JP2000030370A - Information recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make surely securable the recording time of information to be recorded by detecting recordable residual capacity in an information recording medium, operating the time setting after starting recording and calculating the information recording rate from a set recording time and the recordable residual capacity by residual capacity detection. SOLUTION: When recording operation of information is started, a CPU: 16 controls a display part 19 so as to display a recording mode corresponding to the information recording rate. When a user operates a time setting button 20a, and changes so as to prolong the recording end time of the information recording at present, and sets a new recording end time, the CPU: 16 respectively calculates required data amounts for every recording mode, and compares them with present recordable residual capacity of an optical disk 1 shown by a possible amount signal Sz outputted from a residual capacity detection circuit 15 to select the recording mode answering to the relevant highest information recording rate. The CPU: 16 updates/records the information recording rate of the information to be recorded also to display it on a display part 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus for recording information on an information recording medium, and more particularly, to recording information on an information recording medium, the recording capacity remaining on the detected information recording medium. The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus capable of calculating an information recording rate or a recordable time based on the information recording rate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a video tape recorder (hereinafter, referred to as a VTR) as an information recording apparatus for recording information such as video information and audio information on an information recording medium having a limited predetermined recording capacity. . In this VTR, as a recording mode for recording information on a tape-shaped information recording medium (hereinafter, referred to as a video tape), a standard recording mode capable of securing a standard information recording time, A long-time recording mode (for example, 3) that can secure a longer information recording time than the recording mode.
Double recording mode) can be set alternatively.

[0003] The recording mode in the VTR specifically controls a tape running speed of a video tape with respect to an information recording head during recording.
The tape running speed in the triple recording mode is １ ／ times the tape running speed in the standard recording mode. As a result, in the triple recording mode, recording can be performed for three times as long as in the standard recording mode.

Therefore, for example, in the standard recording mode, 1
When recording 180 minutes of television broadcast information using a video tape having a recording capacity capable of recording for 20 minutes, it is impossible to record information for 60 minutes in the standard recording mode. By switching the mode to the long-time recording mode, it is possible to record all the broadcast information for 180 minutes.

However, on the other hand, in the long-time recording mode, the tape running speed with respect to the information recording head is slower than in the standard recording mode. As a result, the / N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio) is reduced and crosstalk from an adjacent track is increased. As a result, the image quality during reproduction is reduced as compared with an image recorded in the standard recording mode.

[0006]

In a conventional information recording apparatus represented by the above-mentioned VTR, a recording mode suitable for a remaining recordable capacity in an information recording medium is selected.
Also, since no notice has been given, when the user records information on the information recording medium, even if recording in the standard recording mode is possible due to remaining recordable And the image quality is sacrificed.

[0007] Further, since the user cannot know the recordable time in the recording mode selected by himself, the recording capacity of the information recording medium is exhausted and the recording is interrupted in the middle, or the image quality is lost during the recording by the user. Even if there is a screen where it is desired to secure the recording mode, the change of the recording mode is hesitated. As a result, there is a problem that the image is recorded in a state where the image quality is deteriorated or a large number of unrecorded areas are left on the information recording medium.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an advantage in that an appropriate recording mode for a recordable remaining capacity of an information recording medium is selected and notified according to a user operation, and a recordable time. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information recording device that can calculate and notify the user and record information according to the needs of the user.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Time setting means for setting a recording time for recording information on the information recording medium by a user operation, and an information recording rate for recording information on the information recording medium based on the recording time set by the time setting means An information recording apparatus provided with a rate control means for controlling the recording capacity of the information recording medium, further comprising a remaining capacity detection means for detecting a recordable remaining capacity of the information recording medium, wherein the rate control means operates the time setting means after the recording is started. Accordingly, the information recording rate is calculated from the recording time set by the time setting means and the recordable remaining capacity detected by the remaining capacity detecting means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information recording apparatus according to the first aspect, a display means for displaying an information recording rate is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rate specifying means for specifying an information recording rate when information is recorded on an information recording medium by a user operation, and information recording based on an input from the rate specifying means. An information recording apparatus having a rate control means for controlling an information recording rate when information is recorded on a medium, further comprising a remaining capacity detection means for detecting a recordable remaining capacity of the information recording medium, wherein the rate control means comprises: When the rate designating means is operated after the start of the operation, the information recordable time is calculated from the information recording rate set by the rate designating means and the recordable remaining capacity detected by the remaining capacity detecting means. Features.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information recording apparatus of the third aspect, a display means for displaying a recordable time is provided.

