JPH05145876A - Image signal processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the power consumption and enable stable continuous recording by moving a movable part which stores temporarily stored image data on a storage medium when the temporarily stored image data reaches a specific amount. CONSTITUTION:With a 1st release switch SW1 ON, image data obtained by digitizing the image signal outputted by an image pickup element are stored in the buffer memory in a memory part 6. Then when the image data stored in the buffer memory reaches the specific amount, the hard disks in a hard disk part 8 begin to be rotated. Therefore, the hard disks of the hard disk device need not be put in a rotating state at all times while photographing and recording operation is in stand-by state Consequently, the power consumption is prevented from increasing to save electric power and even when the device is supplied with the electric power from a portable power source such as a battery, the battery need not be replaced frequently, thereby evading the interruption of continuous photographing and recording operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image signal processing device for processing an image signal, and more particularly to an image signal processing device for storing an image signal in a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an image signal processing apparatus for processing an image signal, for example, the image signal is recorded on a plurality of concentric recording tracks formed on a magnetic disk,
There is an electronic still video system that arbitrarily selects a recording track on the magnetic disk and reproduces an image signal recorded on the selected recording track.

By the way, the above-mentioned electronic still video system is configured to record an image signal on a recording track on a magnetic disk in an analog signal state, but recently, a subject is photographed by a video camera or the like. The image signal obtained by
A new system has emerged in which (Random Access Memory) is stored in a built-in memory card.

However, when the image signal is digitized and stored in the memory card as described above, the digitized image signal has an enormous amount of information, so a memory card having a large storage capacity is required. However, since a large-capacity memory card is still expensive, the system as described above has become very expensive.

Therefore, recently, compared to memory cards,
A system for storing a digitized image signal by using a hard disk having a large storage capacity at a low cost has been considered.

[0006]

In the system using the above hard disk, when the image signal obtained by picking up an image of an object with a video camera or the like is digitized and stored in the hard disk, the rotation of the hard disk is stable, Since it takes time until the storage operation becomes possible, the hard disk is rotated before the start of the shooting / recording operation, and the shooting / recording operation start is waited in a stable state, or it is supplied from the video camera. A buffer memory for temporarily storing a digitized image signal is provided, and image data corresponding to a captured image is stored in the buffer memory, and after the hard disk rotates stably, the buffer memory is stored in the buffer memory. Read the stored image data, transfer it to the hard disk, and store it. It was.

However, as described above, if the hard disk is kept in a rotating state during the standby for the photographing / recording operation, the power consumption increases, so that the apparatus is powered by a portable power source such as a battery. In this case, the battery must be replaced frequently, or in the case of performing a continuous shooting / recording operation in which image signals continuously supplied from the video camera are continuously stored in the hard disk, During the continuous shooting / recording operation, the buffer memory for temporarily storing the image data overflows, and the continuous shooting / recording operation is interrupted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image signal processing device having a simple structure, low power consumption, and capable of stably performing continuous recording of image signals.

[0009]

An image signal processing apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for processing an image signal, and is a first storage means for temporarily storing and outputting input image data, and the first storage means. Second storage means having a movable part for recording the image data output from the storage means in a storage medium, and the first storage means.
When a predetermined amount of image data is stored in the storage means, the operation control means for moving the movable portion in the second storage means.

[0010]

According to the above construction, the power consumption is small and the continuous recording of the image signal can be stably performed.

