JPH11341418A - Image signal recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To start recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal urgently. SOLUTION: A main body 1 of a movie camera is provided with a moving image recording button 6 and a still image recording button 7. In the case that the moving image recording button 6 or the still image recording button 7 is operated, recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal is urgently started. Images of the moving image recording button and the still image recording button are displayed on a liquid crystal display section 4A and when either of them is clicked, recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal is urgently started.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image signal recording apparatus, and more particularly to a method for promptly starting a recording operation by not only mechanically instructing the start of recording but also instructing by software. And an image signal recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a conventional movie camera, a magnetic tape is used as a recording medium. In such a movie camera, when an instruction to start imaging of a predetermined subject is given, the driving of an imaging unit such as a CCD is started, an operation of winding a magnetic tape around a magnetic drum, and an operation of setting the magnetic drum to a steady rotation state. After sequentially performing operations for advancing the mounted magnetic tape to a recordable position (hereinafter, these operations are collectively referred to as a preparation operation), the magnetic tape is ready for recording.

[0003]

However, since a number of operations are required as described above until the recording becomes possible, for example, after the user operates the button for starting the imaging, the actual imaging is started. Until the start, there is a possibility that the timing at which the user wants to capture an image is missed.

Therefore, the tape is wound around a magnetic drum,
This problem has been dealt with by setting the magnetic drum in a rotating state and providing a standby state in which imaging can always be started.

However, the above-mentioned standby state is
Since the motor is always driven, there is a problem in that the power is consumed accordingly.

Further, since the motor is rotating with the tape stopped, there has been a problem that the tape or the drum is worn or worn.

Further, for example, when the imaging is started immediately after the power of the main body is turned on, as described above, it takes time until the start of the imaging, and there is a problem that it is not possible to capture an image during that period. Was.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and is to urgently start recording a moving image signal, a still image signal, or an audio signal.

[0009]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image signal recording apparatus, comprising: an image pickup means for picking up an image of a predetermined object; and a generation means for generating a moving image signal or a still image signal of the object picked up by the image pickup means. Means, a recording means for recording a moving image signal or a still image signal generated by the generating means, a display means for visibly displaying information, and a moving image displayed visibly by the display means and generated by the generating means First instruction means for instructing the start of recording of an image signal or a still image signal by software, and second instruction means for mechanically instructing the start of recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal generated by the generation means And characterized in that:

[0010] In the image signal recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the start of recording is not only instructed mechanically but also,
It is also instructed by software.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In order to clarify the correspondence between each means of the invention described in the claims and the following embodiments, each means is described. When the features of the present invention are described by adding the corresponding embodiment (however, an example) in parentheses after the parentheses, the result is as follows. However, of course, this description does not mean that each means is limited to those described.

An image signal recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image pickup means (for example, the image pickup device 21 shown in FIG. 3) for picking up an image of a predetermined subject, Generating means (for example,
A signal processing unit 23 in FIG. 3), a recording unit (for example, the data access unit 27 in FIG. 3) for recording a moving image signal or a still image signal generated by the generation unit, and a display unit for visually displaying information (For example, the liquid crystal display unit 4 in FIG. 3
A) and first instruction means (for example, a moving image recording button shown in FIG. 7) which is displayed by the display means and which instructs the start of recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal generated by the generating means by software. 64, a still image recording button 65) and second instruction means (for example, the moving image recording button 6, FIG. 1) for mechanically instructing the start of recording of the moving image signal or the still image signal generated by the generating means. And a still image recording button 7).

[0013] In the image signal recording apparatus according to the third aspect, the generation means can generate a moving image signal and a still image signal, and the second instruction means can instruct the start of recording of the moving image signal. (For example, the moving image recording button 6 in FIG. 1) and fourth instruction means (for example, the still image recording button 7 in FIG. 1) for instructing the start of recording of a still image signal. I do.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the appearance of a movie camera to which the present invention is applied. On the front of the body 1,
A liquid crystal display unit 4A is provided.
A so-called touch panel 4B that outputs a position signal corresponding to a position designated by a user's touch operation is arranged on the surface of the touch panel 4B. The touch panel 4B is made of a transparent material such as glass or resin, and the user can view an image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4A formed inside the touch panel 4B via the touch panel 4B. It has been made possible.