[0013]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, when the user operates the time setting means after the information recording on the information recording medium is started,
The appropriate information recording rate is calculated from the remaining storage capacity of the remaining information recording medium and the set recording time, and the result is displayed, so that the user can select, change, and record the information recording rate as necessary. can do.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, when the user operates the rate designating means after the information recording on the information recording medium is started, Since the recordable time is calculated and displayed according to the newly specified information recording rate, the user can select and change the information recording rate during the recording of the information as necessary, and record the information.

[0015]

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an information recording apparatus capable of recording and reproducing information on a disk-shaped recording medium (hereinafter, simply referred to as an optical disk) capable of optically recording and reproducing information. This is an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a playback device.

FIG. 1 shows an information recording / reproducing apparatus S according to the present invention.
It is a block diagram of. As shown in the figure, an information recording / reproducing apparatus S includes a pickup 2 as recording means, an A / D
(Analog / digital) converters 3 and 4, an audio encoder 5, an image encoder 6, a multiplexer 7, a recording circuit 8, a reproduction circuit 9, a demultiplexer 10, an audio decoder 11, an image decoder 12, D
/ A (digital / analog) converters 13 and 14
A remaining capacity detection circuit 15 as remaining capacity detection means for detecting the remaining recordable capacity of the optical disc 1, a CPU 16 as rate control means, a servo circuit 17, a spindle motor 18, and a display unit 19 as display means. And an operation unit 20 for the user to set information recording time and designate a recording mode.

In the above configuration, the pickup 2, A /
The D converters 3 and 4, the audio encoder 5, the image encoder 6, the multiplexer 7, and the recording circuit 8 constitute an information recording unit RR that records information on the optical disc 1,
Also, a pickup 2, a reproducing circuit 9, a demultiplexer 1
0, an audio decoder 11, an image decoder 12, and D / A (digital / analog) converters 13 and 14 constitute an information reproducing unit P for reproducing information from the optical disk 1.

The CPU 16 includes a reservation memory section 16a having a clock function and a recording rate control section 16b having a storage table. In this storage table,
A plurality of information recording rates for recording information are stored in advance corresponding to the recording modes.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a storage table of the recording rate control section 16b. In the recording rate control unit 16b in the present embodiment, seven different information recording rates are set to addresses (000) to (006), respectively.
And has a storage table allocated to it. As shown in the figure, the highest information recording rate value of 8 Mbps is assigned to address (000) as high image quality mode 3,
Next, the information recording rate value of the next highest value of 7 Mbps is assigned to the address (001) as the high image quality mode 2. In this way, up to the long-time mode 3 of the address (006), the information recording rate value and the recording mode are sequentially set and assigned corresponding to the address numbers. In the present embodiment, the information recording rate value in the initial setting state such as when the power of the information recording / reproducing apparatus S is turned on is the address 0
03 is set as the standard mode.

The operation unit 20 includes a time setting button 20a as time setting means for setting a recording start time and a recording end time of information or a recording time of information. A recording mode operation button 20b as means for directly designating a recording rate.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the recording mode operation button 20b. As shown in the figure, the recording mode operation button 20b has shift keys 201 and 202. The user operates one of the shift keys 201 and 202 to select a desired recording mode (mode command) from a plurality of recording modes stored in the recording rate controller 16b of the CPU 16 in advance. By doing so, it is possible to directly specify the recording mode when recording information, that is, the information recording rate.

More specifically, the operation buttons 20
When any one of the shift keys 201 and 202 of b is operated, the CPU 16 selects the above-mentioned addresses (000) to (006) in accordance with the operation. For example, the user operates the shift key 201 by operating the shift key 201. Then, the CPU 16 selects the current address along the direction from (006) to (000) and controls the display unit 19 to display the selected recording mode. When the user operates the shift key 202, the CPU 16 determines that the current address is (000).
Along the direction from (006) to
The display unit 19 is controlled so that the selected recording mode is displayed. As a result, the CPU 16 reads the information recording rate corresponding to the recording mode specified by the user from the storage table and stores it as the information recording rate at the start of recording.

