JP2000236508A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To record even a state in the cage of photographing a still picture. SOLUTION: A system control circuit 34 first discriminates a moving picture mode or a still picture mode depending on a state of a recording mode switch 36. In the moving picture mode, a moving picture and audio data are continuously recorded on a magnetic tape 28 by starting recording of the moving picture in response to an instruction of moving picture recording start by a moving picture photographing switch 38 until an instruction of moving picture recording stop by the moving picture photographing switch 38 is received. In a noncontinuous mode in the still picture mode, a still picture compression circuit 30 compresses a photographed image (exposed image by an image pickup element 12) at that point of time in response to depression of a release switch 40 and a flush memory 32 records the compressed image. In a moving picture interlocking mode in the still picture mode, the operation of the moving picture recording is started in response to the depression of the release switch 40, the still picture recording is executed and the moving picture recording is stopped in response to the switch-back of the release switch 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and more particularly, to an image recording apparatus for recording an image signal photographed by an image pickup means on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A digital VTR for digitally recording a moving image on a magnetic tape is well known, and a camera-integrated digital VTR integrated with an image pickup device has also been commercialized.

In recent years, due to competition with an electronic still camera, a camera-integrated digital VTR that incorporates a recording medium for still images and can digitally record tens of still images as well as moving images has been commercialized. . In such a camera-integrated VTR, a moving image is recorded on a video tape (or hard disk) in a moving image mode, and a still image is recorded on a still image recording medium in a still image mode. The mode or the still image mode is selected in advance.

[0004]

In the conventional example, no moving image is recorded in the still image mode. Therefore, the situation before and after photographing and the sound at that time cannot be recorded simultaneously with the still image.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to solve such a disadvantage and to provide an image recording apparatus capable of recording sound even in a still image mode.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting an optical image into an image signal; first and second recording media; audio input means; A first recording processing means for continuously recording a signal and an input sound by the sound input means on the first recording medium; and an image signal outputted from the imaging means to the second recording medium.
Second recording processing means for recording a still image on a recording medium, a still image photographing release means for activating still image photographing, and the first image processing means according to a predetermined operation of the still image photographing release means. It is characterized by comprising a recording processing means and a control means for operating the recording processing by the second recording processing means.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 denotes a photographing lens, 12 denotes a CCD image sensor, 14 denotes a camera signal processing circuit that processes an output signal of the CCD image sensor 12, and 16 denotes a camera signal processing circuit.
A video compression circuit for compressing the output image signal of the video signal, interleaving and outputting the video signal in a predetermined format, 18 a microphone for audio input, 20 an audio signal processing circuit for converting the output of the microphone 18 into digital data suitable for recording, Reference numeral 22 denotes a recording processing circuit that records and processes the output of the moving picture compression circuit 16 and the sound processing circuit 20, 24 denotes a rotating drum having a magnetic head 26 on the outer periphery, and 28 denotes a magnetic tape serving as a moving picture sound recording medium.

Reference numeral 30 denotes an image signal of one frame (or one field) output from the camera signal processing circuit 14 as a JP.
A still image compression circuit 32 compresses data by a still image compression method such as the EG method, and a flash memory 32 records compressed image data output from the still image compression circuit 30.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a system control circuit for controlling the whole.
36, a recording mode switch for instructing a recording mode to be applied to the system control circuit 34; 38, a moving image capturing switch for instructing the system control circuit 34 to start / stop moving image recording; A release switch for instructing a release switch 34.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the system control circuit 34. System control circuit 3
4 first determines from the state of the recording mode switch 36 whether the mode is the moving image mode or the still image mode (S1). When the moving image mode is selected (S1), the process waits for a moving image recording start instruction by the moving image shooting switch 38 (S2), and starts moving image recording in response to the moving image recording start instruction (S3). The moving image and the sound are continuously recorded on the magnetic tape 28 until a moving image recording stop instruction is given. This operation in the moving image mode is the same as the recording operation in a general camera-integrated VTR.

When the still image mode is selected (S1),
It is determined whether the mode is the moving image interlocking mode or the non-interlocking mode (S6).
When the non-interlocking mode is selected by the recording mode switch 36 (S6), the still image compression circuit 30 converts the photographed image (exposure image of the image sensor 12) at that time by pressing the release switch 40 (S7). The data is compressed and recorded in the flash memory 32 (S8). When the moving image interlocking mode is selected (S6), the moving image recording operation is first started (S10) in response to the depression of the release switch 40 (S9).
Subsequently, the photographed image (exposure image of the image sensor 12) when the release switch release 40 is pressed is stored in the still image compression circuit 30.
And record it in the flash memory 32 (S11).
In response to the return of the release switch 40 (S12), the moving image recording operation is stopped (S13).

