JPH07168855A - Information recording/reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To decrease the operating mistakes of users by identifying the attribute information on the information to be recorded and reproduced and changing the messages shown to the users and the types of instructions that cen be inputted by the users based on the identified attribute information. CONSTITUTION:The attribute information on the recorded information is read out of an optical disk 2 or a system control memory 22 and stored in a user information processing part 20 via a prescribed route. Meanwhile an index area can be provided on the disk 2 and stores the retrieving key words of various information and the key screens to remind the contents of these information. A user information input pert 19 analyzes the voices, the fingerprints end the face images and also identifies the identity of each user based on the hand size, etc., of him. Then the part 19 constructs 8 menu screen based on this identification information. For instance, the messages are prepared for the child users by means of HIRAGANA (cursive form of Japanese syllabary) or pictures.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for recording / reproducing information such as video information such as moving images and still images and audio information.

[0002]

[Prior art]

(1) Conventionally, a VT has been used as a recorded information reproducing apparatus for video and audio.
R is widely used. A drawback of using the VTR is that it is not easy to input commands even for basic operations such as recording, reproducing, and stopping. For example, if the display on the panel or the remote control is a device written in English (alphabet), the operation is not understood by young children or old people who are not familiar with English, and it is the same for children who cannot read kanji even with a device written in kanji. is there.

For this reason, an image desired to be viewed may be lost as a result of accidentally overwriting the recorded tape, stopping the recording tape, or the like. Moreover, since the displayed characters are generally small, the same situation has occurred for the elderly and the visually impaired. Furthermore, there are cases where a symbol mark is attached to a button for play, stop, fast forward, etc., and the same can be said for this. That is, despite the fact that the user has various device operation capabilities, the device is designed to be the most common divisor assuming the average user, and consideration of operability is given to users with particularly low operation capabilities. It was the actual situation that there was a shortage.

Also, The tape cassette has a claw to prevent accidental erasure, and if the claw is removed, it will not be overwritten at the discretion of the device side. At present, it is not used except for tapes and those used by users who are proficient in operation, and it is not a practical solution to the above problems.

(2) On the other hand, as a recording / reproducing apparatus which is expected to become widespread in the future, there is an apparatus capable of digitizing and recording video information and audio information such as a moving image or a still image on an optical disc as a medium. Since a disk is used as a medium in this apparatus, it is possible to significantly speed up access to information as compared with a conventional magnetic tape. Further, since the data is recorded as digital data, the deterioration of information quality that occurs during the recording / reproducing process can be suppressed to a very small level by an error correction technique or the like. In addition, various data other than information can be recorded and reproduced independently in the semiconductor memory or by separating the recording positions on the disk, so that it is possible to have advanced functions.

For example, the second to Nth information can be associated with the first information by special information called link information. This association can have various meanings. For example, (a) associating a person's own memorandum or a map showing the stage of a story as a still image with one scene of a movie, or (b) a photo or recording taken at that time with a video taken by myself. This is a link that connects the daughter's photos with many still images recorded on the disc.
This is a link that links photos of steam locomotives, and a link that links photos of family trips, which can be grouped with high flexibility. However,
In contrast to the recording method of the new information recording / reproducing apparatus including the link information defined between the video and the audio as described above, an effective method for the link processing method and the information dubbing method when the information is processed. Has not been proposed yet.

(3) Further, a link is established between the files recorded on the disc in this way, and the link information is recorded in the memory in the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and the link is established from a certain file. In a system that can indicate which disk the referenced file is recorded when referring to a file, the file once recorded on the disk is normally recorded first without changing the recording position. It was recorded in the place where it was erased until it was erased. This recording position is decided when the file is recorded, and even if it is recorded at the optimum position in the sense that it minimizes the access time from one file to another linked file. However, when other files are recorded one after another, it is no longer always recorded at the optimum position.

Therefore, once the file is recorded,
It is desirable to be able to change the recording position as appropriate, but conventionally, for files recorded on the hard disk, the only thing that has been done is to rewrite the file on the hard disk so that one data is recorded in consecutive sectors. Not not. In particular, with regard to the movement of files between a plurality of disks, the actual situation is that each user has to do it himself.

(4) When displaying a plurality of still images and searching for a desired still image, conventionally, a plurality of screens in which several still images are arranged on one screen are prepared, and the display range of each screen is equal. The still images are displayed at positions irrelevant to the mutual relationship of the still images. At this time, the intervals between the still images are usually uniform. When referring to a link from a still image, when the link provided in the still image is selected, the still image with the link appears on the screen.

(5) In a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of establishing a link between related files, a user gives an instruction to establish a link. That is, it is determined which files are to be linked, and an instruction is given. As a result, a link structure for the entire file is generated. At this time, it is very difficult for a general user to plan a link structure to be finally generated from the beginning and to establish a link, and a link structure that is difficult to understand may be completed.

(6) When a moving image is divided into scenes to search for a scene, a still image is easier to handle than a moving image. Therefore, a frame representative of the scene is selected for each scene, and the purpose is There is a method of selecting a scene by selecting a frame that represents the scene. As a frame representative of a scene, a method of selecting a head frame of the scene or a frame in the middle of the scene is generally used.

(7) In the conventional timer reservation for recording / reproducing, a reservation is made by pressing a number button or increasing or decreasing the number with the button. Search by still image drawn by user
You can search for things that you can't express in words, such as keyword searches, things that you know the shape but don't know the name, things that you just remember without knowing the details, and things that you don't understand the whole thing but remember only a part. You can do it.
In the search by drawing a still image, a search is performed in the order of drawing a still image, recognizing the picture, extracting features, and then performing the search.

(8) When it is desired to use one frame of a scene as a still image in a moving image, that frame is simply used. For example, even when a frame with a scene is used as a still image representing a scene, the frame is extracted as it is and used as the index of the scene.

(9) Normally, the selection of the disc in the autochanger is performed by designating the number of the tray in which the disc is stored. Therefore, when playing a disc in an autochanger different from the disc currently being played, it is necessary to specify the tray number on which the target disc is placed before playing. If you don't know which numbered tray you have to check the disc by looking directly at it or playing it for a trial. Also, when recording a new file, the user needs to know which disk has enough free space. As described above, the user normally manages the disks in the autochanger.

(10) In the box for storing the discs, the discs are arranged and stored in some order so that the user can easily find the discs. If the discs are stored without deciding the order, it takes time to find a desired disc. Since it is the user who takes out the disc from the box, it has been compelled to store it in a way that is easy for the user to understand.

When the disc is managed by the information recording / reproducing device, the disc management information is read by inserting the disc into the information recording / reproducing device. When the information recording / reproducing device owned by the user himself rewrites the information on the disc, the management information is also immediately read, but when the information is rewritten using another information recording / reproducing device, it is bothersome. Management information must be read. When managing disc information, it is necessary to always insert the disc into the information recording / reproducing device and read the management information in this way.

(11) Conventionally, information recording / reproduction has been performed separately for each medium. For example, the video is on the VTR, the audio information is on the tape recorder, and so on. Photographs have been used for still images for a long time, but recently, electronic still cameras have appeared, making it easy to handle still images electronically. Further, as these pieces of information have been digitized, it has become possible to integrally handle these different media on a computer. This is called multimedia hypermedia, which has been drawing attention in recent years. One form of this is to handle information such as video and audio as nodes and link them to create a database.

[0018]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

(1) As described above, in the conventional information recording / reproducing apparatus such as the VTR, the consideration of the difference in the device operation ability of the user on the device side is insufficient, and the operability is high for all users. There was a problem that I could not get.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a new method capable of reducing operational errors as much as possible even if the user has various device operating capabilities.

(2) For the recording method of the new information recording / reproducing apparatus including the link information defined between the video information and the audio information, the link processing method when processing the information, the information dubbing method, etc. Has never been proposed.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of realizing appropriate processing when processing or dubbing information when link information is defined between video and audio. It is to be.

(3) If the recording position does not change from the time when the information is recorded, the disc must be replaced every time a file is referred to from a file recorded on another disc with a link. I have to. Further, when the user frequently refers to the disc, the user has to purposely move or copy the file to another disc in which the linked file is recorded. In this way, the work imposes a burden on the user.

A third object of the present invention is to perform reference without the user's hand when the linked files are stored in different disks and the reference ratio between the files is high. An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing device that can shorten the time.

(4) When still images are arranged at equal intervals on one screen and at positions irrelevant to the relationship between the respective still images,
The relationship between the still image files is completely unknown just by looking at the screen. Moreover, when referring to another linked still image from a still image, it is completely unknown where the referenced file is located. Even if a still image has a link and the related still image is referenced using the link, the still image with the linked momentarily gets called. Sometimes the position of a still image is lost.

A fourth object of the present invention is to eliminate the waste that the positional relationship between still images and the content relationship between still images can be associated with each other, and even files that are not referenced are displayed. An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing device capable of performing the same.

(5) In the past, since the user had to do all the linking work from the beginning, the burden on the user was large, and if the linking was done randomly, it would be difficult to understand and a complicated link structure could be created. Even the person himself could not grasp.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of obtaining an environment for constructing a link structure which is easy to understand.

(6) Frames representing a scene are often selected to play the role of an index,
Therefore, it is necessary to be able to recognize which scene is represented by just looking at the frame as the representative frame of the scene, but in the past, a method of selecting the frame in the middle of the scene with the scene as the representative frame was adopted. Therefore, there is a problem that an appropriate scene is not always selected.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of selecting, as a representative of a scene, a frame that represents a characteristic of the scene.

(7) When making a timer reservation for recording / playback by a VTR device, the reservation must be made by a form determined by the recording / playback device. For example, whether to specify the start time and the end time, or to specify the start time and the recording (reproduction) time depends on the control method of the recording / reproducing device, and the reservation must be made by a predetermined method. The user must remember different methods for each recording / playback device. Further, it is usual that a plurality of buttons are prepared for reservation, and there is a problem that the reservation procedure cannot be understood simply by looking at those buttons. The barcode reservation invented to solve these problems can eliminate the trouble of selecting the time and the like with the button, but it is necessary to prepare a dedicated barcode sheet. G-code reservation does not require a barcode sheet, but the code must be checked.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of timer reservation which does not require any preparation or checking for troublesome button operation or reservation.

