JP2007150576A - Program data recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program data recording device capable of recording program data only for the number of times desired by a user while coping with even extended broadcast of a program. <P>SOLUTION: The program data recording device is provided with a periodic recording control unit 1103 for controlling periodic recording of the program data on the basis of management information including period specification information for specifying a period, specification information for number of times showing the number of times of the periodic recording based on the period specification information so as to specify a recording number of times, normal recording time information, and extended-time information of one or more specific number of times. The periodic recording control unit 1103 includes a recording-times determination part 301 for determining the recording number of times on the basis of the number of times specification information, an update part 302 for updating the recording number of times shown by the number of times specification information for one number of time when the determined recording number of times is not the last number of times, and a deletion part 303 for deleting the corresponding management information when the determined recording number of times is the last number. The periodic recording control unit 1103 executes recording of the program data for a period of time calculated by adding the extended time of the specific number of times to the normal recording time in the specific number of times. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a program data recording apparatus, and more particularly to a program data recording apparatus having a program data periodic recording reservation function.

  Conventionally, there is an apparatus having a program data periodic recording reservation function. According to such an apparatus, the user can prevent forgetting to record the program data.

  However, when a specific program is to be recorded at a cycle such as every Monday, for example, even if all broadcasts of the specific program are ended, the recording of the program is performed at a predetermined cycle. .

  Therefore, a broadcast receiving apparatus is disclosed in which a user can set a period for executing a reservation in advance (for example, the number of times or the date of the month, etc.) (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, proposals have been made to prevent the recording medium from running out of free space due to the useless recording described above. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses that the number of times recorded from the latest recorded portion of a recorded program is set so that older recorded portions are automatically deleted.

In addition, when the time for periodic recording is specified, there may be a problem that the extended recording cannot be performed if the broadcast is extended beyond the normal recording time. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, for example, Patent Document 3 can specify a time increment to be added to or subtracted from the recording start and / or end time of a specific program or series program. It is disclosed that the recording end time of a program can be adjusted while the program is being recorded.
JP 2003-319272 A JP 2000-138886 A Special table 2003-518833 gazette

  The techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can prevent unnecessary recording, but when the broadcast time of a program is extended, recording cannot be continued for the extended time. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the recording end time of a program can be adjusted, but it is not possible to set an extension time for a specific time in advance.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to support extended broadcasting of a program and to record program data for a user's desired number of times. An object of the present invention is to provide a program data recording apparatus capable of performing the above.

  A program data recording apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a receiving unit for receiving a broadcast signal and a setting unit for setting periodic recording reservation information based on an instruction from a user. Including period specifying information for specifying the period, recording total number information, normal recording time information, initial extension time information and final extension time information, and periodic recording reservation information set by the setting means, and the period Corresponding times specifying information for specifying the number of times of periodic recording based on the specified information is associated with the storing information for storing as management information, and the management information stored in the storing means And a periodic recording control means for controlling the periodic recording of the program data, the periodic recording control means determining means for determining the recording times based on the number-of-times specifying information When the determined recording time is not the final time, an update means for updating the recording time indicated by the time specifying information for one time, and when the determined recording time is the final time, the corresponding management information is The periodic recording control means, when the determined recording time is the first time, the program data is recorded for the time obtained by adding the last extended time to the normal recording time. When the determined recording time is the final recording time, the program data is recorded for the time of the normal recording time plus the initial extension time.

  A program data recording apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a receiving means for receiving a broadcast signal and a storage means for storing management information for periodically recording program data based on the broadcast signal. The management information includes period specifying information for specifying a period, time specifying information for specifying the number of times of periodic recording based on the period specifying information, information for normal recording time, and one or more information It further includes periodic recording control means for controlling periodic recording of program data based on management information stored in the storage means, including information on the extended times of specific times, and the periodic recording control means includes Based on the determination means for determining the recording time, the update means for updating the recording time indicated by the time specifying information when the determined recording time is not the last time, and the determined recording time Final And the erasure unit for erasing the corresponding management information from the storage unit, and the periodic recording control unit, when the determined recording time is a specific time, is an extension time of the specific time to the normal recording time The program data is recorded for the added time.

Preferably, the information on the extension time for one or more specific times includes information on the last extension time,
Preferably, when the determined recording time is the final time, the periodic video recording control means records the program data for a time obtained by adding the final extension time to the normal recording time.

  Preferably, the information on the extended time of one or more specific times includes information on the initial extended time, and the periodic recording control means, when the determined recording time is the first time, the first extended time in the normal recording time The program data is recorded for the added time.

