JP2000181493A - Sound-recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a sound-recording device main body small-sized and to improve the operability. SOLUTION: When the sound-recording main body 11 is fixed in a pocket with a pen clip 12, its internal microphone 16 is arranged outside the pocket while facing toward the person and its sound-recording switch 13 is arranged appearing outside the pocket. The pen clip 12, microphone 16, and sound- recording switch 13 are provided at the end part of the sound-recording device main body 11 and an operation switch 14 and a liquid crystal display(LCD) 15 are provided on the same housing surface different from the surface where the pen clip 12 and sound-recording switch 13 are provided, so the sound- recording device main body 11 can be operated for sound recording while put in the pocket. Further, the user, while holding the device main body 11 taken out of the pocket in a hand and confirming the operation state on the LCD 15, can perform target operation and never fails to operate the device properly in the sound-recording operation since the operation switch 14 and sound- recording switch 13 are arranged at a distance from each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a recording device using a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory as a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, to record and reproduce sound, a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus such as a tape recorder using a magnetic tape as a recording medium has been used.

In addition to the recording / reproducing apparatus using such a magnetic tape, a solid-state recording / reproducing apparatus using a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory as a recording medium has been developed.

In a solid-state recording / reproducing apparatus using a semiconductor memory as a recording medium, the shape of the recording medium itself is small, and mechanical means for driving a tape is not required unlike a recording / reproducing apparatus using a magnetic tape. In addition, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire apparatus, which is convenient to carry, and that the use form can be diversified. That is, for example, it can be used in various ways, such as operating it in a breast pocket of clothes, operating it while holding it in a hand, or installing it on a desk and using it.

However, in such an apparatus, it is necessary to provide a built-in microphone, an operation switch for setting an operation mode, a display means, and the like in the apparatus main body. However, the arrangement of the microphone, the operation switch, and the display means is limited, and it is difficult to sufficiently satisfy the requirements in terms of usability.

Therefore, development of a recording apparatus which can satisfy two conflicting demands of being compact and having good operability has been expected.

[0007]

As described above, the development of a recording apparatus capable of satisfying the two requirements of small size and good operability has been expected.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device that can reduce the size of the recording device main body and can improve operability.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A recording apparatus main body having a rectangular column-shaped housing having a side surface that is formed by extending a cross section of the cross section in a rectangular shape, and each outer line of the cross section is extended in a direction intersecting with the surface, and built into the recording apparatus main body. A semiconductor memory as a recording medium, a control means for processing an input audio signal and reading the stored signal stored in the semiconductor memory, and a battery for supplying operating power; and a longitudinal direction of one side surface of the recording apparatus body At the end, a holder provided so that the tip thereof extends in the end direction on the opposite side substantially parallel to the side, and one side adjacent to the side provided with the holder of the recording device main body. Provided,
Operation switch means for causing the control means to execute a read operation of a signal stored in the semiconductor memory; and the holder provided at an end of the recording device main body in the same direction as an end provided with the holder. A sound provided in the recording device main body is provided so as to face an opening provided in the housing on a side different from the side provided with the operation switch and the side provided with the operation switch. A microphone to be led out to the control means, the side of the recording device main body provided with the operation switch means and the side provided with the holder and a side different from the side provided with the microphone; A recording device provided at an end in the same direction as an end provided with a microphone, for causing the control means to execute a signal storing operation to the semiconductor memory and to stop the storing operation. And switching means, said operation switch means of said recording apparatus main body is provided on the same side as the side that is provided, is obtained by including display means for displaying the operating state of at least the control means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus of the first aspect, the casing of the recording apparatus main body has a rectangular cross section, and the holder is provided on one side surface forming a short side. It is characterized by being.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the holder has a portion opposed to the side surface formed of an elastic rod.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus of the first aspect, the holder is a pen clip.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus of the first aspect, the recording switch means includes a switch having a mechanical position for holding a memory operation.

According to the present invention, the holder, the microphone, and the recording switch are provided at the end of the recording apparatus main body, and the operation switch and the display are different from the surface on which the holder and the recording switch are provided. Since it is provided on the same side, it is possible to perform a recording operation with the recording device main body stored in a pocket.