Further, the operation section 20 is provided with a recording operation switching key 20c for issuing an instruction to switch the operation state between "automatic" and "manual" with respect to the information recording operation. The information recording operation is "automatic" by the recording operation switching key 20c.
Is set, the recording start time and the recording end time (for example, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm) of the information to be recorded by the user, or the recording time (for example, 1
(For 20 minutes).

On the other hand, when the information recording operation is switched to "manual" by operating the recording operation switching key 20c, the user operates the shift key 2 of the operation button 20b.
By operating 01 or 202, the recording mode can be directly designated, that is, the information recording rate can be directly designated.

The state of the recording operation ("automatic" or "manual") selected by the recording operation switching key 20c is appropriately displayed on the display unit 19, and the user can visually set the recording operation. You can check the status.

The operation unit 20 is provided with a rate key (not shown) for issuing an instruction to change the information recording rate during the recording operation. This rate key erroneously changes the current setting state (setting time, recording operation state, recording mode) during the recording operation when the user inadvertently operates the operation unit 20 during information recording. This is an erroneous operation prevention key that is provided so as not to occur. Therefore, when the user wants to operate the time setting button 20a, the recording operation switching key 20c, and the shift keys 201 and 202, the user needs to operate the rate key in advance.

The information recording / reproducing apparatus S is generally configured as described above. When the user operates the operation unit 20, the information recording / reproducing apparatus S appropriately sets the information recording time, switches the recording operation state, and specifies the recording mode. In this regard, the CPU 16 controls each unit of the apparatus to control the information recording within the set recording time or the information recording operation at the information recording rate corresponding to the designated recording mode.

Next, an outline operation of each component will be described along with an information recording operation and an information reproducing operation. Here, information to be recorded from outside (specifically, both information to be recorded includes both image information and audio information) is recorded on the optical disc 1 as an information recording medium. A mode for reproducing the recorded information will be described.

First, the operation for recording information on the optical disk 1 will be described. In the information recording / reproducing device S in the present embodiment, the user can set the information recording time or specify the information recording rate before recording the information.

First, the case of setting the information recording time will be described. The user can set the information recording time in advance by operating the time setting button 20a. This is because the operation state is "automatic" by the recording operation switching key 20c.
When the user operates the time setting button 20a to input the recording start time and the recording end time, the instruction signal Sc corresponding to the user's operation is changed to CP.
U16, and the CPU 16 stores the data relating to the recording start time and the recording end time in the reservation memory unit 16
It is set by controlling to store it in a.

Further, the CPU 16 calculates the recording time from the designated recording start time and recording end time, and calculates the recording time and the remaining recordable information capacity on the information recording medium detected by the remaining capacity detection circuit described later. An information recording rate for accommodating information within a time to be recorded within the information recordable remaining capacity is calculated, and an appropriate recording mode is selected from the calculation result and a storage mode table of the control unit 16b.

Then, the CPU 16 sets the reservation memory 16
The current time is sequentially detected by the clock of a, and when the designated detection recording start time has been reached, by commanding and controlling the recording operation of the information recording unit RR from the detection recording start time to each unit of the apparatus, The information recording operation is started at the information recording rate corresponding to the selected recording mode.

In the above embodiment, the case where the recording start time and the recording end time are specified by the user's operation has been described. However, the recording time (for example, 120 minutes) can be directly specified by the user's operation. The information recording rate may be calculated using the designated recording time.

Next, a case where the recording mode is directly designated will be described. The information recording rate at the start of recording can be designated in advance by operating the operation button 20b by the user. This is the recording mode (see FIG. 2) in which the user operates the operation button 20b to sequentially display the display section 19 when the operation state is switched to "manual" by the recording operation switching key 20c. By selecting a desired recording mode from, the information recording rate at the start of recording can be designated in advance.

