JPH04113571A - Information recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reproduce information such as the picture or sound of an object by a certain head at arbitrary time while continuously recording them by the other head by providing plural heads at various positions of a recording medium in a peripheral direction so as to move them to arbitrary positions mutually independently. CONSTITUTION:Optical heads 3a-3e are provided at the various positions of a disk 1 in the peripheral direction so as to be radially moved by feeding motors 5a-5e, and magnetic heads 4a-4e are provided on the side opposite to the side, where the optical heads 3a-3e are provided, of the disk 1 so as to face to the optical heads 3a-3e. For example, the optical head 3a is used for recording video information, the optical heads 3b and 3c are used for reproducing the video information, the optical head 3d is used for recording even relating information, and the optical head 3e is used for reproducing the event relating information. Thus, while continuously recording the information of the object for a long time, the information of the object can be optionally reproduced when an event is generated or the like.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an information recording device, particularly in FA (factory automation), medical, measurement, and other fields.
The present invention relates to an information recording device that can continuously record information on an object consisting of video and audio while monitoring already recorded information, and further detect events on the object and record information related to them.

(Prior Art) In fields such as FA, medical, and measurement, it is often required to continuously record information on objects. Also,
In order to monitor the occurrence of events related to objects and to take immediate action to deal with the events when they occur, it is required to be able to repeatedly monitor multiple events as images. Furthermore, information related to the event, such as information such as the content of the event, the date and time when the event occurred, and control information of the recording device, is recorded so that event searches can be easily performed based on such information after the event occurs. is also desired.

Conventionally, information recording devices used for this purpose include VTRs (video tape recorders) and semiconductor memory (
(IC memory) is used.

When using a VTR, long-time recording is possible, but it is difficult to monitor the video at the time of occurrence of an event without stopping recording immediately after the occurrence of the event, for example. multiple VTRs
This type of monitoring is possible using a VTR, but due to mechanical delays, it is necessary to link multiple VTRs to ensure video continuity, making the system complex and large-scale. Put it away.

Image memory is a type of semiconductor memory, but image memory is generally used as a buffer such as frame memory for video processing, and is not suitable for long-term recording. If long-term recording is to be performed, a very large number of IC memory chips must be prepared, making the system extremely complex and expensive, making it impractical. Furthermore, since simultaneous access for recording and playback is difficult in a semiconductor memory, attempting to immediately monitor the image at the time of an event without stopping recording after the event occurs will complicate the system. Furthermore, semiconductor memory is only for temporary storage, and a separate recording medium must be used for permanent storage of records.

On the other hand, other recording media that can be used for such purposes include disk-shaped media such as magnetic disks and optical disks. As an example of realizing long-term recording of video information on a magnetic disk, a device that performs parallel writing using multiple hard disk devices is known. In this case, the problem of decreased reliability arises due to disk wear, increased disk rotational load, etc.

Regarding optical discs, those that have been put into practical use and are widely used are either read-only discs or write-once discs that allow writing only once. The former are mainly CDs used for music software, CDs used for databases, etc.
There are ROMs and laser vision disks used for video software such as movies, and the latter are used for image files, document files, and the like. These optical disk systems basically have one head. In addition, recently there are systems called CDI and DVI that can be operated interactively, but these are systems in which video and audio are created in advance and used by the user within that environment, and they cannot be recorded and played back in real time. I can't.

Furthermore, some optical disk devices have realized real-time recording and reproducing of video by using two heads operating in parallel, but this is limited to simply recording and reproducing video. Furthermore, proposals have been made in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 62-85251, 82-82585, and 81-287013, etc. regarding the conversion of optical disk devices capable of recording and reproducing to two heads. These are all techniques for speeding up the access of track sector addresses and data by using two heads, and it is not possible to monitor and reproduce images at the time of occurrence of an event while continuously recording.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) As mentioned above, in the conventional technology, with a simple configuration,
There is a problem in that it is not possible to continuously record information about the object and perform monitor playback at any time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording and reproducing apparatus that can continuously record information on an object over a long period of time and reproduce information on the object at any time such as when an event occurs.