Further, in a state where the apparatus is removed from the pocket, the user can carry out a desired operation while holding the apparatus main body in his hand and checking the operation state on the display means. The distant arrangement of the means ensures that particularly important recording operations are performed without erroneous operation.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the operation switch and the display unit (display) side.
(b) is a perspective view seen from the microphone side.

1 (a) and 1 (b), a recording device 10 is shown.
Is a recording device body 1 having a rectangular parallelepiped housing.
1, the recording device main body 11 has
One is provided with a pen clip 12 functioning as a holder for holding the main body 11, and the other is provided with a recording switch 13 for operating recording on / off. Pen clip 12
Is provided for fixing to a user's breast pocket, and the base of the pen clip 12 is provided at an end of one side surface. A slide switch is used as the recording switch 13. This is because a button-type switch may be inadvertently pressed to start recording.

Operation switches 14 other than the recording switch 13
Are arranged on one side surface of the recording apparatus main body 11, as shown in FIG. The operation switch 14 is composed of a plurality of push-button switches, where a is a play button, b is a stop button, c is a fast forward button, d is a fast rewind button, and e is a delete button. Each of the buttons a to e constituting the operation switch 14 has a concave portion formed on the surface of the main body (hereinafter referred to as a housing surface). It is arranged to be low.
Note that a liquid crystal display (hereinafter, LCD) 15 functioning as a display unit is also provided on the same housing surface as the operation switch 14. The LCD 15 displays various operation modes of recording and reproduction, displays each elapsed time in the recording and reproduction states, displays the number of recordings, and displays a recording number (address).

As shown in FIG. 1B, a built-in microphone 16 is provided at an end of one side surface (housing surface) opposite to the surface on which the operation switch 14 and the LCD 15 are provided. The built-in microphone 16 is provided in the recording device main body 11 so as to face the microphone opening 16a formed by a large number of holes provided on the housing surface. The built-in microphone 16 is provided on the housing surface of the recording device main body 11 at an end in the same direction as the end where the pen clip 12 is provided.
When the recording apparatus main body 11 is fixed to the user's breast pocket by using the second part 2, the recording apparatus main body 11 is arranged at a portion protruding out of the breast pocket and in front of the person fixing the recording apparatus main body 11 (the front surface in the figure). Direction).
The position of the built-in microphone 16 is arranged such that the lower end of the built-in microphone 16 is located at a position Y which is separated from the position X of the base portion 17 of the pen clip 12 by a predetermined interval 18 and is located above.

According to the above configuration, the pen clip 12,
A microphone 16 and a recording switch 13 are provided at an end of the recording device main body 11, and an operation switch 14 and an LCD 15 are provided on the same side (housing surface) different from the surface on which the pen clip 12 and the recording switch 13 are provided. Therefore, it is possible to perform a recording operation with the recording device main body 11 stored in a pocket.

Further, in a state where the device is removed from the pocket, the user holds the apparatus main body 11 in a hand and changes the operation state of the LCD 1.
While confirming in step 5, the target operation can be executed, and since the arrangement of the operation switch 14 and the recording switch 13 is far apart, particularly important recording operation is surely executed without erroneous operation. It becomes.

At least in the reproduction mode, the operation can be performed with one hand while watching the display contents of the LCD 15 while the microphone 16 is operated by the stick-shaped device body 11.
, The sound can be recorded with a feeling similar to that of a conventional rod-shaped microphone device while being held by hand, and the operability is good. Moreover, since the LCD 15 as the display means is provided on the same side as the operation switch 14, erroneous operation is eliminated.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the recording device 10 is fixed to a pocket 21 on the left breast of the user's clothes, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of FIG. is there.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording device main body 11 is fixed to the pocket 21 using the pen clip 12. The pen clip 12 is formed of an elastic rod-shaped member, one end (upper end) of which is fixed to the recording device main body 11 and the other end (lower end) is a free end. The recording device main body 11 can be easily fixed to the breast pocket 21 by the pen clip 12 in this structure, and in this fixed state, the built-in microphone 16
Is exposed above the upper end line of the breast pocket 21 and is arranged in front of the user himself / herself, so that not only the voice of the user himself / herself but also the voice of the interlocutor and the extraneous sound can be reliably recorded. Performance can be improved.