[0011]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below with reference to examples of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic still video system to which the present invention is applied, as an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an optical system composed of an imaging lens, 2 is an exposure control member composed of a diaphragm mechanism and a shutter mechanism, 3 is an image sensor, and 4 is an analog generated by the image sensor 3. A sample hold circuit 5 for sample-holding an image signal, and an analog / digital (A / A / A) for converting an analog image signal output from the sample hold circuit 4 into digital image data.
D) conversion circuit, 6 is a D-RAM (Dynamic)
A memory unit composed of a plurality of buffer memories (M0 to M7 in FIG. 1) such as Random Access Memory), and 7 is a digital interface for supplying image data output from the memory unit 6 to a hard disk unit 8 described later. A circuit, 8 has a hard disk device, a hard disk section for storing image data output from the memory section 6 and supplied through the digital interface circuit 7 in the hard disk, and 9 a drive for driving the image pickup device 3. Pulse (S in Fig. 1
T), sample-hold pulse for controlling the sample-hold operation in the sample-hold circuit 4 (SH in FIG. 1), clock pulse for controlling the conversion operation in the A / D conversion circuit 5 (AD in FIG. 1) A timing signal generator 10 for generating various timing signals, etc., stores and reads image data to and from the memory unit 5, and D-RA in the memory unit 5.
A memory controller for controlling the refresh operation of M, 11 is a first release switch SW1, 12 is a second
The release switches SW2 and SW13 are lock switches for prohibiting acceptance of instructions from the respective switches such as the release switches SW1 and SW2, and 14 is a system controller for controlling the operation of the entire system.

Here, the specifications of the hard disk unit 8 in this embodiment will be described.

The hard disk unit 8 in this embodiment is, for example, CONNER, PRAIRIE-TEK, AR.
It is equipped with a general-purpose hard disk drive such as EAL.

The hard disk device has three modes: active mode, power save mode, and standby mode.

First, in the active mode, the hard disk drive is reading data, writing data, seeking a sector, or waiting for the next command and the hard disk is rotating in an idle state. It is a mode indicating a state.

The power save mode is a mode in which the hard disk is rotating but the head is retracted from the hard disk, and it takes about several hundred milliseconds to shift from this mode to the active mode.

Further, the standby mode is a mode in which the rotation of the hard disk is stopped, and it takes more time to shift from this mode to the active mode than to shift from the power save mode to the active mode. It costs.

The above hard disk device is usually
The present embodiment has a function of automatically shifting to the power save mode or the standby mode if data writing, reading, or sector seek operation is not performed for a predetermined time in the active mode. Instead of using the hard disk device, it immediately shifts to the desired mode after receiving the command.

The shooting / recording operation in the electronic still video system shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to the operation flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart for explaining the shooting / recording operation in the electronic still video system shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, first, when the lock switch 13 is turned off, the system controller 1
A counter (hereinafter referred to as RECCNT) that counts the number of images corresponding to the image data stored in the memory unit 6 provided in 4 is cleared to "0" (S1 and S2 in FIG. 2). ..

If the lock switch 13 is still in the ON state in S1 of FIG. 2, the system controller 14 turns off the power source (not shown) in S21.

The system controller 14 is the first
The operating state of the release switch SW1 is checked. If the first release switch SW1 is in the ON state, power supply to the hard disk unit 8 is started from a power source (not shown), and power is supplied from the power source to the hard disk unit 8. A flag (hereinafter, referred to as PWFRAG) indicating that it is in the closed state is set (S3 and S4 in FIG. 2).

Next, the system controller 14 checks the operation state of the second release switch SW2, and if the second release switch SW2 is in the OFF state, it transmits a power save command to the hard disk device in the hard disk unit 8, Upon receiving the power save command, the hard disk device starts the transition to the power save mode (S5 and S20 in FIG. 2).

If the second release switch SW2 is ON in S5 of FIG. 2, it is checked whether or not the buffer memory in the memory section 6 is overflowing (S5 and S6 of FIG. 2).

In S6 of FIG. 2, the value of the maximum storable number of images corresponding to the image data stored in the memory unit 6 is set to BMAX, and it is checked whether the RECCNT exceeds BMAX. Checks whether the buffer memory inside is overflowing.

Then, in S6 of FIG. 2, RECCN
When it is detected that T does not exceed BMAX, the shutter mechanism of the exposure control member 2 is controlled to expose the image of the subject on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 3, and the image signal output from the image pickup device 3 is output. The digital image data obtained by sample-holding by the sample-hold circuit 4 and further digitized by the A / D conversion circuit 5 is supplied to the memory unit 6 and stored in the buffer memory in the memory unit 6, and the system controller 14 R provided inside
The count value of ECCNT is incremented, and the count value of the number of images corresponding to the image data stored in the buffer memory in the memory unit 6 is stored. (Fig. 2
S6 to S9).