(8) The feature of a still image that the user wants to retrieve is expressed as a still image is drawn, and when a still image is searched using the drawn still image, when the search is started after the still image is completed, The user may not know how detailed the drawing needs to be. In addition, it is not known which feature can be expressed more efficiently.
For this reason, the user may unnecessarily write a detailed picture or, on the contrary, the still image drawn may be too easy and the number of search targets may be too large, which eventually deteriorates the search efficiency. .

An eighth object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of efficiently searching.

(9) Conventionally, regarding the display of a still image,
A relatively easy-to-see still image can be obtained when the original video is not moving too much, but when one frame of a scene with a lot of movement is used as a still image, the frame is greatly blurred and unsightly. was there.

A ninth object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of producing a good still image from a frame in which the motion is intense as described above.

(10) If the user manages the discs in the autochanger, the burden is placed on the user, and the greater the number of discs that can be inserted into the autochanger, the greater the burden. When a user newly records a file, it is difficult to find out where there is free space on the disc in the autochanger, and it may happen that there is no free space. is there. When there is no free space, the user must insert a new disc or erase any of the files recorded on the disc in the autochanger to make free space. It is not easy to choose whether the file should be deleted.

A tenth object of the present invention is to manage the disc in the autochanger on the system side, and save the user the trouble of searching for a file and the trouble of selecting a file recording position when recording a new file. It is to provide an information processing reproducing apparatus capable of performing the above.

(11) Conventionally, when a plurality of discs are managed, an index is written in the disc case, and when the user wants to refer to a file such as a moving image, a still image, a sound, a text, etc., the user has an index of the disc case. Was looking for the desired disk.
Normally, when the discs are lined up, the user can only see the title of the disc, and in order to see the index in which the contents of the disc are written, it is necessary to extract the disc to be searched from the side by side of the discs. .
In addition, when the system manages the index of the disc, I used the system to check the title of the disc containing the target file and searched for the disc with that title. Disks need to be organized in some order.

The eleventh object of the present invention is to eliminate the trouble of extracting the disc and looking at the index when searching for a file, and when the disc title containing the file is known, the discs are lined up. An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus which makes it possible to easily refer to a file by eliminating the trouble of searching for a desired disc and the trouble of keeping the discs in a fixed order.

(12) When a user X requests another user Y to record an image, recording is naturally performed by the information recording / reproducing device of the user Y. However, the information recording / reproducing apparatus manages the disc, that is, which disc. If information such as which files are recorded in, which files on which discs are linked to which files, etc. is recorded and it is possible to respond to searches, etc. Is recorded, user Y
When the disc is recorded by the information recording / reproducing apparatus of No. 1, there is a problem that the disc cannot be managed until it is inserted into the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the user X.

A twelfth object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of managing a disc owned by a user in real time.

(13) A database environment that handles a plurality of media and is composed of hyperlinks is difficult for an inexperienced user to use, and it is difficult to grasp the whole image of the database. It is also difficult for users to build their own. At present, such a system capable of recording and reproducing is only a computer-based device, but if such a system appears in place of the VTR in the future, it will be accepted by ordinary users unless such a problem is solved. It is thought that it cannot be done.

A thirteenth object of the present invention is to make it easier to use a database having a link structure, and to provide users with complicated functions not limited to links in an extremely easy-to-use environment.

[0044]

In order to achieve the first object, the present invention provides an input means for inputting a command by a user, a display means for displaying a message to the user, and a recording / reproducing device. Identification means for performing at least one of identification of attribute of information, identification of user, and identification of present time within set time range, and the input based on the identification result of the identification means. And a changing means for changing the type of the message displayed by the display means.

In order to achieve the second object of the present invention, the relationship between the first processing means for processing information used for recording and reproduction and any information unit among the information units forming the information. Link information generating means for generating link information representing the link information, link information storing means for storing the link information generated by the link information generating means, and an information unit in which the link information is stored in the link information storing means. And a second processing means for performing a predetermined processing on the link information when the processing is performed by the first processing means.

In order to achieve the second object of the present invention, a duplication processing means for performing duplication processing on information to be recorded and reproduced, and an arbitrary information unit among information units constituting the information. Link information generating means for generating link information representing the relationship between the link information and link information storing means for storing the link information generated by the link information generating means, and the duplication processing means stores the link information in the link information storing means. When the duplication process is performed on the information unit in which the link information is stored, the duplication process is also performed on another information unit whose relationship with the information unit to be duplicated is defined by the link information. To do.

In order to achieve the third object, the present invention calculates the "link strength", which becomes stronger as the ratio of a file to be referenced using the link increases, and adds it to the link.
Move one of the files to a memory in the system once so that the files with strong links will be recorded on the same recording medium (preferably a disk).
It is characterized by moving to the other disc. That is, a plurality of recording media for recording / reproducing a plurality of files, a discriminating means for discriminating a recording medium being reproduced among the plurality of recording media, and a relation between related information files among the plurality of files are described. Link information storage means for recording the link information represented, file / link reference information storage means for recording the ratio of the reference between the information files in which the link information is stored in the link information recording means, and the plurality of recording media. Free information storage means for accumulating information about free space, and information files recorded on each of the plurality of recording media from the information stored in the file / link reference information storage means and the free information storage means to another recording Determination means for determining whether or not to transfer to a medium,
And a means for controlling the movement of the information file between the plurality of recording media based on the judgment result of the judging means.

In order to achieve the fourth object, the present invention calculates the strength of a link that becomes stronger as the reference rate increases, and still images with strong links are close to each other on one wall. In addition, the still images with weak links are placed relatively far apart, and any part of the wall can be displayed according to the user's instruction, and the desired still image can be selected. And In addition, the reference rate of the still image is stored, and when the rate becomes less than a certain threshold value, the still image is removed from the wall,
Another feature is that the still images with a low reference ratio are displayed in a collected area.

In order to achieve the fifth object of the present invention, the basic link structure is registered in advance in the link structure memory, and the user selects an arbitrary link structure in the link structure memory to select a file or link name. Is applied, and the link structure is constructed by modifying the link structure as necessary.

To achieve the sixth object of the present invention, in an information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing moving image information and audio information, a characteristic parameter for detecting a characteristic parameter of audio information reproduced together with moving image information. Detection means,
Representative frame selecting means for selecting a frame of the moving image information corresponding to a portion in which the characteristic parameter of the sound detected by the characteristic parameter detecting means satisfies a preset criterion as a frame representing each scene of the moving image information. And is provided.

That is, in most cases, a normal moving image has a sound reproduced at the same time as the moving image. It is easy to detect whether the voice level is high or low, and a scene with a high voice level is often emphasized by a sound effect or a loud voice, and is often a scene that characterizes the scene. Therefore, in the present invention, when a frame representative of a scene is selected, a characteristic parameter of the audio information, for example, the audio level is detected, and the frame corresponding to the scene with the highest audio level is selected as the representative of the scene. .

In order to achieve the seventh object of the present invention, in the timer reservation system, the user inputs a memo for timer recording / reproduction in free format by handwriting input,
The input handwritten character is character-recognized, then the meaning is interpreted, and the timer is set according to the content.

In order to achieve the eighth object of the present invention, storage means for storing still images, input means for handwriting input of still images, and recognition for recognizing still images input by this input means. The input means, the feature extracting means for extracting the feature of the still image recognized by the recognizing means, and the searching means for searching the storing means by using the feature extracted by the feature extracting means as a key. When a still image is input by, the recognition means, the feature extraction means, and the detection means start operating without waiting for the end of the still image input,
The search result of the search means is fed back to the input means.

That is, a handwriting picture input device capable of handwriting input of a still image is used as the input means, and the feature of the drawn still image is extracted and the search is performed based on the feature. At this time, the feature extraction of the drawn still image is not performed after the still image is completed, but is sequentially searched while the still image is being input, and the features of the already drawn part are extracted. If a still image file that matches with is found, it is displayed by displaying it.

In order to achieve the ninth object, the present invention refers to several frames before and after a frame to be a still image when generating a still image, predicts the contour of a blurry and unclear contour, and further hides it. The feature is that it predicts the background that has been lost and corrects it to make a beautiful still image.

In order to achieve the tenth object of the present invention,
The system is configured so that the autochanger reads the disc management information when the disc is inserted and records the contents in the disc management information memory in the system, and the user wants to record a new file. At this time, check the management information to see if there is free space, and if there is free space, record a new file in the free area and record the recorded management information such as disk and address in the disc management information memory, If there is not enough space, let the user select an appropriate file candidate to delete or compress from the files that the user once refers to, and then select the file to delete or compress. If so, erase or compress it and record the new file in the newly created free space. To.

In order to achieve the eleventh object, the present invention provides
In the disk management box, information such as a disk position detection device that detects the position of the disk, a disk management box equipped with a disk push-out mechanism that can push out any disk, a control device including a search device, and a disk index are displayed. It is characterized in that the information recording / reproducing device having the disc management memory for recording communicates with the information recording / reproducing device using the communication means, and the disc searched by the information recording / reproducing device is pushed out from the disc management box.

In order to achieve the twelfth object of the present invention,
In disc management information communication, a disc management memory for recording disc management information, means for identifying the disc and the disc owner, and transmitting the disc management information to the information recording / reproducing device owned by the disc owner. Through a communication line in order to rewrite the disc management information recorded in the information recording / reproducing device owned by the disc owner when any change occurs in the management information of the inserted disc. It is characterized by sending new disc management information.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
Even if the same database is used, paying attention to how the usage and the importance of each link node differ depending on the user, the user's database usage situation, that is, how often each link is accessed, It is characterized by detecting how long each node has been playing and automatically accumulating user information so that a database structure convenient for the user can be created accordingly.

