JPS61227283A - Magnetic recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively use a less recording time and to record without intermitting a speech in a continuous image picking up by displaying a remaining time capable of recording. CONSTITUTION:When changing over a recording mode change over switch 5 to a single mode, every time a recording button 2 is pressed once, a speech information for 1 track can be recorded on a magnetic sheet. During a recording time of T1sec of the one track, a recording display lamp 3 lights to indicate the recording and at the same time, on a time display 8 in a finder a remaining time capable of recording is displayed. When changing over the recording mode change over switch 5 to a continuous recording mode, if the recording button 2 is pressed once, a continuous recording is successively performed per one track on the magnetic sheet 1. When pressing the recording button 2 twice, if the recording track when pressing the button 2 is completed, the recording is completed. Namely, in the continuous recording mode, plural tracks are automatically recorded until the recording button 2 is pressed twice, so that a long time recording can be done.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field of the Invention) The present invention relates to a magnetic recording device for an electronic still camera using a magnetic sheet as a recording medium, which can record both still images and audio information.

(Background of the Invention) Conventionally, electronic still cameras have been known in which a small, lightweight, and thin magnetic sheet is used as a recording medium and a still image signal for each field or frame is recorded on the sheet in units of one track or two tracks. In recent years,
Furthermore, there is a desire to record audio information such as narration or music on the sheet simultaneously or independently.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the magnetic recording device of an electronic still camera using a magnetic sheet as described above is different from the VT system using a magnetic tape.
Unlike R (video tape recorder), etc., audio information is recorded on a track-by-track basis, so the recording time is extremely short, and if you try to record audio information and still image information at the same time, camera operation will be difficult. The problem was that it was extremely complicated.

(Object of the invention) In order to enable effective recording even with such a short recording time, the present invention not only informs the photographer or recorder of the remaining recording time, but also allows the recording of audio. An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic recording device capable of continuously recording and reproducing audio information without becoming discontinuous even when recorded information is spread over multiple tracks or during continuous image shooting. .

(Summary of the Invention) In order to achieve this object, the present invention includes a calculation means for calculating the remaining recordable time, and a method for recording the result of the calculation means, for example, in the viewfinder and/or on a predetermined side of the camera body. In addition to providing a display means for displaying time, it also includes a recording control means for recording audio information and still image information in a time-sharing manner so as not to interfere with normal photographing operations even during recording. This is the technical point.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the magnetic recording device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 show the external appearance of an electronic still camera according to the present invention, in which 1 is a release button that is operated during normal still image recording, 2 is a recording button that is used when recording audio, and 3 is an audio button. 4 is a recording mode selector switch that switches between single or continuous recording mode for still images; 5 is a recording mode switch that switches between single or continuous recording mode for audio. .

In a designated area inside the viewfinder of this electronic still camera,
As shown in FIG. 3, a shutter speed display 6, an aperture display 7, and a remaining time display 8 for voice recording are displayed on a liquid crystal display or the like.

The microphone used for audio recording is either built into the camera body or connected to an external microphone.

Here, release button 1, recording button 2, each changeover switch 4
, 5 will be explained below.

First, when the recording mode selector switch 5 is switched to single mode, one track's worth of audio information can be recorded on a magnetic sheet (not shown) each time the recording button 2 is pressed once.
During the recording time Tl (seconds) of that one track, the recording indicator light 3 lights up to indicate that recording is in progress, and at the same time, the remaining recording time is displayed on the time display 8 in the finder. It has become.

Of course, it is also possible to use a recording indicator light 3 that has a remaining time display function. That is, in the single mode, one track is recorded each time the recording button 2 is pressed once.

Next, when the recording mode changeover switch 5 is switched to continuous recording mode, first, press the record button 2 once to record one track at a time on the magnetic sheet, and then press the record button 2 the second time. If you press this button, recording will end when the track that is being recorded when you press the button ends. That is, in the continuous recording mode, recording is automatically performed over a plurality of tracks until the record button 2 is pressed for the second time, making it possible to record for a long time.