As described above, in the interlocking mode, while the release switch 40 is pressed, the recording of a moving image is continued, so that the surroundings of the still image can be recorded on the magnetic tape 28 as a moving image. A description of the content of the still image can be input by voice through the microphone 18 and recorded on the magnetic tape 28. In FIG. 1, the still image recording is executed after the moving image recording is started. However, the moving image recording may be started after the still image recording is executed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second system control circuit 34.
5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the release switch 40 normally has a first switch 40a that is closed at a half-press stage and a second switch 40a that is closed at a full-press stage.
A switch 40b for activating exposure control and focus adjustment in response to closing of the first switch 40a;
A process of starting photographing (exposure of the image sensor 12 or reading out of its charge signal) in response to the closing of 0b is employed. In FIG. 3, this operation is simulated, and in the moving image interlocking mode, moving image recording is started or stopped according to the first switch of the release switch 40, and still image recording is started according to the second switch.

Operation in the moving image mode (S21 to S2 in FIG. 3)
5) is exactly the same as S1 to S15 in FIG. 2, and a detailed description will be omitted.

When the moving image non-interlocking mode is selected in the still image mode (S26), when the second switch 40b of the release switch 40 is turned on (S27), the photographed image is compressed by the still image compression circuit 30. Flash memory 32
(S28).

When the moving image interlocking mode is selected in the still image mode (S26), when the first switch 40a of the release switch 40 is turned on (S29), the moving image recording operation is started (S30). After that, release switch 4
When the second switch 40b of 0 is turned on, the captured image is compressed by the still image compression circuit 30 and recorded in the flash memory 32 (S34). When the first switch 40b of the release switch 40 is turned off (S31), the moving image is displayed. The recording operation is stopped (S32).

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, moving image recording, that is, sound recording can be started by pressing the release switch 40 halfway, and moving image recording can be stopped by returning the release switch 40. Thereby, the sound before and after the still image recording can be recorded. For example, with the first switch 40a of the release switch 40 closed before and after still image shooting, the still image shooting state can be recorded as a moving image and the commentary voice can be recorded.

FIG. 5 shows an operation flowchart when self-timer shooting is selected in the interlocking mode. If the self-timer shooting mode has not been selected in the linked mode (S41), the normal still image shooting mode is set. If the self-timer shooting mode is selected (S4
1), when the release switch 40 is turned on (S42),
Moving image recording is started (S43). After a lapse of a predetermined time (T1 second) (S44), the image sensor 12 is exposed, and the captured image is compressed by the still image compression circuit 30 and recorded in the flash memory 32 (S45). After a lapse of a predetermined time (T2 seconds) after the still image recording (S45) (S46), the moving image recording is stopped (S47).

In this manner, in FIG. 5, when photographing a still image by the self-timer, the situation before and after the photographing of the still image can be recorded on the magnetic tape 28 by moving images and voices.

Although the embodiment has been described in which the magnetic tape 28 is used for recording moving images (and audio) and the flash memory 32 is used for recording still images, moving image recording media and still image recording media are different types. It may be a recording medium.
The physically same recording medium may be divided into regions and used for moving image still images.

[0022]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, a moving image or a sound before and after a still image can be recorded on a recording medium by a very simple operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a second operation example of the present invention.

4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a release switch 40. FIG.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of a self-timer shooting in the moving image interlocking mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Photographing lens 12: CCD imaging device 14: Camera signal processing circuit 16: Moving image compression circuit 18: Audio input microphone 20: Audio signal processing circuit 22: Recording processing circuit 24: Rotating drum 26: Magnetic head 28: Magnetic tape 30 : Still image compression circuit 32: Flash memory 34: System control circuit 36: Recording mode switch 38: Moving image shooting switch 40: Release switch 40 a: First switch of release switch 40 b: Second switch of release switch 40

Claims (4)

[Claims] An imaging unit for converting an optical image into an image signal; a first and a second recording medium; an audio input unit; and an image signal from the imaging unit and an input audio from the audio input unit. First recording processing means for recording on the first recording medium; second recording processing means for recording an image signal output from the imaging means as a still image on the second recording medium; And a control means for operating a recording process by the first recording processing means and the second recording processing means, respectively, in accordance with a predetermined operation of the still image shooting release means. An image recording apparatus comprising: 2. The control means activates recording processing by the first recording processing means and the second recording processing means when the still image photographing release means is turned on, and activates the still image photographing release means. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording processing by the first recording processing unit is stopped by turning off the recording medium. 3. The control means activates a recording process by the first recording processing means in a half-pressed state of the still image photographing release means, and activates a recording process in a full-pressed state of the still image photographing release means. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording processing by the second recording processing means is started, and the recording processing by the first recording processing means is stopped by returning from the half-pressed state of the still image photographing release means. 4. The self-timer photographing device according to claim 1, wherein said self-timer photographing device activates a recording process by said first recording processing device in response to an operation of said still image photographing release device, and after a first predetermined time has elapsed, 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording processing by the second recording processing means is started, and the recording processing by the first recording processing means is stopped after a lapse of a second predetermined time.