That is, a database in which information used for recording / reproduction is recorded as a node together with link information representing a relationship between the nodes, and a reproducing means for reading out and reproducing the information from the database based on a user's request,
A user information storage unit that stores at least one of the degree of association of each link information read from the database and the degree of importance of each node as user information for each user, and each node and each in the database by the reproduction unit. Database usage status acquisition means for acquiring information on the usage status of link information for each user, and user information stored in the user information storage means based on the information acquired by the database usage status acquisition means. And a user information rewriting means for rewriting.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
It's hard to think of an optimal database structure for all users, and some links are important to one user but not to others. In order to solve such a problem, it is characterized in that the structure information of the user can be added to the structure information of the shared database.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
If you want to hide specific information in the database, you used to set a password in the past, but you need a character input means such as a keyboard to enter the password, and you can easily forget the password. There was a problem. Therefore, the feature is that the route for browsing in the database can be used as a password so that the hidden information can be seen when the user follows this route.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
In order to realize an interactive movie in which the story development changes depending on the user's action, we made it possible to select a story by connecting multiple videos with links and following the link selection. As a trigger for selecting a link, we used instructions from a pointing device and the movement of the line of sight of the viewer. Further, it is characterized in that access is performed using a buffer memory so that switching of images can be smoothly performed.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
It is characterized by constructing a hypermedia database that can create an empty node from which central data such as video and audio is missing, with the aim of making it easier for general users to use the database.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
When considering using an information recording / reproducing device having a node and link structure for entertainment, more effective reproduction can be performed by generating information other than video / audio. Therefore, it is characterized by including means for creating an environment operation node for operating the external environment by reaching there.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
The hypermedia type database consisting of nodes and links takes a lot of time to build the database, so in order for such a system to spread to general households, a means for supporting the database construction is needed. Is. As one means for that purpose, it is characterized by comprising means for automatically grouping and linking data while referring to time information and position information when the information is input.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
Editing and processing video and audio provides the user with a way to enjoy the information recording and reproducing device, but on the other hand, it seems that it is difficult or difficult to use. In view of the situation that is hindering the above, among the parameters required for each editing operation, those that can be set in advance have default values prepared,
The feature is that editing can be performed while minimizing the input from the user. Of course, it is possible to change the parameter for which the default value is prepared.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
Instead of using the buttons on the remote control, it is characterized by displaying a menu icon on the liquid crystal display device and pressing a transparent tablet placed on top of it to input.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
In the method of using a key image, which is one of the methods for searching for images, the objects that make up the picture that will be the key image are stored as samples, and the necessary objects are retrieved from that sample, and as necessary. The feature is that it can be processed and assembled to make key images for search.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
In order to build and edit a hypermedia database, an environment that can quickly grasp the current database structure is required. Therefore, we made it possible to browse the video / audio information along with the link information provided there. Further, it is characterized in that the way of displaying the link information is controlled so that the user can grasp the link information even when performing high-speed browsing or when the link is set up for a moment.

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
The following means provides an environment suitable for browsing while checking the contents of a plurality of moving images one by one. That is, when handling a plurality of moving images, it is desirable for the user to be able to recognize the time axis in one moving image and the axis when the collection of moving images is arranged. If these two axes are placed on the same axis (the tape traveling direction) as in a VTR, it causes confusion. Here, by using this metaphor, the time axis in one moving image is completed in one page, and the axis of the moving image sequence is associated with the page order, so that a suitable browsing environment is realized. And

In order to achieve the thirteenth object of the present invention,
Especially in the case of a video / audio database for home use, it is considered that the fun will be enhanced if there is a function of automatically browsing and reproducing the database. Here, the external environment information, that is, information such as temperature, humidity, and annoyance, is used to determine one of the links that can be selected and perform automatic browsing according to the situation.

[0073]

[Action]

(1) For the first object, in the present invention, in an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing information such as video / audio,
It is possible to identify the attribute information of the information to be processed such as recording and reproduction, and change the message to be displayed to the user and the type of command that the user can input based on the identification output. Therefore, by having the reproduction history information as a part of the attribute information and identifying it, for example, it is possible to prevent input of an erase command for information that has not been viewed yet, or to prevent new information from being recorded in the recording area.

Further, the user can be identified, and the message displayed to the user and the type of command that the user can input can be changed based on the identification output. Therefore, when the user is an infant, it is possible to convey a message by using only hiragana or to use a child's favorite picture, and to prompt input of a command. Or you can take measures to prevent data from being destroyed by accidentally getting into a complicated process such as creating a link.
In addition, it is possible to convey a message to the elderly and the visually handicapped in a larger character than usual and in a comprehensible word, and to prompt the input of a command. What the device is currently doing (eg playing, recording, etc.)
It is also possible to clearly indicate the state of, when the user does not have a clear recognition.

Further, the time information is set to identify whether the current time is within the set range, and the message to be displayed to the user and the type of command that the user can input are changed based on the identification output. be able to. Therefore, when the main user leaves the device in operation, it is possible to prevent another user from changing the state (for example, recording is stopped).

Further, the first identifying means for identifying the attribute information of the information to be processed such as recording and reproducing, the second identifying means for identifying the user, and the time information are set so that the present time is within the set range. Of the third identifying means for identifying
It is possible to change the message to be displayed to the user and the type of command that can be input by the user based on the two or more types of identification outputs. Therefore, in addition to the contents of the above-described realization capabilities, the following is further realized.

(A) The attribute information and the user can be specified by the first and second identification outputs. As a result, it is realized that only the infant cannot input a deletion command for information that has not been viewed yet or a new recording command for the recording area. In addition, by having information for identifying the person who recorded the information as part of the attribute information and identifying it, for example, only the person who recorded certain image information is permitted to erase the image information.

(B) The user and the time can be specified by the second and third identification outputs. As a result, it is possible that only a specific user can record, reproduce, etc. for a specific period.

(C) The time and attribute information can be specified by the third and first identification outputs. As a result, it is possible to realize that it is not possible to input an erasing command for information that has not been viewed in a certain period.

(2) For the second object, in the present invention, in an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing information such as video / audio, for information units such as a moving image, a still image, and audio, It is possible to generate and store link information that represents a relationship between arbitrary information units, and when this link information is generated and processed, a predetermined process is also performed on this link information. Is applied. For example, when a part of a moving image is cut off from another part and combined with another moving image, the link information for this part is also changed according to the processing. Therefore, the role of this part in the video link (eg, one element of the child's growth record) is preserved as it is.

Further, in an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing information such as video / audio, link information representing a relationship between arbitrary information units is generated with respect to information units such as moving images, still images, and audio. When the first information unit that can be stored and has this link information generated and stored is duplicated, it is also copied to other information units whose relationship with the first information unit is defined by this link information. Apply processing. That is,
As a specific example, after recording the movie that was broadcast, link the movie with memos, maps, photos, and other related materials such as other movies starring the actor. When the above movie is dubbed to another disc or other system, the video information associated with the link information can also be dubbed. It will be easy to dubb an original set of images constructed using links.

For the third purpose, according to the present invention, files that are often referred to each other are moved to the same disk, so that files with links placed on different disks are referred to. Less often. Therefore, the work of replacing the disk is reduced, the reference of the file with the link is speeded up, and the reference of the file can be comfortably performed. Moreover, regarding the movement of files in order to combine the files stored in different disks into one file, only the strongly related files are automatically moved into one disk, so that the user is not bothered.

For the fourth purpose, the distance between the still images represents the strength of the link between the still images, so that the relationship between the still images can be easily grasped. Further, even if a still image is referred to by following a link, it is moved to a still image in the immediate vicinity, so that it is not difficult to know which still image was referred to. Furthermore, since a still image that is not often referred to is removed from the wall, it is less likely to refer to a useless still image when searching for a desired still image.

For the fifth purpose, since the link structure which is made to some extent from the beginning is used, the link structure can be easily constructed. Further, since the link structure is constructed using the basic link structure, it becomes possible to construct a relatively easy-to-understand link structure.

For the sixth purpose, in the method of selecting the frame representative of the scene described above, a frame having effect sound enhancement, loud voice enhancement, or the like is selected. Therefore, there is a higher possibility that a frame that better represents the characteristics of the scene will be selected than simply selecting the frame at the beginning of the scene or the frame in the center of the scene as a representative. When a frame that represents a scene is used as a scene index and a desired scene is searched by looking at this index, it is easy to determine which scene is selected by the method according to the present invention just by looking at it. The more likely you are to do so, the more efficient the search will be.

For the seventh purpose, the timer can be reserved in its own format as if a memo was handed to a person, so that anyone can easily and quickly make a reservation without getting lost or preparing anything. Will be able to.

For the eighth purpose, a user who is trying to retrieve a still image file can find the desired still image file because the retrieved still image is displayed while writing the still image. The search can be completed immediately, and if the desired still image file is not found, the handwriting input of the still image can be continued, and unnecessary input for the search can be omitted. Further, when a file different from the desired still image file is searched, it becomes easy to think what should be corrected, so that a still image that can be searched efficiently can be written.

For the ninth purpose, the blurring of the frame which has been blurred due to the intense movement is corrected, and a beautiful still image can be obtained.

For the tenth purpose, the user does not need to know which free space each disk has and how much free space is available. If there is no free space, the user may delete the free space to create free space. Since the system presents the files to be compressed, the user can record a new file by simply selecting from among them and the burden on the user is reduced.

For the eleventh purpose, the disk storing the file is pushed out from the disk management box just by searching the file, so the disk is taken out to check the index and the file is stored. You can browse the files quickly and comfortably without having to search for the title of the disc or search for the disc from the title of the disc.

For the twelfth object, the information recorded on the disc is changed, and at the same time, the information on the disc can be managed in real time, and it is not necessary to insert the disc into the information recording / reproducing device once.

The thirteenth object is achieved as follows.

(A) Since it seems to each user that his or her own database structure suitable for his or her own database usage situation is constructed, browsing can be performed preferably.

(B) Since the user can add link nodes necessary for himself or delete link nodes unnecessary for himself freely, the database structure can be constructed for his own convenience. .

(C) Information that the user does not want others to see can be set so as to be kept secret until a specific browsing route is traced. Unlike the method of using a password, it does not require a character input device such as a keyboard and can be remembered as an image, so it is not easy to forget like a password.

(D) The story can be switched without being recognized as an interactive movie by using not only an instruction from the pointing device but also the movement of the line of sight of the viewer as a trigger for selecting the link. it can. In addition, it is possible to develop a natural story by accessing using the buffer memory.

(E) By creating an empty node, it is possible to provide an environment in which "a database can be created if only video is taken later", and the user can use the database more easily. You can also use the database without being aware of what is called a link.

(F) When the environment operation node is reached, for example, the brightness of the surroundings can be controlled, so that the effect of entertainment such as a movie can be enhanced.