Of course, even if recording is in progress in any mode, normal image shooting can be performed at the same time by pressing release button 1.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a magnetic recording and reproducing device which is an embodiment of the present invention and which integrally incorporates a reproducing device, including a recording and reproducing circuit 100 for recording and reproducing audio signals, and a display for displaying the remaining recording time. It is composed of a drive circuit 200, a motor drive circuit 300 that drives a magnetic sheet drive motor, and a recording/playback control circuit 400 that controls these circuits according to instructions from a release button 1, a record button 2, and a changeover switch 4.5. There is.

First, the configuration of the audio signal recording/reproducing circuit will be explained. Fifth
In the figure, 9 is an audio signal processing circuit that preprocesses the audio signal from the microphone, and the processed audio signal is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 10, and
After one track is stored in the RAM (random access memory) 11, which has a storage capacity for one track, the D/
It is converted into an analog signal again by the A converter 12, subjected to emphasis and FM modulation by the recording signal processing circuit 13, and amplified by the recording amplifier 14.
5. During recording, this recording/playback selector switch 15 is closed to the contact 15a side by a command from the recording/playback control circuit 400, so that the FM-modulated audio signal is transferred to the magnetic head 1.
6, the information is recorded on the magnetic sheet one track at a time.

The A/D converter 10 is a converter having a conversion speed capable of converting audio frequency band signals, and the D/A converter 12 is a high speed D/A converter having a conversion speed capable of converting video signal band signals. It is a converter.

Here, the audio data stored in the RAM 11 is converted into an analog signal at high speed by the D/A converter 12, so that it is recorded on the magnetic sheet as a band-compressed FM modulation signal.

Next, when reproducing the magnetic sheet recorded as described above with a reproducing device configured integrally with the recording device or configured separately, the reproduced signal reproduced by the magnetic head 16 is transmitted to the contact point 1.
The signal passes through the recording/playback switch 15 which has been switched to the 5a side, is amplified by the playback amplifier 17, is subjected to FMW tone and de-emphasis processing by the playback signal processing circuit 18, and is processed by the A/D converter 19 having a conversion speed in the video signal band. The audio signal for one track is converted into a digital signal and stored in the RAM 20, and the stored audio digital signal is converted into an analog signal by a D/A converter 21 having a conversion speed in the audio band and then processed for playback audio signal processing. The signal is supplied to a circuit 22, subjected to processing such as noise reduction, and reproduced as an audio signal.

Here, the magnetic head 16 for recording and reproduction is A.

When recording still images using a double gap head with a head gap for two channels of B, A,
Frame recording is performed using both channels and the head 16
is moved every two tracks, and the recording/reproducing circuit 10
When recording audio from 0, only the A channel is used, and the head 16 is moved track by track.

Next, the control operation of the recording/reproduction control circuit 400 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. Incidentally, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the recording and reproducing apparatus of this embodiment.

First, to explain the operation in continuous recording mode using the timing chart in FIG.
(Fig. 2) is switched to continuous recording mode, and press the record button 2.
When you press , the power to the audio system is turned on and the recording/playback control circuit 4 is turned on.
00 starts operation, and by identifying the presence or absence of the recording display signal 3a and the audio recording signal, it is determined whether or not the electronic camera is in recording operation. This recording display signal 3a is a signal generated during recording, and while this signal is being generated, the recording indicator light 3 is lit and the remaining time display 8 is shown in the finder. The audio recording signal is a signal that is generated from the start of recording until the end of writing the audio track on the actual magnetic sheet. If the recording display signal is not output when the recording button 2 is pressed, recording is possible from that point on, so the recording pulse signal Si is generated (time to) L, and this point to is the recording start point. At the same time, the recording display signal Sa and the audio recording signal are output, the recording indicator light 3 lights up, and recording is started in synchronization with the recording pulse signal 3i. Then, the audio signal from the microphone is digitally converted and stored in the RAM 11, which has a storage capacity of approximately 11 to 10 racks, and the audio data in the RAM 11 is read out and converted into analog data within a predetermined time TR from time t2 after storage is completed. The signal is subjected to FM modulation and recorded on a magnetic sheet via the A channel section of the magnetic head 16.

