JPH11196366A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To record a plurality of still images by collecting them in one place. SOLUTION: An image pickup element 12 generates an image signal from an optical image obtd. by a photograph lens 10 and its output is impressed to a compression circuit 18 via a camera signal processing circuit 14 and a video signal processing circuit 16. The circuit 18 performs compression coding of the received input video signal and the compression-coded video signal is temporarily stored in a storage circuit 20. In the still image recording mode, photographing image information is accumulative stored in the storage circuit 20. When the photographing image information is stored to a degree that the information is no longer stored, the stored information is read sequentially from the storage circuit 20 for each prescribed time and imparted to a recording processing circuit 22, and the information recorded and processed by the recording processing circuit 22 is recorded on a magnetic tape 26 by a recording head 24.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly, to an imaging apparatus capable of recording moving images and still images on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Video cameras capable of recording moving images and still images are well known. In a conventional video camera, information indicating whether to record a still image or a moving image is also recorded on a recording medium as additional information. In the conventional example, at the time of still image recording, the same still image data is repeatedly recorded on the recording medium for a certain period of time, thereby enabling coexistence with moving image recording and facilitating handling during reproduction. .

[0003]

In the conventional example, since a moving image and a still image are mixed, for example, it is difficult to reproduce only the still image or to copy only the still image.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an image pickup apparatus which solves such a problem.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an imaging apparatus which facilitates selective reproduction of only a still image or only a moving image.

[0006]

An imaging apparatus according to the present application is an imaging apparatus that converts an optical image into an electric signal, compresses the signal, and records the signal on a recording medium, and stores a plurality of compressed still images. It is characterized by comprising a flexible storage means and a recording means for recording image information stored in the storage means on the recording medium in a predetermined order.

[0007] Further, a recorded image of the recording medium is reproduced, only the still image is accumulated and stored in the storage means, and the still images stored in the storage means are sequentially read and recorded on the recording medium.

[0008]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a taking lens, 12 is a taking lens 1
An image sensor for converting an optical image by 0 into an electric image signal, 1
4 is γ correction for the image signal output from the image sensor 12,
A camera signal processing circuit 16 for performing well-known camera signal processing such as color balance adjustment and signal format conversion, a video signal from the camera signal processing circuit 14 and a reproduced video signal from the reproduction processing system Is a video signal processing circuit for transferring the video signal. Reference numeral 17 denotes a video signal output terminal.

18 A compression circuit for compressing a video signal to be recorded from the video signal processing circuit 16, a storage circuit 20 for temporarily storing a compressed video signal for a plurality of frames as described later, and a storage circuit 20 for storing the compressed video signal. And a recording processing circuit 26 for recording the compressed video signal and applying it to the recording head 24, and a magnetic tape 26 as a recording medium. Instead of a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a solid-state memory device, or the like can be used.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a reproducing head for reproducing signals magnetically recorded on the magnetic tape 26. The reproducing head 28 is also commonly used as the recording head 24, but is shown as another element in FIG. 1 for easy understanding. 3
Numeral 0 denotes a reproduction processing circuit for reproducing the output of the reproduction head 28, and substantially performs the processing opposite to that of the recording processing circuit 22. Reference numeral 32 denotes a storage device for temporarily storing the output of the reproduction processing circuit 30. In this embodiment, the storage device 32 has a storage capacity capable of storing a plurality of still images. Reference numeral 34 denotes a decompression circuit for decompressing the reproduction data (compressed video signal) from the storage device 32, and the output is applied to the video signal processing circuit 16.

36 is a system control circuit for controlling the whole,
38 is a running system of the magnetic tape 26 and the magnetic heads 24 and 2.
8, a tape drum mechanism consisting of a rotary drive system of a rotary drum to which 8 can be attached; 40, a mechanism control circuit for controlling the tape drum mechanism 38 under the control of the system control circuit 36; An operation device for inputting various instructions.

The basic operation of this embodiment will be described. The image sensor 12 generates an image signal from an optical image obtained by the photographing lens 10, and the camera signal processing circuit 14 subjects the output signal of the image sensor 12 to well-known camera signal processing and applies the signal to a video signal processing circuit 16. The video signal processing circuit 16 applies the video signal from the camera signal processing circuit 14 to the compression circuit 18. The compression circuit 18 compresses and encodes the input video signal. The compression-encoded video signal is temporarily stored in the storage circuit 20. The system control circuit 36 supplies additional information such as the photographing date and time to the storage circuit 20, and the storage circuit 20 applies the compressed image data and the additional information to the recording processing circuit 22. The recording processing circuit 22 performs predetermined recording processing (for example, modulation processing suitable for recording on the magnetic tape 26) on the information from the storage circuit 20, and applies the information to the recording head 24. As a result, the captured image and its additional information are recorded on the magnetic tape 26. At this time, the system control circuit 36 controls the tape / drum mechanism 38 to a predetermined operation state by the mechanism control circuit 40.