(G) Since a certain degree of grouping and linking are automatically performed only by inputting information, the burden on the user for using the database is reduced.
In addition, you can already search to a certain extent just by inputting it (search for photos taken anywhere and where).

(H) Of the parameters necessary for each editing operation, those that can be set in advance can be provided with default values, and therefore editing can be performed with a minimum of user input. Of course, it is possible to change the parameters for which default values are prepared, but
Rather, the idea that it can be changed only when necessary realizes a suitable environment.

(I) Instead of using the buttons on the remote controller, a menu icon is displayed on the liquid crystal display device, and a transparent tablet placed on top of it is pressed to allow input, so at some point Selectable buttons can be displayed to minimize user confusion.

(J) The objects that make up the picture are accumulated as samples, the necessary objects can be taken out from them, and processed and assembled as needed, so that the key image for retrieval can be efficiently used. Can be made well.

(K) It becomes possible to browse the video / audio information together with the link information provided there. It also controls the way the link information is displayed so that the user can grasp the link information even when performing high-speed browsing or when a link is being set up for a moment, thus enabling efficient browsing. Become.

(L) By using this metaphor, the time axis in one moving image is completed in one page, and the axis of the moving image sequence is associated with the page order. You can create a browsing environment.

(M) By using the external environment information, that is, information such as temperature, humidity, and annoyance, an optimum one is selected from the links that can be selected, so that automatic browsing suitable for the situation can be performed. .

[0106]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information recording / reproducing apparatus using an optical disk according to the present invention. The configuration itself of this information recording / reproducing apparatus is described in Examples 2 to 6 described later.
The same is true for.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an optical disk recording / reproducing section, which comprises an optical disk 2, a spindle motor 3, and an optical pickup 4. The optical disc 2 is rotationally driven by a spindle motor 3, and a signal is recorded / reproduced by an optical pickup 4 having a built-in semiconductor laser or the like. Rotational drive control of the spindle motor 3 and various controls (seek control, etc.) for the optical pickup 4 are performed by a system controller 5 mainly composed of a microcomputer and its software.

The optical disk recording / reproducing unit 1 preferably includes an autochanger which operates under the control of the system controller 5, and further has a system management memory 22 for managing information in a large number of optical disks. The optical disc group can be handled in a unified manner. That is,
The user does not have to be aware of what is written on which optical disc. To this end, when a new optical disc is stored, an address is assigned to this optical disc in units of one optical disc. The system controller 5 writes this result in the system management memory 22, and subsequent access to each optical disk is performed based on the contents of the system management memory 22. That is, the system management memory 22 is adapted to record the same attribute information as the attribute information of the information unit recorded on the optical disc group. Optical disc recording / reproducing unit 1
In the above, the relationship between the storage position of each optical disk and the address of the optical disk unit in the system should be maintained in order to maintain a high access speed. When this relationship is broken for some reason, the user is requested to repair the optical disk position, or an autonomous repair measure (replacement) is performed by using the spare space where the optical disk can exist in the autochanger of the optical disk. Is taken.
Further, it is possible that the recorded information is changed with respect to the optical disc pulled out from the optical disc storage section. The fact that the optical disk has been pulled out or newly stored can be obtained by providing a micro switch in each optical disk storage slot and detecting the opening / closing of its contact. In this case, when the contents are stored again, the matching relationship between the contents and the system management memory 22 is checked, and if they do not match, the user judges whether or not to update the system management memory 22 and gives an instruction. Need to give. Usually, the attribute information on the optical disc is rewritten in the same system. In this case, the system management memory 22 is simultaneously subjected to the content change process.

Video signals (moving images), video signals (still images), and audio signals, which are information signals to be recorded, are input through terminals 6, 7, and 8, respectively. These signals can take the form of analog or digital. A moving image is input by dubbing from a packaged device such as a broadcast program or a video camera transmitted via a radio wave or a cable (not shown) as in the past.
A still image is input from an electronic camera, an image scanner, a personal computer, a communication line or the like via a cable, an IC card floppy disk or the like. The voice can also take many forms such as a microphone, a cable, and dubbing from various package media. The signals input through the terminals 6, 7, and 8 are converted into digital information in a predetermined format by the data input / output processing unit 9, and the RAM I / F
10 is supplied to the R10 by the control of the RAM I / F10.
Once stored in AM11. This data is RAM1
The data is supplied from 1 to the modulation circuit 12 at a predetermined timing, modulation processing for recording is performed, and the modulated recording data is given to the writing circuit 13. A predetermined writing process is performed by the writing circuit 13, and the processed recording data is supplied to the optical pickup 4 and recorded on the optical disc 2.

The data thus written on the optical disk 2 is read by the optical pickup 4 and supplied to the reading circuit 14, where the analog waveform is converted into digital data. This digital data is the demodulation circuit 1
After demodulation processing for reproduction is performed in 5, the RAM 11 is temporarily stored. R under the control of RAM I / F10
Data is read from the AM 11 and supplied to the data input / output processing unit 9. Here, signals such as video and audio are reproduced and output in an appropriate form through terminals 16, 17, and 18. Alternatively, as the video output terminal, the terminal 16 can be used together for outputting a moving image and a still image.

The user information input / output unit 19 is controlled by the information processing controller 21 to display a message from the system to the user, and provides link information input by the user, an instruction to the system, and the system to control its operation. This is a part where the system receives time information and the like, and the system detects user information and recorder information indicating who recorded certain information. The various information input by the user and the various information detected by the system, which are collected by the user information input / output unit 19, are controlled by the user information processing unit 20 under the control of the information processing controller 21.
And processed as described in the first to sixth embodiments described below.

On the other hand, the attribute information and the link information relating to the information to be reproduced are recorded in the management area set on the same optical disc 2 as the information to be reproduced and read together with the information. Then, it is written in the RAM 11 via the optical pickup 4, the reading circuit 14, and the demodulation circuit 15, selectively read by the system controller 5, and given to the user information processing section 20 via the information processing controller 21. .

In addition, the input information may be accompanied by attribute information. This is the data input / output processing unit 9 and RAMI.
After being input to the RAM 11 via the / F10, it is selectively read by the system controller 5 and given to the user information processing unit 20 via the information processing controller 21. Since the attribute information includes information about the history of the processing performed such as the reproduction history information, the information is updated in the user information processing unit 20 or the like at an appropriate timing after the reproduction processing of a certain information unit is completed. The data is recorded on the optical disk 2 via the information processing controller 21, the system controller 5, the RAM 11, the modulation circuit 12, the writing circuit 13, and the optical pickup 4.

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

First, a procedure in which the user turns on the power of the apparatus and then accesses desired information recorded therein will be described.

When the power is turned on, the user can see the menu as shown in FIG. In this case, it is found that there are three moving images and one set of still images in the available recording area, and the temporal length and the number of them are also displayed. Furthermore, it can be seen that there is 60 minutes of recordable area left. Further, since each video has already been reproduced once or more, all the commands "view", "snap", and "erase" are valid. Therefore, for example, the user can enjoy the video (2) by selecting the command "view" of the video (2). It is also possible to erase the image (4), obtain a menu as shown in FIG. 3, and record a new movie for 3 hours. However, there are cases where the video (1) has not been reproduced yet. At this time, the menu as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. In this menu, the processes that can be selected for the image (1) are limited to "view" and "skip". That is, the command to "erase" cannot be input to the image (1). Therefore, no matter how the operation is mistaken, the image (1) is not erased by mistake.
Don't lose before you watch a precious video.

Next, a specific structure for realizing this function will be described. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the attribute information (discrimination between moving image / still image, moving image recording time, the number of still images in each set, and reproduction history information) regarding the recorded information is stored in the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 2.
2 and is stored in the user information processing unit 20 through a predetermined route. As a result, the free area on the optical disk (group) to be managed is easily calculated.
On the other hand, an index area can be provided on the optical disc 2, and a representative screen for remembering the search keywords and the contents for each information can be stored here. This is read via the optical pickup 4, the read circuit 14, the demodulation circuit 15, the RAM 11, the system controller 5, and the information processing controller 21, and is stored in the memory in the user information processing unit 20. User information processing unit 20
2 forms the menu screen shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and transfers it to the user information input / output unit 19 under the control of the information processing controller 21. The user information input / output unit 19 is configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 23 denotes an information recording / reproducing apparatus main body, which is a part of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 1 excluding the user information input / output unit 19. The user information input / output unit 19 includes a chassis 24, a touch screen 25, and a cable 26. Touch screen 25
You can select commands, enter keywords, and draw handwriting by touching your finger or pen-shaped object.
This touch screen 25 is of course transparent,
You can see the display of the color liquid crystal display installed below it. The menus shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 are displayed on this color liquid crystal display, and by touching a predetermined portion with a finger or a pen-shaped object, “record”, “view”, “snap”, “erase” You can enter a command such as ". The cable 26 is the user information input / output unit 1
The touch screen 25 and the color liquid crystal display below the touch screen 25, which is a part of the actual situation of FIG.
It is a transmission line for communicating with. Therefore, it preferably takes the form of wireless communication.

In this embodiment, the user information processing section 1
Although 9 is a device having an independent display device as shown in FIG. 5, other configurations are possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the message to be displayed to the user is transmitted from the information processing controller 21 via the line 29 to the moving image output terminal 16
And is displayed on a display device (not shown) for displaying a reproduced image. On the other hand, the user information input / output unit 19 may be configured by a remote controller 30 having at least a cursor moving unit 27 and a decision / cancel unit 28 and a cable 26, as shown in FIG. At this time, the user
A remote control 30 is used to move a display-shaped cursor (not shown) to select a predetermined command. However,
With this configuration, inputting a handwritten picture is not easy.

Information such as commands input from the user information input / output unit 19 is transferred to the user information processing unit 20 via the information processing controller 21. Then, the above information is converted into an internal representation of the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and this is processed by the system controller 5 via the information processing controller 21, and a command is given to each processing element in the apparatus.