"Structure of the Invention" (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides at least a plurality of heads each of which is independently positionally controllable with respect to a disk-shaped recording medium. , information on the object consisting of at least one of video and audio is recorded on the recording medium through some of the plurality of heads, and information on the object recorded on the recording medium is recorded on the other part of the plurality of heads. The feature is that it can be played through.

Further, according to a more preferred aspect of the present invention, the occurrence of an event is detected from the input object information, and when the occurrence of the event is detected, the information regarding the event is further transmitted to the recording medium via another head. The configuration is such that it is recorded in

(Function) When using a disc-shaped recording medium such as an optical disc,
It is possible to move a plurality of heads to different positions in the circumferential direction of the recording medium and to arbitrary positions in the radial direction independently of each other. Therefore, while recording information such as an image of an object with one head, it is possible to play it back at any time with another head while maintaining recording continuity, or even if an event such as an abnormality of the object occurs. Sometimes a separate head can record information related to the event. Also,
Using the event-related information recorded in this way, it is possible to search for video information and the like at the time of the occurrence of the event for detailed investigation.

This search can be performed while recording video information, or can be performed after recording is complete.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a magneto-optical disk 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a disk) is used as a disk-shaped recording medium, in which a perpendicularly magnetized film made of, for example, a non-quality ferrimagnetic alloy thin film is formed on a disk-shaped substrate.

The disk 1 is rotationally driven by a disk motor 2. A plurality of optical heads 3a to 3e, five in this example, and magnetic heads 4a to 4e are provided for this disk 1.

The optical heads 3a to 3e, as shown in FIG.
The feed motors 5a to 5e are moved at different positions in the circumferential direction.
The magnetic heads 4a to 4e are provided so as to be movable in the radial direction by the optical heads 3a to 3e of the disk 1.
are provided so as to face the optical heads 3a to 3e on the opposite side to the side where the optical heads 3a to 3e are provided. The magnetic heads 4a to 4e are for applying an external magnetic field necessary for recording/reproducing/erasing to the disk 1. In this example, they are constructed using electromagnets, and the magnetic head drive circuits 6a to 6e drive the coils of the electromagnets. is energized and driven.

Here, the optical heads 3a to 3e can be used for the following purposes at a certain point in time, for example.

(a) Optical head 3a... For recording video information (b) Optical heads 3b, 3c... For reproducing video information (c) Optical head 3d... For recording event-related information (d) Optical head 3e・
...The disk motor 2 for reproducing event-related information and the feed motors 5a to 5e are controlled by the motor control units 7 and 8a to 8e.
controlled by A position detection pattern, for example, in the form of a pit, is previously formed on the disk 1, and by reading this position detection pattern with an optical position detector 9, the rotational position of the disk 1 is detected. The rotational position detection signal obtained by this position detector is given to the formatting and position control circuit 10 as a reference signal for controlling the rotation of the disk 1 at the initial stage of rotation. The position control circuit 10 uses this reference signal, a system control signal generation circuit 11, and a system clock generation circuit 12.
According to the signals from the motor controllers 7 and 8a to 8e
and controls the magnetic head drive circuits 68 to 6e.

The input multiplexer and synchronization circuit 13 receives a plurality of channels of video information obtained by imaging a plurality of control objects in an FA (factory automation), for example.

The input multiplexer and synchronization circuit 13 selects the video information of a desired channel among these or sequentially switches and outputs the video information of each channel, synchronizes the video information with the timing of the system clock, and connects the input/output interface. (1/F) and sent to the synchronous separation circuit 14. The input/output 1/F and synchronous separation circuit 14 include
System clock generation circuit 12, output multiplexer 1
5, a buffer memory 16 and a time axis correction circuit 17 are connected.