On the front of the main body 1, a power switch (main switch) 5, a moving image recording button 6 operated to start recording of a moving image, and a zoom button 8 operated to switch a zoom. Are located. On the upper surface of the main body 1, a still image recording button 7 operated to start recording of a still image is arranged.
In the following, the moving image recording button 6 and the still image recording button 7 are collectively referred to as trigger buttons as appropriate. Body 1
A slot 9 is provided on the side surface (right side surface in the figure) of FIG. 1, and a removable magneto-optical recording medium 28, such as an MO (Magneto Optical) disk, is mounted.

Further, a camera section 2 is rotatably attached to the main body 1, and the camera section 2 can be fixed at an arbitrary position of 360 degrees. Thus, the user can perform shooting from various angles while observing the subject displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4A.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 1 may be provided with a changeover switch 11 for switching between a state where the moving image recording button 6 can be operated and a state where the moving image recording button 6 cannot be operated. In this example, when the lever of the changeover switch 11 is switched to the “standby” position, the operation of the moving image recording button 6 becomes effective (becomes accepted), and when the lever is switched to the “lock” position. The operation of the moving image recording button 6 is invalidated (not accepted). This can prevent a malfunction when the moving image recording button 6 is operated by mistake.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the movie camera shown in FIG. The lens driving unit 20 is controlled by the signal processing unit 23, and drives the imaging lens 3 to perform correction such as focus or zoom. The image sensor 21 photoelectrically converts an optical image of a subject formed via the imaging lens 3 into an image signal (electric signal) and outputs the image signal to the A / D converter 22. A / D converter 22
Converts an image signal supplied from the image sensor 21 from an analog signal to a digital signal.
The signal processing unit 23 controls exposure of the image sensor 21 (for example,
Aperture or auto gain control), the image signal supplied from the A / D converter 22 is subjected to processing such as white balance correction and gamma correction, and output to the frame memory 24. I have.

The frame memory 42 stores the image signal supplied from the signal processing section 23 or the data compression / decompression section 25 for each predetermined number of frames. Data compression / decompression unit 25
Compresses the image signal (moving image signal or still image signal) read from the frame memory 24 and outputs it to the buffer memory 26, expands the image signal read from the buffer memory 26, and outputs it to the frame memory 24. It has been made to be.

The data access unit 27 is provided with a recording / reproducing head, drives the mounted magneto-optical recording medium 28,
The image signal or the audio signal read from the buffer memory 26 is recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium 28, and the image signal or the audio signal recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is read and output to the buffer memory 26. I have.

The audio input / output unit 29 includes a microphone and a speaker (not shown). The audio input / output unit 29 outputs audio input from the microphone to the A / D conversion unit 31 and outputs an audio signal supplied from the D / A conversion unit 30. Output via speaker. The D / A conversion unit 30 converts the audio signal supplied from the audio signal processing unit 32 from a digital signal to an analog signal, and outputs the analog signal to the audio input / output unit 29. The A / D conversion unit 31
The audio signal supplied from the audio input / output unit 29 is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal and output to the audio signal processing unit 32. The audio signal processing unit 32
The audio signal supplied from the A / D converter 31 is compressed and output to the buffer memory 26,
6, the audio signal read out from the D / A converter 30 is expanded.
Output.

The display image creation unit 33 includes the frame memory 2
An image corresponding to the image signal read from 4 is created and is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4A on a monitor. The touch panel input unit 35 outputs an operation signal (position signal) from the touch panel 4B to the control unit 34. The operation member input unit 36 receives an operation signal from an operation member such as the power switch 5, the moving image recording button 6, the still image recording button 7, or the zoom button 8 and outputs the operation signal to the control unit 34. The control unit 34 controls each unit according to a program stored in the ROM 37. Further, the control unit 34 has a built-in timer (not shown), and always performs a clocking operation. In the RAM 38, data, programs, and the like necessary for the control unit 34 to execute various processes are appropriately recorded.

The data compression / decompression unit 25, display image creation unit 33, touch panel input unit 35, and control unit 34
Is realized by an internal function of the microprocessor 40.

Next, the normal recording process will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, step S
In 11, when the user operates the power switch 5, the power of the main body 1 is turned on. Then step S
In 12, the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to display an initial image on the liquid crystal display unit 4A. FIG.
Shows a display example of the initial image. In this example, a camera button 51-1 and a disc button (play button) 51-2 are displayed at the lower left of the screen.