In the information recording / reproducing apparatus S, the information recording rate, that is, the superimposed signal S output from the multiplexer 7
The transfer bit rate (data rate R) of m is initially set to the information recording rate corresponding to the standard recording mode in the initial state, but the recording mode selected by the apparatus at the time of the above “automatic” recording operation, or The recording mode is changed in accordance with the change and selection operation of the recording mode directly specified by the user during the "manual" recording operation.

As described above, prior to information recording, the user automatically sets the information recording time by setting the information recording time.
Alternatively, the recording mode is specified by directly specifying by the user. When the information recording operation is started, the CPU 16 controls the display unit 19 to display the recording mode (see FIG. 2) during recording. In addition, control is performed so as to display the remaining time of the information recording time.

Next, the signals of each part of the information recording / reproducing apparatus S during the information recording operation will be described.
When the audio information signal Sain corresponding to the audio information among the information to be recorded from the outside is input to the A / D converter 3, the A / D converter 3 transmits the audio information signal Sain.
Is digitized, and a digital audio signal Sad is generated and output to the audio encoder 5.

The audio encoder 5 is connected to the CPU 16
The input digital audio signal Sad is converted to the MPEG2 (MovingPi) based on the control signal S5 output from the
The compressed audio signal Sae is output to the multiplexer 7 by the compression coding expert group 2) method.

In parallel with this, of the information to be recorded from outside, the image information signal Svin corresponding to the image information is A / D
When input to the converter 4, the A / D converter 4
Digitizes the image information signal Svin, generates a digital image signal Svd, and outputs it to the image encoder 6.

The image encoder 6 has a CPU 16
Based on the control signal Svc output from the CPU, the input digital image signal Svd is compressed by the MPEG2 system, and the compressed image signal Sve is output to the multiplexer 7 at an image data rate (image data transfer bit rate) V. . In the image compression processing of the MPEG2 system, the output rate of the compressed data can be freely changed and set by changing the setting of the compression ratio.

The multiplexer 7 is connected to the CPU 16
The compressed audio signal Sae and the compressed video signal Sae respectively input based on the control signal S3 output from the
ve is superimposed, a superimposed signal Sm is generated and output to the recording circuit 8. At this time, the data rate R of the superimposed signal Sm output from the multiplexer 7 is equal to the image data rate V
Is almost defined by This is because the data amount of the compressed image signal Sve is much larger than the data amount of the compressed audio signal Sae.

Next, the recording circuit 8 converts the input superimposed signal Sm into a recording signal Sr for recording based on the control signal S 2 outputted from the CPU 16, and outputs it to the pickup 2. At this time, the recording circuit 8 performs a so-called write strategy process on the superimposed signal Sm in order to form a pit having a shape exactly corresponding to the information to be recorded on the optical disc 1 described later. At this time, the recording circuit 8 outputs the recording signal S in response to the output of the recording signal Sr.
cr is generated and output to the remaining capacity detection circuit 15.

The remaining capacity detection circuit 15 calculates the remaining recordable capacity (recording signal Scr thereafter) of the optical disc 1 based on the recording signal Scr output from the recording circuit 8 and the reproduction amount signal Scp output from the reproduction circuit 9. Remaining capacity that can be recorded)
Is sequentially detected and a possible signal Sz indicating the recordable remaining capacity is obtained.
Is output to the CPU 16. A method for detecting the remaining recordable capacity will be described later in detail.

Next, based on the recording signal Sr output from the recording circuit 8, the pickup 2 drives a light source such as a semiconductor laser (not shown) in the pickup 2 to generate a light beam B such as a laser beam. Then, the recording signal Sr is recorded on the optical disc 1 at the data rate R by irradiating the information recording surface of the optical disc 1 to form pits corresponding to the recording signal Sr. At this time, the optical disc 1 is rotated at a rotational speed corresponding to the data rate R during recording by a spindle motor 18 driven based on a spindle control signal Ssm described later. On the optical disc 1, for example, pits corresponding to the recording signal Sr are formed by a phase change method, and information is recorded.

Here, a specific method of detecting the recordable remaining capacity of the optical disk 1 performed by the remaining capacity detection circuit 15 of the information recording / reproducing apparatus S will be described.

