Video recording apparatus and monitoring apparatus

• US 20020015582A1
• Filed: 07/30/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Manabu, Matsumoto, Kazuya, Tsuzuki, Kazuhisa, Higashimura, Mamoru, Umezawa, Megumi
• Granted Patent: US 6,795,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9205 the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

When a video input (image data) sequentially fetched from a monitor camera is to be stored in data storage means, frame rate calculating means calculates a frame rate for storage of the image data by using a picture recording time mode, a residual capacity of the data storage means, the presence of generation of an alarm signal and a value of a picture quality parameter for data compression. The frame rate calculating means thins a video signal which does not correspond to the frame rate so as not to be stored in the data storage means. Consequently, image data for a predetermined time are stored in the data storage means.

Claims

1. A video recording apparatus comprising:

a digital data storage medium; and

frame rate calculating means,

wherein said frame rate calculating means calculates a frame rate depending on a quantity of image data recorded in said digital data storage medium.

2. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the frame rate depends on a recording time corresponding to the quantity of the recorded image data.

3. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the frame rate depends on a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium, the residual capacity corresponding to the quantity of the image data.

4. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said frame rate calculating means calculates the frame rate by using the image data recorded for a past predetermined time in order to store the image data into said digital data storage medium.

5. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said frame rate calculating means calculates the frame rate by using a value of a picture quality parameter when the image data are to be compressed and stored in said digital data storage medium.

6. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said frame rate calculating means calculates the frame rate by reading at least a part of calculation of the frame rate from a prepared table.

7. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said frame rate calculating means fixes the frame rate to a predetermined rate when the calculated frame rate is equal to or smaller than the predetermined rate, thereby regulating a value of the picture quality parameter.

8. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said frame rate calculating means records image data having a high degree of importance at a predetermined frame rate and records image data having a low degree of importance at a lower frame rate than the predetermined frame rate when the calculated frame rate is equal to or lower than the predetermined frame rate.

9. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

data processing means for setting a data compression rate of the image data having a high degree of importance to be lower than a data compression rate of the image data having a low degree of importance, thereby storing the data in the digital data storage medium.

10. The video recording apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the image data are set to have a high degree of importance when an alarm is generated or a trigger input is manually carried out.

11. The video recording apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said data processing means deletes the image data having the low degree of importance when a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium is equal to or smaller than a predetermined capacity.

12. The video recording apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said data processing overwrites new image data having the high degree of importance to the image data having the low degree of importance when a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium is equal to or smaller than a predetermined capacity.

13. The video recording apparatus according claim 9,

wherein said data processing means decides a degree of importance of image data by using a value of a flag added to said image data.

14. The video recording apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said data processing means stores only image data having the high degree of importance in said digital data storage medium when a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium is equal to or smaller than a predetermined capacity.

15. A video recording apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein a storage region for storing only the image data having a high degree of importance is preset to be a dedicated region for each type of an alarm.

17. A monitoring apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein said video recording apparatus further including:

data processing means for setting a data compression rate of the image data having a high degree of importance to be lower than a data compression rate of the image data having a low degree of importance, thereby storing the data in the digital data storage medium.

16. A monitoring apparatus comprising:

a monitor camera;

an alarm generating device;

a video recording apparatus including a digital data storage medium and frame rate calculating means, wherein said frame rate calculating means calculates a frame rate depending on a quantity of image data recorded in said digital data storage medium, and

a monitor device for displaying, on a screen, at least one of the image data recorded in said digital data storage medium and image data obtained by reproducing image data previously stored in said digital data storage medium,

wherein said video recording apparatus receives image data fetched from said monitor camera and an alarm fetched from said alarm generating apparatus.