JP2001359032A - Image recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording and reproducing device that realizes such functions as power saving and device protection without deteriorating its response. SOLUTION: A remote controller 12 is provided with a sensor 121 that senses presence of a user therearound. A central control section 135 instructs the sensor to transmit the sensing result when the remote controller 12 is not in operation and the timer is not ready. When the sensing result indicates absence of the user, the central control section measures the absence time and conducts transition control to a power-saving mode stepwise depending on the length of the absence time. When the sensor senses the presence of the user after that, the central control section quickly conducts transition control to a usual mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording / reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to reducing the power consumption of an image recording / reproducing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, VT is used as an image recording / reproducing apparatus.
R (video tape recorder) is well known. VT
When the power supply is turned on, the R enters a normal mode in which the video tape is prepared for running and the rotary head is rotated in order to quickly respond to commands to be input next, such as recording and playback. However, if no command is input after a certain period of time, the VTR stops the rotation of the magnetic head, cancels the preparation for running the video tape, and shifts to the power saving mode. Thereafter, if there is any command, the mode returns to the normal mode and operates according to the input command.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-176084 discloses a technology for realizing power saving when a remote controller is housed in a VTR main body, with all circuits excluding a charging circuit for charging the remote controller. It has been disclosed.

[0004] As described above, in the VTR, when there is no operation from the user for a certain period of time or when it is estimated that there will be no operation in the future, the VTR shifts to the power saving mode to reduce the power consumption. are doing.

[0005] Recently, various image recording / reproducing apparatuses for recording an image on a recording medium such as a hard disk different from a video tape have been proposed. The image recording / reproducing device using the hard disk device can be randomly accessed and can quickly locate the desired image,
There is an excellent feature that a VTR can perform such as nonlinear editing. In addition, a technique of simultaneously recording a plurality of channels and outputting different images to a plurality of output terminals using a hard disk device has also been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-306741).

However, a technique for realizing power saving of an image recording / reproducing apparatus using such a hard disk device has not yet been known.

[0007]

A general information processing apparatus using a hard disk device, such as a personal computer or a workstation, performs user operations (for example, keyboard input, mouse operation, insertion of a floppy disk). ), The power is automatically turned off and the like is controlled to save power and protect devices. Therefore, in the case of an image recording / reproducing device using a hard disk device, similarly to a general information processing device, if there is no user operation for a certain period of time, power saving and control of the device are performed by performing control such as turning off the power. Protection can be considered.

[0008] However, the power saving function of a general information processing apparatus requires a certain amount of time when shifting from the power saving mode to the normal mode. However, an image recording / reproducing apparatus using a hard disk device is expected to respond quickly to a user's operation even in a power saving mode because of its responsiveness. Therefore, the power saving function employed in a general information processing apparatus cannot be used as it is in an image recording / reproducing apparatus using a hard disk device. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 59-33492 and 10-11178 disclose techniques for detecting the presence of a user and temporarily turning off a display device.
It is assumed that the user is located at the front of the display during use, and cannot be directly applied to an image recording / reproducing apparatus in which it is difficult to specify the position of the user.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording / reproducing apparatus having a power saving function and having excellent responsiveness to a user operation.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided an image recording / reproducing apparatus having an image recording / reproducing apparatus main body and a remote controller for transmitting an operation command to the image recording / reproducing apparatus main body. The operation mode includes a normal mode and a power saving mode, and a user detection unit provided in the remote controller to detect whether or not a user is present in the vicinity, based on a detection result of the user detection unit,
An image recording / reproducing apparatus is provided, comprising: power saving control means for controlling a transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode and a return from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

Specifically, the power saving control means measures the absence duration of the user based on the detection result from the user detection means, and enters the power saving mode based on the measured absence duration. Control the transition. Here, the user detection means can output a detection result in response to a request from the power saving control means. The power saving mode has a plurality of stages, and a transition control to the power saving mode is performed stepwise according to the absence duration. Note that an acceleration sensor, a contact sensor, or an infrared sensor can be used as the user detecting means.

