JP2000358214A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To record an excellent still image when a video signal is recorded on a recording medium by repeatedly recording the video signals for the portion of one image, which are repeatedly read from a memory, on the recording medium plural times for a prescribed period. SOLUTION: In a still stand-by mode, a still control circuit 21 drives an imaging device by a driving circuit 6 and a power source circuit 26 and a photographer operates a trigger switch 15 when the image becomes the one to be recorded while viewing EVF 18. When the trigger switch 15 is operated, the video signals for the portion of one screen, which are written in the memory 22, are repeatedly read for the fixed time which is decided by a timer 20 and supplied to a head 10 with an adder 29. In this case, the still control circuit 21 controls a capstan 16 and a pinch roller 17 with the driving circuit 6, carries a magnetic tape 8 by a prescribed speed and the video signals for the portion of one image which are read from the memory 22 are repeatedly recorded on the magnetic tape 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for recording a still image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a device having an integrated function of optically forming an image of a subject, converting the image into an electric signal, and recording the signal on a magnetic recording medium or the like, for example, a video camera and a video tape recorder ( 2. Description of the Related Art A device (hereinafter, referred to as a camera-integrated VTR) integrally provided with a VTR is becoming popular as a consumer device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a general camera-integrated VTR.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a subject, and 2 denotes a main body of a camera-integrated VTR. The subject 1 is always imaged on an image sensor 4 by an optical system 3. The subject image formed on the image sensor 4 is converted into an electric signal by the image sensor 4 and further converted into a signal suitable for magnetic recording by the signal processing circuit 5. The video signal output from the signal processing circuit 5 is recorded on the magnetic tape 8 by two rotating heads 10 fixed on the rotating drum 7. At this time, the rotating drum 7 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow b in the figure, and accordingly, the rotating head 10 traces obliquely on the magnetic tape.

On the other hand, the magnetic tape 8 is pulled out of the cassette 11 by the tape loading member 9 and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum 7, and cooperates with the capstan 12 and the pinch roller 13 to indicate the arrow a in the figure. Are transported in the direction indicated by. As a result, video signals output from the signal processing circuit 5 are sequentially recorded on oblique tracks on the magnetic tape 8.

As described above, the conventional general camera-integrated VTR constantly converts the subject image formed on the image pickup device 4 driven by the drive circuit 6 into a standardized period (N
The signal is converted into an electric signal every 1/60 second of the TSC signal, and the electric signal is converted by the driving circuit 6 into the capstan 1 by the rotating head fixed to the drum 6 synchronously driven with the image pickup device 4.
2 and a moving image are sequentially recorded on the magnetic tape 8 conveyed by the pinch roller 13.

Although the above description has been given of an apparatus in which a camera and a VTR are provided integrally, a system in which a VTR and a video camera are provided separately records moving picture signals by the same operation.

By the way, such a camera-integrated VTR
Is used for recording moving images, but photographers often want to record a certain moment of a subject. Therefore, the present applicant has previously proposed a video signal recording apparatus having a moving image recording mode and a still image recording mode (Japanese Patent Application No. 60-1985).
276124).

When the apparatus of the above-mentioned application instructs the recording of a still image during the shooting of a moving image, the image taken at that time is recorded on the same tape in a format different from the moving image recording format. This makes it possible to record a still image of higher quality than each screen at the time of shooting a moving image, and the camera-integrated VTR can be used for still images, which is extremely useful.

[0010]

By the way, there is room for improvement in this type of moving picture / still picture combined machine in the following points.

That is, first, when capturing a moving image, the camera must be held for the same period as the recording time. Generally, a camera-integrated VTR is heavier than a camera using a silver halide film as a record carrier (hereinafter referred to as a still camera), and it is a serious task to prepare the camera so that camera shake does not occur during the recording time. Was. Therefore, when a still image is shot during recording of a moving image, a good still image may not be shot due to camera shake or the like.

[0012] Recording a moving image in this way means a long recording time, and the user is restricted by time. This has been an obstacle to using the camera-integrated VTR for still images.

