JPH0626080B2 - Video floppy recorder - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a video floppy recording apparatus, for example, a video floppy recording apparatus suitable for an electronic still camera system.

2. Description of the Related Art Even in an electronic still camera, when recording a video signal on an empty track of a video floppy, the recording method conceivable by the current technology is one in which, in principle, recording is performed sequentially from the outer track. is there. When a video floppy is loaded into an electronic still camera, the magnetic head for recording is first returned to its original return position, that is, the home position, and then an empty track is searched using this as a reference position to locate the head on the empty track. Transfer. In this way, the preparation for imaging, that is, recording of the video signal on the video floppy is completed. As the original return position of the magnetic head, for example, a position outside the outermost track or inside the innermost track is used, and in the prior art, it is a predetermined position fixed to the system anyway.

At the time of photographing or recording, it is preferable to make the magnetic head stand by on an empty track. In the prior art, there are two possible methods for searching for an empty track.
For example, in the case of the recording method in which recording is performed in order from the outer track, in one method, the innermost one of the recorded tracks is detected and the magnetic head is moved to the inner track immediately after that. stand by. This method
Since a plurality of empty tracks continuously exist inward from the standby track where the magnetic head is currently located, it is suitable for continuous shooting, which is one of the characteristics of the electronic still camera. However, in the track search method in which the original return position of the magnetic head is on the outermost circumference, it is not possible to know whether the currently detected recorded track is the innermost recorded one or not until the innermost track is examined. . Therefore, depending on the arrangement of the recorded tracks, it may take a long time after the video floppy is mounted on the camera until the magnetic head waits on an empty track.

Especially in the case of an electronic still camera, if it takes a long time for the magnetic head to stand by on an empty track and become ready for shooting,
There is a risk of missing important shooting scenes. Therefore, it goes without saying that such a short waiting time is an important factor that influences the performance of the image pickup apparatus.

In the other method, for example, in the case of a recording method of sequentially recording from the outer track, the magnetic head is transferred to the outermost one of all empty tracks and stands by. This system has a feature that the recording capacity of the video floppy can be fully utilized by recording on a track which has become empty due to erasing of the recording. However, in the track search method in which the original return position of the magnetic head is on the innermost circumference, whether or not the currently detected empty track is the outermost track cannot be determined until the outermost track is examined. Therefore, depending on the arrangement of the recorded tracks, it may take a long time until the magnetic head stands by after the video floppy is mounted.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a video floppy recording apparatus in which a recordable time is short.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, this object is achieved by selecting a track search mode and by setting an optimum head original return position according to the selected track search mode.

According to the present invention, there is provided a video floppy recording apparatus for recording a video signal on a video floppy, in which a magnetic head and a video floppy are detachably mounted, and a video signal is recorded on a track of the mounted video floppy by the magnetic head. A magnetic head, a transfer means for carrying the magnetic head, a head gap of the magnetic head abutting the recording surface of the video floppy mounted on the recording means, and moving the magnetic head in the radial direction along the recording surface; Detecting means for defining first and second head returning positions near both ends of the transfer stroke on the recording surface of the video floppy of
The second for detecting the signal read from the recording surface by the magnetic head
Detecting means, mode setting means for selectively setting the first and second modes of the track search, first and second detecting means, and the recording means and the transfer means in response to the mode setting means. Control means for controlling, and the control means controls the transfer means to normally record the video signal on the tracks sequentially in the first direction in the radial direction of the video floppy, and the mode setting means in the first mode. Is set, the magnetic head is returned to the first head return position at the farthest end in the first direction in response to the first detection means, and then the transfer means is controlled to move the first head in the radial direction. When the recorded track is detected by detecting the recorded track by the signal from the second detecting means while moving the magnetic head in the second direction opposite to the direction of 1,
When the magnetic head is arranged on the track immediately before the recorded track in the second direction to prepare for recording the video signal and the second mode is set in the mode setting means, the first mode is set when the mode setting means is set. In response to the detection means, the magnetic head is returned to the second head return position at the most proximal end in the first direction, and then the transfer means is controlled to transfer the magnetic head in the first direction while moving the second head. When the empty track is searched by the signal from the detection means and the empty track is detected,
The magnetic head is stopped on the empty track by controlling the transfer means to prepare for recording the video signal.

Description of Embodiments An embodiment of a video floppy recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic still camera. However, the present invention is not limited to the electronic still camera, but is effectively applied to any video floppy recording device that receives a video signal from another video signal source and records it on a video floppy.

