Recording apparatus having a pause mode in which video signals are written to memory by cyclically designating write addresses

• US 6,741,789 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoshi, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/334,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/83, 386/109, 386/101, 386/125, 386/126, 369/30, 369/83, 360/5, 358/906, 358/52, 358/107, 358/117
• US Class Current: 386/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2009/8084 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

A recording apparatus reads and stores video signals on a recording medium. The recording apparatus has a recording mode and a recording pause mode. In the recording mode, the video signals are stored in a memory, and the video signals read from the memory are recorded. In the recording pause mode, the video signals are stored in the memory by cycling through selecting storage addresses, and the recording of the video signals is terminated.

Claims

1. A recording apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing video signals for a predetermined number of frames;

control means for controlling operation of said storage means;

compression means for compressing an information amount of input video signals, wherein said control means writes the video signals compressed by said compression means into said storage means;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said storage means; and

mode-setting means for selectively setting a mode of said apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including (i) a recording pause mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means by cyclically designating write addresses of said storage means, corresponding to the predetermined number of frames, at which the video signals are to be written, and recording of video signals on the recording medium is stopped, and (ii) a recording mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means and cyclically reads out video signals from said storage means at a normal reading speed;

wherein said storage means has a first area in which the video signals to be compressed by said compression means are stored, and a second area in which the compressed video signals are stored.

2. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in said recording mode, said control means writes the compressed video signals into said second area by cyclically designating the write addresses of said storage means, and reads and outputs the stored video signals from said second area to said recording means, and wherein in said recording pause mode, said control means stores the compressed video signals in said second area by cyclically designating the write addresses of said storage means, and stops the reading of the video signals from said second area.

3. A recording apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing video signals of n frames, where n represents a predetermined integer not less than 2;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said memory;

instruction means for manually instructing a start of recording of video signals by said recording means; and

control means for controlling a storing operation of said memory and a recording operation of said recording means;

wherein said control means writes video signals into said memory by cyclically designating write addresses of said memory, and

wherein said control means controls said memory and said recording means so that, in accordance with a start recording instruction by said instruction means, video signals corresponding to the (n−

1)th frame at the time of the instruction are read from said memory and recorded by said recording means.

4. A recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control means sequentially reads the video signals corresponding to the (n−

1)th frame by cyclically designating read addresses of said memory.

5. A recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control means includes address generating means for determining a reading-start address in accordance with a write address generated at the time of said instruction.

6. A recording apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing video signals of n frames, where n represents an integer not less than 2;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said memory;

instruction means for manually instructing a stop of recording of the video signals read out from said memory by said recording means; and

control means for controlling a storing operation of said memory and a recording operation of said recording means;

wherein said control means writes video signals into said memory by cyclically designating write addresses of said memory, and

wherein said control means controls said memory and said recording means so that, in accordance with a stop recording instruction by said instruction means, video signals of n frames from the time of the stop recording instruction are read at a speed faster than a speed before the stop recording instruction is given, and after that, recording of video signals by said recording means is stopped.

7. A recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said control means controls a recording operation of said recording means so that the video signals are recorded at a speed higher than a normal recording speed.

8. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said recording medium comprises a disk recording medium, and wherein said control means controls said recording means so that, in accordance with the instruction, said disk recording medium is driven at a speed greater than a normal driving speed.

9. A recording apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing video signals of n frames, where n represents an integer not less than 2;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said memory;

first instruction means for manually instructing a start of recording of video signals by said recording means;

second instruction means for manually instructing a stop of the recording of the video signals by said recording means; and

control means for controlling a storing operation of said memory and a recording operation of said recording means;

wherein said control means writes video signals into said memory by cyclically designating write addresses of said memory,

wherein said control means controls said memory and said recording means so that, in accordance with a start recording instruction by said first instruction means, video signals corresponding to the (n−

1)th frame at the time of said instruction of said first instruction means are read out from said memory and recorded by said recording means, and

wherein said control means controls said memory and said recording means so that, in accordance with a stop recording instruction by said second instruction means, video signals for n frames from the time of the instruction of said second instruction means are read out before the recording of video signals by said recording means is terminated.