Further, when it is desired to arrange a still image taken during recording of a moving image or one screen in a moving image as a still image, these screens are extracted from a long tape and these and other devices are used. It had to be edited and involved a lot of work.

Further, in general, a camera-integrated VTR has a problem in that power consumption is large compared to the above-described still camera, and a long-term photographing cannot be performed.

Under such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of recording a good still image when recording a video signal obtained by imaging a subject on a recording medium.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image pickup means for picking up a subject image and obtaining a video signal relating to the subject image; A memory for storing the video signal for one screen obtained by the above, an instruction member for instructing the recording of the video signal, and the video signal for one screen stored in the memory in response to an instruction from the instruction member a plurality of times. A recording unit for repeatedly recording a video signal for one screen repeatedly read from the memory as a still image on the recording medium a plurality of times over a predetermined period; a display unit; and a display unit for displaying the still image by the recording unit. During recording standby, a moving image related to a video signal obtained by the imaging unit is displayed, and during recording of the still image by the recording unit, the moving image is displayed. Is constituted by a control means for controlling said display means to display the still image according to a repeated read one frame of video signal from memory.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of a camera-integrated VTR as an embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG.

The changeover switch 19 is connected to the terminal a during the recording of a moving image. The electric signal from the image sensor 4 is converted by the signal processing circuit 5 into a signal suitable for magnetic recording. The recording medium is supplied to the head 10 via a device 29 and recorded on a magnetic tape in the same manner as in the apparatus shown in FIG. That is, optical information constantly input as moving image information is written on the magnetic tape 60 frames per second.

Reference numeral 18 denotes an electronic viewfinder (EVF), which is connected to an output of the signal processing circuit 5 by a signal line (not shown). At the time of recording a moving image, the image being photographed is always displayed on the EVF 18, and the photographer shoots a moving image while watching the EVF 18.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a still image switch for switching the apparatus between the moving image recording mode and a still image recording mode described in detail below. That is, the switch 13
The device switches between the moving image recording mode and the still image recording mode by a single operation of. Reference numeral 14 denotes a recording time setting switch. The photographer operates the switch 14 to set the time for recording a still image from about 1 second to infinity. The timer 20 receives the operation of the time setting switch 14 and measures a required time.

When the switch 13 is set to the still image recording mode and the time is set by the switch 14, the apparatus enters a still image recording standby state (hereinafter referred to as a still standby mode), and the switch 19 is connected to the terminal b. You. In the still standby mode, the still control circuit 21 drives the image pickup device by using the drive circuit 6 and the power supply circuit 26 at this time, and operates the trigger switch 15 when the photographer sees the EVF 18 and reaches a screen to record. . When this trigger switch 15 is operated, 1
The video signal for the screen is repeatedly read out for a certain period of time determined by the timer 20.
Is supplied to the head 10 via the. At this time, the still control circuit 21 drives the capstan 16,
The pinch roller 17 is controlled to convey the magnetic tape 8 at a predetermined speed, and the video signal for one screen read from the memory 22 is repeatedly recorded on the magnetic tape 8. Then, when a certain time determined by the timer 20 has elapsed, the transport of the tape 8 and the recording by the head 10 are stopped.

Next, the operation of the voice control circuit 27 in FIG. 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific configuration around the voice control circuit of FIG. 1. A dotted line indicated by 27 in FIG. 2 indicates a circuit in the voice control circuit 27 of FIG.

In the above-described still standby mode, when the trigger switch 15 is operated, a trigger signal h is supplied to the still control circuit 21. When the trigger signal h is input in the still standby mode, the still control circuit 21 instructs the drive circuit 6 to start recording a still image signal as described above, and sends the still image signal to the signal generation circuit 32 in the audio control circuit 27 as described above. Signals the start of signal recording.

