Information processing device

• US 7,664,367 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks Harold; Marsha D
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAZENSKI, MARC A
• Application Number:
  US11/047,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20050226594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 386/109, 386/110, 386/111, 386/112, 386/46, 386/95, 386/52, 386/105, 369/47.32, 369/47.33, 369/47.34, 369/47.11, 369/53.1, 369/53.34
• US Class Current: 386/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A coder codes an information signal. A rate controller controls a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal. The rate controller controls a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate. The coded data is temporarily memorized in a temporary memory unit and processed by an information processing unit such as a recorder and a transmitter. The information processing unit measures an information processing rate in processing the information. The rate controller adjusts the average rate so that the average rate is lower than the information processing rate measured by the information processing unit, or the rate controller compares a threshold value of a used amount of the temporary memory unit which is previously set and an actually used amount of the temporary memory unit and reduces the average rate when the used amount exceeds the threshold value. Thereby, the rate control can be properly executed while the coding amount in accordance with the complexity of the information signal is allocated.

Claims

1. An information recording device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data; and

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium, wherein

the recorder measures a recording rate in the recording process,

the rate controller adjusts the average rate to be below the recording rate measured by the recorder such that the coding amount to be allocated to a high complexity region of the information signal increases, while the coding amount to be allocated to a less complexity region of the information signal is reduced,

when the recorder detects that the recording medium as a current recording object is exchanged, the recorder informs the rate controller of the exchange, and

the rate controller resets the average rate to an initial value which is previously set when the rate controller receives the notice of the exchange of the recording medium.

2. An information recording device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data;

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium; and

a reproducer for reading information written in the recording medium, wherein

the recorder measures a recording rate in the recording process,

the rate controller adjusts the average rate to be below the recording rate measured by the recorder such that the coding amount to be allocated to a high complexity region of the information signal increases, while the coding amount to be allocated to a less complexity region of the information signal is reduced,

the recorder writes the average rate set by the rate controller in the recording medium,

the reproducer reads the average rate from the recording medium when the recording medium is set in the information recording device,

the rate controller sets the average rate read by the reproducer as an initial value of the average rate of the recording medium in which the relevant average rate is written, and

the average rate set in the recording medium in a previous recording process is thereby used as the initial value of the average rate when the recording medium is subjected to a rerecording process.

3. An information recording device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data; and

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium, wherein

the recorder measures a recording rate in the recording process,

the rate controller adjusts the average rate to be below the recording rate measured by the recorder such that the coding amount to be allocated to a high complexity region of the information signal increases, while the coding amount to be allocated to a less complexity region of the information signal is reduced,

the information recording device, further comprising;

a reproducer for reading individual identification information of the recording medium written in the recording medium; and

a memory unit for associating the recording rate of the recording medium measured by the recorder with the individual identification information of the recording medium read by the reproducer and memorizing the associated recording rate, wherein

the rate controller reads the recording rate associated with the individual identification information read by the reproducer from the recorder and sets the recording rate as an initial value of the recording rate of the recording medium, and

the recording rate set in the recording medium in a previous recording process is thereby used as the initial value of the recording rate when the recording medium is subjected to a rerecording process.

4. An information recording device, comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data;

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium;

a reproducer for reading individual identification information of the recording medium written in the recording medium; and

a memory unit for associating the average rate of the recording medium set by the rate controller with the individual identification information of the recording medium read by the reproducer and memorizing the associated average rate, wherein

the recorder measures a recording rate in the recording process,

the rate controller adjusts the average rate to be below the recording rate measured by the recorder such that the coding amount to be allocated to a high complexity region of the information signal increases, while the coding amount to be allocated to a less complexity region of the information signal is reduced,

the rate controller reads the average rate associated with the individual identification information read by the reproducer from the recorder and sets the average rate as an initial value of the average rate of the recording medium, and

the average rate set in the recording medium in a previous recording process is thereby used as the initial value of the average rate when the recording medium is subjected to a rerecording process.

5. An information recording device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data; and

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium, wherein

the rate controller compares a threshold value of a used amount of the temporary memory unit which is previously set and an actually used amount of the temporary memory unit and reduces the average rate when the used amount exceeds the threshold value,

when the recorder detects that the recording medium as a current recording object is exchanged, the recorder notifies the rate controller of the exchange, and

the rate controller resets the average rate to an initial value which is previously set when the rate controller receives the notice of the exchange of the recording medium.

6. An information recording device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data;

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium; and

a reproducer for reading information written in the recording medium, wherein

the rate controller compares a threshold value of a used amount of the temporary memory unit which is previously set and an actually used amount of the temporary memory unit and reduces the average rate when the used amount exceeds the threshold value,

the recorder writes the average rate set by the rate controller in the recording medium,

the reproducer reads the average rate from the recording medium when the recording medium is set in the information recording device,

the rate controller sets the average rate read by the reproducer as an initial value of the average rate of the recording medium in which the relevant average rate is written, and

the average rate set in the recording medium in a previous recording process is thereby used as the initial value of the average rate when the recording medium is subjected to a rerecording process.

7. An information recording device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data;

a recorder for recording the data memorized in the temporary memory unit on a recording medium;

a reproducer for reading individual identification information of the recording medium written in the recording medium; and

a memory unit for associating the average rate of the recording medium set by the rate controller with the individual identification information of the recording medium read by the reproducer and memorizing the associated average rate, wherein

the rate controller compares a threshold value of a used amount of the temporary memory unit which is previously set and an actually used amount of the temporary memory unit and reduces the average rate when the used amount exceeds the threshold value,

the rate controller reads the average rate associated with the individual identification information read by the reproducer from the recorder and sets the average rate as an initial value of the average rate of the recording medium, and

the average rate set in the recording medium in a previous recording process is thereby used as the initial value of the average rate when the recording medium is subjected to a rerecording process.

8. An information transmitting device comprising:

a coder for coding an inputted information signal;

a rate controller for controlling a coding rate of the coder in accordance with complexity of the information signal and controlling a coding amount per unit time in the coding process so that an average value of the coding amount can be approximate to an average rate which is previously set;

a temporary memory unit for temporarily memorizing the coded data; and

a transmitter for transmitting the data memorized in the temporary memory unit to a transmission line, wherein

the transmitter measures a transmission rate in the transmission, and

the rate controller adjusts the average rate so that the average rate is below the transmission rate measured by the transmitter.

9. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitter calculates the transmission rate from a response time between the transmitter and the transmission line.

10. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitter calculates the transmission rate from a data volume transmitted to the transmission line and a time length required for transmitting the data volume.

11. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitter uses a transmission rate set when the transmission line is established as the transmission rate of the transmission line.

12. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitter serially renews the transmission rate from a relevant response time each time when the coded data is transmitted to the transmission line.

13. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the rate controller serially renews the coding average rate based on the transmission rate serially renewed in the transmitter.

14. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitter previously carries out a transmission test before the coded data is transmitted to the transmission line and calculates the transmission rate from a relevant response time.

15. An information transmitting device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rate controller sets the average rate which is newly set at a value lower than an initial value of the average rate in adjusting the average rate.