The user can instruct a still image recording mode to the system control circuit 36 by the operation device 42. In the still image recording mode, the image signal output from the image sensor 12 is processed by the camera signal processing circuit 14, the video signal processing circuit 16, and the compression circuit 18 and is temporarily stored in the storage circuit 20. Information for identifying the recording position on the magnetic tape 26, the shooting date, and the still image / moving image is supplied from the system control circuit 36 to the storage circuit 20. The storage circuit 20 stores a predetermined frame of still image signals determined by the storage capacity. When the predetermined number of still image signals are stored, the storage circuit 20 reads out the stored still image signals and sends them to the recording processing circuit 22 for a fixed time per frame (6 seconds in this embodiment). It is output and recorded on the magnetic tape 26 by the recording head 24. In this way, each still image is recorded on the magnetic tape 26 for a fixed time.

FIG. 2 shows an operation flowchart when such a still image is recorded. First, when the user instructs the still image recording by the operation device 42, as described above, one frame of the still image data that has been compression-encoded is written into the storage circuit 20 (S201). In the present embodiment, the storage circuit 20
Can store N frames of still image data, and the system control circuit 36 counts the number of times a still image recording instruction has been given after the previous storage of the still image data in the storage channel 20 has been cleared. That is, in the present embodiment, the number of times of still image recording is counted by the variable Count indicating the number of times of still image recording, and when this count value becomes N, that is, the still image data for N frames is stored in the storage circuit. 20, the recording of the still image data is started (S202).

When N frames of still image data are stored in the storage circuit 20, the system control circuit 36 first determines whether or not the value of the variable Count is 0 (S).
203) If it is not 0, the still image data for one frame corresponding to this variable Count is stored in the recording processing circuit 2
Output to 2. The recording processing circuit 22 records the one frame of the still image data on the magnetic tape 26 for a fixed time (6 seconds in this embodiment) (S204, S20).
5, S206).

When the recording of the still image data for 6 seconds is completed (S206), the system control circuit 36 sets the variable Count
The value t is decremented (S207), and waits for an instruction to record the next still image.

In this embodiment, a plurality of still images can be centrally recorded on a recording medium. It is also easy to record in the order based on the additional information. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the operation.

When the user instructs the still image recording by the operation device 42, one frame of the compressed and encoded still image data is written into the storage circuit 20 (S301).
In the present embodiment, the storage circuit 20 can store N frames of still image data, and the system control circuit 36
After the previous storage of the still image data in the storage circuit 20 is cleared, the number of times a still image recording instruction is issued is counted. That is, in the present embodiment, the number of instructions for still image recording is counted by the variable Count indicating the number of instructions for still image recording. When the count value reaches N, that is, the still image data for N frames is stored in the storage circuit 20. When stored, the recording of the still image data is started (S302).

Since the shooting date and time data is added to the still image data as additional information, the shooting time data is fetched from the storage circuit 20 (S303). The recording order of the still images is rearranged according to the time data (S304). At this time, the order of the rearrangement order can be designated by the operation device 42.

When the still image data for N frames is stored in the storage circuit 20, the system control circuit 36
It is determined whether or not the value of COUNT is 0 (S3
05) If it is not 0, one frame of still image data corresponding to the variable COUNT is output to the recording processing path 22. The recording processing circuit 22 records the one frame of the still image on the magnetic tape 26 for a fixed time (6 seconds in this embodiment) (S306, S307, S308).
When the recording of the still image data for 6 seconds is completed, the system control circuit 36 decrements the value of the variable COUNT (S309) and waits for an instruction to record the next still image.

In this embodiment, still images already recorded on the tape can be collectively recorded on another tape. Hereinafter, the processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The recorded tape 26 is set in the VTR, a still image search process is started (S401), and a still image is searched until the end of the tape (S402). At this time, in this embodiment, the reproduced still images of the respective screens are stored in a compressed and encoded state until the storage capacity of the memory 32 becomes full, and the still images for N screens are stored in the memory 32. When the image is stored, the search is stopped (S403,
S404).

When the search is completed, a cassette exchange message is displayed on a display panel (not shown), and after the cassette is exchanged, the still image stored in the memory 32 is recorded on the exchanged cassette. In FIG. 1, the memories 20 and 3
2 is described as another memory, but in this embodiment, one memory device is commonly used for recording and reproduction. As described above, in this embodiment, only the still images already recorded on the tape are searched and recorded on another tape, so that the contents of the still images recorded on the tape can be easily recognized. Becomes

It is apparent that the use of a recording / reproducing apparatus having an after-recording function allows additional recording of sound later.

[0026]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, a plurality of still images can be easily collected at one place on a recording medium. At that time, the information can be recorded in the order of the additional information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Photographing lens 12: Image sensor 14: Camera signal processing circuit 16: Video signal processing circuit 17: Video signal output terminal 18: Compression circuit 20: Storage device 22: Recording processing circuit 24: Recording head 26: Magnetic tape 28: Reproduction Head 30: playback processing circuit 32: storage device 34: expansion circuit 36: system control circuit 38: tape / drum mechanism 40: mechanism control circuit 42: operating device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An imaging apparatus for converting an optical image into an electric signal, compressing the same, and recording the same on a recording medium, comprising: a storage unit capable of storing a plurality of compressed still images; Recording means for recording image information in a predetermined order on the recording medium. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recorded image on the recording medium is reproduced, only the still image is stored in the storage means, and the still images stored in the storage means are sequentially read out and recorded on the recording medium. An imaging device according to any one of the preceding claims.