The title in the menu (FIG. 2) is preferably set as follows. That is, by pressing the title screen decision button 31 in the state where the information to be given the title is being reproduced or recorded,
The title as a still image extracted from the video can be determined. Alternatively, by inputting a favorite picture or character on the touch screen 25 and pressing the title input button 32, the original title is determined. Alternatively, FIG.
As described above, the handy scanner 33 may read the character string 35 written on the paper 34 and surrounded by the frame 35 of a predetermined color, and determine it as a keyword by the character recognition technique. Alternatively, the keyword input in this way and the result of converting the keyword into a certain physical quantity can be handled in parallel as key information. For example, a certain image is represented by a color image, and the name of the color is used as a keyword. The device quantifies this color with lightness, saturation, and hue. Then, when searching, the expression "search for an image with brightness in this range" becomes possible. These titles are stored in the memory in the user information processing unit 20 at the time when a predetermined program (recording, reproduction, etc.) is completed, and the information processing controller 21, system controller 5, RA
It is recorded in the index area of the optical disc 2 via the M11, the modulation circuit 12, the writing circuit 13, and the optical pickup 4. (Embodiment 2) First, a procedure in which a user turns on the power of the apparatus and then accesses desired information recorded therein will be described.

When the power is turned on, the user can see the standard menu as shown in FIG. In this case, it is found that there are three moving images and one set of still images in the available recording area, and the temporal length and the number of them are also displayed. Furthermore, it can be seen that there is 60 minutes of recordable area left. In addition, for each video, the commands “see”, “snap”, and “erase” are all valid.
Therefore, for example, the user can enjoy the video (2) by selecting the command "view" of the video (2). It is also possible to erase the image (4), obtain a menu as shown in FIG. 3, and record a new movie for 3 hours. The system then detects who the user is. Then, when the result is, for example, an infant, a menu as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In this menu, the processing that can be selected for each video is limited to "view". That is, a command to "erase" cannot be input for each image. Therefore, no matter how the operation is mistaken, each image is not erased by mistake, and the precious image is not lost. Further, in this example, the instruction to “record” is also eliminated. Further, the display is made by hiragana, which makes it easy for an infant to understand. By doing so, it is possible to convey the message to the elderly and the visually impaired in a character larger than usual and in easy-to-understand words, and to prompt the user to input a command. It is also possible to clearly indicate the state of what the device is currently performing (for example, during reproduction, recording, etc.) when the user does not have a clear recognition.

Next, a specific configuration for realizing this function will be described. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the attribute information (discrimination between moving image / still image, moving image recording time, the number of still images in each set, and reproduction history information) regarding the recorded information is stored in the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 2.
2 and is stored in the user information processing unit 20 through a predetermined route. As a result, the free area on the optical disk (group) to be managed is easily calculated.
On the other hand, an index area can be provided on the optical disc 2, and a representative screen for remembering the search keywords and the contents for each information can be stored here. This is read out via the optical pickup 4, the reading circuit 14, the demodulation circuit 15, the RAM 11, the system controller 5, and the information processing controller 21, and is stored in the memory in the user information processing unit 20. On the other hand, the user information input / output unit 19 identifies what kind of person the user is by means described later. Then, the result is transferred to the user information processing unit 20 via the information processing controller 21. The user information processing unit 20 forms the menu screens shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 9 based on the above information, and transfers it to the user information input / output unit 19 under the control of the information processing controller 21. The user information input / output unit 19 is configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 23 denotes an information recording / reproducing apparatus main body, which is a part of the constituent elements of FIG. 1 excluding the user information input / output unit 19. The user information input / output unit 19 includes a chassis 24, a touch screen 25, and a cable 26. Touch screen 2
By touching a finger or a pen-shaped object, the user can select commands, input keywords, and input handwritten pictures. This touch screen 25 is of course transparent to light, and the display of the color liquid crystal display installed below it can be seen. Menu above Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 9
Is displayed on this color liquid crystal display, and by touching a predetermined part with a finger or a pen-shaped object, commands such as "record", "see", "snap", "erase", "look", etc. Can be entered. The cable 26 is a transmission line for the touch screen 25, which is a part of the actual state of the user information input / output unit 19, and the color liquid crystal display below the touch screen 25 to communicate with the information processing controller 21.
Therefore, it preferably takes the form of wireless communication.

In FIG. 10, a button group 37 is a button group for indicating to the apparatus who is the user.
That is, it is designated which button is to be used by which button when starting to use the apparatus. Anyone can see the designated result by attaching a name or symbol mark to the button. However, in this case, the above-mentioned problem easily occurs by mistakenly pressing this button group or by intentionally pressing a different button. The user can be identified by other methods, including the case where it is premised that the necessary information is registered when the use is started. For example, voice analysis, fingerprint analysis, face image analysis, hand size, body size, etc. can be used. In the case of analyzing voice, the user information input / output unit 19 includes the following means. That is, the voice input means 3
8 (FIG. 10), voice analysis means 39, feature storage means 40,
Feature comparison means 41, user determination means 42, output terminal 43
And is configured as shown in FIG. Then, the output of the user determination means 42 is transferred to the information processing controller 21 as user information via the output terminal 43. In the case of fingerprint analysis, fingerprint input means 44, fingerprint analysis means 45,
The feature storage means 46, the feature comparison means 47, the user determination means 48, and the output terminal 49 are configured as shown in FIG. Then, the output of the user determination means 48 is the output terminal 49.
Is transferred to the information processing controller 21 as user information. The fingerprint input means 44 may be, for example,
The power switch and a part of the touch screen 25 may be set at a place where the user cannot avoid touching.

Further, it is convenient that the user information is stored in the user information processing section 20 unless it is updated.

In this embodiment, the user information processing section 2
Although 0 is a device having an independent display device as shown in FIG. 10, other configurations are possible. (Embodiment 3) First, a procedure in which a user turns on the power of the apparatus and then accesses desired information recorded therein will be described.

When the power is turned on, the user can normally see the standard menu as shown in FIG. In this case, it is found that there are three moving images and one set of still images in the available recording area, and the temporal length and the number of them are also displayed. Furthermore, it can be seen that there is 60 minutes of recordable area left. Also, for each video, "see",
The commands "simply look" and "erase" are all valid. Therefore, for example, the user can enjoy the video (2) by selecting the command "view" of the video (2). It is also possible to erase the image (4), obtain a menu as shown in FIG. 3, and record a new movie for 3 hours. The system immediately detects if the current time is within the predetermined time setting. Then, when the result is within the range, for example, a menu as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. In this menu, the processes that can be selected for each image are limited to "view" and "snap". That is, a command to "erase" cannot be input for each image. Therefore, no matter how the other user makes an operation when there is no main user, each image is not erased by mistake, and a valuable image is not lost.

Next, a specific configuration for realizing this function will be described. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the attribute information (discrimination between moving image / still image, moving image recording time, the number of still images in each set, and reproduction history information) regarding the recorded information is stored in the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 2.
2 and is stored in the user information processing unit 20 through a predetermined route. As a result, the free area on the optical disk (group) to be managed is easily calculated.
On the other hand, an index area can be provided on the optical disc 2, and a representative screen for remembering the search keywords and the contents for each information can be stored here. This is read via the optical pickup 4, the read circuit 14, the demodulation circuit 15, the RAM 11, the system controller 5, and the information processing controller 21, and is stored in the memory in the user information processing unit 20. On the other hand, the user information input / output unit 19 identifies whether or not the current time is within a predetermined time setting range by means described later. Then, the result is transferred to the user information processing unit 20 via the information processing controller 21. The user information processing unit 20 forms the menu screens shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 13 based on the above information, and transfers it to the user information input / output unit 19 under the control of the information processing controller 21.

The user information input / output unit 19 includes a structure as shown in FIG. That is, the time measuring means 50, the time setting inputting means 51, the time setting storing means 52, the within-range comparing means 5
3, the in-range determination means 54, and the output terminal 55 are included.
The time identification output output via the output terminal 55 is transferred to the user information processing unit 20 via the information processing controller 21. (Embodiment 4) A procedure for a user to access desired information recorded after turning on the power of the apparatus will be described.

When the power is turned on, the user can normally see the standard menu as shown in FIG. In this case, it is found that there are three moving images and one set of still images in the available recording area, and the temporal length and the number of them are also displayed. Furthermore, it can be seen that there is 60 minutes of recordable area left. Also, for each video, "see",
The commands "simply look" and "erase" are all valid. Therefore, for example, the user can enjoy the video (2) by selecting the command "view" of the video (2). It is also possible to erase the image (4), obtain a menu as shown in FIG. 3, and record a new movie for 3 hours. The system has 1) playback history information, 2) who the user is,
3) Whether or not the present time is within a predetermined time setting range, at least two or more are detected. And
The display of the menu is changed according to the result. As a result, only the infant will issue a delete command for information that has not been viewed yet, or a new record command for the recording area.
It is possible to realize the state where you cannot enter. In addition, by having information for identifying the person who recorded the information as part of the attribute information and identifying it, for example, a state in which only the person who recorded certain video information is allowed to erase that video information can be realized. . It is realized that only a specific user can record and reproduce during a specific period. Further, it is possible to realize that, during a certain period, it is impossible to input an erasing command for information that has not been viewed.

The method of realizing the above functions will be apparent from the description of the first to third embodiments. (Embodiment 5) In the information processing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to correlate arbitrary information units. Here it is called a link.

First, an example of link definition will be shown. FIG. 15 shows a screen for defining / displaying a link. In FIG. 15, four information units (1) to (4) are displayed, and their types are represented by words such as moving images and still images (56 to 59). The screens 60 to 63 are title screens assigned to each information unit. Symbol 64-
67 represents each information unit as a whole, and is a symbol 68.
˜71 represent the total length / number of information units, and symbols 72 to 75 are cursors for displaying the corresponding portions of the respective information units on the small screens 76 to 79 at the lower right. Dashed lines 80, 81, and 82 indicate links that currently exist, and a symbol 83 indicates that there is a link stretched to the in-video object. That is, the user moves the cursors 72 to 75 on this screen to set a desired position and define a link. When the structure of the link is determined in this way, the following processing is performed.

That is, the user information input / output unit 19 transfers this link structure as information to the user information processing unit 20 via the information processing controller 21. The user information processing unit 20 includes the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 22.
The identification information of the link is determined using the management information transferred from the device, converted into a real address on the disc, and converted into recordable data in the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 22. Actually, data with various contents such as the frequency of use and name can be added to each link. The link defined in this way can be used at an appropriate timing in the optical disk 2 or the system management memory 2
It is recorded in 2.