The electronic still camera shown in FIG. 1 records in the video floppy 12 an image taken by the image pickup unit 10 having a function unit required for image pickup such as an image pickup lens, a solid-state image device, and an exposure mechanism. It is a thing. Output 14 of the imaging unit 10
The video signal output from represents a still image captured by the image capturing unit 10, and is input to the recording / reproducing unit 16.

The recording / reproducing unit 16 converts the video signal from the imaging unit 10 into a video signal having a predetermined format required by the standard of the video floppy 12, and a frequency-modulates and amplifies the converted video signal. And has a recording circuit for supplying the output 18 to the magnetic head 20. Magnetic head
Reference numeral 20 is an electric / magnetic transducer for recording a video signal on the track of the video floppy 12 and reading the video signal recorded therein. The video signal recorded on the video floppy 12 in this embodiment is, for example, a color video signal in which a luminance signal and a chroma signal are frequency-modulated. As the video signal, for example, a field video signal forming one field of an image by raster scanning is recorded to one track.

The recording / reproducing unit 16 has a reproducing function, amplifies the video signal read by the magnetic head 20, and outputs the amplified video signal from the output 22 to the envelope detection circuit 24. Since the reproduction signal of such a magnetic head 20 is frequency-modulated, the envelope detection circuit 24 demodulates it and gives a signal indicating the envelope to the control unit 26 in the form of digital data.

The magnetic head 20 is carried by a head transfer mechanism 28 as symbolically shown by a dot-dash line 26 in the figure, and the floppy disk is kept in contact with the magnetic surface of the video floppy 12, that is, the recording surface 30, of the head gap. 12 radial directions R1 and R2
It is configured to be movable. Head transfer mechanism 28
Are driven by a drive circuit 32 controlled by the controller 26.

As the video floppy 12, those satisfying the standard of the electronic still camera are advantageously used in this embodiment. According to this, the video floppy 12 has a disk-shaped magnetic recording material sheet having a diameter of about 50 mm, and a plurality of magnetic surface 30 has a plurality of magnetic recording sheets.
For example, 50 tracks are concentrically arranged, for example, about 100μ.
Recorded at a pitch of m.

The video floppy 12 is usually housed in a package (not shown), and when the package is loaded into a bucket (not shown) in the loading section of the apparatus, the core 38 is attached to the tip of the spindle 36 of the motor (MG) 34. Chucking. This allows the video floppy 12 to rotate so that the spindle 36
Supported by. When the package is properly loaded in the bucket, the limit switch 40 can respond to it and the control unit 26 can detect this.

The motor 34 has a frequency generator, and a predetermined speed, for example, by a servo circuit 42 that responds to the frequency generated by the motor 34.
Servo control is performed so as to rotate at 3,600 rpm.

The control unit 26 is a control device that totally controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and is advantageously configured by, for example, a micro processing system. The storage unit 44 of the micro processing system is
For example, it is used for holding various data such as the position of the track to be stored in the video floppy 12 and the operating state of each part of the apparatus.

The image pickup of the subject by the image pickup unit 10, the steady rotation of the video floppy 12, the synchronous control of each unit of the apparatus by the control unit 26, and the like are performed in synchronization with various timing signals generated by the timing generation unit 46. The timing generator 46 has a free-running oscillator that generates a clock signal at a stable frequency, and generates various timing signals based on this clock. This is from the timing generation unit 46 to the image pickup unit 10 and the control unit.
26 and the servo circuit 42. Further, a phase generator is provided in a part of the core 38 of the video floppy 12, and the phase generator signal PG is detected by the detector 54.
Is output 56. The PG signal is supplied from the output 56 to the servo circuit 42 and the timing generator 46. As a result, the recording of the video signal on the track of the video floppy 12 can be aligned with the predetermined rotation phase with respect to the generation position of the PG signal on each track.

The control unit 26 is connected with a shutter release button, operation buttons for specifying an automatic / manual mode, etc., and an operation display unit 48 for displaying the states of the viewfinder and various parts of the apparatus. A track search mode designating switch 50 is also connected to the control unit 26, which is shown separately but is actually provided on the operation display unit 48. The track search mode designation swinch 50 is a manual operation switch for designating the track search mode of the video floppy 12 to which the present invention is particularly related, and selectively establishes the connection state shown and the connection state opposite thereto. be able to.