As described above, the remaining capacity detection circuit 15
Detects the remaining recordable capacity of the optical disc 1 based on the recording signal Scr output from the recording circuit 8 and the reproduction amount signal Scp output from the reproduction circuit 9. For example, when the optical disk 1 on which recording is to be performed is an unrecorded optical disk on which no data is recorded, the capacity of an area in which data can be recorded on the unrecorded optical disk in advance by using pre-pits or the like, that is, Since information on the remaining recordable capacity of the optical disc is recorded, the recordable remaining capacity of the unrecorded optical disc can be detected using this information.

More specifically, for example, if Ax is recorded as the maximum recordable address, and the start address of the area where data can be written is Ay, and the data amount per sector is C, , Remaining capacity detection circuit 1
No. 5 can be detected by calculating the remaining recordable capacity P as P = (Ax−Ay + 1) × C using these data.

On the other hand, in the case of an optical disk on which data has already been partially recorded, usually, as so-called management information, the remaining capacity of the recordable area, that is, information on the remaining recordable capacity and the information on the recordable optical disc are recorded. Is recorded in the management information area of the optical disk. Therefore, this management information is transferred to the information recording / reproducing device S of the optical disc.
By reading the information in advance before recording the information at the time of mounting on the optical disk and storing the information in a memory (not shown) in the information recording / reproducing apparatus S, or writing the information in an empty area of the optical disk each time and reading it out as needed, the remaining capacity detection circuit Numeral 15 can detect the recordable remaining capacity of the optical disk at the time of mounting. The management information is based on the amount of data actually recorded at the time of recording the recording information (the recording signal Scr) based on the remaining recordable capacity detected before recording the data on the optical disk.
Is entered as ) Is always calculated and updated in the management information area on the optical disc.

Therefore, the remaining capacity detection circuit 15 of the information recording / reproducing apparatus S outputs the recording signal S
Based on the cr and the reproduction amount signal Scp output from the reproduction circuit 9, the remaining recordable capacity can be sequentially detected during recording on the optical disc 1 on which data is not recorded or is partially recorded.

Further, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus S of the present embodiment, even during the information recording after the recording of the information is started,
The user can change the information recording time and the recording mode, and the information recording rate is changed according to the change.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the CPU 16 at this time, which will be described in detail below.

The flowchart shown in FIG.
The figure shows the control operation of the CPU 16 that is executed after the information recording operation is started after the user has set the information recording time or specified the recording mode before recording the information. .

First, the information recording operation is started (St)
art), the CPU 16 proceeds to step S1
It is determined whether or not a rate change command has been issued by operating the rate key by the user. If it is determined that the rate key has not been operated and the rate change command has not been issued, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the CPU 16 does not change the information recording rate during the recording, maintains the setting of the information recording rate during the current recording, and then proceeds to step S3 to correspond to the information recording rate. The recording mode (see FIG. 2) to be displayed is controlled to be displayed on the display unit 19, and the processing ends (End).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that a rate change command has been issued, the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, it is detected whether the current information recording operation is set to “automatic” or “manual”. If it is detected that the current information recording operation is set to “automatic”, The process proceeds to step S5, where "automatic" is displayed as the current recording operation on the display unit 19, and then step S6
Move to In this display method, when "automatic" or "manual" is always displayed as the recording operation state, it is preferable that the display be flashed at this time to make the user recognize the current recording operation state. .

In step S6, the recording operation switching key 20
It is determined within a predetermined time after the rate change command is issued in step S1 whether or not there is a command for switching from “automatic” to “manual” according to c. If it is determined that the command for switching is present, the process proceeds to step S7. Transition. If it is determined that the switching command has not been issued even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S8.

Next, in step S8, the CPU 16
It is detected whether or not there is a change in the time to be recorded, that is, whether or not there is a new setting of the information recording time by the user. If there is a change in the time, the process proceeds to step S9, and the change is made. The information recording rate is calculated and changed in accordance with the information recording time set in.