Next, the part 8 of the moving picture (2) in FIG.
Consider the case where 4 is redefined as one independent video (5), i.e. the part 84 is copied to another free area. At this time, the broken line 81 is connected to the portion 84, which indicates the existence of the link. Therefore, the device processes the link information in the next step.

1) The portion 84 is copied to a predetermined free area,
Holds the real address. This change is recorded in the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 22.

2) It is detected whether a link exists in the range corresponding to the portion 84 on the moving image (2).

3) If present, the contents of the link information are converted based on the real address of the new portion 84.

4) The conversion result is recorded as new link information in the optical disc 2 or the system management memory 22.

5) The contents of the screen (FIG. 15) for defining / displaying the link are updated according to the results of 1) to 4), and FIG.
It becomes the street.

In FIG. 16, the newly-generated moving picture (5) shows a word 85, a screen 86, symbols 87, 88,
It is represented by a small screen 89 and a symbol 90. Furthermore, the state of the new link generated in the above step is represented by the broken line 91. (Embodiment 6) In FIG. 15, when dubbing the moving image (2) to another device, the following steps are possible in the present invention. That is, 1) It is detected whether or not a link exists in the moving image (2) to be dubbed.

2) If it exists, the corresponding link information is extracted.

3) The extracted link information is expressed by using a relative address from the real address of the information unit.

4) Create a list of information units linked to the moving image (2).

5) The moving image (2), its attribute information, changed link information, the information unit included in the above list, and its attribute information are transmitted.

On the receiving side, the procedure is basically the reverse of the above procedure, but new setting of the identification code of the link information is carried out as it was in the receiving side system. If the linked information unit is unnecessary, such system setting is necessary.

In the above embodiments, the method of handling the link relating to the voice information has not been mentioned, but it is obvious that it can be handled in the same manner. (Embodiment 7) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. User I
/ F111 is a remote control button, a handwriting input device, a keyboard, or a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball. The link information memory 112 is a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk in which link information of all files recorded on the disk owned by the user is recorded, and is rewritten as soon as the link information is changed. The disk empty information memory 113 is a semiconductor memory in which the empty point information of the disk owned by the user is recorded. The control device 114 controls the entire system. The control device calculates the strength of the link between the files from the initial setting value and the number of times the link is used, and calculates the link information memory 112.
And a memory 112 and 113
And a data movement determination unit that determines whether or not the file needs to be moved from one disk to another and whether it is possible. The image data memory 115 temporarily stores the image data as it moves between disks. The disc recording / reproducing device 116 reads data recorded on the disc and writes information on the disc. The disc discriminating device 117 discriminates which disc is currently inserted in the disc recording / reproducing device 116. The display device 118 displays image data recorded on the disc and displays a message. The file / link reference information memory 119 stores the rate at which the file / link is referenced.

The link information memory 112 records information about links set up between files recorded on the disk owned by the user, and the number of times of reference between files linked to each link is high. The link strength calculated by the controller 114 is also recorded at the same time. The strength of this link is calculated such that the higher the reference frequency is, the stronger the strength is, and the lower the reference frequency is, the weaker the strength is. The fact that there are strong links to files between different disks means that users often bother to swap disks to refer to files. It is clear that files with strong links should be recorded on the same disk. In the control device 114, the strength of the link provided between the files and the link empty information memory 113
From the free space information of the disc recorded in, about the file with the link put on a different disc,
Determine whether to move either file to the other disk. This determination is made based on whether the link strength becomes stronger than a certain threshold value or whether the total link strength across the disks can be decreased by a certain threshold value or more. Of course, if there is no free space to move the file to the disc, the movement is not judged. If it is determined that the file has been moved, the file is moved to the same disk by any one of the following methods 1 to 3.

(Method 1) Which file is to be transferred to the disc on which the other file is recorded is determined by another link provided in each file. At this time, the file is moved so that the number of links (sum of strengths) across the disks becomes smaller due to the movement of the file. For example, assume that the file a on the disk A is linked to the file b on the disk B, and the system determines that the file a should be moved to the disk B. The system waits for the disc A to be inserted, and transfers the file a to the image data memory 115 when the disc A is inserted. At this time, the file a recorded on the disk A is erased. After that, when the disc B is inserted into the system, the file a recorded in the image data memory 115 is transferred to the disc B. When a file is moved, the link information recorded in the link information memory 112 is rewritten each time. Even while the file a is being transferred to the image data memory 115, the link destination is rewritten with the information that the file a is the file a recorded in the image data memory 115.

(Method 2) Which file is to be transferred is determined by the same method as in Method 1. File a in Method 2
The file a on the disk A is not erased immediately when is moved to the image data memory 115. Others are the same as the method 1. This is because the user may not fully recognize that the disk on which the file a is recorded has changed and may search the disk A to search for the file a. Therefore, the file a on the disk A becomes unnecessary after the user fully recognizes the movement of the file a. Therefore, when the rate at which the file a on the disk A is referred to becomes smaller than the rate at which the file a on the disk B is referred to by a certain threshold value after the file a has been moved. First, the file a on the disk A is erased.

(Method 3) File a and file b are recorded on both disc A and disc B. Therefore, the file is copied to the image data memory 115 when the disk A is inserted into the system, and the file a is transferred from the image data memory 115 to the disk B when the disk B is inserted next time. Further, the file b is copied to the image data memory 115 when the disc B is inserted into the system, and the file b is moved from the image data memory 115 to the disc A when the disc A is inserted thereafter. Of course, the file a and the file b may be moved from either side. After the file is moved, information on which disk file is referred to is recorded in the file / link reference information memory 119. If the reference rate of files a and b on either disk is smaller than the reference rate of files a and b on the other disk by a certain threshold value or more, the reference rate is the smaller The files a and b recorded on the disc are deleted. Also in this case, the link information stored in the link information memory 112 is rewritten every time the file is moved or deleted.

The above-mentioned movement is automatically performed by the system so that the user does not need to detect it, or the user is asked to confirm each movement. (Embodiment 8) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. User I
/ F121 is a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball, or a keyboard. In the still image reference situation memory 122, the strength of the links pasted between the still images is recorded. The strength of this link is set by the proportion of the links that are followed, with the more frequently followed links becoming stronger. The disc recording / reproducing device 123
Reads out the image information recorded on the disc and rewrites the contents of the disc. Still image data memory 12
At 4, the data read from the disc recording / reproducing device 123 is temporarily recorded. The controller 125 controls the entire system. The display device 126 displays image data with. The still image position calculation means 127 calculates the position at the time of each still image display from the strength of the link provided in the still image. This position is calculated so that still images with strong links are located as close to each other as possible.

The still image recorded on the disc is displayed on the display device 126 as if it was attached to a virtual wall. Conventionally, still images are displayed in order regardless of the relationship between the still images. In the present invention, when displaying, which still image is displayed as if it is pasted on the wall is determined by the strength of the link pasted to the still image. Still images with strong links are placed relatively close to each other, and still images with weak links are placed relatively far away. This is calculated by the still image position calculation means 127 by referring to the still image reference situation data recorded in the still image reference situation memory 122. When the reference situation of the still image changes, the position of the still image is newly calculated and displayed at the new position. For this reason, still images whose links are becoming stronger gather near each other, and still images which become weaker are gradually separated. Since the still images that are closely related to each other are located close to each other, the user can easily refer to other still images. What is actually displayed on the display device is a part or the whole of the wall, and this display range can be freely changed by the user specifying parallel movement, zooming, or the like. FIG. 27
[Fig. 6] is an image diagram showing a part of a virtual wall on which a still image is pasted on a monitor. When the user indicates one of the still images during display using a user I / F such as a pointing device, only the designated still image is displayed on the entire display screen. Also, in case you want to return to the virtual wall, there is a mode switching button on the screen, and if you specify it with a pointing device etc., the virtual wall with a still image will be displayed again. . A still image that is recorded on a disc, but is referenced only at a rate below a certain set value, is not pasted on this virtual wall and is displayed below the wall as if it had fallen off the wall. To be done. For example, it is displayed as shown in FIG. The user can refer to this still image again by designating the still image falling under this wall. (Embodiment 9) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. User I
/ F131 is a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball, or a keyboard. The link structure memory 132 stores link prototypes such as a linear structure, a tree structure, and a radial structure. It is also possible to create and register a new structure. The control device 133 controls the entire system. Disk recording / reproducing device 134
Reads the information recorded on the disc or writes the information to the disc. The file / link structure configuration unit 135 refers to the prototype of the link structure stored in the link structure memory 132, and when the file is fitted into the link structure, adds the link information to the file. At this time, the link name and attribute information can be added as instructed. The display device 136 displays the file read from the disk, and also displays the link structure and the file when configuring the link.

When a user makes a link to a file, a plurality of basic link structures are stored in the link structure memory 132, and a link structure suitable for himself is selected from among them. Thus, it is a feature of the present invention that a plurality of basic link structures are prepared in advance. The selected link structure is displayed as a graph on the display device 136.
Is displayed in. The user applies the file to the node by using the user I / F 131 to select the node of the link structure and the file applied to the node by a method of designating a file name, an icon, or the like. In addition, new nodes and links can be added and conversely deleted, names and attributes can be added, and the user can freely reconstruct the structure as desired. When a file is applied to a node or a link structure is constructed or reconstructed such as naming a link, the information is sent to the file / link structure configuration unit 135 to link the file in real time. Or the link is given a name. (Embodiment 10) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The disc recording / reproducing device 141 reads out image data recorded on the disc or newly records image data on the disc. The signal processing device 142 is a device that converts digital data of an image into an analog signal for input to a display device. The scene detection unit 143 detects where in a continuous frame the scene is changing. In this case, there is a method of counting the number of changing pixels between frames and changing the scene when there is a change more than a certain threshold value. The audio level detecting unit 144 calculates the volume from the audio data recorded together with the image data, and detects the loudest place in one scene. The index memory 145 is a memory for storing these indexes, using frames representing each scene as indexes. At this time, the link information to the first frame of the scene represented by the frame is also recorded together with the index. The control device 146 controls the entire system. The user I / F 147 is an I / F for the user to give instructions to the system and answer system questions.
Is. The display device 148 displays moving images, indexes, messages from the system, and the like.