Further, the image recording / reproducing apparatus includes a hard disk device for recording an image, and is configured to retract the head of the hard disk device when the absence duration reaches a first predetermined time. ing.

Further, the image recording / reproducing apparatus is configured to stop the motor of the hard disk device when the absence duration reaches a second predetermined time longer than the first predetermined time. I have.

[0014]

The power saving control means requests the user detecting means to detect the presence of the user when the recording or reproducing operation is not being performed. The user detecting means detects whether or not a user is present in the vicinity in response to a request, and outputs a detection result. The power saving control unit measures the absence duration of the user based on the detection result from the user detection unit, and controls the shift to the power saving mode stepwise based on the measured absence duration. Further, when the detection result indicates the presence of the user after shifting to the power saving mode, the power saving control means quickly controls the return to the normal mode.

[0015]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an image recording / reproducing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This image recording / reproducing apparatus has a remote controller (remote control device) 12 for a user 11 to issue commands such as recording and reproduction, and a main body 13 that operates based on commands from the remote controller 12. In addition, the main body 1
Reference numeral 3 is used by being connected to a display device 14 such as a television receiver.

The remote controller 12 has an input unit (not shown) for receiving a user's operation, and a signal processing unit (not shown) for generating a command signal representing the content of the operation received by the input unit.
And a transmitter (not shown) for transmitting a command signal from the signal processing unit to the main body 13, for example, an infrared transmitter. The remote controller 12 also includes a sensor 121 for detecting the presence of a nearby user and a wireless transceiver (not shown) for receiving a request signal from the main body and transmitting a detection result of the sensor 121 to the main body 13. ).

The sensor 121 is, for example, an acceleration sensor. When the user 11 operates the remote controller 12, the user holds or moves the remote controller 12, so that some shock (acceleration) should be applied to the remote controller 12. That is, when the sensor 121 cannot detect the acceleration, it is possible to determine that the user is not using the remote control and is absent, and when the acceleration is detected, it is possible to determine that the user is holding the remote control and is present. Therefore, the sensor 121
Detects an impact applied to the remote controller 12. The detection result is transmitted from the second transmission unit to the main body 13.

The sensor 121 may be a contact sensor. In this case, when the user 11 picks up the remote control 12 to operate the remote control 12,
It is provided at a position where the hand touches, for example, a side surface of the remote controller 12. The contact sensor detects that a finger or the like of the user 12 has contacted the contact sensor.

Further, the sensor 121 may be an infrared sensor. The infrared sensor includes an infrared output unit, an infrared light receiving unit, and a light receiving information analyzing unit, and detects that something has approached within an extremely limited range (for example, to a distance of about 10 cm).

On the other hand, the main body 13 has an image information interface 131 for receiving image information supplied from an external antenna or the like, and a timer 132 for managing time information such as timer recording in addition to functioning as a clock. A hard disk device 133 for recording image information, a receiver for receiving an operation command from the remote controller 12, for example, an infrared receiver, and a request signal for requesting the sensor 121 to output a detection result. With sensor 1
A wireless transmitter / receiver (not shown) that receives the detection result from the sensor 21; a user presence determination unit 134 that determines the presence / absence of the user based on the detection result from the sensor 121;
2. Connected to the hard disk device 133, the receiver, the wireless transceiver, and the user presence determination unit 134, and internally includes a user status register (not shown) and a time counter (not shown) to control them. And a central control unit 135.

Next, the operation of the image recording / reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, when the power of the main body 13 is turned on, the central control unit 135 sets "absence" in a built-in user status register in step ST201. Subsequently, in step ST202, the central control unit 135 resets a built-in time counter.