In the above operation, the image pickup device 3, the sample hold circuit 4, and the A / D conversion circuit 5 are driven by the drive pulse ST, sample hold pulse SH, clock pulse AD, etc. output from the timing signal generator 9. is doing.

Then, the system controller 14 checks whether the shooting / recording mode set by operating an operation unit (not shown) is the continuous shooting / recording mode or the single shooting / recording mode (S10 in FIG. 2), and the continuous shooting / recording is performed. If in mode, see Figure 2.
In S11, RECCNT is the predetermined storage number value CT
If H is the single shooting / recording mode, it is checked in step S12 of FIG. 2 whether RECCNT exceeds the predetermined number-of-stored-sheets value STH.

The predetermined storage number value CTH in the continuous shooting / recording mode is set to a value larger than the predetermined storage number value STH in the single shooting / recording mode.

Then, in S11 and S12 of FIG.
When RECCNT exceeds CTH or STH, the system controller 14 sends an active command to the hard disk device in the hard disk unit 8, and the hard disk device that receives this active command goes to the above-mentioned active mode state. After the transfer, the rotation of the hard disk of the hard disk device is started (S13 in FIG. 2), and when RECCNT does not exceed CTH or STH, the system controller 14 returns to B in FIG. Prepare for

Next, the system controller 14 is in a state where the rotation of the hard disk in the hard disk device is stable and image data can be written (hereinafter, READY
It is checked whether or not it has become), and when not READY, the process returns to B of FIG. 2 (S14 of FIG. 2).

Further, in S14 of FIG. 2, READY
When it is detected, the image data stored in the buffer memory in the memory unit 6 is transferred to the hard disk unit 8, and the count value of RECCNT provided in the system controller 14 is set to the above-mentioned value. The number of images corresponding to the image data transferred from the memory unit 6 to the hard disk unit 8 is decremented, and the process returns to B in FIG. 2 (S15 and S16 in FIG. 2).

In S3 of FIG. 2, when the system controller 14 detects that the first release switch SW1 is in the OFF state, the system controller 14 further determines whether or not the PWFRAG is set. When it is detected that the PWFRAG is not set, it is determined that the shooting / recording operation has not been performed so far, the process returns to A of FIG. 2, and it is detected that the PWFRAG is set. In this case, the count value of RECCNT provided in the system controller 14 is checked, and if the value of RECCNT is not “0”, it is determined that the image data is still stored in the memory unit 6. , C of FIG. 2, the image data recording operation routine to the hard disk is executed, and RE
If the value of CCNT is "0", it is assumed that the image data stored in the memory unit 6 has already been transferred to the hard disk unit 8 and already recorded in the hard disk unit, and the standby command is sent to the hard disk unit in the hard disk unit 8. Is sent, the hard disk device is shifted to the standby mode described above, and the process returns to A in FIG. 2 (S in FIG. 2).
17-S19).

By the way, in the above embodiment, the predetermined storage number value CTH in the continuous shooting / recording mode is set to a value larger than the predetermined storage number value STH in the single shooting / recording mode, but conversely, the STH value is set to the CTH value. It may be set larger.

Further, in the description of the above embodiment, if the hard disk device does not write, read, or seek data for a predetermined time in the active mode, the active mode automatically shifts to the power save mode or the standby mode. Without using the function to
Although the hard disk device has been described as immediately shifting to the desired mode after receiving the command, the function may be used in this embodiment, and in that case, the active mode is switched to the power save mode or the standby mode. The setting of the count time of the timer that counts the time until the shift to (1) may be set according to the shooting operation in order to perform the operation at the optimum timing in the shooting and recording operation.

For example, in S18 of FIG. 2, it is detected that the first release switch SW1 is in the OFF state, and the transfer of the image data stored in the buffer memory in the memory unit 6 to the hard disk unit 8 is completed. After that, when the value of RECCNT in the system controller 14 becomes "0", the standby command is immediately transmitted to the hard disk device in the hard disk unit 8. However, the image data stored in the buffer memory in the memory unit 6 is transmitted. After the transfer to the hard disk unit 8 is completed and the value of RECCNT in the system controller 14 becomes "0", the operation state of the first release switch SW1 is checked again, and the first release switch SW1 is in the OFF state. A certain period is counted by a timer or the like, and the first release switch SW1 is turned off. When the state continues for a predetermined time, a standby command may be transmitted to the hard disk device in the hard disk unit 8, and the time counted by the timer is changed between the continuous shooting recording mode and the single shooting recording mode. You may choose to do so.