Here, an example of a specific operation of calculating and changing the information recording rate in step S9 will be described. The user operates the time setting button 20a to extend the recording end time of the information currently being recorded. When the new recording end time is set as described above and the new recording end time is set, the CPU 16 determines the recording mode stored in the storage table of FIG. 2 for the information of the time from the change time to the newly set recording end time. Are calculated for each recording mode when recording is performed using the information recording rate corresponding to the information recording rate.
By comparing the current recordable remaining capacity of the optical disc 1 with the current recordable remaining capacity, the recording mode corresponding to the corresponding highest information recording rate within the range of the recordable remaining capacity is selected, and information recording of information recording is performed. The rate is also determined by updating and storing the information recording rate.

After calculating and changing the information recording rate and changing the recording mode in step S9, the CPU 16 then proceeds to step S3, where the display of the newly set recording mode is displayed on the display unit 19. And end (End).

In step S8, the CPU 16
If it is detected that there is no change in the time to be recorded, the process proceeds to step S10 to detect whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time is, for example, a sufficient time (for example, about 10 seconds) which may be required from when the user issues the rate change command in step S1 to when the operation shifts to the recording time changing operation.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S10, the CPU 16 returns to step S4 (as indicated by the arrow A in the figure) and performs the operations in step S4 and thereafter again.

If the CPU 16 detects in step S10 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S2 described above, and the subsequent control is performed.

On the other hand, if the CPU 16 detects in step S4 that the current information recording operation is not set to "automatic", that is, set to "manual", the process proceeds to step S7. Then, after "manual" is displayed on the display unit 19, the process proceeds to step S11. In the same manner as described above, if “Auto” or “Manual” is always displayed as the recording operation status, the display flashes at this point and the user recognizes the current recording operation status. Preferably.

In step S11, the CPU 16 determines within a predetermined time after the rate change command in step S1 whether or not there is a command to switch from "manual" to "automatic" by the recording operation switch key 20c. If there is a switching command, the process proceeds to step S5 described above, and the subsequent control is performed. If there is no such switching command, the process proceeds to step S12.

Next, in step S12, whether or not there is a recording mode switching command, that is, the shift key 201 or 202 of the operation button 20b is operated by the user to change the recording mode, and the information recording rate is changed. It is determined whether there is a new designation. Here, when it is detected that there is a recording mode switching command, the process proceeds to step S13 to change the information recording rate corresponding to the recording mode selected by the mode switching command and calculate the recordable time. .

Here, a more specific example of the operation of changing the information recording rate and calculating the recordable time in step S13 will be described. The user operates the shift key 201 or 202 of the operation button 20b to record during the recording. When a recording mode different from the recording mode of
The information recording rate is changed by updating and storing the information recording rate during recording stored in U16 to the information recording rate corresponding to the newly selected recording mode.
Also, the CPU 16 uses the information recording rate based on the current recordable remaining capacity of the optical disc 1 indicated by the possible amount signal Sz output from the remaining capacity detection circuit 15 and the updated and stored information recording rate. The recordable time of the optical disc 1 is calculated by calculating the time required for recording in.

After changing the information recording rate and calculating the recordable time in step S13, the CPU 16 then proceeds to step S14 to display the newly designated recording mode (see FIG. 2), The display of the recordable time on the optical disc 1 during the recording at the information recording rate is controlled to be displayed on the display unit 19, and then the processing ends (End).

In step S12, the CPU 1
In step S6, when it is detected that there is no recording mode switching command, the process proceeds to step S15 to detect whether a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time is the same as the predetermined time in step S10 described above.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S15, the CPU 16 returns to step S4 (as indicated by arrow A in the figure), and performs the operations in step S4 and thereafter again.

When the CPU 16 detects that the predetermined time has elapsed in step S15, the process proceeds to step S16 described above.

In step S16, the CPU 16 does not change the information recording rate during recording, maintains the setting of the information recording rate during recording, and then proceeds to step S1.
4 and the same operation as described above is performed, followed by termination (End).

As described above, the change of the setting of the information recording time during the information recording after the information recording is started,
And the recording mode is changed. The control operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed at predetermined timings during the information recording operation in the CPU 16.