Here, the drive motor that rotationally drives the magnetic sheet starts driving at time t1 after a predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the recording pulse signal 3i is generated, and at time t2, the drive motor is rotating steadily. . Further, the drive motor is controlled to be turned on and off so that it rotates steadily only when recording the audio data of RAM II, and the drive is started from a point close to time t2 to the extent that steady rotation during recording is not hindered. This design reduces power consumption.

When recording for one track is completed in the A channel portion of the magnetic head 16 within the time TR, a track movement signal Sc is generated, and the magnetic head 16
is moved by one track by the heald carriage, and the next recording is performed in the same manner.

Note that even within the recording time TR, the audio signal from the microphone is supplied to the recording/reproducing circuit 100, so in order to store the audio data from the A/D converter 10 during this period TR, the RAM 11 is A storage area that can be read within the recording time TR (storage capacity less than 1% of the storage capacity of one track!) is provided. During such continuous recording, for example, when the recording button 2 is pressed for the second time at time t3, the presence or absence of the recording display signal 3a is determined, and since it is present at this time, the recording pulse signal S 'i
is output, a recording stop signal Sp is generated in synchronization with this, and all recording operations are terminated at the completion of a predetermined recording operation (time t5). That is, when the recording stop signal Sp is generated, the audio data for one track including that point is R.
At time t4 after being stored in AM11, the recording display signal Sa
is turned off, and then the audio data read from the RAM 11 is subjected to analog conversion, FM modulation, etc., and recorded on a magnetic sheet, and when one track's worth of recording is completed, the audio recording signal is turned off and output. Track movement signal 3'c
As a result, the magnetic head 16 moves by one track, and all recording operations in the continuous mode are completed.

In the case of the single mode, one operation of the recording button 2 completes the recording operation for one track from the generation of the recording pulse signal 3i shown in FIG. 7, for example, and the track movement signal S
When the magnetic head 16 moves by one track according to C, all single mode recording ends.

Next, the control operation when still image recording and sound recording are performed simultaneously will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8.

First, the time T required to convert the audio signal from the microphone into digital data and store one track worth of data in the RAM 11.
1 is relatively extremely long compared to the recording time of a still image, so there is no problem even if recording is performed at the same time during most of the time period stored in this RAM 11, and each recording time can be recorded independently. Since the recording operation is performed, here, the timing of recording on the magnetic sheet and the timing of recording are delicate, when both still image recording and audio recording are in continuous mode, and the audio data read from the RAM 11 is transferred to the magnetic sheet. The control operation will be described in the case where the recording release button 1 is pressed near the time when recording is to be performed.

First, the continuous shooting speed of the electronic camera is set to approximately 10 frames per second, and the time required for the magnetic head 16 to move to the next recordable position is determined whether the continuous shooting speed is 1 track or 2 tracks. 1 field period (approximately 17m5)
ec>, and when recording with the magnetic head 16, a recording signal S■ as shown in FIG. 8 is generated, and this recording signal 3v lasts for a period (2
The recording pulse signal S is generated two field periods before the recording pulse signal S is generated, and continues until one field period after the end of recording.
The audio data in the RAM 11 is not immediately recorded on the magnetic sheet even after the time T1 has elapsed, but the audio data is recorded after waiting for the recording of the recording signal to be completed,
The drive motor for rotating the magnetic sheet is always kept rotating at a constant speed within a predetermined time by a stamp timer.

In FIG. 8, when the recording button 2 is pressed to enable recording, a recording display signal Sa, an audio recording signal, and a recording start pulse signal 3i are generated, and the audio signal from time t6 to period T1 is converted into a digital signal. It is stored in RAM11. If the recording signal 3v is generated by photographing after this time T1 (time t7), the A and B of the magnetic head 16 are
The signal Sv is recorded for one frame on the magnetic sheet in the channel, and immediately after the recording, the magnetic head 16 is moved by two tracks, and at the time t8 when the magnetic head 16 has moved, the image signal S is Since it is turned off, next RAM11
After reading the audio data from the audio data, performing analog conversion, FM modulation, etc., and recording one track worth of data on the magnetic sheet using the A channel of the magnetic head 16, the magnetic head 16 is then moved one track length to record the next track. Recording or recording becomes possible. In this way, recording and recording are performed in a time-sharing manner, so each recording can be performed without any problem.