The camera of this embodiment basically records in sequence from one radial direction R1 of the video floppy 12, that is, in order from the outer track. In that case, two track search modes can be selected. One mode is
Mode A is a mode in which recording is started from a track position that is one track further inside than the innermost recorded track. This mode is suitable for continuous shooting, which is one of the characteristics of electronic still cameras, because there are continuous empty tracks inside from the standby track where the magnetic head is currently located unless it is the innermost track. The other mode is a mode B in which the outermost track of all empty tracks is recorded. This mode has a feature that the recording capacity of the video floppy 12 can be fully utilized by recording on a track which has become empty due to, for example, erasing the recording.

When the video floppy 12 is newly loaded into the bucket or when the power of the device is turned on, if the storage section 44 does not hold information about the empty track of the video floppy 12 currently loaded, the magnetic head First, the 20 is returned to its original return position, then an empty track is searched and the head 20 is transferred onto the empty track. Thus, the preparation for shooting, that is, recording the video signal on the video floppy 12 is completed. The original return position of the magnetic head 20, that is, the home position, is the outermost track of the outermost track # 1, that is, the closest end in the radial direction R1 toward the inside, in this embodiment,
Two positions inside the innermost track # 50, that is, the farthest end in the same radial direction R1 are selectively used.

In this embodiment, the mode A has an inner return position, and the mode B has an outer return position. In order to detect the return position of the magnetic head 20, two limit switches 52A and 52B are provided at both limit positions of the transfer process of the magnetic head 20. The limit switch 52A is arranged to operate when the magnetic head 20 is located inside the innermost track # 50, and the limit switch 52B is arranged to operate when located outside the outermost track # 1.

In this track search control, the control unit 26 controls the envelope detection unit 24, the search mode switch 50, the limit switch 40,
It is realized by controlling the head transfer mechanism 28 and the recording / reproducing unit 16 in response to 52A and 52B. An example of the control operation flow will be described with reference to FIG. This routine is executed when the video floppy 12 is newly loaded into the bucket (100) or when the power of the device is turned on.
If the information about the empty track of the video floppy 12 loaded at that time is not held (101),
Is activated. When that information is stored, the control unit
In step 26, the process moves to step 120, and the magnetic head 20 is transferred to the stored empty track position and stopped.

Even if the search mode switch 50 is at the connection position A shown in the figure, the search mode A is designated by this (102). The control unit 26 reads the state of the mode switch 50 when the bucket is opened and closed by operating the eject button of the video floppy 12. This read timing is only at the time of ejecting, and the control unit 26 ignores input data by other key operations. This prevents the head 20 from temporarily moving in response to another key operation.

Therefore, the control unit 26 controls the head transfer mechanism via the drive circuit 32.
28 is controlled to move the magnetic head 20 to the inner return position. There, the magnetic head 20 moves radially inward to R1,
The control unit 26 detects the arrival of the magnetic head 20 at the inner return position by the limit switch 52A (103).

The control unit 26 puts the recording / reproducing unit 16 in a reproducing state. As a result, the recording / reproducing unit 16 causes the magnetic head 20 to move the video floppy 12
The signal detected from the magnetic surface 30 is amplified and bypassed to its output 22. This signal is input to the envelope detector 24. The control unit 26 again controls the head transfer mechanism 28 to reverse the transfer direction of the magnetic head 20 and transfer the magnetic head 20 to the outer side R2 in the radial direction.

If the frequency-modulated video signal is recorded on the track of the video floppy 12, the envelope detector 24 detects the envelope and outputs digital data indicating the envelope level to the controller 26. The control unit 24 is a magnetic head
Whether or not the video signal is recorded on the track where 20 is located at that time can be determined by this envelope data. In this way, the control unit 26 searches the recorded track and moves the magnetic head 20 outwards in the radial direction R2.
Is transferred (104).

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the video signals have been recorded from the outermost track # 1 to the inner side to the track # 40 except the track # 25, and the unrecorded from the track # 41 to the innermost track # 50. It is assumed that the video floppy 12 is loaded in the bucket of this device. The control unit 26 is a magnetic head
Envelope detection is performed while transferring 20 from the inner return position to the outer R2 in the radial direction. Magnetic head 20 is track # 4
When 0 is reached, recorded tracks are detected (105).
Therefore, the head transfer is stopped, the transfer direction of the head 20 is reversed again, and the head 20 is transferred to the inner side R1 in the radial direction. Next, the magnetic head 20 is transferred to the track # 41, which is located inside the track # 40, and stopped there. So in this example,
The head 20 is arranged at a track position 100 μm inward from the innermost recorded track # 40, that is, at the next empty track # 41. The control unit 26 puts the recording / reproducing unit 16 in the recording state and stands by (106).