FIG. 5 shows that the amount of data stored in the information recordable area of the optical disk 1 is sequentially reduced by one according to the setting of the recording time and the designation of the information recording rate performed by the user during the recording of information.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a sector in time series. In the figure, (a)
Indicates a case where each sector is sequentially recorded at a constant information recording rate (for example, an information recording rate corresponding to the standard mode). In this case, the data amount accumulated in each sector is constant without changing the recording time or the recording mode in the middle, and the width of the data amount in each sector unit is as shown in the figure. Is constantly shown.

In the drawing, (b) sequentially records each sector at the same information recording rate as the information recording rate in (a), ie, the standard mode, until time t1, and at t1, the user performs a "manual" operation. In this state, the recording mode is changed to the high image quality mode 3, and the information recording rate is changed to a higher information recording rate and recording is performed until t2. Then, at t2, the recording mode is changed to the standard mode again, recording is performed until t3, and after t3, the same high image quality mode 3 as that designated at t1 is again recorded. In this case, the period from t1 to t2 and t2
3 and thereafter, since the information is recorded at a higher information recording rate than the standard mode, the amount of data stored per sector increases by that much, and the user can select, for example, good image quality,
Sound quality can be ensured.

In the figure, (c) shows each sector as (a)
Shows the case where the user changes the recording time to be extended in the "automatic" operation state at time t4 during the sequential recording in the standard mode, that is, the same information recording rate as the information recording rate in the above. I have. In this case, the information recording / reproducing apparatus S needs to further secure a capacity required for recording on the optical disc 1 by an amount corresponding to the extended time. Changed to the rate and recorded. Therefore, in this case, after the time t4, the information is recorded by changing from the standard mode to the low information recording rate such as the long-time mode 2, so that the amount of data accumulated per sector is reduced accordingly.

In the figure, (d) shows each sector as (a)
In the case where the user changes the set time so as to reduce the recording time in the “automatic” operation state during the sequential recording in the long-time mode 2 with the information recording rate lower than the information recording rate in Is shown. In this case, the recording time is shortened, and the optical disc 1 is accordingly reduced.
Therefore, the information recording / reproducing apparatus S specifies an information recording rate at which the remaining recordable capacity of the optical disc 1 can be used as much as possible and increases the information recording rate after t5 to perform recording. . In this case, t5
Thereafter, recording can be performed in the standard mode, which is higher than the recording mode used up to that point, so that the amount of data to be stored is increased and the remaining storage capacity of the optical disc 1 can be used without waste. As a result, high-quality image information and audio information can be secured.

As described above, during the recording of information, the user determines the remaining storage capacity based on the remaining recording time, and appropriately changes the information recording time or specifies the information recording rate. It is possible to easily and satisfactorily secure the image quality in a scene where priority is given to the image quality while securing the recording time of the information to be recorded.

Next, an operation for reproducing information recorded on the optical disk 1 will be described.

At the time of reproduction, first, the pickup 2
Irradiates the rotating optical disk 1 with a reproducing light beam B, generates a detection signal Sp corresponding to the pits formed on the optical disk 1 based on the reflected light, and outputs the detection signal Sp to the reproducing circuit 9.

Next, based on the control signal S1 output from the CPU 16, the reproducing circuit 9 amplifies the output detection signal Sp at a predetermined amplification factor and shapes its waveform to generate a reproduction signal Spp. And outputs it to the demultiplexer 10. At this time, the reproduction circuit 9 includes the remaining capacity detection circuit 15
The reproduction amount signal Scp used in calculating the storable amount in the optical disk 1 in the step (c) is converted to the remaining capacity detection circuit 15.
Is always output to

Thereafter, the demultiplexer 10
16 based on the control signal S4 output from the input reproduction signal S4.
ap and an image reproduction signal Svp including an image are separated, the separated audio reproduction signal Sap is output to the audio decoder 11, and the separated image reproduction signal Svp is output to the image decoder 1.
Output to 2.

Next, the audio decoder 11 decodes and expands the audio reproduction signal Sap based on the control signal S6 output from the CPU 16 by a decoding (decoding) method corresponding to the encoding method in the audio encoder 5. Then, an audio decode signal Sda is generated and output to the D / A converter 13.