  Preferably, the management information further includes information on the total number of times of recording, and based on an instruction from the user, the period specifying information, the information on the normal recording time, the information on the extended time of one or more specific times and the information on the total number of times of recording Setting means for setting is further provided.

  Preferably, the time specifying information is previously determined to be information on the remaining number of times with respect to the information on the total number of recordings, and the determination unit determines that the value indicated by the time specifying information is equal to the value indicated by the information on the total number of recordings The recording time is determined to be the first time, and when the value indicated by the time specifying information is 1, the recording time is determined to be the final time, and the updating unit determines the recording time indicated by the time specifying information. Subtract once.

  According to the present invention, when all broadcasts of desired program data are completed, the periodic recording reservation information can be automatically deleted. Thereby, the free capacity of the recording medium can be increased. As a result, it is possible to prevent a necessary program from becoming unrecordable due to insufficient free space.

  In addition, it is possible to cope with extended broadcasting, and it is possible to eliminate omission of recording at a specific time.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

  With reference to FIG. 1, a DVD recorder 100 which is an aspect of a program data recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of DVD recorder 100.

  DVD recorder 100 includes a memory 112 for storing various data and programs, a system control unit 110 for executing a predetermined process based on stored data and an instruction input from the outside, An operation unit 122 for receiving an input of a user's instruction, a light receiving unit 124 for receiving a remote control signal and outputting a predetermined control signal to the system control unit 110, and a system control unit for measuring time and signals 110 includes a clock circuit 126 for outputting to 110 and a display unit 128 for displaying information representing the operating state of DVD recorder 100. The operating state displayed on the display unit 128 is, for example, time information in the DVD recorder 100, a recording status of the program, and the like.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, DVD recorder 100 further includes an antenna 190, a tuner 130 for selecting a predetermined radio wave from the received radio waves, and an external input unit for receiving external video and audio signal inputs. 132, an MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) encoder 152 for compressing an input signal based on a predetermined process, and a hard disk device 140 for storing digital data based on an instruction from the system control unit 110 , DVD drive 170 for recording and reproducing video / audio data by driving DVD 172, MPEG decoder 154 for decoding compressed video / audio signal, DVD recorder on video display screen OSD (On Screen Display) for generating signals to display 100 operating states and other information An image generation circuit 114, a synthesis circuit 158 for synthesizing and outputting the signal generated by the OSD image generation circuit 114 and the output signal from the MPEG decoder 154, and converting the input digital signal into an analog signal A D / A (Digital to Analog) converter 160 for outputting and an output unit 168 for connecting a transmission cable 192 and outputting a video / audio signal are included. DVD recorder 100 is connected to television 400 via transmission cable 192. The hard disk device 140 includes a data recording / reproducing head 142 that records and reproduces data, and a hard disk 144 on which data is recorded.

  In the present embodiment, “program data” is video and / or audio data based on a broadcast signal received by tuner 130 and is a group of data corresponding to “program”.

  In the present embodiment, the program data will be described as being recorded on the hard disk device 140 (hard disk 144). The program data recording medium is not limited to the hard disk device 140, and may be another recording medium such as a DVD 172. In addition, here, the hard disk device 140 and the DVD drive device 170 are provided with two drive devices, but either one may be provided.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the DVD recorder 100 in the embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, system control unit 110 includes a setting unit 1101 and a periodic recording control unit 1103 for controlling periodic recording of program data based on periodic recording reservation management data.

  The setting unit 1101 sets periodic recording reservation information of program data based on an instruction from the user. The periodic recording reservation information is information for reserving periodic recording of program data. For example, period specifying information for specifying a period, total number of recordings information, information on normal recording time, and one or more specifying Contains information on the extension time of the times. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the information on the extension times for the first and last times is included as the information on the extension times for one or more specific times. The information on the extension time of one or more specific times may be information on the extension time of one of the first time and the last time, or information on the extension time of the other times (for example, the second time). Also good. Further, in addition to the extended times of the first time and the final time, information on the extended times of other times may be included.

The periodic recording reservation information as described above is stored in the hard disk 144, for example.
Here, the data structure of the hard disk 144 in the present embodiment will be described. The hard disk 144 includes a data area 31 and a management area 32. The data area 31 stores program data. In the management area 32, a periodic recording reservation management table 321 and a program data management table 322 are stored. The program data management table 322 includes program data management data for managing each program data stored in the data area 31. An example of the periodic recording reservation management table 321 is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a structure example of the periodic recording reservation management table 321 in the embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the periodic recording reservation management table 321 has periodic recording reservation management data Ai (i = 1, 2, 3,..., M). The periodic recording reservation management data Ai includes recording date / time data C1, channel data C2, periodic data C3, total number of recordings data C4, initial extended time data C5, final extended time data C6, and remaining recording time data C7.