When the camera button 51-1 is operated, a camera window (to be described later with reference to FIG. 7) used when recording a moving image or a still image is started (displayed). When the camera window is closed (display is deleted), button 5
1-1 is displayed. When the camera button 51-1 is displayed, the components of the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23 in FIG. As a result, waste of power can be prevented. Similarly, when the disk button 51-2 is operated, a disk window for confirming (reproducing) the content recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is activated. When the disk window is closed, the disk button 51-2 is closed. Is displayed.

In step S13, the control unit 34 checks the state of each unit, and in step S14, executes a state detection process (described later with reference to FIG. 8) of the magneto-optical recording medium 28. Subsequently, in step S15, it is determined whether or not the camera button 51-1 (FIG. 6) has been operated. If it is determined that the camera button 51-1 has not been operated, the process returns to step S15. If it is determined in step S15 that the camera button 51-1 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S16, and the control unit 34 activates a camera window.

FIG. 7 shows a display example of the camera window. FIG. 7A shows an example in which the camera window is displayed side by side with a disk window described later with reference to FIG. In this example, the captured image (or the image being recorded) is displayed in the area 61. The mode button 62 is operated when selecting a mode such as an auto focus mode or a camera shake mode.
In the area 63, the selected mode is displayed. A moving image recording button (movie recording button) 64 is operated when recording of a moving image is started.
The still image recording button (still recording button) 65 is operated when starting recording of a still image. Stop button 66
Is operated to stop the recording operation being executed.
The end button (close button) 67 is operated to end (close) the camera window. FIG. 7B shows an example in which a camera window is displayed on the entire screen.
Portions corresponding to those in FIG. 7A are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In this example, the recordable time (the free space of the magneto-optical recording medium 28) is displayed in the area 71.

Then, the process proceeds to a step S17, wherein the control unit 3
4 starts the operation of the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23 (that is, starts the supply of the power supply voltage to the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23). As a result, image signals corresponding to the optical image captured by the imaging lens 3 are sequentially stored in the frame memory 24.
Proceeding to step S18, the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to start the monitor display of the image signals sequentially stored in the frame memory 24 on the liquid crystal display unit 4A. In step S19, the data access unit 27
Rotates the disk (magneto-optical recording medium 28) and seeks the head to a recordable position. This allows recording to be started at any time (standby state)
It will be.

In step S20, the end button 67
It is determined whether or not has been operated, and if it is determined that the end button 67 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S21, where the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to erase the display of the camera window and , Button 51-1. In step S22, the control unit 34
The supply of the power supply voltage from the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23 is stopped. Thus, the operations of the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23 stop. In step S23, it is determined whether or not reproduction is being performed. If it is determined that reproduction is being performed, the process returns to step S13, and the subsequent processing is executed. If it is determined in step S23 that the data is not being reproduced, the process proceeds to step S24, where the data access unit 2
7 stops the rotation of the disk. And step S
Returning to step 13, the subsequent processing is executed.

In step S20, the end button 67
If it is determined that is not operated, step S25
Then, it is determined whether the moving image recording button 64 or the still image recording button 65 has been operated, and if it is determined that the moving image recording button 64 or the still image recording button 65 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step S26. . In step S26, the control unit 34 determines whether or not the duration Ta of the rotation of the disk has become equal to or longer than the threshold T1, and returns to step S20 if it determines that the duration Ta has not yet reached or exceeded the threshold T1. And the subsequent processing is executed. If it is determined in step S26 that the disk rotation duration time Ta has become equal to or longer than the threshold value T1, the process proceeds to step S27, where the data access unit 27 stops the disk rotation, and proceeds to step S28. Step S2
In 8, it is determined whether the no-operation time (time during which the user has not performed any operation) Tb is equal to or greater than the threshold value T2, and it is determined that the no-operation time Tb is not yet equal to or greater than the threshold value T2. If so, the process returns to step S19, and the subsequent processing is executed. If it is determined in step S28 that the no-operation time Tb has become equal to or greater than the threshold T2, the process proceeds to step S29, and a forced termination process is executed (this point will be described later with reference to FIG. 10).

If it is determined in step S25 that the moving image recording button 64 or the still image recording button 65 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S30, where the data compression / expansion unit 25 converts the image signal stored in the frame memory 24. The compression and output to the buffer memory 26 are started. In step S31, the data access unit 27
Starts reading the image signal stored in the buffer memory 26 and recording it on the magneto-optical recording medium 28.