The system clock generation circuit 12 is a circuit that generates a system clock that is synchronized with a video synchronization signal generated within the apparatus and serves as a timing reference for the entire apparatus, and is formed of, for example, a PLL (phase locked loop). The optical multiplexer 15 selectively outputs video information of a desired channel or synthesizes video information of a plurality of channels and outputs it to the outside as a monitor output. The buffer memory 16 has video analysis, codec, and status display functions. For example, it checks whether or not an event has occurred in the current frame and previous frame of input video information, and also checks the encoding/decoding of video information and detects abnormalities. Generates status, etc.

The time axis correction circuit 17 includes optical heads 3a to 3 on the disk 1.
For example, if the tracing position of e is off the specified radial line, the horizontal and vertical blanking positions for writing or reading video signals in each of the heads 3a to 3e will be shifted in time, and the target on the same monitor will be This is to match the horizontal and vertical blanking positions of the video output from the output multiplexer 15 in order to prevent instantaneous synchronization from occurring when switching heads while monitoring the video of an object. This time axis correction circuit 17 is constituted by a digital shift register, and is provided corresponding to the head position of each channel.

Recording and reproducing circuits 18a to 18e are connected to the time axis correction circuit 17, and the recording and reproducing circuits 18a to 18e are connected to optical heads 3a to 3e via mode setting units 19a to 19e, respectively.

The mode setting sections 192 to 19b are for selectively setting recording/reproducing/erasing modes for the optical heads 3a to 3e.

As described above, by providing the system clock generation circuit 12 that generates a system clock synchronized with the internal video signal and the time axis correction circuit 17 that corrects the influence of positional deviation of the optical heads 3a to 3e, the video information can be output. An output multiplexer 15 can be provided in the stage. This output multiplexer 15 makes it possible to easily change the channels of each of the optical heads 3a to 3e, combine images, etc. using hardware.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the disk 1 and the optical heads 3a to 3e. As described above, the optical heads 3a to 3e are respectively provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the disk 1, and are driven by the feed motor 5a. ~5e, each can independently move to different radial positions in the radial direction. In the example shown in the figure, five optical heads 3a to 3a are arranged in a half-circumference area of the disk 1.
3e are provided at 45° intervals.

Furthermore, in FIG. 2, (a) shows the case where the tracks on the disk 1 are concentric tracks 21, and (b) shows the case where the tracks are spiral tracks 22. In particular, in case (a), by aligning the vertical and horizontal blanking periods of the video signals on each track 21 on the same radius passing through the center of the disk 1, the next tracking can be performed even when the optical heads 3a to 3e move. Since the positions coincide in time, it is possible to avoid image distortion due to synchronization disturbance. Note that it is also possible to arrange a plurality of heads on the same radius.

FIG. 3 shows one of the optical heads 3a to 3e in detail, including a semiconductor laser 31 as a light source, a collimator lens 32, a beam splitter 33, a mirror 34, an objective lens 35, an analyzer 36, and a light condenser. It consists of a lens 37 and a photodetector 38.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. When the device starts up, an initialization input is given as a control input to the system control signal generation circuit 11, and the system clock generation circuit 1 is synchronized with the video synchronization signal generated inside the device.
The system clock from 2 controls the rotation of the disk 1 through the motor control section 7 and the disk motor 2 using the rotational position detection signal from the rotational position detector 9 as a reference signal, and further controls the rotation of the disk 1 through the formatting and position control circuit 10. Initial erasure and preformatting of the disk 1 is performed by the magnetic head drive circuits 68 to 6e and the magnetic heads 48 to 4e, and the sector information is transferred to the disk 1.
written on the track. Subsequent rotation control of the disk 1 is performed based on the sector information read from the disk 1 by the optical heads 3a to 3e.

