JP2000276845A - Information recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable photographing operation for fetching image data by immediately canceling writing operation even while writing the image data onto a recording medium. SOLUTION: Even while writing image data onto the recording medium, the write of the image data is forcedly stopped by pressing a recording stop button 9 so that next photographing can be started. The recording stop button is provided as an operating button different from a release button 4 for performing the photographing operation, for example. Otherwise, even when a display part is arranged and the display screen of the display part is a so- called touch panel, a cancel area is set on the display screen and when this range is pressed, the operation of recording onto the recording medium can be stopped as well.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus for recording still image information or moving image information using a so-called removable recording medium such as a floppy disk.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, there has been proposed an information recording apparatus for recording still image information or moving image information using a so-called removable recording medium such as a floppy disk. As shown in FIG. 5, the information recording apparatus has a photographing lens 102 on a front portion of an outer casing 101, and an image display section 103 on a rear portion as shown in FIG.
Is provided.

The subject image formed by the taking lens 102 is
An image is picked up by an image pickup device (CCD) and converted into image data. The image display unit 103 has a function as a finder by displaying an image based on image data output from the image sensor, as shown in FIG.
Image data output from the image sensor is sent to the semiconductor memory 105. The semiconductor memory 105 is controlled by a memory controller 106. An information signal indicating that the release button 104 provided on the outer casing 101 has been operated is sent to the memory controller 106. The image data read from the semiconductor memory 105 is sent to the disk drive 107,
The data is recorded on a recording medium 108 such as a floppy disk by the disk drive 107.

[0004] In this information recording apparatus, an operation for recording a moving image is as follows.
push. Then, the taking (storing) of the moving image data into the semiconductor memory 105 starts, and the moving image data is temporarily stored in the semiconductor memory 105. Release button 1
04 is released, the semiconductor memory 10 for moving image data is released.
5, and at the same time, the semiconductor memory 105
The reading of the moving image data from and the writing (recording) to the recording medium 108 is started.

Alternatively, in this information recording apparatus, when the release button 104 is pressed once, the moving image data is fetched into the semiconductor memory 105 for a predetermined time, for example, 5 seconds, and then the semiconductor memory 105 is automatically fetched. 10
5 and the recording on the recording medium 108 can be started. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the progress of capturing moving image data into the semiconductor memory 105 and recording the moving image data on the recording medium 108 is indicated by the image display unit 103.
In some cases, for example, the number is indicated by the number of dots.

[0006]

By the way, in the above-mentioned information recording apparatus, it takes some time to write image data to a recording medium, and a new interesting photographing object appears during this writing. However, a new operation could not be performed until the writing of the image data being executed at that time was completed.

Therefore, even if a new object to be photographed appears while the image data is being written to the recording medium, the photographing operation is not accepted, so that the photographer misses a precious photographing chance and disadvantageously causes a disadvantage to the user. Was likely to suffer.

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances. Even during the writing of image data to a recording medium, a shooting operation for immediately canceling the writing operation and taking in the image data is realized. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information recording apparatus which can perform the information recording.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an information recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an image information inputting means for inputting image information; and an image information inputting means. Image information storage means for storing, image information recording means for reading image information stored in the image information storage means from the image information storage means and recording it on a recording medium; control means for controlling the image information recording means; And a recording stop switch connected to the control means.
When the recording stop switch is operated while the image information is being recorded on the recording medium by the image information recording means, the control means causes the image information recording means to record on the recording medium. It will be canceled.

The recording stop switch is provided, for example, as an operation button different from a release button for performing a photographing operation. Alternatively, if a display unit is provided and the display surface of the display unit is a so-called touch panel, a cancel area is set on the display surface, and when this range is pressed, recording on a recording medium is performed. The operation can be interrupted.

The operation of the image information recording means is as follows. For example, since the track and sector indicating the starting point on the recording medium of the image data of which recording has been stopped are known, the newly stored image data is stored immediately after the recording is interrupted. Start recording image data from the same place. As a result, loss of shooting opportunity can be eliminated.

[0012]

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

As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording apparatus according to the present invention has a photographing lens 2 on a front part of an outer casing 1, and an image display part on a rear part as shown in FIG. 3 are provided.

A subject image formed by the photographing lens 2 is picked up by an image pickup device (CCD) and becomes image data (image information). The photographing lens 2 and the image sensor constitute image information input means to which image data is input.
The image display unit 3 displays an image based on image data output from the image sensor as shown in FIG.
Functions as a finder. The image data output from the image sensor is sent to a semiconductor memory 5 serving as image information storage means. The semiconductor memory 5 is controlled by a memory controller 6 serving as control means. An information signal indicating that the release button 4 provided on the outer housing 1 has been operated is sent to the memory controller 6. The image data read from the semiconductor memory 5 is sent to a disk drive 7 serving as image information recording means for recording the image data on a recording medium. In the disk drive 7, image data is recorded on a floppy disk 8 as a recording medium.

In this information recording apparatus, as an operation for recording moving image data, first, a release button 4 is pressed. Then, the loading (storing) of the moving image data into the semiconductor memory 5 starts, and the moving image data is temporarily stored in the semiconductor memory 5. When the release button 4 is released, the capture of the moving image data into the semiconductor memory 5 ends, and at the same time, the reading of the moving image data from the semiconductor memory 5 and the writing (recording) to the recording medium 8 are started.