When the recording device main body 11 is fixed to the pocket 21, the recording switch 13 is set to the recording device main body 1 position.
Since the recording switch 13 is located on the upper surface of the pocket 1 and is easily exposed to the outside of the pocket 21, the recording switch 13 can be operated from outside the pocket 21 to easily perform recording start / stop operations, thereby improving operability. be able to.

Further, the recording device main body 11 is
In the fixed state, the operation switch 14 (see FIG. 1) is located on the side of the user in the pocket 21, so that the operation switch 14 may be erroneously pressed from the front (front side) of the pocket 21 by mistake. There is no.

As shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above,
By designing the thickness of the recording device main body 11 to be equal to the thickness of a notebook normally used, in a state where the recording device main body 11 is fixed to the pocket 21, the side of the pocket 21 where the recording device main body 11 is not fixed, Since the notebook 22 is stored with the same thickness, efficient storage for the user can be performed.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the recording device main body 11 is configured such that the pen clip 12 is located on the left side when viewed from the front when the recording device main body 11 is mounted in a pocket. It goes without saying that the pen clip can be arranged on the right side of the main body 11. Further, the disposition position of the pen clip 12 may be on the same front side as the built-in microphone 16 of the recording device main body 11.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show an embodiment of the configuration of the recording switch 13, wherein FIG. 4A is a side sectional view and FIG. 4B is a plan view. As shown in FIG. 4, the recording switch 13 includes a switch body 31 and an operation knob 32.
Is switched by sliding the switching knob 33, and mechanically maintains its position (position) when turned on and off. That is, it is possible to switch between a mechanical position for holding the recording operation and a mechanical position for stopping the recording operation. In correspondence with the switching knob 33, the operation knob 3
2 are engaged. The operation knob 32 has a distal end protruding from a window 11b provided in the housing 11a of the recording apparatus main body 11, and has flanges 34 provided on both sides in the sliding direction around the center. The flange portion 34 is located between the housing 11a and the switch main body 31, and is disposed so that the surface thereof can be seen through the window portion, and is configured so that different colors can be seen from the outside according to the switching state. Thereby, it can be easily confirmed whether or not the recording device main body 11 is in the recording operation.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of an assembling structure of the recording apparatus. In FIG. 5, the recording apparatus main body includes a switch cover 111 having a hole for an operation button and a hole for an LCD (liquid crystal display) window, and a switch cover.
111, the other side of the housing,
6a (comprising a plurality of holes provided in a mesh), a battery cover 113 connected to the front cover 112, and a switch cover
A button portion 114 which is engaged with the operation button hole of the operation button 111 to form a pressing surface of the operation switch;
A transparent window portion 115 that engages with the CD window hole;
A recording knob 116 which is engaged with an upper surface portion (right end portion in the figure) of the switch cover 111 to constitute a part of a recording switch, a logic board 117 on which a microcomputer and a memory are mounted in addition to an operation switch, a battery electrode, A power supply / audio board 118 equipped with an A / D / D / A converter, a DSP (digital sound processor), a built-in microphone 16 and an earphone jack 124, an LCD (liquid crystal display) 119, and a battery case 120 for accommodating a battery 121.
And logic board 117 and power supply / audio board 118 and L
A CD (liquid crystal display) 119 and a ground sheet 122 that wraps them are shielded, and a pen clip 123 (corresponding to reference numeral 12 in FIG. 1) is attached to the front cover 112. . Note that the logic board 117 and the power / audio board 118
Is screwed to a boss or the like provided on the back surface of the switch cover 111 with screws (not shown).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

