Hard disc recorder

• US 20070201836A1
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tsubota, Hirono, Masaki, Yasuo
• Application Number:
  US11/702,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20070201836A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

In a hard disc recorder (1) which transits to sleep mode so as to reduce electric power consumption when it is not used by a user in a predetermined term, an imaging unit (9) takes images in an imaging area in front of the hard disc recorder (1) at a predetermined time interval. A person detection unit (32) detects and identifies a person who stays in the imaging area by performing facial recognition process. A transition setting unit (34) sets an individual transition time for the identified user on the basis of a time when the user is detected and a database of execution history of recording or reproducing operation instructed by the user, and set a basic transition time on the basis of a database of execution history of recording or reproducing operation instructed by all users. When the individual transition time comes or when the basic transition time comes in the sleep mode, a hard disc drive controller (31) transits the operation mode of the hard disc recorder (1) from the sleep mode to standby mode where a hard disc recorder (2) is recordable or reproducible.

Claims

1. A hard disc recorder, which records digital audio and video signals into a hard disc drive, reproduces the digital audio and video signals from the hard disc drive, and outputs the digital audio and video signals to an external monitor display apparatus, comprising:

a hard disc drive control means that transits operation mode of the hard disc recorder from sleep mode where rotation of a recording disc of the hard disc drive is stopped so as to reduce electric power consumption to standby mode where the recording disc is rotated stably so as to enable recording of the digital audio and video signals into the hard disc drive or reproducing of the digital audio and video signals from the hard disc drive at predetermined transition time.

2. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a transition time setting means that sets the transition time automatically on the basis of execution history of recording or reproducing operation of the digital audio and video signals instructed by a user or users.

3. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 2 further comprising:

a database forming means that forms a database of the execution history of recording or reproducing the digital audio and video signals; and

a transition time setting means that sets the transition time on the basis of the database.

4. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

a person detection means that detects and identifies a person who stays in a predetermined area in front of the hard disc recorder; and

a transition time setting means that sets an individual transition time for the user identified by the person detection means on the basis of a time when the user is detected and execution history of recording or reproducing operation of the digital audio and video signals instructed by the user.

5. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 4, wherein

the person detection means includes an imaging unit that takes an image of a predetermined area in front of a front panel of the hard disc recorder at a predetermined time interval;

and

the person detection means identifies the user by performing facial recognition process.

6. The hard disc, recorder in accordance with claim 5, wherein

the transition time setting means sets a time passing a predetermined individual waiting time from the time when the user is detected as the individual transition time;

and

the hard disc drive control means transits the operation mode of the hard disc recorder to the standby mode at the individual transition time.

7. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

a person detection means that detects and identifies a user who stays in a predetermined area in front of the hard disc recorder;

a database forming means that forms a database for each user identified by the person detection means correlating with a time when the user is detected and execution history of recording or reproducing operation by the user; and

a transition time setting means that sets an individual transition time for the user identified by the person detection means on the basis of information that the user is identified and the database for the user.

8. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 7, wherein

the person detection means includes an imaging unit that takes an image of a predetermined area in front of a front panel of the hard disc recorder at a predetermined time interval;

and

the person detection means identifies the user by performing facial recognition process.

9. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 1, wherein aplurality of transition times are set corresponding to day of the week.

10. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the hard disc drive control means transits the operation mode of the hard disc recorder from the standby mode to the sleep mode when a predetermined time period has passed with no recording or reproducing operation instructed by the user after transiting the operation mode from the sleep mode to the standby mode.

11. A hard disc recorder comprising:

a hard disc drive having a recording disc into which digital data are recorded and a recording and reading head through which digital data are recorded into or read out from the recording head;

a tuner that receives television broadcast signals delivered from a television station and extracts analogue or digital television broadcast signals of a desired channel among television broadcast signals of a plurality of television stations which are inputted through an external antenna, and outputs video signals including audio signals and visual signals;

an A/D (Analogue to Digital) converter that converts the video signals outputted from the tuner or video signals inputted from external audio and visual apparatus through external input terminals to digital signals;

a compressor/extender that encodes and compresses the digital signals converted by the A/D converter so as to be recorded into the hard disc drive as digital data, and decodes the digital data read out from the hard disc drive to reproduce the original digital signals;

a D/A (Digital to Analogue) converter that converts the decoded digital signals to analogue signals, and outputs the analogue signals to an external monitor display apparatus through output terminals;

an operation unit provided on a front panel of the hard disc recorder and a remote controller, which are operated by a user to select a channel of a television program to be received, to instruct to start recording or reproducing the television program, or to set a preset time to start recording the television program;

a remote control signal receiver that receives infrared ray signals from the remote controller and converts electric signals corresponding to instruction by the user;

a display unit provided on the front panel of the hard disc recorder so as to display at least substance of the instruction by the user, operation mode of the hard disc recorder and current time;

an imaging unit including an imaging device inside of the front panel that takes an image of a predetermined imaging area in front of the front panel of the hard disc recorder;

a person detection units that judges whether a user stays in the imaging area or not and identifies the user when it judges that the user stays in the imaging area by performing facial recognition to the images taken by the imaging unit;

a database forming units that forms or renews a database of execution history of recording or reproducing operation by the user or users identified by the person detection unit with correlating a detection time when the user is detected with a start time for performing the recording or reproducing operation;

a transition time setting units that sets a basic transition time on the basis of the database corresponding to weekday and holiday and an individual transition time foe each user on the basis of user information showing the user identified by the user detection unit and the database; and

a hard disc drive controller that controls to star and to stop rotation of the recording disc of the hard disc drive, and to transit operation mode of the hard disc recorder to standby mode where the recording disc of the hard disc drive rotates in a predetermined rotation speed stably so that the hard disc drive is recordable or reproducible from sleep mode where the recording disc of the hard disc drive stops, when no user is detected in the imaging area or a user is detected in the imaging area but not identified and the basic transition time comes, or when a user is identified by the person detection unit and the individual transition time for the identified user comes.

12. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 11, wherein

the hard disc drive controller transits the operation mode of the hard disc recorder from the standby mode to the sleep mode when a predetermined time period has passed with no recording or reproducing operation instructed by the user after transiting the operation mode from the sleep mode to the standby mode.

13. The hard disc recorder in accordance with claim 11, wherein a plurality of transition times are set corresponding to day of the week.