In step S32, it is determined whether or not there is free space in the magneto-optical recording medium 28. If it is determined that there is no free space, in step S33, the control unit 34 causes the display image creating unit 33 to Control, for example,
A warning such as "no free space" is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4A, and the recording operation (compression of the image signal by the data compression / expansion unit 25 and storage in the buffer memory 26) is stopped in step S34. In step S35, the data access unit 27 stops the rotation of the disk, returns to step S13, and executes the subsequent processing.

If it is determined in step S32 that there is still free space, the process proceeds to step S36, where it is determined whether or not free space is small. If it is determined that free space is small, the control unit proceeds to step S37. 34 is
The display image creation unit 33 is controlled to display, for example, a warning such as "Soon to run out of free space" on the liquid crystal display unit 4A, and the process proceeds to step S38. If it is determined in step S36 that there is still enough free space, the process proceeds to step S38, and it is determined whether the stop button 66 has been operated. In step S38, the stop button 6
If it is determined that No. 6 has not been operated, step S3
2, and the subsequent processing is executed. If it is determined in step S38 that the stop button 66 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S39, where the control unit 34 stops the recording operation, and in step S40, the data access unit 27
Stops the rotation of the disk of the magneto-optical recording medium 28.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the state detection processing of the magneto-optical recording medium 28. First, step S
At 51, it is determined whether or not there is a sufficient power supply voltage (that is, whether or not there is a remaining battery). If it is determined that there is no sufficient power supply voltage (there is no remaining battery), the process proceeds to step S52. The control unit 34 includes a display image creation unit 33
To display a warning such as "the battery is exhausted", and execute a forced termination process in step S53. If it is determined in step S51 that there is sufficient power supply voltage (sufficient battery level remains), the process proceeds to step S54, and the data access unit 27
Determines whether or not the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is mounted. If it is determined that the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is not mounted, the process proceeds to step S55, and the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 Then, for example, after displaying a warning such as "disk is not mounted", in step S66, an error process such as mounting the magneto-optical recording medium 28 on the user is executed, and the process returns to step S54. .

If it is determined in step S54 that the magneto-optical recording medium 28 has been mounted, step S5
Proceeding to 6, the data access unit 27 rotates the disk and seeks the head to the recordable position. In step S57, it is determined whether the magneto-optical recording medium 28 has been formatted. If it is determined that the magneto-optical recording medium 28 has not been formatted, the process proceeds to step S58, where the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to For example, a warning such as "not formatted" is displayed, and step S66
In step S3, after performing error processing such as executing formatting of the magneto-optical recording medium 28, for example,
Return to 54.

If it is determined in step S57 that the magneto-optical recording medium 28 has been formatted, the process proceeds to step S59, where the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is write-protected (data writing is prohibited).
Is determined. If it is determined in step S59 that the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is write-protected (data writing is prohibited), in step S60, the control unit 34 sets the display image creation unit 33
Control, for example, "Write is prohibited"
Is displayed, and in step S66, error processing such as, for example, allowing the user to release the write protection is executed, and the process returns to step S54.

If it is determined in step S59 that the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is not write-protected, the process proceeds to step S61, where the control unit 34 activates a disk window. As a result, a disc window is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4A. FIG. 9 shows a display example of a disc window. In this example, region 8
1 indicates a recordable time. In the areas 82-1 to 82-4, thumbnails of moving images and still images recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium 28, or scenarios (texts) related to those images are displayed. The cursor 83 is displayed on the thumbnail of each area or the selected one of the scenarios. In this case, it is assumed that the thumbnail in the area 82-3 has been selected. The scroll button 84 is operated when scrolling the display of the areas 82-1 to 82-4 (switching to the display of another thumbnail or scenario). The operation button 85 is operated when instructing execution of processing such as reproduction, reverse reproduction, fast forward, fast rewind, pause, or stop of the image corresponding to the selected thumbnail. The delete button 86 is operated when deleting the selected thumbnail or scenario.

In step S62, the control unit 34 detects the free space of the magneto-optical recording medium 28, and proceeds to step S63.
Then, the display image creation unit 33 is controlled to display the recordable time corresponding to the detected free space in the area 81 of the disk window. Then, in step S64, the recordable time is recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium 28. The thumbnail or scenario corresponding to the moving image signal or the still image signal is displayed in areas 82-1 to 82-4 of the disc window. In step S65, the data access unit 27 stops rotating the disk.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the forced termination process. First, in step S81, the control unit 34 sets various states (for example, the set mode).
Is stored in, for example, a RAM (not shown). Step S
Proceeding to 82, the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to display a warning such as "turn off the power". In step S83, the elapsed time Tc of the warning display
Is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold T3, and if it is determined that the elapsed time Tc is not greater than or equal to the threshold T3, the process returns to step S82. In step S83,
When it is determined that the elapsed time Tc has become equal to or longer than the threshold value T3, the control unit 34 turns off the power of the main body 1 in step S84.

Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11, a first moving image signal executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the camera window is not activated (not displayed). An example of the emergency recording process will be described. First, in step S91, the control unit 34 starts supplying a power supply voltage to the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23. Thus, the operations of the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23 are started, and the image signals are sequentially stored in the frame memory 24. Proceeding to step S92, the control unit 34 starts activation of the camera window. In step S93, the data access unit 27 starts rotating the disk and seeking to the recordable position of the head. Proceeding to step S94, the data compression / decompression unit 25
Compression of moving image signals sequentially stored in the frame memory 24 and storage in the buffer memory 26 are started.

In step S95, it is determined whether or not the camera window is displayed (started). If it is determined that the camera window is displayed (started), the process proceeds to step S96, where the control unit 34 is controlled. Controls the display image creation unit 33 to control the area 61 of the camera window.
Is displayed on the monitor of the moving image signal.
Proceed to. If it is determined in step S95 that the camera window is not displayed (not activated), the process advances to step S97 to determine whether writing (recording) of a moving image signal on the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is possible. Is determined, and the moving image signal cannot be written to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 yet (the disk of the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is not rotating at a steady speed, or the head has not been moved to a recordable position). If determined, step S98
Proceed to. In step S98, the buffer memory 26
Is determined to be full, and if it is determined that the buffer memory 26 is not yet full, the process returns to step S95 and the subsequent processing is executed.

If it is determined in step S98 that the buffer memory 26 is full, step S99
The control unit 34 updates the contents of the buffer memory 26 (rewrites the moving image signal stored in the buffer memory 26 with a new moving image signal supplied from the data compression / expansion unit 25), and proceeds to step S95. Return and execute the subsequent processing.

If it is determined in step S97 that the writing of the moving image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is enabled, the process proceeds to step S100, where the data access unit 27 writes the moving image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28. Start writing.

In step S101, it is determined whether the stop button 66 has been operated.
If it is determined that has been operated, the process proceeds to step S102, and if it is not determined that the stop button 66 has been operated, the process returns to step S100.

In step S102, the writing of the new moving picture signal supplied from the data compression / decompression section 25 to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is completed. Next, step S103
Thus, the moving image signal stored in the buffer memory 26 is copied and recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium 28. At this time, the moving image signal copied from the buffer memory 26 to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is reproduced in step S10 so that the moving image signal is reproduced before the moving image signal recorded in step S100.
0 is connected to the moving image signal recorded at 0 and recorded.
By performing the connection processing in this way, when the moving image signal is reproduced, it can be appreciated without any uncomfortable feeling.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing a second example of the urgent recording processing of a moving image signal executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the camera window is not activated. In this example, step S1
Steps S11 to S118 correspond to steps S91 to S98 in FIG. 11, respectively.
Step 20 corresponds to step S100 in FIG. 11, and a description thereof will be omitted. In this case, step S1
If it is determined in step S18 that the buffer memory 26 is full, the control unit 34 determines in step S119 that the moving image signal stored in the buffer memory 26 is compressed without updating the contents of the buffer memory 26. Without rewriting to a new moving image signal supplied from the decompression unit 25), the process returns to step S115, and the subsequent processing is executed. Other processes are the same as those shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a third example of the moving image signal emergency recording process executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the camera window is not activated. First, in step S131,
The control unit 34 starts supplying a power supply voltage to the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23. Proceeding to step S132, the control unit 34 starts activation of the camera window. In step S133, the data access unit 27
Starts disk rotation and head seek.
Proceeding to step S134, the data compression / decompression unit 25 compresses the still image signal stored in the frame memory 24 and stores it in the buffer memory 26.

In step S 135, the audio signal processing unit 32 compresses the audio signal input via the audio input / output unit 29 and the
6 is started. In step S136, it is determined whether or not the camera window is displayed. If it is determined that the camera window is displayed, step S137 is performed.
The control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to cause the area 61 of the camera window to display the moving image signal on the monitor, and then proceeds to step S138. Step S
If it is determined in 136 that the camera window is not displayed, the process proceeds to step S138, where it is determined whether various signals can be written to the magneto-optical recording medium 28. If it is determined that writing cannot be performed, the process proceeds to step S139.