  In the present embodiment, a recording reservation management table (not shown) and a periodic recording reservation management table 321 for automatically performing normal recording other than periodic recording are described as being provided separately. The recording reservation management data may be managed by a common management table without being distinguished.

  The recording date / time data C1 includes recording date data and normal recording time data. The normal recording time data includes, for example, a recording start time and a normal recording end time. The normal recording time data only needs to be able to specify the time zone in which recording is performed, and may include, for example, a recording start time and a normal recording time length.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that one periodic recording reservation management data Ai is generated when a periodic recording reservation is set by the user. Accordingly, the recording date / time data C1 in the generated periodic recording reservation management data Ai is updated according to a period indicated by periodic data C3 described later.

The channel data C2 is information for specifying a broadcast station to which program data is provided.
The cycle data C3 is cycle specifying information for specifying a reservation cycle. For example, “0” is set if the cycle is every day, “1” if the cycle is every Sunday, and “0” if the cycle is every Monday. A numerical value such as “2” is stored.

  The total recording count data C4 is data indicating the total number of times of periodic recording, and is set based on an instruction from the user as described above. The total number of times of recording data C4 may be automatically set at the time of periodic recording reservation setting, for example, when the total number of broadcasts of program data can be acquired by EPG (Electric Program Guide) or the like.

  The first extension time data C5 is data representing the time added to the normal recording time data included in the recording date / time data C1 for the first broadcast.

  The last time extension time data C6 is data representing the time added to the normal recording time data included in the recording date / time data C1 for the last broadcast.

  The remaining recording count data C7 is time specifying information for specifying the number of times of periodic recording based on the periodic data C3. For example, the remaining recording count data (hereinafter referred to as “recording remaining count”). ”). The remaining recording count data C7 stores the same value as the total recording count data C4 when the periodic recording reservation is set. Further, as will be described later, the remaining recording count data C7 is decremented by 1, for example, every time recording ends.

  Referring to FIG. 2 again, the periodic recording control unit 1103 updates the recording time indicated by the time specifying information by one time when the recording time is not the final time and the recording time determination unit 301 for determining the recording time. An updating unit 302 for deleting the corresponding periodic recording reservation management data Ai when the recording time is the final time.

  In the present embodiment, the recording time determination unit 301 determines the remaining number of recordings based on the remaining recording time count data C7. The update unit 302 decrements the value of the remaining recording count data C7 by 1 when the value of the remaining recording count data C7 is 2 or more at the start of recording. When the value of the remaining recording count data C7 is 1 at the start of recording, the erasing unit 303 deletes the periodic recording reservation management data Ai corresponding to the ongoing periodic recording.

  The periodic recording control unit 1103 controls periodic recording of program data based on the time data output from the timer circuit 126. Specifically, when the recording time is the first time, the program data is recorded for the time that the time indicated by the last extended time data C6 is added to the recording end time indicated by the normal recording time data. When the recording time is the last time, the program data is recorded for the time obtained by adding the time indicated by the first extended time data C5 to the recording end time indicated by the normal recording time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the remaining recording count data C7 is stored as the time specifying information in the periodic recording reservation management data Ai. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and data that can specify the recording times is used. If it is. For example, the number of recorded times may be stored. In this case, the recording time determination unit 301 can determine the last time if the number of times of recording is one value less than the total number of times of recording, and can determine that it is the first time if the number of times of recording is zero.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, both the total recording count data C4 and the remaining recording count data C7 are stored. However, only when the remaining recording count data C7 is stored and the recording ends. Alternatively, the value of the remaining recording count data C7 may be subtracted by one. In this case, for example, it is desirable to store identification information for identifying whether or not the recording has been executed so that it can be determined whether or not the recording is the first time.

  The operation of each functional block described above may be realized by executing software stored in the memory 112, or at least one may be realized by hardware.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing periodic recording reservation setting processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. The processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is stored in advance in the memory 112 as a program, and is realized by the system control unit 110 reading and executing this program.