The moving image read from the disc recording / reproducing apparatus 141 is first divided into scenes by the scene detection unit 143. Each scene consists of multiple frames. When detecting a scene, the audio level detection unit 144 detects the audio level from the audio data recorded together with the moving image, and detects the portion with the highest audio level in the scene. Conventionally, as a frame representing a scene, a method of selecting the first frame of the scene or the middle frame of the scene has been considered. However, with these selection methods, it cannot be said that the frame that shows the characteristics of the scene well is selected as the representative of the scene. The sound level is often high because a sound effect or the like is inserted in a frame representing a scene. Therefore, the control device 146 records in the index memory 145 the frame corresponding to the portion with the highest audio level in each scene as an index representing that scene. At this time, a link is set up between the index and the first frame of the scene, and this link information is also recorded together with the index. When there is a scene to be searched for, the user displays the index recorded in the index memory. Usually, since there are too many indexes to display on one screen, only a certain number of indexes are displayed on one screen.

The indexes that cannot be displayed are displayed on the screens on the following pages. A page turning button is displayed on the screen, and by designating this with a user I / F such as a pointing device, the displayed page can be changed forward or backward. When the user specifies a frame that is an index, the reproduction of the moving image starts from the beginning of the scene represented by that index. (Embodiment 11) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The handwriting input device 151 is a touch panel, a tablet, or the like. Information can be input with a pen or a finger designated by a handwriting input device, and a trace of input is left on a touch panel or a display device installed under the tablet. The character recognition device 152 first detects a character string from the input handwritten character pattern, then predicts the size of the character from the character string, and cuts out the character.
Next, the device identifies each character by referring to the character pattern. At this time, some character candidates are listed, and whether or not the recognition result character string has a meaning as a word is checked using a dictionary, and it may be corrected to another candidate as necessary. . Knowledge information memory 153
Has recorded on a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk that can be accessed at high speed what kind of meaning the character strings, numbers and symbols themselves have and what kind of meaning they have according to their arrangement and position . The meaning understanding unit 154
The meaning of the input character string is recognized by referring to the information recorded in the knowledge information memory 153. The control device 155 controls the entire system. With respect to handwriting input, it has a function of displaying the recognition result on the display device 151 in a predetermined format. The display device 156 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT is usually used to display an image. The timer control unit 157 has a clock and issues a predetermined command to another device when a predetermined time comes. The disc recording / reproducing device 158 outputs a signal read from the disc and writes an input signal to the disc.

When the user makes a timer reservation for recording or reproduction, the user specifies the pen specified in the handwriting input device 151,
Or write a recording or playback memo with your finger. This memo is enough for a person to see the memo without error and to understand the contents without error, and is specifically a memo such as date, time, and channel. The handwritten pattern is sent to the character recognition device 152 as a two-dimensional bit string, and the handwritten pattern is converted into a character string. At this time, information such as the positional relationship and order of the character strings is also sent. This character string is the knowledge understanding unit 154.
Then, by referring to the knowledge information memory 153, the meaning is recognized. As the knowledge information recorded in the knowledge information memory 153, for example, the end time is written below or to the right of the start time, 0 minutes may be omitted, and half means 30 minutes. . The control device 155 sends a command for executing the recognized contents to the timer control unit 157, and the timer is set to record or play. In addition, the control device 155
Displays the recognized contents in a predetermined format on the display device built in the handwriting input device 151. At this time, if the displayed content is incorrect, the user can correct it by handwriting input. When the correction is made, the process is repeated from the recognition again. If the handwritten input information is insufficient, a message is displayed so that the user can input the insufficient information again.

FIG. 29 shows an example of handwriting input. Recognizing this memo, for example, interpreting that "tomorrow" is the next day of today's day of the week, PM adds 24 to the hour, and it is displayed for 24 hours. It is understood as the end of time. At this time, it is interpreted that the minutes are omitted from the numbers. By understanding in this way, the recognition result as shown in FIG. 30 is displayed. (Embodiment 12) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The handwriting picture input device 161 is a tablet or a touch panel, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display is incorporated under the handwriting input screen so that traces input by a pen or a finger are displayed and left. The feature knowledge data memory 162 is a memory that stores knowledge of what items are features of an image. The image recognition / feature extraction device 163 recognizes the shape and color drawn by the handwritten picture and refers to the knowledge stored in the feature knowledge data memory 162 to extract the feature. Image memory 16
4 is a recording medium in which image data can be randomly accessed,
That is, it is recorded on a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a RAM, or the like. At this time, each image data is also recorded with data showing its characteristics. The control device 165 is
Controls the entire system. This control device has an image retrieval means, and an image having a given characteristic is stored in the image memory 16
4 can be searched from the image data recorded in 4. At this time, if a plurality of image data have a given characteristic, all the image data are picked up. It is a monitor for displaying the image retrieved by the display device 166.

When searching for image data, the user draws a still image that the user wants to search, for example, a simple ponchi picture, by handwriting input. The punch picture does not necessarily need to draw the entire still image to be searched, and may draw only a characteristic part. It is also possible to color the punch picture by selecting a color that seems to be applicable from the colors prepared on the screen and designating the place to be painted.

The punch picture is sent as a two-dimensional bit pattern to the image recognition / feature extraction device 163 at any time. Here, the outline of the punch picture is extracted to recognize what picture is drawn. At this time, the feature knowledge data stored in the feature knowledge data memory 162 is referred to. Further, at this time, color information indicating how many colors are applied is also used.
Various methods have already been studied and announced as means for such image recognition. According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the time required for the entire search by sequentially starting the recognition from the drawn portion without waiting for the completion of the punch picture, extracting the features of the recognized portion and starting the search. It has a feature. In addition to still image data, data representing the characteristics of the still image data is also stored in the image storage device. This characteristic data is registered by the user or automatically as a result of image recognition. The search for still images is performed using this feature data.

The search means of the control device 165 searches for the feature recognized from the punch picture and the feature data recorded together with the still image that match or are very similar. If one or more corresponding still images are found as a result of the search, they are displayed at that time. In the case of multiple items, display is performed only when the number is less than a certain number. This display is performed by the display device 166 and the handwriting picture input device 16
It may be performed by the display device incorporated in the No. 1 unit.

When the still image found as a result of the search is displayed, the user selects the target still image, if any, and ends the search. When the selection is displayed on the display device 166, a separately prepared pointing device is used, a serial number is given to the displayed still images and the number is designated, or the handwriting picture input device is selected. 161 is used as a pointing device,
Do by instructing. When a still image is displayed on the display device built in the handwriting picture input device 161, the handwriting picture input device 161 selects the target still picture by, for example, circle the target still picture. If the desired still image is not displayed, continue to write the punch picture or correct the punch picture, or if the still image is displayed on the display device of the handwriting input device, it is displayed. Create a new punch picture by modifying one of the still images and search again. Also at this time, the user does not perform the search after the punch picture is completed, but recognizes and searches the punch picture at any time while writing the punch picture, thereby speeding up the search. (Embodiment 13) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The user I / F 171 is a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball, or a keyboard. The moving image input device 172 is a device that can input an NTSC or high-definition moving image of a moving image. The moving image memory 173 is a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk capable of high-speed random access for temporarily storing moving image data input from the user I / F 171, and several frames before and after a frame desired to be a still image are stored in the moving image memory 173. Remembered.

The still image processing device 174 has a contour cutout portion and a blur correction portion, and uses one frame of a moving image and several frames before and after it to create a clear still image without blur. First, the contour cutout unit detects the contour of the moving body of a frame to be a still image by referring to the frames before and after the frame. Next, a clear moving image is created by predicting and compensating for the portion hidden by the blur in the blur correction unit using the frames before and after. The still image memory 175 is a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk for recording a still image created by the still image processing device 174. The control device 176 controls the entire system. The display device 177 is a monitor that displays a moving image or a still image.

During reproduction of a moving image, the user specifies a frame to be a still image. At this time, it is also possible to select while performing slow reproduction and frame advance reproduction so that the user can easily select. In the past, when creating a still image from a moving image, it was often the case that only the image of a certain frame was extracted and used as the still image. With such a method, a moving part of a moving image may be blurred, which is not noticeable when the image is a moving image, but when the image is a still image, it may look very dirty. Therefore, when creating a still image from a moving image, the blurring of a portion with a lot of motion is corrected by using information of several frames before and after the frame to be a still image.

As described above, the method of generating a still image according to the present invention is characterized by utilizing the information of the frames before and after the frame to be a still image. When a frame to be a still image is specified, the image data of the specified frame and several frames before and after the specified frame are read into the memory 173 in the system. The still image processing device 174 detects the contour of the moving body of the frame desired to be a still image from the image data of these frames. Then, the background portion hidden by the motion of the moving body is predicted and compensated from the frames before and after the frame to make a clear still image. (Embodiment 14) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The disc recording / reproducing device 181 reads out the information written on the disc and rewrites the information written on the disc. The disc autochanger mechanism 182 sets one designated disc among a plurality of discs in the disc recording / reproducing device 181. If a disc has already been set, the set disc and the specified disc are replaced. The disk management information memory 183 is a disk autochanger mechanism 182.
It is a memory for recording the management information of the disc (file name, capacity, link destination, link name, etc. recorded on the disc) of the disc inserted in the disc. The erased file selection unit 184 selects a candidate for a file to be erased when the disc inserted in the disc autochanger mechanism 182 has no free space for the file to be recorded by the user. As a method of selection, for example, among the files that have been seen once, there is a method of listing candidates from the oldest one in order. The compressed file selection unit 185 selects a file to be compressed in order to compress an already recorded file to make a free space when the free space of the disk is insufficient. The image data memory 186 is a semiconductor memory for temporarily storing the image data read from the disc autochanger mechanism 182. Compressor 187
Compresses the image data recorded on the disk using the memory 186 when necessary. The control unit 188 controls the entire system. The user I / F 189 is a mouse, a trackball, a pointing device such as a touch panel, or a keyboard. Display device 180
Is the image recorded on the disc and the erased file,
Display candidates for compressed files. Recording disc selector 1
79 selects which disc to record when recording a new file. If there is no capacity to record a new file, the erase file selection unit 184 commands the erase file to be selected.