In step S139, it is determined whether or not the buffer memory 26 is full. If it is determined that the buffer memory 26 is not full, the process returns to step S136, and the subsequent processing is executed. If it is determined in step S139 that the buffer memory 26 is full, the process proceeds to step S140, and the control unit 34 returns to step S136 without updating the contents of the buffer memory 26, and executes the subsequent processing.

If it is determined in step S 138 that various signals can be written to the magneto-optical recording medium 28, the process proceeds to step S 141, where the data access unit 27 stores the contents stored in the buffer memory 26 ( Still image signal and audio signal) to the magneto-optical recording medium 28
Then, in step S142, writing of the moving image signal and the audio signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is started.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing a fourth example of a moving image signal emergency recording process executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the camera window is not activated. In this example, step S1
Steps S51 to S155 correspond to steps S91 to S95 in FIG. 11, respectively.
7 to S159 correspond to step S in FIG.
This corresponds to the processing of steps S97 to S99, and a description thereof will be omitted. In this case, if it is determined in step S155 that the camera window has been displayed, step S15
In step S157, the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to display a wait display such as, for example, “Activating the recordable state, please wait for a while.”
Proceed to. If it is determined in step S157 that various signals can be written to the magneto-optical recording medium 28,
Proceeding to step S160, the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to erase the weight display and start the monitor display of the moving image signal. After that, step S161
In, the data access unit 27 starts writing a moving image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium. Other processes are the same as those shown in FIG.

Next, an example of a moving image signal emergency recording process executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated during the reproducing operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this example, steps S174 to S180
Are performed in steps S94 to S10 in FIG.
0, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate. In step S171, the control unit 34 suspends the reproduction operation, and in step S172, starts the activation of the camera window. In step S173, the data access unit 27 continues the rotation at the time of reproduction of the disc, and starts seeking to the recordable position of the head. Subsequent processing is the same as in the case shown in FIG.

Next, an example of a moving image signal emergency recording process executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated during the reproducing operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this example, steps S194 to S200
Are performed in steps S94 to S10 in FIG.
0, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate. In step S171, the control unit 34 continues the reproduction operation, and in step S172, starts the activation of the camera window. In step S173, the data access unit 27 starts a seek to a recordable position of the head. Other processes are the same as those shown in FIG. 11, but the reproducing operation and the recording operation are executed in a time-division manner. Instead of performing the reproducing operation and the recording operation in a time-division manner, the head of the data access unit 27 may be two heads for recording and reproducing.

Next, an example of a still image signal emergency recording process executed when the still image recording button 7 is operated in a state where the camera window is not activated will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. First, step S2
At 11, the control unit 34 starts supplying the power supply voltage to the lens driving unit 20 to the signal processing unit 23. Thus, the operation of each unit is started, and the still image signal sampled at a predetermined timing is stored in the frame memory 24. In step S212, the data compression / expansion unit 25 reads out the still image signal stored in the frame memory 24, compresses it, and stores it in the buffer memory 26. Proceeding to step S213, the control unit 34 starts activation of the camera window. In step S214, the data access unit 27 sets the magneto-optical recording medium 28
Of the disk and seek to the recordable position of the head are started.

At step S215, it is determined whether or not the camera window is displayed. If it is determined that the camera window is displayed, at step S216,
The control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to display the still image signal in the area 61 of the camera window, and proceeds to step S217. If it is determined in step S215 that the camera window is not displayed, the process proceeds to step S217, where it is determined whether writing of a still image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is possible or not. If it is determined that writing cannot be performed on the recording medium 28 (the disk of the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is not rotating at a regular speed or the head is not at a recordable position), the process returns to step S215 and the subsequent processing is performed. Is executed.