At the time of recording, first, when the recording switch 13 is switched to “ON”, a control signal is supplied to a microcomputer 211 which performs operation mode control and power supply control, and a power supply circuit 21 is provided.
2 is driven to supply power from the battery 213 to each circuit, and the recording mode is set. That is, recording switch 1
Reference numeral 3 also functions as a power switch. The sound is converted into an electric signal by the microphone 16 and supplied to an encoding / decoding circuit 215 via an amplifier 214 to be converted into a digital signal. Further, the digital audio signal is compressed by the audio data compression / expansion digital sound processor 216 and controlled by the microcomputer 211 for controlling the memory, and is stored in the flash memory 218 via the buffer memory 217. By switching the recording switch 13 to “OFF”, the microcomputer
The recording mode is canceled by 211, and the power supply from the power supply circuit 212 stops.

At the time of reproduction, by operating the operation switch 14, the microcomputer 211 sets the reproduction mode and at the same time supplies power, and the microcomputer 211 reads out data from the flash memory 218 and compresses / decompresses the audio data. After being decompressed by the digital sound processor 215 and decoded by the encoding and decoding circuit 215, the amplification is heard by the earphone 220 or the like via 219.

The LCD 221 includes a microcomputer 21 for performing display control.
1 to display the operation mode, current time, recording chapter number (address), etc.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording apparatus main body can be easily fixed to the pocket with the holder, and in this state, the built-in microphone faces out of the pocket and toward the front of the user. Because it is located, you can collect sound with the built-in microphone while storing it in your pocket.

Further, a holder, a microphone, and a recording switch are provided at the end of the recording apparatus main body, and the operation switch and the display are provided on the same side different from the surface provided with the holder and the recording switch. Therefore, the recording operation can be performed with the recording device main body stored in the pocket.

Further, in a state where the recording apparatus is removed from the pocket, the user can carry out a desired operation while checking the operation state with the display means while holding the recording apparatus main body in his hand.
In addition, since the operation switch means and the recording switch means are separated from each other, a particularly important recording operation can be reliably performed without erroneous operation.

It is possible to realize a recording device which is compact (small) and has excellent operability during recording and reproduction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state where the device of FIG. 1 is fixed in a left breast pocket.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a configuration of a recording switch in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of an assembling structure of the recording device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of the recording device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Recording apparatus 11 ... Recording apparatus main body 12 ... Pen clip (holding tool) 13 ... Recording switch 14 ... Operation switch 15 ... LCD (display means) 16 ... Built-in microphone

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus main body having a rectangular column-shaped housing having a rectangular cross section, and each outer line of the cross section extending in a direction intersecting the surface, and a rectangular column-shaped housing; Built-in, a semiconductor memory as a recording medium, a control unit for processing an input audio signal and reading the stored signal stored in the semiconductor memory, and a battery for supplying operating power; and a battery for supplying operating power. A holder provided at one longitudinal end of the side surface such that the tip thereof extends substantially parallel to the side and in the opposite end direction; and a side adjacent to the side provided with the holder of the recording device main body. An operation switch means provided on one side surface of the recording apparatus main body, the operation switch means causing the control means to execute a read operation of a signal stored in the semiconductor memory; and an end in the same direction as an end of the recording device main body provided with the holder. In the department The sound is converted into an electric signal provided in the recording device main body so as to face an opening provided in the housing on a side different from the side provided with the holding tool and the side provided with the operation switch. A microphone that converts and outputs the audio signal as the audio signal to the control unit is different from a side of the recording device main body where the operation switch unit is provided, a side surface where the holder is provided, and a surface where the microphone is provided. Recording switch means provided at an end in the same direction as the end provided with the holding tool and the microphone on the surface, and causing the control means to execute a signal storing operation to the semiconductor memory, and to stop the storing operation; A display unit provided on the same side of the recording apparatus main body as the side on which the operation switch unit is provided, and displaying at least an operation state of the control unit; A recording device characterized by being provided. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the casing of the recording apparatus main body has a rectangular cross section, and the holder is provided on one side surface forming a short side. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder has a portion facing the side surface formed of a rod having elasticity. 4. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the holding tool is a pen clip. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording switch means includes a switch having a mechanical position for holding a memory operation.