When erasing the disk 1, when a desired track and sector is selected by the system control signal generation circuit 11, a signal is sent from the formatting and position control circuit 10 to the feed motor 5a through the motor control units 8a to 8e.
-5e moves the optical heads 38-3e along the radial direction to a desired track. After that, in the erasing process, for example, a drive current of a predetermined polarity is supplied to the magnetic heads 4a to 4e from the magnetic head drive circuits 6a to 6e so that the magnetization of the perpendicularly magnetized film on the disk 1 is aligned in a predetermined direction. A magnetic field in a predetermined direction is generated by the magnetic heads 4a to 4e. Next, the optical heads 3a to 3e are set to the recording mode by the mode setting units 19a to 19e, and desired sector bits on the disk 1 are selectively heated by the laser beam, and the temperature of the sector bits is raised to near the Curie point. Then, the coercive force of the perpendicularly magnetized film decreases, so that the magnetization direction of the perpendicularly magnetized film is aligned in the direction determined by the magnetic fields generated by the magnetic heads 4a to 4e, and the recorded information is erased.

When the initial erasing and preformatting of the disc 1 are completed as described above, the apparatus becomes ready for recording and reproduction. Here, when video information of a specific channel (or multiple channels) of an object is input, the video is recorded on the disk 1 by one (or a plurality of) optical heads 3a predetermined by control input. Information is recorded. That is, in accordance with the control input, a signal is sent from the system control signal generation circuit 11 to the recording/reproducing circuit 18a, and the mode setting section 19a sets the optical head 3a to the recording mode.

The video information input in this state is passed through the input multiplexer and synchronization circuit 13, input/output I/F and synchronization separation circuit 14, buffer memory 16, time axis correction circuit 17, recording and reproducing circuit 18a, and mode setting section 19a. The light is supplied to the optical head 3a. In this case, the input video information is subjected to appropriate processing such as information compression, error correction encoding, and packetization directly or using the buffer memory 16, and is then processed for one field/round, one frame/round, etc. In the preset mode from various modes such as 4-force rough field / lap,
Composite or component recorded. In the case of composite recording, only one optical head 3a is required, but
In the case of component recording in which video information is divided into luminance information and color difference information and recorded on separate tracks, a plurality of optical heads are used.

In the recording process of the disc 1, the mode setting section 19a sets the optical head 3a to the recording mode, and the optical head 3a is set to the recording mode.
In a, the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 31 in FIG. 3 is collimated by the collimator lens 32, and then passes through the beam splitter 33, the mirror 34, and the objective lens 35, and is focused and irradiated onto the disk 1 as a minute spot. . Here, for example, if the recorded information is a binary signal of "1" and "0", and the "1" signal corresponds to the magnetization direction opposite to the erased state, the magnetic head is driven to the magnetic head 4a. A driving current having a polarity opposite to that during erasing is supplied from the circuit 6a, and a magnetic field having a direction opposite to that during erasing is generated by the magnetic head 4a. In this state, optical head 3
By heating by the above-mentioned focused laser beam irradiation from a, the magnetization of the portion corresponding to the "1" signal is reversed in the direction opposite to that of the erased state, and a recorded bit is formed in the form of magnetization reversal.

On the other hand, in parallel with the above records, for example, Hikari e Sodo 3b,
3c reproduces the video information recorded by the optical head 3a. This reproduction can be performed immediately after recording with a slight delay, and the delay time can be arbitrarily selected depending on the relative positional relationship between the optical heads 3a, 3b, and 3c. Note that in this reproduction process, the mode setting sections 19b and 19c (not shown) control the optical head 3b.
, 3c are set to the reproduction mode, and the reflected light from the disk 1 is reflected by the optical heads 3b and 3c into the objective lens 3 of FIG.
5. The beam is guided to the analyzer 36 via the mirror 34 and the beam splitter 33, and is detected by the photodetector 38 through the analyzer 36 and the lens 37. A slight rotation of the plane of polarization (in this case, Since the light is reflected, Kerr rotation is detected. In this way, the optical head 3b,
The video information reproduced by 3c is sent to mode setting section 19b.
, 19c, recording/reproducing circuits 18b, 18c (not shown)
And input/output via time axis correction circuit 17! /F and the synchronization separation circuit 17, and is supplied to a monitor (not shown) as a video output via the buffer memory 16 and output multiplexer 15. In this case, the buffer memory 16 performs processing that is the reverse of the processing performed on the video information during recording, such as information expansion, error correction processing, information assembly corresponding to packetization, and motion correction.

