that of a CD (compact disk).
In the case of 6 bits, the audio signal is compressed by reducing this to 8 bits, which is about the same as a cassette tape. As this method, for example, a process of thinning out the audio signal or a process of narrowing the frequency band of the audio signal can be adopted. This reduces the data amount of the audio signal.

In the MD device 2, the digital audio signal input through the interface section 16 is compressed by the data compression section 32 and output to the recording / reproducing section 8. The data compression unit 32 corresponds to the compression / decompression circuit 22 shown in FIG. 5, and compresses a signal by the ATRAC method. That is, in this embodiment, the MD device 2
5 has the configuration shown in FIG. 5. The digital audio signal input from the personal computer 1 to the interface section 16 is compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 22 and then sent to the digital signal processing circuit 14.

In the above structure, when recording the audio signal generated by the personal computer 1 in the MD device 2, first, the data compression unit 31 of the personal computer 1 generates the digital audio signal as described above. This signal is temporarily stored in the memory in the personal computer 1.

Next, the audio signal is taken out from the above-mentioned memory and compressed by the data compression unit 31 mounted on the personal computer 1. This compression is a process of reducing the number of bits of the audio signal by half. The compressed data is divided into transmission units according to the SCSI standard in the above-mentioned SCSI controller chip, various transmission control bits and the like are added, and then sent to the MD device 2 via the cable 7. .

On the MD device 2 side, the data transmitted from the personal computer 1 as described above is received by the interface section 16 and temporarily stored in the buffer memory 15. Further, the interface unit 16 uses the buffer memory 1
The audio signals are sequentially taken out from the signal No. 5, restored to the state before transmission, and output to the compression / expansion circuit 22. Compression / decompression circuit 22
Then, the input audio signal is subjected to a predetermined compression by the ATRAC method and output to the digital signal processing circuit 14. After that, under the control of the system control microcomputer 17, an audio signal is recorded on the MD 11 by the optical pickup 12 and the magnetic head 25.

FIG. 6 is a time chart when the audio signal input from the personal computer 1 in a compressed state is recorded in the MD 11. As shown in the figure, an audio signal is intermittently input from the personal computer 1 by dividing it into a predetermined data length. Since this audio signal is already compressed on the personal computer 1 side and the data amount is small, the compression / decompression circuit 22 can perform compression in a short time. Therefore, M
The non-recording time at the time of recording the audio signal of each unit (1 cluster) to D11 is shortened, and the recording can be performed in a state close to continuous recording. This enables high-speed recording.

As described above, in the audio recording / reproducing apparatus of this embodiment, the audio signal is compressed in advance before the compression of the audio signal by the MD apparatus 2 by the ATRAC system, so that the high speed recording is enabled. ing. Therefore, the present apparatus is suitable when high-speed recording is required, although the sound quality deteriorates within the audible range. Further, in practice, the fact that the personal computer 1 performs the voice synthesis to generate the voice signal is due to the reading of the text data, etc. Therefore, as long as the data can be heard, the sound quality of the process by this device becomes a problem. It's not something.

Further, since the amount of data is reduced by compression, the storage capacity of the buffer memory 15 provided corresponding to the interface section 16 of the MD device 2 can be small, as in the case of the first embodiment. Is.

On the other hand, the processing for recording an audio signal on the MD 11 and the processing for reproducing from the MD 11 are as described in the above embodiment. When recording a signal other than the audio signal transmitted from the personal computer 1,
An input signal from the personal computer 1 to the interface section 16 is input to the digital signal processing circuit 14 without passing through the compression / expansion circuit 22, and thereafter recorded in the MD 11 in the same manner as other signals.

In this embodiment, the compression processing of the audio signal is performed by the data compression section 31 of the personal computer 1. However, if compression in the compression / expansion circuit 22 of the MD device 2 can be performed in a short time, the MD11
Since it is possible to increase the recording speed to the personal computer 1, the data compressing unit 31 is not limited to the personal computer 1 and is not limited to the personal computer 1.
It suffices to be provided before the compression / expansion circuit 22 in the signal transmission path to the compression / expansion circuit 22 of the D device 2.

In the present embodiment, when a digital audio signal is transmitted from the personal computer 1 to the MD device 2,
The audio signal is pre-compressed in the preceding stage of the compression / expansion circuit 22, but this configuration is used from the personal computer 1 to the MD device 2
It can also be applied to the case of transmitting an analog voice signal. For example, when the converter 23 performs A / D conversion on the analog audio signal of the personal computer 1 input to the converter 23 of the MD device 2 through the audio input / output terminal 26, the sampling frequency is reduced from the normal 44.1 kHz to, for example, half. To 22.05 kHz. In such a configuration, the data amount of the audio signal is reduced and the compression / decompression circuit 22
The compression process can be performed at high speed. That is, if this compression can be performed at high speed, the signal transfer speed from the personal computer 1 to the MD device 2 can be set accordingly, and as a result, the recording speed to the MD 11 can be increased.