The signal generating circuit 32 generates a predetermined audio signal according to the start of recording of a still image signal. As this audio signal, for example, a signal indicating a popping sound of a shutter mirror of a still camera is generated. The sound generation circuit 33 drives the sound generator 34 in accordance with the sound signal from the signal generation circuit 32, and when the recording of the still image signal is started in response to the operation of the trigger switch 15, the sound generation circuit 33 performs a “Gasha” operation.
A false voice sound is generated. Accordingly, both the photographed person and the photographer can recognize that a still image has been photographed.

The signal generation circuit 32 also supplies the signal relating to the onomatopoeic sound to the adder 30 as a signal suitable for magnetic recording, and together with a sound collection signal from the microphone 28, a line 31.
Is supplied to the adder 29 and the head 10 at the subsequent stage.
That is, the audio signal related to the onomatopoeic sound can be recorded on the tape 8 by the head 10 together with the video signal. Thus, at the time when the reproduction of the portion recorded with the still image is started at the time of reproduction, according to the above example, an onomatopoeic sound such as “Gasha” is generated, and can be distinguished from the reproduction of the moving image. Note that the signal generated from the sound generation circuit 33 is a sound that is arbitrarily generated, and any sound can be expected to have a certain effect. Further, in the above-described example, the onset and recording of the onomatopoeic sound are performed at the start of the recording of the still image signal.

Reference numerals 35 and 37 denote selection switches, respectively. The selection switch 35 controls the supply of a signal from the sound generation circuit 33 to the sound generator 34, and the selection switch 37 switches from the signal generation circuit 32 to the adder 30. Control signal supply. That is, the generation of the onomatopoeic sound and the recording on the tape are performed as necessary. For example, in a place where generation of onomatopoeic sounds is not preferable, such as a classical music venue, the selection switch 35 is operated to inhibit the generation of onomatopoeic sounds, and the selection switch 37 is operated to record a signal related to this onomatopoeia. Can be banned.

The control circuit 21 supplies a display drive signal to the EVF 18 at the start of recording the still image signal. EV
In response to the display drive signal, the F18 turns on the LED in the finder or displays a predetermined character or image on the EVF18.
Is configured to be multiplexed with the image to be displayed. These displays are performed until the end of still image recording.

Next, power supply in the camera-integrated VTR shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Conventional camera-integrated VT
In R, as described above, at the time of signal recording, it was necessary to supply power to at least the entire apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a power supply path of the camera-integrated VTR of FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 43 denotes a lens unit, which includes an auto focus unit 51 for focusing, an auto iris unit 52 for obtaining proper exposure, a power zoom unit 53 for changing the focal length, and the like. Reference numeral 44 denotes a camera unit, which includes an image pickup driving unit 54 for operating the image pickup device, a signal processing circuit 55, a gain up circuit 56, a white balance circuit 57, and the like. The power supply circuit 26 includes an EVF unit 58 for monitoring a video signal recorded in addition to the lens unit 43 and the camera unit 44, and a memory unit 5
9 and a VTR unit 40 for recording a signal on a tape.

Here, when the still image recording is started by operating the trigger switch 15 in the still standby state, the video signal for one screen stored in the memory 22 is recorded on the tape 8 as described above. . In this case, only the EVF unit 58, the memory unit 59, and the VTR unit 40 need to operate. That is, at the time of recording a still image, the lens unit 43 and the camera unit 44 do not always need to operate. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power supply to these parts is stopped when recording a still image.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing the timing of power supply by the power supply path of FIG. In FIG. 4, T1 is the trigger switch 15 in the still standby state.
And T2 indicates the timing when the time set by the time setting switch 14 after the operation of the trigger switch 15 has elapsed and the recording of the still image has ended. 4, A is a power supply to the lens unit 43, B is a power supply to the camera unit 44, C is a power supply to the EVF unit 58,
D indicates power supply to the memory unit 59, E indicates the state of power supply to the VTR unit 60, and indicates that power is supplied when ON and power supply when OFF. Is not performed.

When the still image recording is started at time T1 by operating the trigger switch 15, the supply of power to the lens unit 43 and the camera unit 44 is stopped. Also, at the timing of T2 when this recording ends, the EVF unit 5
8. Since the supply of power to the memory unit 59 and the VTR unit 40 becomes unnecessary, the supply of power to these units is also stopped.

