Video recording apparatus and monitoring apparatus

• US 6,795,642 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuzuki, Kazuhisa, Higashimura, Mamoru, Umezawa, Megumi, Nakamura, Manabu, Matsumoto, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Boccio, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fletcher, James A
• Application Number:
  US09/918,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20020015582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/95, 386/52, 386/55, 386/109, 386/111, 348/143, 348/152, 348/154, 348/155, 348/153
• US Class Current: 386/295
• 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;

compression means for compressing image data based on a degree of importance of the image data, wherein a value of a picture quality parameter is associated with said compressing;

frame rate calculating means for calculating a frame rate depending on said value of said picture quality parameter; and

data processing means for deleting image data having a low degree of importance when a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium is equal to or smaller than a predetermined capacity, wherein, when the calculated frame rate is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the frame rate is set to the predetermined value.

2. The video recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein said frame rate calculating means calculates said frame rate also depending on a residual value of said digital storage medium storage capacity.

3. A video recording apparatus comprising:

a digital storage medium;

a data processing means for deciding a degree of importance of image data and for deleting image data having a low degree of importance when a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium is equal to or smaller than a predetermined capacity; and

frame rate calculating means for calculating a frame rate depending on all of a quantity of image data already recorded in said digital data storage medium, a picture quality parameter based on the importance of said image data, and a quantity of image data to be recorded in said digital data storage medium, wherein

said resulting frame rate allows image data of high importance and of a predetermined time to be stored in said digital data storage medium at higher frame rates at higher picture quality at the expense of data of low importance which is stored at lower frame rates at a lower picture quality or deleted based on a quantity of image data recorded in said digital data storage medium.

4. The video recording apparatus of claim 3, wherein said data of low importance is recompressed by data processing means to increase said residual capacity for storing data of high importance.

5. A video recording apparatus comprising:

a digital data storage medium;

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 data processing means for further compressing image data having a low degree of importance to increase an amount of said residual capacity when either a residual capacity of said digital data storage medium is equal to or smaller than a predetermined capacity or a video image having a high degree of importance is to be stored.