Recording and reproducing apparatus

• US 5,966,495 A
• Filed: 01/13/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koji, Harigaya, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US08/782,762
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/6, 386/38, 386/45, 386/68-70, 386/95, 386/117, 386/120, 386/125-126, 386/109, 358/906, 358/909.1, 348/231-233, 369/32, 369/48, 369/54
• US Class Current: 386/326
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content storing computer data in solid state memories G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A recording and reproducing apparatus includes a recording circuit for forming predetermined memory units by correlating video information and audio information with retrieval information for retrieval of the video information and the audio information, and sequentially recording the predetermined memory units in a solid-state memory device at intervals of predetermined time, a file generating circuit for generating a retrieval information file for retrieving the video information and the audio information on the basis of the retrieval information, and a reproducing circuit for reading out the video information and the audio information from the solid-state memory device on the basis of information contained in the retrieval information file and reproducing a video signal and an audio signal from the solid-state memory device, during retrieval of information recorded in the solid-state memory device.

Claims

1. A recording and reproducing apparatus, comprising:

(a) means for obtaining a video and/or audio information coded by a variable-length coding method;

(b) means for obtaining search information coded by a fixed-length coding method;

(c) first generating means for multiplexing the search information and the video and/or audio information to obtain a first signal,

said first generating means multiplexing the search information to the video and/or audio information at intervals of a predetermined time;

(d) second generating means for generating a second signal composed of the search information;

(e) recording means for recording the first and second signals in a memory device; and

(f) reproducing means for reproducing the video and/or audio information according to the search information of the first signal and the search information of the second signal.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium includes a solid memory.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium includes a disc-like memory.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium includes a card-like memory.

5. A recording apparatus, comprising:

(a) coding means for coding an image signal by a variable-length coding method;

(b) generating means for generating control data for searching the image signal;

(c) first processing means for dividing the image signal coded by said coding means into a plurality of blocks and obtaining a plurality of recording blocks by multiplexing the control data to the plurality of blocks;

(d) second processing means for generating a subordinate signal composed of the control data; and

(e) recording means for forming a main signal composed of the plurality of recording blocks and writing the main signal and the subordinate signal into a memory device, said recording means writing the main signal in a first area of the memory device and writing the subordinate signal in a second area in the memory device.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control data includes ID data indicating addresses of the memory device at which the plurality of recording blocks are written.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising reproducing means for reading the main signal from the memory device according to the subordinate signal written in the second area of the memory device.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said reproducing means retrieves the image signal according to the control data in the plurality of recording blocks and the control data of the subordinate signal.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said reproducing means includes decoding means for decoding the image signal by using a decoding method corresponding to the variable-length coding method.

10. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first processing means multiplexes the control data to the plurality of blocks of the moving image signal at intervals of at predetermined time.

11. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said memory device includes a solid-state memory device.

12. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image signal represents a moving image.

13. A recording apparatus, comprising:

coding means for coding a video and/or audio information by a variable-length coding method;

generating means for generating a search information having a predetermined code length, the search information including discrimination data indicating whether the coded video and/or audio information is effective;

processing means for dividing the video and/or audio information coded by said coding means into a plurality of blocks and obtaining a plurality of recording blocks by multiplexing the search information to the plurality of blocks of the video and/or audio information; and

recording means for forming a main information composed of the plurality of recording blocks and writing the main information into a storage device in the recording block units, wherein said recording means further forming a subordinate information composed of the search information and writing the main information and the subordinate information into the storage device, said recording means writing the main information in a first area of the storage device and writing the subordinate information in a second area of the storage device.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising reproducing means for reading the main information from the storage device.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said recording means determines an area of the storage device into which the main information is to be written according to the discrimination data in the main information reproduced by said reproducing means.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said storage device includes a solid-state memory.

17. A recording apparatus, comprising:

input means for inputting an information signal;

generating means for generating control data for retrieving the information signal;

first processing means for dividing the information signal input by said input means into a plurality of blocks and obtaining a plurality of recording blocks by multiplexing the control data to the plurality of blocks;

second processing means for generating a subordinate signal composed of the control data; and

recording means for forming a main signal composed of the plurality of recording blocks and writing the main signal and the subordinate signal into a storage device,

said recording means writing the main signal in a first area of the storage device and writing the subordinate signal in a second area of the storage device.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the information signal includes a moving image signal.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said input means includes coding means for coding the moving image signal by a variable-length coding method, and wherein said first processing means divides the moving image signal coded by said coding means into the plurality of blocks.