Further, a still image is displayed from the EVF unit 58 between T1 and T2. If it is not necessary to keep watching the display, a.
It is not necessary to supply power to the EVF unit 58 until the timing shown by.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, power consumption can be greatly reduced.

Therefore, in order to shoot without being restricted by the code, when using a battery, it is possible to record for a long time even if the battery is made small, and the portability of this type of apparatus can be greatly improved. it can.

Finally, control of the shutter speed and the aperture in the camera-integrated VTR shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

Also in a conventional camera-integrated VTR, various charge sharing speeds are obtained by controlling the charge accumulation time of an image sensor. Conventionally, the shutter speed is set manually, but it is not preferable to set the shutter speed arbitrarily when photographing a still image. This is because a moving subject cannot be captured clearly with a shutter speed of about 1/60 second at the time of recording a moving image, in consideration of the effects of camera shake and the shooting of a moving object during still image shooting. On the other hand, if the shutter speed is always set to about 1/1000 second, the exposure amount will not be appropriate unless the current image pickup device is very bright, and a still image with poor S / N will be recorded.

FIG. 5 shows an exposure control system circuit 2 in this embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of No. 3, and a circuit within a dotted line 23 in FIG. 5 corresponds to the exposure control circuit 23 of FIG. The numbering of the other parts is shared with FIG.

The subject image having passed through the optical system 3 is formed on the image pickup device 4 via the diaphragm 25. The aforementioned still control circuit 2
When the information g from 1 indicates that the apparatus is in the still standby mode, the level of the luminance signal from the signal processing circuit 5 is detected by the arithmetic circuit 62, and the arithmetic circuit 62 responds to the detected level. Determine the fastest shutter speed within the proper exposure range. The information d of the determined shutter speed is transmitted to the shutter speed setting circuit 63, which controls the charge accumulation time of the image sensor to realize the shutter speed according to the information d. Further, the arithmetic circuit 62 supplies optimal aperture information c for obtaining an appropriate exposure at the determined shutter speed to the aperture drive circuit 64, and the circuit 64 drives the aperture 25 according to this information c to set the appropriate aperture information. Set to.

Reference numeral 61 denotes an aperture knob for manually determining an aperture value. The aperture knob 61 is used when the photographer wants to prioritize the depth of the subject over the shutter speed. The aperture information f set by the aperture knob 61 is supplied to the aperture drive circuit 64, The aperture value is determined and also supplied to the arithmetic circuit 62. At this time, the arithmetic circuit 62 sets the shutter speed based on the information f.

When the information g from the still control circuit 21 indicates the moving image recording mode, the arithmetic circuit 62 controls the information c so as to perform a well-known exposure control for a moving image in a conventional camera-integrated VTR. , D.

In general, in a camera-integrated VTR, the zoom ratio of a video camera is about six times, which is equivalent to a considerably long lens of about 50 mm to 300 mm in terms of a still camera, so that the effect of camera shake is likely to occur. Further, considering that the camera-integrated VTR itself is heavy and that the shooting time is long, the influence of the camera shake is serious.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, by configuring as described above, this problem can be solved, and a moving subject can be recorded as a clear still image.

In the above-described embodiment, the memory has a capacity of one screen, and the memory is repeatedly recorded on the tape. However, a plurality of memories having a capacity of one screen are prepared, and It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which an image of one screen that has been image-captured is stored in each memory, and these are sequentially and repeatedly recorded on a tape one screen at a time.

In the above embodiment, the audio signal is multiplexed with the video signal and recorded. However, the present invention is also applicable to a device for recording the audio signal in an area different from the video signal. It is possible to

Further, in this specification, a camera-integrated V
Although the TR has been described as an example, the present invention can of course be applied to a system in which a video camera and a VTR are separated. Further, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied not only to a recording-only machine but also to a recording / reproducing machine.