In addition, in parallel with the recording of the video information described above, by comparing the video information of the current frame and the previous frame in the buffer memory 16, for example, the presence or absence of an event such as an abnormality of the object is checked. In this case, the buffer memory 16
Since the video information already recorded by the optical head 3a can be repeatedly played back, it is also possible to process moving images using video information that is not limited by the time before and after the occurrence of an event.
This allows highly accurate abnormality detection.

Here, if an abnormality is detected, for example, as shown in FIG.
The event-related information consisting of
is input. Among this event-related information, “detection time”
is a time code that indicates the time when the error occurred, "abnormal status" is information that indicates the details of the error, etc., and "disk location" is the track and track on disk 1 where the video information is recorded when the error occurred. "Information indicating the sector number, rH, V information" is information indicating the number of the horizontal and vertical synchronization signal of the video information when the abnormality occurs, "Corresponding processing code" is a code instructing the content of processing in response to the abnormality It is information.

Among this series of event-related information, for example, "abnormal status" is input from the input/output I/F synchronization separation circuit 14 to the system control signal generation circuit 11. As a result, the system control signal generation circuit 11 performs abnormalities specified by the "corresponding processing code", such as: ■ temporary stop of the FA control line, ■ start of measurement using a measuring instrument to understand the situation, and ■ removal of defective parts. Outputs an external system control signal to prompt response processing.

Further, the above event-related information is transmitted from the input/output I/F synchronization separation circuit 14 to the optical head 3d via the time axis correction circuit 17, the recording/reproducing circuit 18d (not shown), and the mode setting section 19d (not shown). The optical head 3d records the information on a pre-designated specific track on the disk 1 as history information. The event-related information recorded in a specific track in this way is reproduced by another optical head 3e at any time, and the mode setting section 19e1 recording/reproducing circuit 18e1
By inputting the signal to the input/output 1/F and synchronization separation circuit 14 and system control signal generation circuit 11 via the time axis correction circuit 17, an external system control signal is generated as before. At this time, since video information is continuously recorded on the disc 1 and reproduced on the monitor, an external system control signal can be outputted adaptively to the processing result.

Furthermore, if necessary, event-related information recorded on a specific track is reproduced by the head 3e, and the heads 3b, 3
It is also possible to examine the video information in detail at the time of abnormality occurrence by repeating playback, still playback, slow playback, etc. using c. In this case, the event-related information includes location information such as "disk location" and rH, V information, so it is possible to quickly search for video information at the time of the abnormality based on this information and investigate in detail. I can do it. This search may be performed while recording the video information, or may be performed slowly after recording is complete.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be implemented with various modifications as follows.

■In the example, the recording method of the recording medium (disk 1) is to record by turning on/off a laser beam according to an information signal while keeping the external magnetic field at a constant polarity, and changing the polarity of the external magnetic field during recording when erasing. An optical modulation method may be used, or a magnetic field modulation method may be used in which the magnetic field is switched based on an information signal and the coercive force is changed by heating with a laser beam to record data even if the same magneto-optical type is used.

Furthermore, the recording and reproducing method is not limited to the magneto-optical type; for example, the crystallization temperature of the recording film is controlled by the power of the irradiated laser beam, recording is performed by melting point heating, and reproduction is performed by detecting the amount of reflected light. Alternatively, a shape-changing type may be used, in which an organic dye film is coated or vapor-deposited on a disk substrate, the shape is changed by heating with a laser beam, and recording is performed, and reproduction is performed in the same manner as the phase-change type. Furthermore, high-density recording using wavelength division multiplexing is also effective, and in either case, the heads do not contact the medium, making it easy to use multiple heads.