The D / A converter 13 converts the audio decode signal Sda into an analog signal, and converts the audio information signal Sain into an analog signal.
Is generated and output to the outside.

At the same time, the image decoder 12
Based on the control signal S7 output from the PU 16,
The image reproduction signal SvP is decoded and decompressed by a decoding (decoding) method corresponding to the encoding method in the image encoder 6 to generate an image decoding signal Sdv and output it to the D / A converter 14.

The D / A converter 14 converts the image decode signal Sdv into an analog signal and converts the image information signal Svin into an analog signal.
Is generated and output to the outside.

In the above embodiment, the display means 1
Although the recording mode is displayed at 9, the recording mode and the information recording rate may be displayed together, or only the information recording rate may be displayed. That is, it is sufficient that the user can recognize the degree of the information recording rate at the time of recording.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the information recording rate at the time of recording is set by the user designating the recording mode using the operation buttons, but the user can directly record the information using the operation buttons. The rate may be settable.

[0088]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, if the user operates the time setting means after the information recording on the information recording medium is started, the remaining information recording medium can be stored. Since an appropriate information recording rate is calculated from the remaining capacity and the set recording time and the result is displayed, the user can change the recording time during the recording of the information as necessary and record. Therefore, when recording information on an optical disc having a limited remaining recordable capacity, the user can reliably secure the recording time of the information to be recorded.

If the user operates the rate designating means after the recording of the information on the information recording medium is started, the recordable time of the information continuously recorded at the newly designated information recording rate is set. Since the calculation and display are performed, the user can change the information recording rate and record the information while recording the information as necessary. Therefore, when information is recorded on an optical disc having a limited remaining recordable capacity, the user can easily and satisfactorily secure image quality in a scene where image quality is to be prioritized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information recording / reproducing apparatus S according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a storage table of a recording mode and an information recording rate included in a recording rate control unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation button 20b.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation of a CPU.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing, in chronological order, the amount of data sequentially stored in the information recordable area of the optical disc 1 one sector at a time in accordance with the specification of an information recording rate.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ····· Optical disk 2 ····································· A / D (analog / digital) converter 5 ······························ Image encoder 7 ···· ... Multiplexer 8 ... Recording circuit 9 ... Reproduction circuit 10 ... Demultiplexer 11 ... Sound decoder 12 ... Image decoder 13 and 14 ... D / A (Digital / Analog) converter 15 ... Remaining capacity detection circuit 16 ... CPU 16a ... Reserved memory unit 16b ... Record rate control unit 17 ... Servo circuit 18 ... Spindle motor 19 display unit 20 operation unit 20a time setting unit (button) button 20b operation unit (button) button 20c recording operation switching key 201, 202 shift key

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Eriko Shimizu 4-2610 Hanazono, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture Pioneer Corporation Tokorozawa Plant F-term (reference) 5D044 AB05 AB07 BC01 CC03 DE44 DE48 GK10 HL04 5D077 AA08 DE01 EA35 FA05 FA10 HA01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A time setting means for setting a recording time when information is recorded on an information recording medium by a user operation, and information is recorded on the information recording medium based on the recording time set by the time setting means. An information recording apparatus comprising a rate control means for controlling an information recording rate when performing the recording, further comprising a remaining capacity detection means for detecting a recordable remaining capacity of the information recording medium, wherein the rate control means starts recording. The information recording rate is calculated from the recording time set by the time setting means and the recordable remaining capacity detected by the remaining capacity detecting means when the time setting means is operated later. Information recording device. 2. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the information recording rate. 3. A rate designating means for designating an information recording rate when information is recorded on an information recording medium by a user operation, and when recording information on the information recording medium based on an input from the rate designating means. An information recording apparatus comprising a rate control means for controlling the information recording rate of the information recording medium, further comprising a remaining capacity detection means for detecting a recordable remaining capacity of the information recording medium, wherein the rate control means after the recording is started When the rate designating means is operated, the information recordable time is calculated from the information recording rate set by the rate designating means and the recordable remaining capacity detected by the remaining capacity detecting means. Information recording device. 4. The information recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising display means for displaying the recordable time.