Next, the central control unit 135 executes step ST
At 203, it is determined whether or not the main body 13 is performing a recording or reproducing operation. If the main body 13 is performing a recording or reproducing operation, the process returns to step ST202, and thereafter, the central control unit 1
35 is step S until the recording or reproducing operation is completed.
T202 and step ST203 are repeated. On the other hand, if the main body 13 is not recording or reproducing, the process proceeds to step ST.
Proceed to 4.

In step ST4, the central control unit 135 confirms the setting of the timer 132 and the current time, and determines whether it is a predetermined time before the operation start set time by the timer (one minute before in FIG. 2). to decide. If it is not a predetermined time before the timer operation start set time, the process proceeds to step ST205. If it is a predetermined time before the timer operation start set time, the process proceeds to step ST215.

In step ST205, the central control unit 135 sends the sensor 1 to the user presence determination unit 134.
A user presence / absence information request signal is output so as to cause the detection result to be transmitted to 21. In response to the user presence / absence information request signal from the central control unit 135, the user presence determination unit 134 requests the sensor 121 to transmit the detection result via the wireless transceiver. Thereafter, when there is a notification of the detection result from the sensor 121 via the wireless transceiver, the user presence determination unit 134 determines the presence / absence of the user based on the detection result, and uses the result as user presence / absence information. , To the central control unit 135.

If the sensor 121 is an acceleration sensor or a contact sensor, the presence / absence of the user can be determined based on the presence or absence of a shock or a contact. May be used to determine the presence / absence.

Thereafter, the central control unit 135 proceeds to step S
At T206, the user presence / absence information is received from the user presence determination unit 134. Then, step ST7
In, the central control unit 135 determines whether the user presence / absence information indicates “absence” or “present”. And
When the user presence / absence information indicates "absence", the process proceeds to step ST208.
Proceed to 15.

In step ST208, central control section 135 counts up a time counter. Then, the central control unit 135 determines in step ST209 that
It is determined whether the time counter has counted 5 minutes or more.
If the time counter has counted 5 minutes or more, the process proceeds to step ST210, where the central control unit 135 stops the motor that rotates the disk of the hard disk device 133, and returns to step ST203. On the other hand, if the time counter has not counted 5 minutes or more, the process proceeds to step ST211.

In step ST211, the central control section 135 determines whether or not the time counter has counted three minutes or more. If the time counter has counted 3 minutes or more, the process proceeds to step ST212, where the central control unit 1
35 moves the head of the hard disk device 133 to the retracted position, and returns to step ST203. On the other hand, if the time counter has not counted 3 minutes or more, the process proceeds to step ST213.

In step ST213, central control section 135 determines whether or not the user status register is "absent". If the user status register is “absent”, the process returns to step ST203, and if “user”, the process proceeds to step ST214.

In step ST214, central control section 135 sets "absence" in the user status register, and returns to step ST203.

As described above, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the main body 13 is not in the recording or reproducing operation, nor is the predetermined time before the start time of the timer operation, and the sensor 121 is in the state of the user. Is detected, the process of shifting to the power saving mode is performed. The transition to the power saving mode is performed if the above state continues for 3 minutes or more.
The head of the hard disk drive 133 is moved to the retracted position, and if it continues for 5 minutes or more, the hard disk drive 133
The rotation of the motor 3 is stopped, and so on. Thus, power saving and device protection of the image recording / reproducing apparatus can be realized.

On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step ST204 or ST step 207 to step ST215, central control unit 135 determines whether or not the user status register is set to “absent”. If the user status register is set to "absent", step ST216 is executed.
Go to step ST if it is set to
Return to 203.

In step ST216, the central control unit 135 sets "present" in the user status register.
Then, in step ST217, the central control unit 13
Step 5 determines whether the motor of the hard disk device 133 is stopped. When it is determined that the motor of the hard disk device 133 is stopped, the central control unit 135 starts and rotates the motor in step ST218, and then proceeds to step ST219. On the other hand, if the motor of the hard disk device 133 is not stopped, the process jumps to step ST219.