[0064]

As described above, in the audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the data processing apparatus and the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus transfer the audio signal from the data processing apparatus to the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus as a digital signal. The data processing device is connected via an interface for transmitting, and the data processing device includes a second compression unit that compresses the generated audio signal into a predetermined form by the first compression unit of the audio compression recording / reproducing device. The audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus is configured to record the audio signal, which is compressed by the second compression unit and input through the interface, on the recording medium without being compressed by the first compression unit.

As a result, the transmission time of the audio signal between the data processing device and the audio recording / reproducing device can be shortened. Further, the processing time in the first compression unit of the audio recording / reproducing apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to record the audio signal on the recording medium at high speed in a state closer to continuous recording.

Further, in the audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2, the data processing apparatus is provided with the second compression section for compressing the generated audio signal, and the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus is the second compression section. The audio signal processed and transmitted from the data processing device is processed by the first compression unit and then recorded on the recording medium.

As a result, the transmission time of the audio signal between the data processing device and the audio recording / reproducing device can be shortened. Also, the processing time in the first compression unit can be shortened. Therefore, after the audio signal is transmitted from the data processing device, the processing until the audio signal is recorded on the recording medium of the audio compression recording / reproducing device can be performed at high speed.

Further, in the audio recording / reproducing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, the conversion unit of the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus is an audio signal input from a device other than the data processing device with respect to an audio signal input from the data processing device. The sampling is performed at a lower sampling frequency.

As a result, the data amount of the audio signal input from the data processing device is reduced, so that the processing of this audio signal in the compression section can be performed at high speed. Therefore, after the audio signal is transmitted from the data processing device, the processing until the audio signal is recorded on the recording medium of the audio compression recording / reproducing device can be performed at high speed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an audio recording / reproducing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of an MD device of the audio recording / reproducing device.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an audio signal recording operation performed by the MD device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of an MD device of the audio recording / reproducing device shown in FIG.

6 is a time chart showing a recording operation of an audio signal performed by the MD device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of an MD device included in a conventional audio recording / reproducing device.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional audio recording / reproducing apparatus including the above MD device.

9 is a block diagram showing another example of the schematic configuration of the control system of the MD device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a time chart showing an audio signal recording operation performed by the MD device in the conventional audio recording / reproducing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Personal Computer (Data Processing Device) 2 MD Device (Voice Compression Recording / Reproducing Device) 9 Voice Synthesis Unit 10 Data Compression Unit (Second Compression Unit) 11 MD (Recording Medium) 16 Interface Unit 22 Compression / Expansion Circuit (First Compression Unit) ) 23 converter (conversion unit) 31 data compression unit (second compression unit)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A data processing device for generating an audio signal, a conversion unit for analog / digital converting the audio signal, and a first compression unit for compressing the audio signal into a predetermined form, which are processed by these units. In an audio recording / reproducing apparatus provided with an audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus for recording an audio signal of a state in a recording medium, the data processing apparatus and the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus from the data processing apparatus to the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus. The data processing apparatus is connected via an interface for transmitting an audio signal as a digital signal, and the data processing apparatus compresses the generated audio signal into a predetermined form by the first compression unit of the audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus. The audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus has a section, and the audio signal input via the interface is compressed by the first compression section. An audio recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by being recorded on a recording medium without being compressed. 2. A data processing device for generating an audio signal, a conversion unit for analog / digital converting the audio signal, and a first compression unit for compressing the audio signal into a predetermined form, which are processed by these units. An audio recording / reproducing apparatus including an audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus for recording an audio signal of a state on a recording medium, wherein the data processing apparatus is provided with a second compression section for compressing the generated audio signal. The audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus described above is characterized in that the audio signal processed by the second compression section and transmitted from the data processing apparatus is processed by the first compression section and then recorded on a recording medium. Audio recording / playback device. 3. A data processing device for generating a voice signal from character data, a voice signal from a device other than the data processing device, and a voice signal from the data processing device can be input, and these voice signals are analog / digital. An audio compression recording / reproducing apparatus having a conversion unit for converting and a compression unit for compressing the audio signal processed by the conversion unit into a predetermined form, and recording the audio signal processed by the compression unit on a recording medium. In the provided audio recording / reproducing apparatus, the conversion unit samples the audio signal input from the data processing apparatus at a sampling frequency lower than that of the audio signal input from other than the data processing apparatus. An audio recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by being a thing.