Next, when the recording button 2 is pressed for the second time (time t9) while recording is being performed continuously in this way, the stop signal Sp is generated since the recording display signal 3a has already been generated, and the RA
After the audio data for time T1 stored in M11 is recorded on the magnetic sheet and the audio recording signal is turned off (time t10)
When the magnetic head 16 is moved one track by the track movement signal S'C (time t11), the continuous recording mode ends.

Here, in the above explanation, when the recording button 2 is pressed and the elapsed time point t7 of the time T1 is immediately after the recording signal SV is generated, the recording delay time becomes maximum, and the user waits for the delay time ΔT until the recording of the recording signal Sv ends. Recording is performed from time t8, and the delay time ΔT in this case is approximately equivalent to 5 fields.In order to record continuous audio data on the magnetic sheet, the RAM 11 has a storage area for one track. There is an extra storage area for a total of 6 field periods, including the 5 field periods mentioned above and the recording time on the magnetic sheet (1 field period), but its capacity is compared to the capacity of one track. It is only about 1 to 2%, which is very small. Also, in this embodiment, sequence control is performed so that the image signal from the image sensor is recorded with priority over audio recording, but if this is done so that the audio signal is recorded with priority, the unnecessary The storage area of the RAM 11 can be reduced, and since the readout delay time of the image signal from the image sensor is approximately several tens of m5ec, there is little deterioration in image quality when this image signal is recorded.

Furthermore, when recording audio continuously over multiple tracks as in this embodiment, an information signal indicating that recording is being performed over multiple tracks is sent together with the audio signal to be recorded. By simultaneously recording on each track, the original audio can be reproduced even if audio signal recording tracks and recording signal recording tracks are formed in a mixed manner. On the other hand, even if a playback screen is obtained when a recording track of an audio signal and a recording track of a recording signal are formed in a mixed manner, it is easy to distinguish between a playback image signal and a playback audio signal, and no problem arises. Furthermore, if information indicating that an audio signal is also recorded at the same time as the image taken at the time of photography is superimposed on the image signal and recorded, correspondence between audio and images can be easily established during playback.

Further, in this embodiment, a double gap head is used as the recording/reproducing head, and the image is recorded in frame units, and the audio is recorded using only one channel of the magnetic head 16, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example,
A configuration may be used in which a double gap head is used to record images field by field in one channel section and sound is recorded in the other channel section, or a single head is used to record images field by field and then the single The head may be configured to move and record audio using sequence control as in this embodiment, and various combinations are possible, but any of these can be realized using sequence control similar to the present invention. .

Furthermore, by detecting the number of unused tracks on the magnetic sheet, the recording/playback control circuit 400 calculates the total remaining recordable time, and supplies the result to the display drive circuit 200 to display the remaining recordable time on the finder. It can also be displayed on the time display 8.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, by displaying the remaining recording time, it is possible to effectively utilize the limited recording time, and even during continuous shooting, the sound To provide an electronic still camera that can record audio without interruption and can perform audio recording with a simple operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are perspective views showing the external appearance of an electronic still camera related to the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a part of the finder of the electronic still camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the magnetic recording device of the present invention in which a reproducing device is integrated, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the magnetic recording circuit of FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the recording operation in continuous mode; FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the operation when recording and recording are both performed in continuous mode. . 1 Release button 2: Recording button 3: Recording indicator light 4: Recording mode changeover switch 5: Recording mode changeover switch 8: Remaining time display 100: Recording and playback circuit 200: Display drive circuit 300: Motor drive circuit 400: Recording and playback control circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a magnetic recording device that records a still image signal and an audio signal on separate tracks on the same rotating magnetic recording medium, the still image signal and the audio signal are time-divisionally recorded on each track of the rotating magnetic recording medium, and the audio A magnetic recording device comprising a display circuit that detects and displays the remaining recordable time of a signal.