10. A recording apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing video signals for a predetermined number of frames;

control means for controlling operation of said storage means;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said storage means; and

mode-setting means for setting a mode of said apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including (i) a first mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means and reads out video signals from said storage means at a first reading speed, and said recording means records the video signals read out from said storage means, (ii) a second mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means, and reads out video signals from said storage means at a second reading speed faster than the first reading speed, and said recording means records the video signals read out from said storage means, and (iii) a third mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means by cyclically designating write addresses of said storage means at which the video signals are to be written, and recording of video signals on the recording medium is stopped.

11. A recording apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing video signals for a predetermined number of frames;

control means for controlling operation of said storage means;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said storage means; and

mode-setting means for setting a mode of said apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including (i) a first mode in which said control means reads out video signals from said storage means at a first reading speed, and said recording means records the video signals read out from said storage means, (ii) a second mode in which said control means reads out video signals from said storage means at a second reading speed faster than the first reading speed, and said recording means records the video signals read out from said storage means, and (iii) a third mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means by cyclically designating write addresses of said storage means at which the video signals are to be written, and recording of video signals on the recording medium is stopped.

12. A recording apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing video signals for a predetermined number of frames;

control means for controlling operation of said storage means;

compression means for compressing an information amount of input video signals, wherein said control means writes the video signals compressed by said compression means into said storage means;

recording means for recording on a recording medium video signals read out from said storage means; and

mode-setting means for selectively setting a mode of said apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including (i) a recording pause mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means by cyclically designating write addresses of said storage means, corresponding to the predetermined number of frames, at which the video signals are to be written, and recording of video signals on the recording medium is stopped, and (ii) a recording mode in which said control means cyclically writes video signals into said storage means and cyclically reads out video signals from said storage means,

wherein said storage means has a first area in which the video signals to be compressed by said compression means are stored, and a second area in which the compressed video signals are stored.

13. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in said recording pause mode, said control means repeatedly writes the video signals into said storage means, and inhibits the reading of the video signals from said storage means to said recording means.

14. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said recording means records, on said recording medium, the compressed video signals stored in said storage means.

15. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said compression means includes error-correction encoding means for subjecting compressed video signals to an error-correction encoding process.

16. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said recording apparatus further comprises output means for outputting compressed video signals from said apparatus.

17. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said recording medium comprises a disk recording medium.

18. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said storage means stores video signals of n frames, where n represents an integer not less than 2.

19. A recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in said recording mode, said control means writes the compressed video signals into said second area by cyclically designating the write addresses of said storage means, and reads and outputs the stored video signals from said second area to said recording means, and wherein in said recording pause mode, said control means stores the compressed video signals in said second area by cyclically designating the write addresses of said storage means, and stops the reading of the video signals from said second area.

20. A recording apparatus comprising:

a storage device which stores video signals of a plurality of frames;

a controller which controls operation of said storage device;

a recording unit which records the video signals read out from said storage device on a recording medium; and

a mode-setting unit which sets a mode of said recording apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including (i) a first mode in which said controller reads out the video signals from said storage device at a first reading speed, and said recording unit records the video signals read out from said storage device, (ii) a second mode in which said controller reads out the video signals from said storage device at a second reading speed faster than the first reading speed, and said recording unit records the video signals read out from said storage device, and (iii) a third mode in which said controller cyclically writes video signals into said storage device by cyclically designating write addresses of said storage device at which the video signals are to be written, and recording of the video signals on the recording medium is stopped.

21. A recording apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

imaging means for obtaining video signals, said storage device storing the video signals obtained by said imaging means.

22. An apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

a compression unit which compresses an information amount of input video signals by encoding the input video signals, said controller writing the video signals compressed by said compression unit into said storage device.

23. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the recording medium includes a disk recording medium.

24. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said controller cyclically writes video signals in said first mode and second mode.

25. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said recording unit records the video signals read out from said storage device at a first recording speed in the first mode, and records the video signals read out from said storage device at a second recording speed faster than the first recording speed in the second mode.