  Referring to FIG. 4, first, setting unit 1101 displays a periodic recording reservation setting screen (step S2). A display example of the periodic recording reservation setting screen is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the periodic recording reservation screen 42 has areas for inputting periodic recording reservation information, that is, a period, start time, end time, channel, total number of recordings, initial extension time, and final extension time. Provided. Then, a determination button 41 for notifying that the input has been completed is provided.

  Next, the setting unit 1101 receives an input based on the signal from the light receiving unit 124 (step S4). Then, the setting unit 1101 determines whether or not the determination button 41 has been selected (step S6). Until the determination button 41 is selected (NO in step S6), input of periodic recording reservation information is accepted.

  If it is determined in step S6 that the enter button 41 has been selected (YRS in step S6), the setting unit 1101 newly registers the periodic recording reservation management data Ai in the periodic recording reservation management table 321 (step S8).

  Of the periodic recording reservation information, the information on the total number of recordings, the initial extension time, and the final extension time may be input arbitrarily.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the periodic scheduled recording process in the embodiment of the present invention. The processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is stored in advance in the memory 112 as a program, and the system control unit 110 reads out and executes this program, thereby realizing the function of periodic scheduled recording processing. The “periodic scheduled recording process” is a process executed by the periodic recording control unit 1103 during periodic recording based on the periodic recording reservation management data Ai.

  Referring to FIG. 6, periodic recording control section 1103 determines whether or not the total number of recordings is set in corresponding periodic recording reservation management data Ai (step S102). If it is determined that the total number of times of recording has been set (YES in step S102), the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, if periodic recording control section 1103 determines that the total number of recordings has not been set (NO in step S102), it proceeds to step S124.

  In step S106, the recording time determination unit 301 determines whether or not the value of the remaining recording time data C7 is 1. If it is determined that the value of the remaining recording count data C7 is 1 (YES in step S106), the process proceeds to step S118. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the remaining recording count data C7 is not 1 (NO in step S106), the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, it is determined whether or not the value of the remaining recording count data C7 is equal to the value of the total recording count data C4. If it is determined that the value of the remaining recording count data C7 is not equal to the value of the total recording count data C4 (NO in step S108), the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the remaining recording count data C4 is equal to the value of the total recording count data C7 (YES in step S108), the process proceeds to step S112.

  In step S110, the periodic recording control unit 1103 determines whether or not the time recording end time indicated by the normal recording time data included in the recording date / time data C1 has elapsed based on the time data output from the time measuring circuit 126. Wait until the recording end time elapses (NO in step S110). If it is determined that the recording end time has elapsed (YES in step S110), the process proceeds to step S115.

  In step S112, the periodic recording control unit 1103 reads the value of the first extended time data C5 from Ai as the periodic recording reservation management data. Then, after the recording is started, it is determined whether or not a time obtained by adding the initial extension time to the recording end time has elapsed (step S114). Wait until the time obtained by adding the initial extension time to the recording end time has elapsed (NO in step S114). If it is determined that the time obtained by adding the initial extension time to the recording end time has elapsed (YES in step S114), the process proceeds to step S115.

  In step S115, the periodic recording control unit 1103 ends the recording. Then, the update unit 302 subtracts 1 from the value of the remaining recording count data C7 of Ai from the periodic recording reservation management data (step S116). Then, the recording date / time data C1 is updated according to the cycle data C3 (step S117). When the process of step S117 ends, this periodic reserved recording process is ended.

  In step S118, the periodic recording control unit 1103 reads the value of the last extended time data C6 from Ai in the recording reservation management data. Then, it is determined whether or not the time obtained by adding the last extension time to the recording end time has elapsed since the recording was started (step S120). It waits until the time which added the last extension time to recording end time passes (in step S120 NO). If it is determined that the time obtained by adding the last extension time to the recording end time has elapsed (YES in step S120), the periodic recording control unit 1103 ends the recording (step S121). Then, the erasure unit 303 erases the corresponding periodic video recording reservation management data Ai (step S122). When the process of step S122 is completed, this periodic reserved recording process is terminated.

  In step S124, the periodic recording control unit 1103 executes a predetermined process and ends.

  Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the recording times of periodic recording are managed, it is possible to prevent forgetting to delete the periodic reservation. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the periodic recording from being continued unnecessarily. Thereby, the free space of the recording medium can be increased. As a result, it is possible to prevent a necessary program from becoming unrecordable due to insufficient free space.

  In addition, by setting an extended time for a specific time, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that the recording ends in the middle when it is known in advance that the broadcast will be extended to a specific time, such as a drama. be able to. In particular, in recent years, it is useful because the broadcast time for the first and last times is often extended.