Alternatively, in the information recording apparatus, when the release button 4 is pressed once, the moving image data is taken into the semiconductor memory 5 for a predetermined time, for example, 5 seconds, and thereafter, the semiconductor memory 5 is automatically read out. 5 and the recording of the moving image data on the recording medium 8 can be started. In this case,
As shown in FIG. 3, the progress of the loading of the moving image data into the semiconductor memory 5 and the recording of the moving image data on the recording medium 8 are indicated by, for example, the number of dots on the image display unit 3. You may.

In this information recording apparatus, for example, during the writing of image data, the writing operation can be forcibly terminated by another operation button. That is, the recording stop switch 9 provided on the outer housing 1 is connected to the memory controller 6. When the recording stop switch 9 is operated while the image data is being recorded on the floppy disk 8 by the disk drive 7, the memory controller 6 uses the disk drive 7 to store the image data on the floppy disk 8. Stop recording.

The image data whose recording on the recording medium has been stopped is recorded again later if the recording medium is rewritable such as a floppy disk 8 or a so-called "DVD-RAM". It is also possible.

The recording stop button 9 is, as shown in FIG.
It can be arranged beside the release button 4. As the convenience in this case, the index finger that has been pressing the release button 4 is released from the release button, and the recording stop button 9 disposed a little earlier is pressed. With such ease of use, the recording stop button 9 is not accidentally pressed, and is safe and can be quickly pressed when writing is intentionally stopped.

The recording stop button 9 may be arranged near the power switch 10 on the rear side of the outer casing 1 as shown in FIG. The operation in this case is made to function when pressed simultaneously with the release button 4.
As a convenience, the recording is stopped by pressing the release button 4 with the index finger and pressing the recording stop button 9 with the thumb while keeping the release button 4 pressed. Advantages of such an arrangement are that the recording stop button 9 is located at a position where it can be seen, so that it is possible to react quickly, and that both buttons are pressed while the outer casing 1 is sandwiched between the index finger and the thumb. , Contact uncertainty on,
Off is less likely to occur.

When the display panel of the image display unit 3 is a so-called "touch panel", as shown in FIG.
The recording stop area 11 may be formed on the display panel. In this case, the operation of pressing the display panel during normal photographing does not occur even for the “touch panel”, so it is considered that there is little possibility that the touch panel is pressed by mistake. Conversely, the function is activated only by pressing the display panel with the intention of stopping recording.

Although three examples have been given above regarding the positions at which the recording stop button is provided, a plurality of these may be combined. For example, the writing may be actually stopped only when the release button 4 is pressed while pressing the recording stop area 11 on the display panel.

In the above description, the image data is described as moving image data. However, the image data includes not only moving image data but also still image data. That is, in a so-called digital still camera, image data captured from a camera block is compressed into a “JPEG” file or the like, and then written to a recording medium. However, as in recent years, when the number of pixels of a solid-state imaging device (CCD) is dramatically increased, or when image data that is not subjected to compression processing is desired to be recorded, as in the case of moving image data, the data is recorded on a recording medium. Since writing takes a considerable amount of time, the recording stop function is meaningful as in the case of moving image data.

In the above-described embodiment, a floppy disk is used as a recording medium. However, image data is temporarily stored in a solid-state memory or the like according to the magnitude relationship between the size of image data and the data transfer rate on the side. If it is necessary to write data on the recording medium again in the disk drive after setting, the recording stop function is useful as in the case of the floppy disk.

[0025]

As described above, in the information recording apparatus according to the present invention, when recording image data on a recording medium such as a floppy disk, writing of the image data to the recording medium can be forcibly stopped. Has a function. Therefore, in this information recording apparatus, it is possible to reduce a loss of a shooting opportunity due to the fact that another operation is not accepted during the writing of image data to the recording medium.

That is, the present invention can provide an information recording apparatus capable of immediately canceling a writing operation and performing a photographing operation for taking in image data even while writing image data to a recording medium. Things.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of an information recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the configuration of the information recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing display contents on an image display unit when moving image information is recorded in the information recording device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information recording device.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional information recording apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional information recording apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing display contents on an image display unit when moving image information is recorded in a conventional information recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional information recording device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 outer housing, 2 photographing lens, 3 image display section, 4 release button, 5 semiconductor memory, 6 memory controller, 7 disk drive, 8 floppy disk, 9 recording stop button, 10 power switch, 11
Recording stop area

Claims (4)

[Claims] An image information input unit to which image information is input; an image information storage unit that stores image information input from the image information input unit; and an image information stored in the image information storage unit. Image information recording means for reading from the image information storage means and recording on a recording medium, control means for controlling the image information storage means and the image information recording means, and a recording stop switch connected to the control means, When the recording stop switch is operated while the image information is being recorded on the recording medium by the image information recording means, the control means records on the recording medium by the image information recording means. An information recording device, wherein the information recording is stopped. 2. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording stop switch is a mechanical switch. 3. An image display unit for displaying an image corresponding to image information, wherein the recording stop switch is a pressure-sensitive switch arranged on a screen of the image display unit. Information recording device. 4. An image display unit for displaying an image corresponding to image information, wherein the recording stop switch comprises a mechanical switch and a pressure-sensitive switch disposed on a screen of the image display unit. 2. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means stops the recording on the recording medium by the image information recording means when both the mechanical switch and the pressure-sensitive switch are operated.