[0048]

According to the present invention, a moving image picked up by the image pickup means is displayed while a still image is being recorded, and the still image read from the memory is displayed while the still image is being recorded. Is displayed, the photographer can easily determine the still image to be recorded while viewing the image displayed on the display means, and can confirm the still image being recorded on the display means during recording. it can.

Further, in still another invention of the present application, a predetermined display is performed in response to an instruction to record a still image and erased after a predetermined period, so that it is easy for the photographer to record the still image. Can be recognized.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a predetermined sound is output in response to an instruction to record a still image, so that the photographer can easily be notified of the start of recording.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a camera-integrated VTR as an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of an audio control circuit of the camera-integrated VTR of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a power supply path of the camera-integrated VTR of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing power supply timing of the camera-integrated VTR of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of an exposure control circuit of the camera-integrated VTR in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional general camera-integrated VTR.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 17, 2000 (2005.1.
7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/765 H04N 5/782 A 7/18 K 5/91 L

Claims (13)

[Claims] An imaging unit that captures a subject image and obtains a video signal related to the subject image; a memory that stores a video signal for one screen obtained by the imaging unit; and instructs recording of the video signal. A pointing member, and a video signal for one screen stored in the memory is repeatedly read out a plurality of times in response to a command from the pointing member, and the video signal for one screen repeatedly read out from the memory is read a plurality of times over a predetermined period. A recording unit that repeatedly records a still image on a recording medium; a display unit; and a display unit that displays a moving image related to a video signal obtained by the imaging unit while the recording unit waits for recording of the still image. While the still image is being recorded by the means, a still image related to a video signal for one screen repeatedly read from the memory is displayed. Recording apparatus and control means for controlling the Ku said display means. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means further records a video signal obtained by said imaging means as a moving image. 3. A switching means for switching a mode between a moving image recording mode for recording the moving image by the recording means and a still image recording mode for recording the still image by the recording means. The recording device according to claim 2. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means forms a number of tracks on a tape-shaped recording medium by a rotary head and records a video signal repeatedly read from said memory as a still image. The recording device according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. An image pickup means for picking up an image of a subject and obtaining a video signal related to the image of the subject, a memory for storing a video signal for one screen obtained by the image pickup means, and instructing recording of the video signal. A pointing member, and a video signal for one screen stored in the memory is repeatedly read multiple times in response to a command from the pointing member, and the video signal for one screen repeatedly read from the memory is read a plurality of times as a still image. Recording means for repeatedly recording on a recording medium; display means; performing a predetermined display for a predetermined period according to an instruction to record the still image by the instruction member, and erasing the predetermined display after the predetermined period. A recording device comprising: a control unit that controls a display unit. 6. The recording device according to claim 5, wherein the recording unit records a video signal repeatedly read from the memory over the predetermined period as a still image on the recording medium in accordance with an instruction from the instruction member. The recording device according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. The control means further multiplexes a still image of a video signal repeatedly read from the memory and the predetermined display in response to an instruction from the instruction member, and displays the multiplexed still image for the predetermined period of time. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display unit is controlled to erase the data after the predetermined period. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said recording means further records a video signal obtained by said imaging means as a moving image. 9. A switching device for switching a mode between a moving image recording mode for recording the moving image by the recording device and a still image recording mode for recording the still image by the recording device. The recording device according to claim 8. 10. An image pickup means for picking up a subject image and obtaining a video signal related to the subject image; a memory for storing a video signal for one screen obtained by the image pickup means; and instructing recording of the video signal. An instruction member; recording means for recording a video signal for one screen stored in the memory as a still image on a recording medium in response to an instruction from the instruction member; and a predetermined sound in response to an instruction from the instruction member A recording device comprising: a sound output unit that outputs the sound. 11. The sound output means has a sound generation means for generating a sound signal indicating the predetermined sound, and the recording means repeatedly reads the sound signal generated by the sound generation means from the memory. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the recording apparatus multiplexes the recorded video signal and records the multiplexed video signal on the recording medium. 12. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising setting means for setting whether to output said predetermined sound by said sound output means. 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a common power supply circuit for independently supplying power to said imaging unit, said memory, and said recording unit.