  Also, since one or more specific extended times can be set at the same time when setting the periodic recording reservation, it is not necessary to make a recording reservation separately from the broadcast for the normal recording time, and convenience can be improved.

  Instead of the DVD 172, for example, an optical medium or the like in which a program is recorded can be read by a drive device, and the program in the memory 112 can be updated.

  In addition, the periodic reserved recording method performed by the program data recording apparatus of the present invention can be provided as a program. Such a program can be recorded on an optical medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM) or a computer-readable recording medium such as a memory card and provided as a program product. A program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

  The provided program product is installed in a program storage unit such as a hard disk and executed. The program product includes the program itself and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a block diagram showing the hardware constitutions of the DVD recorder which is one aspect | mode of the program data recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the DVD recorder in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the periodic video recording reservation management table in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the periodic video recording reservation setting process in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a periodic video recording reservation setting screen. It is a flowchart which shows the period reservation recording process in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  100 DVD recorder, 110 system control unit, 112 memory, 114 OSD image generation circuit, 122 operation unit, 124 light receiving unit, 126 timing circuit, 128 display unit, 130 tuner, 132 external input unit, 140 hard disk device, 142 data recording / playback Head, 144 Hard disk, 152 MPEG encoder, 154 MPEG decoder, 158 synthesis circuit, 160 D / A converter, 168 output unit, 170 DVD drive, 190 antenna, 192 transmission cable, 301 recording time determination unit, 302 update unit, 303 Erasing part, 321 Periodic recording reservation management table, 322 Program data management table, 400 TV, 1101 Setting part, 1103 Periodic recording control part.

Claims (6)

Receiving means for receiving a broadcast signal;
And setting means for setting periodic recording reservation information based on an instruction from the user,
The periodic recording reservation information includes period specifying information for specifying a period, total number of recordings information, normal recording time information, initial extension time information and final extension time information,
The periodic recording reservation information set by the setting means is associated with the time specifying information for specifying the number of times of periodic recording based on the period specifying information and stored as management information. Storage means for
Periodic recording control means for controlling periodic recording of the program data based on the management information stored in the storage means;
The periodic recording control means includes
Determination means for determining the recording times based on the number-of-times specifying information;
An update means for updating the recording times indicated by the time specifying information when the determined recording time is not the last time;
If the determined recording time is the last time, including a corresponding erasure means for erasing the management information from the storage means,
When the determined recording time is the first time, the periodic recording control means performs recording of the program data for a time that is obtained by adding the final extension time to the normal recording time, and determines the determined recording time. When it is the last time, the program data recording device that records the program data for the time obtained by adding the initial extension time to the normal recording time. Receiving means for receiving a broadcast signal;
Storage means for storing management information for periodically recording program data based on the broadcast signal,
The management information includes period specifying information for specifying a period, time specifying information for specifying the number of times of periodic recording based on the period specifying information, information on normal recording time, and one or more Including information on the extended time of a specific round of
Based on the management information stored in the storage means, further comprising periodic recording control means for controlling periodic recording of the program data;
The periodic recording control means includes
Determination means for determining the recording time based on the time specifying information;
An update means for updating the recording times indicated by the time specifying information when the determined recording time is not the last time;
If the determined recording time is the last time, including a corresponding erasure unit for erasing the management information from the storage unit,
When the determined recording time is a specific time, the periodic recording control unit records the program data for a time obtained by adding the extended time of the specific time to the normal recording time. The information on the extension time of the one or more specific times includes information on the last time extension time,
The said periodic recording control means records the said program data for the time which added the said last time extension time to the said normal recording time, when the determined recording time is the last time. Program data recording device. The information on the extension time of the one or more specific times includes information on the initial extension time,
The periodic recording control means, when the determined recording time is the first time, records the program data for a time obtained by adding the initial extension time to the normal recording time. The program data recording device described. The management information further includes information on the total number of recordings,
The apparatus further comprises setting means for setting the period specifying information, the information on the normal recording time, the information on the extended time of the one or more specified times, and the information on the total number of times of recording based on an instruction from a user. 2. The program data recording device according to 2. The time identification information is predetermined to be information on the remaining number of times for the information on the total number of recordings,
The determination means determines that the recording time is the first time when the value indicated by the time specifying information is equal to the value indicated by the information of the total number of times of recording, and the value indicated by the time specifying information is 1. If there is, it is determined that the recording time is the last time,
6. The program data recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the updating means subtracts one recording time indicated by the time specifying information.

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