The pattern of the transfer of the head 20 in this mode A is shown in FIG. 3 (A).
Is schematically shown. As can be seen, even when the number of continuous empty tracks on the inner side is large, the time required from startup by loading the video floppy 12 to waiting on the empty tracks is much shorter than the method in which the head 20 takes the outer return position. I understand. In other words, as in the track search method in which the original return position of the magnetic head is at the outermost circumference, it is necessary to check up to the innermost track to see if the currently detected recorded track is the innermost track. There is no.

Then, if the shutter release button of the operation display unit 48 is operated, the control unit 26 responds to this by operating the shutter release button.
Is rotated at a predetermined speed, the object is photographed by the imaging unit 10, and the output video signal is supplied from the recording / reproducing unit 16 to the magnetic head 20.
Have this recorded on that track # 41 of 12.

By the way, when the track search mode spine 50 is set to the connection position B opposite to that shown in the figure, the control unit 26 reads the state of the switch 50 in step 102, and the system is shifted to the search mode B by this. Therefore, the control unit 26 transfers the magnetic head 20 to the outer return position in the same manner as described above. Therefore, the magnetic head 20 moves radially outward to R2,
The control unit 26 detects arrival of the magnetic head 20 at the outer return position by the limit switch 52B (110).

The magnetic head 20 is moved radially inward R1 while searching for an empty track from the outer return position in the same manner as described above (111). When a vacant track, that is, track # 25 in this example is detected (112), the transfer of the head 20 is stopped there and the camera waits for shooting (113).

The movement of the head 20 in the mode B is shown in FIG. 3 (B). As can be seen, even when the outermost empty track is close to the peripheral edge of the floppy disk, the time required from startup to standby is short. That is, unlike the track search method in which the original return position of the magnetic head is located on the innermost circumference, whether or not the currently detected empty track is the outermost track is not determined until the outermost track is checked.

As described above, according to the present invention, the track search mode can be selected, and the optimum head original return position is set according to the selected track search mode. Therefore, after the video floppy is loaded in the recording device, the operation of making the head stand by on an empty track is efficiently performed, and the time required for this is short. The present invention is effectively applied to an electronic still camera.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic still camera, and FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a flow of a track search operation of a control unit in the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the pattern of the track search in the embodiment. Explanation of main part code 12 …… Video floppy 16 …… Recording / playback section 20 …… Magnetic head 24 …… Envelope detection section 26 …… Control section 28 …… Head transfer mechanism 50 …… Track search mode selection switch 40,52A ...... Limit switch 40 …… Memory section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A video floppy recording apparatus for recording a video signal on a video floppy, wherein the recording apparatus has a magnetic head and the video floppy detachably mounted, and the magnetic head is mounted on a track of the mounted video floppy. Recording means for recording the video signal by means of the magnetic head, the magnetic head is carried, and the head gap of the magnetic head is brought into contact with the recording surface of the video floppy mounted in the recording means so as to extend in the radial direction along the recording surface. Transfer means for transferring the magnetic head, first detection means for defining first and second head returning positions near both ends of a transfer stroke of the magnetic head on the recording surface of the video floppy, and the magnetic head Selects a second detecting means for detecting a signal read from the recording surface and a first and a second mode of track search. A mode setting means for dynamically setting, a first and a second detecting means, and a control means for controlling the recording means and the transfer means in response to the mode setting means, the control means including the transfer means. The video signal is sequentially recorded in the first direction in the radial direction of the video floppy by controlling the means, and when the first mode is set in the mode setting means, the first mode is set. In response to the detection means, the magnetic head is returned to the farthest end first head return position in the first direction, and then the transfer means is controlled to oppose the first direction in the radial direction. While moving the magnetic head in the second direction, a recorded track is searched by a signal from the second detecting means, and when the recorded track is detected, the moving means is controlled to record the recorded track. The magnetic head is arranged on the immediately preceding track in the second direction of the track to prepare for recording of the video signal, and when the second mode is set in the mode setting means, it responds to the first detecting means. The magnetic head is returned to the second head returning position at the nearest end in the first direction, and then the moving means is controlled to move the magnetic head in the first direction while the second detecting means is being moved. A video floppy, which searches for a vacant track by a signal from the disk, and when the vacant track is detected, controls the transfer means to stop the magnetic head on the vacant track to prepare for recording the video signal. Recording device. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes an image pickup means for picking up an image of a scene and supplying a video signal representing the scene to the recording means. Recording device. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a direction inward from an outer edge of the recording surface of the video floppy in a radial direction of the recording surface, and a second direction. The recording apparatus is characterized in that the direction is a direction from the inside of the recording surface to the outer edge in the radial direction.