20. An apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising reproducing means for reading the main signal and the subordinate signal from the storage device.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said reproducing means retrieves the information signal written in the storage device according to the control data in the recording blocks of the main signal and the control data in the subordinate signal.

22. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the storage device includes a solid-state memory.

23. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said input means comprises compressing means for compressing an information amount of the information signal, and wherein said first processing means divides the information signal compressed by said compressing means into the plurality of blocks.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the information signal includes an image signal.

25. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the information signal includes an audio signal.

26. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the control data comprises first data and second data, the control data of the main signal including the first data and the control data of the subordinate signal including the first and second data.

27. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the second data are provided for one recording block.

28. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the second data are provided for predetermined number of blocks.

29. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said generating means changes contents of the second data at predetermined period.

30. An apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising instruction means for instructing a recording operation of said recording means, said generating means changing contents of the second data in response to the instruction.

31. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the first data represent addresses of the storage device at which the plurality of recording blocks are recorded and the second data represent time information at which the information signal is recorded.

32. An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the first data represent addresses of the storage device at which the plurality of recording blocks are recorded and the second data represent index information.

33. An apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising instruction means for instructing a recording operation of said recording means, said generating means changing contents of the index information in response to the instruction.

34. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a block length of each of the plurality blocks is variable.

38. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the control data of the main signal and the control signal of the subordinate signal comprise ID data representing block numbers of the recording blocks, the ID data being multiplexed to each of the plurality of blocks.

39. An apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the control data of the subordinate signal further comprise address data indicating addresses of the storage device at which the plurality of recording blocks each of which has the ID data are recorded.

40. An apparatus according to claim 39, further comprising reproducing means for reproducing the main signal and the subordinate signal, said reproducing means reproducing the main signal according to the ID data and the address data of the subordinate signal and the ID data of the plurality of recording blocks.

41. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the control data of the subordinate signal comprise ID data representing block numbers of the plurality of recording blocks and address data indicating addresses of the storage device at which the plurality of recording blocks corresponding to the ID data are recorded.

42. An apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the control data in the main signal comprise the ID data, the ID data being multiplexed to each of the plurality of blocks.

43. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the information signal includes a digital moving image signal, said first processing apparatus dividing the input digital moving image signal at intervals of predetermined time, each of the plurality of blocks corresponding to the input digital moving image signal of the predetermined time.

44. An apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said first processing means comprises compressing means for compressing an information amount of the digital moving image signal and coding the digital moving image signal.

45. An apparatus according to claim 44, wherein said compressing means compresses the information amount of the digital moving image signal according to a correlation between a plurality of frames of the digital moving image signal.

46. An apparatus according to claim 44, wherein said compressing means performs said compressing and coding operation according to MPEG-2 system.

35. A recording apparatus, comprising:

input means for inputting an information signal;

generating means for generating control data for retrieving the information signal, the control data comprising first data and second data;

first processing means for dividing the information signal input by said input means into a plurality of blocks and obtaining a plurality of recording blocks by multiplexing the first data to the plurality of blocks;

second processing means for generating a subordinate signal composed of the first and second data; and

recording means for forming a main signal composed of the plurality of recording blocks and writing the main signal and the subordinate signal into a storage device, the first data representing addresses of the storage device at which the plurality of recording blocks are written and the second data representing an index,

said recording means writing the main signal in a first area of the storage device and writing the subordinate signal in a second area of the storage device.

36. A recording apparatus, comprising:

input means for inputting an information signal;

generating means for generating control data for retrieving the information signal;

first processing means for dividing the information signal input by said input means into a plurality of blocks and obtaining a plurality of recording blocks by multiplexing the control data to the plurality of blocks, a block length of each of the plurality of blocks being variable;

second processing means for generating a subordinate signal composed of the control data; and

recording means for forming a main signal composed of the plurality of recording blocks and writing the main signal and the subordinate signal into a storage device,

said recording means writing the main signal in a first area of the storage device and writing the subordinate signal in a second area of the storage device.

37. A recording apparatus, comprising:

input means for inputting a moving image signal;

generating means for generating control data for retrieving the moving image signal;

first processing means for dividing the moving image signal input by said input means into a plurality of blocks and obtaining a plurality of recording blocks by multiplexing the control data to the plurality of blocks;

second processing means for generating a subordinate signal composed of the control data; and

recording means for forming a main signal composed of the plurality of recording blocks and writing the main signal and the subordinate signal into a storage device,

said recording means writing the main signal in a first area of the storage device and writing the subordinate signal in a second area of the storage device.