(2) In the embodiment, video information was recorded as object information, but audio information may also be recorded, and of course both video and audio information may be recorded.

■By recording only the video or audio information when an event occurs on a dedicated track on the disk or recording it on a separate dedicated disk, it is recorded separately from the video or audio information when the event does not occur. It is also possible to do so.

(2) By switching the mode of multiple heads on the same disk, it is also possible to record video or audio information endlessly while maintaining recording continuity. In that case, the original video or audio information used for abnormality detection will be erased by overwriting in order from the oldest one, and in the end, only the video or audio information at the time of the abnormality will remain on the designated track and be recorded. This means that it has been done.

In the case of these recordings, longer recording times can be achieved by performing image compression that removes redundancy.

■Applying the device of the present invention to medical purposes, etc., capturing images of an object using two or more imaging devices with different shooting angles, and synchronizing the obtained video information of multiple channels to different tracks on a disk. Alternatively, the data may be multiplexed on the time axis and recorded on the same track. By playing back and monitoring with multiple heads or one head during playback, it is possible to monitor images from multiple angles almost simultaneously from a remote location such as outside the operating room, or to repeatedly play back images during surgery. can.

It is also possible to combine and output the video information of these multiple channels using the output multiplexer 15. Furthermore, it is also possible to obtain stereoscopic images using a stereo camera in the same manner. In these cases, the present invention does not require a complicated video synchronization circuit.

■When recording information on a disk, it is more efficient to record information that has a smaller amount of data than video information, such as the event-related information mentioned above, by using the inner tracks, which have a lower recording density per track. desirable in terms of In addition, when rotating a disk at a constant rotational speed and force, the linear velocity increases at the outer periphery, and the recording frequency can be increased accordingly, so from a search perspective, more information can be stored in a fixed amount of time. It has the advantage of being able to search and shortening the search time.

Further, it is also possible to use the inner circumferential side and the outer circumferential side of such a disk depending on their respective advantages. For example, after recording event-related information on the inner side, the outer side can be used for re-editing.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, a plurality of heads are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of a recording medium so as to be movable to arbitrary positions independently of each other, and one head can record information such as video and audio of an object. can be recorded continuously and played back at any time by other heads.

Further, according to the present invention, when the occurrence of an event such as an abnormality is detected from the information of the object, information related to the event is recorded on the recording medium using another head on the surface, so that the image at the time of the event can be recorded later. It becomes possible to easily search and investigate voice information.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are positions of an optical disk, tracks on the disk, and a plurality of optical heads in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the optical head in the same embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the format of event-related information used in the same embodiment. 1... Optical discs 3a to 3e... Optical head 11... External system control signal generation circuit 12... System clock generation circuit 13... Input multiplexer 14... Input/output 1/F and synchronization separation circuit 15...
Output multiplexer 16... Buffer memory 17... Time axis correction circuit 18a to 18e... Recording and reproducing circuit 192 to 19e... Mode setting section 21... Concentric track 22... Spiral track Applicant's representative People Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A disk-shaped recording medium, a plurality of heads provided on the recording medium so that their positions can be controlled independently, and information on an object consisting of at least one of video and audio on the recording medium. It is characterized by comprising means for recording through a part of the plurality of heads, and means for reproducing information of the object recorded on the recording medium through other parts of the plurality of heads. Information recording device. (2) a disk-shaped recording medium; a plurality of heads provided on the recording medium so that their positions can be controlled independently; and information on an object consisting of at least one of video and audio on the recording medium means for recording through a part of the heads; means for reproducing information on the object recorded on the recording medium through other parts of the plurality of heads; and generating an event from the information on the object. and means for recording information related to the event through another part of the plurality of heads when the occurrence of the event is detected by the means. Information recording device.