By the way, when the hard disk device is first rotated, the hard disk device changes control parameters such as rotation servo data of the hard disk according to the state of the hard disk. The rotation start-up time during operation may take longer than during the second and subsequent rotation operations.

Therefore, in the first rotation operation of the hard disk and the second and subsequent rotation operations, the continuous shooting recording mode,
Predetermined storage number values CTH, S in single shooting recording mode
The value of TH may be changed.

For example, during the second and subsequent rotation operations of the hard disk, the predetermined storage number values CTH and STH are set to be larger than those during the first rotation operation, and the buffer memory of the memory unit 6 has a larger number. The rotation operation of the hard disk may be started after storing the image data of.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the system controller 14 is provided with a counter or RECCNT for counting the number of images corresponding to the image data stored in the memory unit 6, and the memory unit 6 is provided with the value of RECCNT. The image data corresponding to the number of images stored in the buffer memory is detected and the RECCNT is compared with the predetermined storage number values CTH and STH. The number of storable images indicating whether the image data corresponding to the image can be stored is detected, and the storable image number value is determined according to the shooting / recording mode (that is, continuous shooting recording mode or single shooting recording mode) When it detects that it has become less than the set predetermined value, it will start the rotation operation of the hard disk of the hard disk drive. At best, further, the storable number value a predetermined value to be compared with the aforementioned predetermined storage number value CTH,
You may make it change like STH.

As described above, in this embodiment,
By turning on the first release switch SW1, the image data obtained by digitizing the image signal output from the image sensor is stored in the buffer memory in the memory unit 6 and stored in the buffer memory. Since the rotation operation of the hard disk in the hard disk unit 8 is started when the amount of image data reaches a predetermined amount, it is not necessary to keep the hard disk of the hard disk device in a constant rotation state during the standby of the shooting recording operation. In addition, it is possible to prevent an increase in power consumption and achieve power saving, and even when the device is powered by a portable power source such as a battery, it is not necessary to frequently replace the battery, and continuous operation is possible. In the shooting / recording mode, the buffer memory of the memory unit 6 overflows and continuous shooting / recording operation is interrupted. The stable continuous shooting and recording operation can be performed without any trouble, and the hard disk is rotated by changing the predetermined amount according to the shooting and recording mode and the operation mode of the hard disk device in the hard disk unit 8. You will be able to shorten the waiting time.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image signal processing apparatus having a simple structure, low power consumption, and capable of stably performing continuous recording of image signals. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic still video system to which the present invention has been applied, as an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an operation flowchart for explaining a shooting / recording operation in the electronic still video system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical system 2 Exposure control member 3 Image sensor 4 Sample and hold circuit 5 A / D conversion circuit 6 Memory section 7 Interface circuit 8 Hard disk section 9 Timing signal generator 10 Memory controller 11 First release switch SW1 12 Second release switch SW2 13 Lock switch 14 System controller

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location H04N 5/91 L 8324-5C

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A device for processing an image signal, comprising: first storage means for temporarily storing and outputting input image data; and image data output from the first storage means in a storage medium. And a second storage unit having a movable unit for storing, and an operation control unit for moving the movable unit in the second storage unit when a predetermined amount of image data is stored in the first storage unit. A characteristic image signal processing device. 2. The first storage unit has a continuous storage mode for continuously storing image data and an intermittent storage mode for intermittently storing image data, and the operation control unit has the first storage unit. The movement start timing of the movable portion in the second storage means may be different depending on whether the storage means stores the image data according to the continuous storage mode or the image data according to the intermittent storage mode. The image signal processing device according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 3. The second storage means has a plurality of types of operation modes, and the operation control means controls the movable part of the second storage means according to the type of operation mode in the second storage means. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable start timings are different. 4. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first storage means is a memory element. 5. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second storage means is a hard disk device.