If it is determined in step S 217 that writing of a still image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 has become possible, the process proceeds to step S 218, where the data access unit 27 sends the still image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28. Write.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing another example of the structure of the movie camera shown in FIG. 3. Parts corresponding to those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. I do. In this example, the buffer memory 26 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted. That is, transmission and reception of signals between the data compression / decompression unit 25 and the data access unit 27,
Alternatively, transmission and reception of signals between the audio signal processing unit 32 and the data access unit 27 are performed directly. Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of a moving image signal emergency recording process executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the camera window is not activated in the movie camera of FIG. In this example, the processing of steps S301 to S305 corresponds to the processing of steps S91 to S95 in FIG. 11, respectively, and the processing of step S307 corresponds to step S9 in FIG.
7, and the description thereof is omitted. If it is determined in step S305 that the camera window has been displayed, the process proceeds to step S306, and the control unit 34
Controls the display image creation unit 33 to display, for example, a wait display such as “Activating the recordable state, please wait for a while” or the like, and then proceed to step S307. Step S3
If it is determined in step 07 that writing of a moving image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium 28 is enabled, step S3
In step 08, the control unit 34 controls the display image creation unit 33 to delete the weight display and start the monitor display of the moving image signal stored in the frame memory 24. Then, in step S309, the data access unit 27 starts writing the moving image signal to the magneto-optical recording medium. Other processes are the same as those shown in FIG.

Note that the control unit 34 controls the magneto-optical recording medium 28
Of the moving image signal, the still image signal, or the audio signal, corresponding to the time until the recording becomes possible, the capacity of the buffer memory 26, or the state of the battery. Then, a signal to be stored in the buffer memory 26 may be selected.

In this embodiment, four buttons, a moving image recording button and a still image recording button operated mechanically, and a moving image recording button and a still image recording button operated by software, are used. Camera with buttons for described. However, it is not necessary for each of the buttons operated mechanically and the buttons operated by software to have moving image recording and still image recording. For example, a mechanically operated button may be a still image recording button, and a software operated button may be a moving image recording button. Conversely, a mechanically operated button may be a moving image recording button, and a software operated button may be a still image recording button. By doing so, the number of parts can be reduced.

[0061]

According to the image signal recording apparatus of the present invention, the first instruction means for instructing the start of recording of the image signal by software while watching the display means and the second instruction for mechanically instructing the start of recording. Since two instruction means are provided, if the first instruction means is used, the second instruction means is not affected by a mechanical factor such as a time lag, and the second instruction means is not affected. If the means is used, the recording of the image signal can be started even in a state where the display means cannot be displayed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the appearance of a movie camera to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example when a changeover switch 11 is provided in the main body 1 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electrical configuration of the movie camera in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a normal recording process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart following FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an initial image.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a camera window.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a state detection process of the magneto-optical recording medium.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of a disc window.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a forced termination process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first moving image signal emergency recording process executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the disc window is not activated.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a second moving image signal emergency recording processing example executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the disc window is not activated.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a third moving image signal emergency recording processing example executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the disc window is not activated.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth moving image signal emergency recording processing example executed when the moving image recording button 6 is operated in a state where the disc window is not activated.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a moving image signal emergency recording process when a moving image recording button 6 is operated during a reproducing operation.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the moving image signal emergency recording process when the moving image recording button 6 is operated during the reproducing operation.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a still image signal emergency recording process executed when the still image recording button 7 is operated in a state where the disc window is not activated.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the movie camera of FIG. 3;

19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a moving image signal emergency recording process in the movie camera in FIG. 18;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Camera part 3 Imaging lens 4A Liquid crystal display part 4B Touch panel 5 Power switch 6 Moving image recording button 7 Still image recording button 8 Zoom button

Claims (5)

[Claims] An imaging unit configured to image a predetermined subject; a generation unit configured to generate a moving image signal or a still image signal of the subject captured by the imaging unit; and a moving image signal generated by the generation unit. Recording means for recording a still image signal; display means for visually displaying information; software for starting recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal which is visually displayed by the display means and generated by the generation means. An image signal comprising: a first instruction unit for instructing the recording; and a second instruction unit for mechanically instructing the start of recording of a moving image signal or a still image signal generated by the generation unit. Recording device. 2. The image signal recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction to start recording by the second instruction unit has priority over the instruction to start recording by the first instruction unit. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating unit is capable of generating a moving image signal and a still image signal, the second instruction unit is a third instruction unit that instructs a start of recording of the moving image signal, and a still image signal. 4. The image signal recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: fourth instruction means for instructing the start of recording. 4. The image signal recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a recording start instruction given by said fourth instruction unit has priority over a recording start instruction given by said third instruction unit. 5. The first instructing means instructs the start of recording of one of a moving image signal and a still image signal, and the second instructing means comprises a first instructing means. 2. The image signal recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an instruction to start recording of the other image signal different from the image signal is issued.