In step ST219, the central control section 135 determines whether or not the head of the hard disk device 133 is at the retracted position. When the head of the hard disk device 133 is at the retracted position, the central control unit 135 moves the head at the retracted position to a predetermined position in step ST220, and then returns to step ST202. If the head of the hard disk device 133 is not at the retracted position, the process returns to step ST202.

As described above, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, when the user status register indicates "absence" and the time is a predetermined time before the start time of the timer operation, or When the sensor 121 detects the presence of the user, the process of returning to the normal mode is immediately performed.

As described above, the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment detects whether there is a user around the remote controller 12 when the recording or reproducing operation is not being performed and the timer operation is not being prepared. Thus, the elapsed time of absence of the user can be measured, and the transition to the power saving mode can be performed stepwise based on the elapsed time of absence. Thereby, power saving and device protection of the image recording / reproducing apparatus can be realized.

Further, in the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the user presence / absence information is obtained based on the detection result of the sensor 121 provided inside the remote controller 12,
Before the user inputs a recording / playback command to the remote controller 12, the mode can be returned from the power saving mode to the normal mode, so that the user can immediately respond to the user's operation. This means that the power saving mode can be maintained until immediately before the user starts the remote control operation, which means that the power consumption can be further reduced.

In the above embodiment, the user presence determination section 135 is provided on the main body 13 side, but may be provided on the remote control side. However, in consideration of the battery life of the remote controller 12, it is preferable that the remote controller 12 be provided on the main body side.

In the above embodiment, the hard disk device is an image recording medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a large-capacity recording device that can be accessed randomly, for example, a DVD device, a CD-R device, or CD-RW
It may be a device or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the transition to the power saving mode and the return control to the normal mode are performed only for the hard disk drive.
The other parts (devices) can be controlled in the same manner, and the central control unit may also achieve power saving and device protection by lowering the operation speed (CPU clock).

[0043]

The first effect is that the responsiveness to the user's operation with respect to the image recording / reproducing apparatus in the power saving mode can be improved (faster).

The reason is that the presence of the user near the remote controller is detected by the sensor, so that the user can return from the power saving mode to the normal mode before inputting a recording / reproducing command from the remote controller. is there.

The second effect is that lower power consumption can be realized.

The reason is that, since the responsiveness to the user's operation is good (fast), the power saving function can be operated until immediately before the user starts the remote control operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image recording / reproducing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a central control unit of the image recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 User 12 Remote control 121 Sensor 13 Main body 131 Image information interface 132 Timer 133 Hard disk device 134 User presence determination unit 135 Central control unit 14 Display device

Claims (9)

[Claims] An image recording / reproducing apparatus having an image recording / reproducing apparatus main body and a remote controller for transmitting an operation command to the image recording / reproducing apparatus main body has a normal mode and a power saving mode as operation modes. A user detecting means provided in the remote controller to detect whether or not a user is present in the surroundings; and, based on a detection result of the user detecting means, changing from the normal mode to the power saving mode. An image recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a power saving control unit that controls a shift and a return from the power saving mode to the normal mode. 2. The power saving control means measures the absence duration of the user based on a detection result from the user detection means, and switches to the power saving mode based on the measured absence duration. The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed. 3. The power saving mode according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of stages are prepared as the power saving mode, and the transition to the power saving mode is controlled stepwise according to the absence duration. Image recording and playback device. 4. The power saving control means according to claim 1, wherein said user detection means outputs a detection result to said power saving control means in response to a request from said power saving control means.
2 or 3 image recording / reproducing devices. 5. The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user detecting means is an acceleration sensor. 6. An image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user detecting means is a contact sensor. 7. The image recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user detecting means is an infrared sensor. 8. A hard disk device for recording an image, wherein the head of the hard disk device is retracted when the absence duration reaches a first predetermined time. An image recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 7. 9. The image according to claim 8, wherein the motor of the hard disk drive is stopped when the absence duration reaches a second predetermined time longer than the first predetermined time. Recording and playback device.