When a new disc is loaded into the disc autochanger mechanism 182, the autochanger mechanism 182 immediately sets the disc and the disc recording / reproducing device 181 reads the disc management information.
This management information includes, for example, the name, address, used capacity, and link information of the file recorded on the disc. The read information is stored in the disk management information memory 183. The management information stored in the disk management information memory 183 is also used when performing a search. When recording a new file, the user need only issue a recording command without being aware of how much free space is left on which disc.

The recording disk search unit 179 automatically selects which disk to record a file on, and the display device 1
Display at 80. It is also possible for the user to ignore the selection made by the recording disk selection section 179 and specify the desired disk and record a new file. If there is not enough space to record a new file on the disc,
The erased file selection unit 184 searches for a candidate of a file to be erased to make a free space and displays it on the recording disk selection unit 179. If erasing one file does not create sufficient free space, it is possible to combine multiple files to be deleted and display the combination. At this time, as a criterion for selection as a candidate, for example, among files that the user has seen more than once, a file whose time has elapsed since the last reference has been selected as a candidate. The user selects a file to be deleted with a pointing device or the like, or selects not to delete any of the files. When erasing is done, a new file is recorded, but when erasing is refused, the file is compressed to make a free space. At this time, a candidate to be compressed is selected by the compressed file selection unit 185 and displayed on the display device 180. At this time, the compressed file is selected according to the same standard as that used for selecting the erased file. When the user selects a file to be compressed or a combination thereof, the compression device 187 compresses the file and a new file is recorded in the empty recording area. At this time, the newly recorded file itself can be selected to be compressed and recorded. Whenever a file recorded on the disc changes, such as file deletion, compression, or recording, the disc management information recorded in the disc management information memory 183 is rewritten each time. (Embodiment 15) FIG. 25 shows the structure of the present embodiment. The user I / F 191 is a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball, or a keyboard. The disk management memory 193 records the TOC for each disk and the information on which position in the disk management box the disk is stored. The search device 193 performs a search instructed by the user I / F 191 to find out in which disc the target file is stored. The communication unit 194 exchanges information between the information recording / reproducing device and the disc management box. This can be wired or wireless,
The information recording / reproducing device sends the disc position information of the disc to be taken out to the disc management box, and the disc management box sends the change information to the information recording / reproducing device when the disc position is changed. Disk position detector 19
5 detects which disc is stored in which position of the box. For example, it is possible to detect the serial number on the disk and read it. The disk position memory 196 is a memory for recording the disk position information detected by the disk position detection device 195. Upon receiving a command to push out a disc, the disc pushing mechanism 197 actuates the pushing mechanism at the position where the designated disc is stored to push the disc. Display device 198
Displays image data recorded on the disc, and also displays messages and search information. The disc recording / reproducing device 199 reads information from the disc and writes information to the disc.

The information recording / reproducing apparatus is the disc management memory 1
In 92, the information of the disk stored in the disk management box is stored. When the user searches for a file in the information recording / reproducing device, the search device in the control device 193 searches using the information in the disc management memory 192, and as a result, it is stored in a certain position in the disc management box. If there is a file to be searched on the disk, the disk position information is first sent to the disk management box using the wireless or wired communication unit 194.

As described above, according to the present invention, one major feature is that the information recording / reproducing apparatus and the disc management box share information by communication, and the disc management box operates in conjunction with the search result of the information recording / reproducing apparatus. Is. In the disc management box, the disc at the designated disc position is pushed out by the disc pushing mechanism 197. The disk management box detects, by the disk position searching device 195, which disk is stored in the storage position each time a disk is inserted, and records the information in the disk position memory 196.

The present embodiment is also characterized in that a disk position detecting device 195 is provided in the disk management box and any disk may be inserted at any position.
The information on the storage position of the disc is also sent to the information recording / reproducing apparatus through the communication unit 194. In the information recording / reproducing device, the disc information sent from the disc management memory 19
Stored in 2 and used for searching. (Embodiment 16) The configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The user I / F 201 is a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball. The disc management information memory 202 is for recording information necessary for disc management, such as a file name stored in the disc, link information of the file, an address, and a capacity. The disc recording / reproducing device 203 reads information recorded on the disc and writes information on the disc. Owner / disk discriminator 2
Reference numeral 04 has a means for identifying the disc and its owner. As the simplest example, this can be realized by putting the ID on the disk of the owner and reading it. The control device 205 controls the entire system. The modem 206 converts the information so that the information can be sent to the communication line. Alternatively, the signal sent through the communication line is converted into information that can be handled by the system.

When a disc is inserted into the disc reproducing / recording device 203, the information recording / reproducing device identifies the disc and the owner of the disc by the owner / disc discriminating device 204. When there is any change in a file on the disc, such as recording a new file or deleting the file on the disc, the disc management information about the disc is rewritten. If the owner of the disc and the owner of the information recording / reproducing apparatus are the same, the disc management information in the disc management information memory of the disc management memory 202 is immediately rewritten. If the owner of the disc is different from the owner of the information recording / reproducing device, the disc management information is automatically sent to the information recording / reproducing device owned by the disc owner through the communication line. If necessary, a permission can be provided to the disc management information, and only when the permission is permitted, the disc information owned by another person can be recorded in the disc management memory 202. (Embodiment 17) This embodiment relates to adaptive control of link information. FIG. 31 shows the configuration of this embodiment. This is a system that determines the database usage status of a user and automatically creates a database structure that is easy for the user to use.

In FIG. 31, the user recognizing unit 211 determines who is the user currently in use. There are various possible recognition units. The simplest example is to let the system know who they are by entering a user ID before using the system. At this time, setting a password can prevent others from working with their own ID. Alternatively, for example, a fingerprint recognition means may be provided on the main switch so that the user can be automatically determined when the switch is turned on. It is also possible to input the face image of the user and specify the user by the image recognition technology. The database usage status acquisition unit 212 determines which link is accessed and how often the user has used it.
Get information such as which node was playing for how long. The user information rewriting unit 213 generates user information based on this information, and the user information storage unit 2
Store in 14. The dialogue unit 215 accepts a request for the user to browse the database into the system. The reproducing unit 216 reads out necessary information from the database 217 and reproduces it based on the user request obtained from the dialogue unit 215. At this time, the reproducing unit 216 also refers to the information in the user information storage unit 214.

Various types of information acquired by the database usage status acquisition unit 212 and user information generated from them can be considered. In a simple form, for each user, the usage frequency of each link is acquired, a link with a high usage frequency has a high degree of association, and a link with a low usage frequency has a low degree of association. The degree of association represents how large the connection between the two nodes connected by the link is for the user. It is also conceivable to remove the link when the usage becomes extremely low.

As a slightly more complicated form, information such as the frequency of use of a link and the reproduction status of a node, for example, which node has been reproduced for how long, etc., is acquired and reflected in the link relevance. According to this, it is also possible to generate a new link according to the usage situation of the user.
For example, if the browsing flow frequently occurs from node A to node B to node C and the playback time of node B is extremely short, the user determines that node A wants to access node C, and Create a new link from node A to node C as shown at 32.

Further, as the user information, not only the strength of the degree of link relevance but also information about the node itself can be considered. For example, it is possible to know the importance of a node for a user by the average playback time when the user accesses the node. In addition, a node that is not so important to a user can automatically generate a link to the node when it is rarely accessed, or prompt the user to access the node. Make you notice. (Embodiment 18) The construction of this embodiment is shown in FIG. This is a system that can build its own database structure, which is similar to the seventeenth embodiment, but in the seventeenth embodiment, the system automatically builds a database structure suitable for the user. On the other hand, this embodiment is different in that the user can create his / her own preferred database structure.

In FIG. 33, first, the user recognition unit 301
Allows the system to know who the user is.
The user inputs a request to the system through the dialogue unit 304. When there is a request such as wanting to make a link visible only to oneself, making a node visible only to oneself, or setting a link node not visible to oneself, the user information rewriting unit 302 has a structure in the database 305. The user information is stored in the user information storage unit 303 while referring to the information. When the user requests the reproduction of the database, the reproduction unit 306 constructs a database structure that is visible to the user from the structure information in the database and the information in the user information storage unit, and based on that, Dialogue unit 304
Playback is performed according to the user request sent from.

(Embodiment 19) A database for concealing information such as nodes and links in order to protect it from the eyes of others, and using the link tracing method as a password to generate information again is realized by the configuration of FIG. The interactive unit 405 interactively receives the user's request to follow the link,
Pass to control means. Then, the position of the node where the current user is present is shown to the user, and the database structure is shown. In addition, when the user makes a request to the system, the system interacts with the user when the system provides feedback to the user.

The node moving unit 407 refers to the information in the node / link information storage unit 406 on the basis of the user request obtained by the dialogue unit 405, and follows the link to move the node to obtain the information of the new node. To present.

The node / link information storage unit 406 stores information on node / links which the user is currently permitted to access. Normally, the hidden node / link information is not stored here, but the information is added when the disclosure of the confidential information is permitted. This can be, for example, the memory or hard disk in the system, and when the disk is set in the system, the node
Link information is read. Alternatively, the system may store node / link information of all disks and select and use the necessary information according to the set disks.

The encryption path / secret information registration unit 401 registers the information that the user wants to keep secret and the encryption path for disclosing the secret information, based on the user request obtained from the dialogue unit 405.

The cryptographic route / secret information storage unit 402 stores information registered by the cryptographic route / secret information registration unit 401. As the storage medium, a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk inside the system can be considered. If you want to record this information on an external disc, you can write it on the disc when you register the information or remove the disc, and read the information from the disc when you insert the disc and transfer it to the storage device in the system. Conceivable.

The browsing route storage unit 403 stores the route that the user follows the node, and is updated every time the user moves the node. The determination unit 404 determines whether the route taken by the user matches the encrypted route, and when the route matches, adds information to the node / link information storage unit 406.

Next, the processing flow of this system will be described. First, when the user wants to keep certain information confidential, the user registers it via the dialogue unit 405. As a registration method, there is a method of actually causing the user to perform a browsing operation and registering the history as an encryption path, or a method of presenting the structure of the database and instructing the encryption path with a pointing device or the like. In any case, it is important to make sure that the user does not register by mistake.
Try to check the encrypted path again.

Information on nodes and links that the user can follow during normal browsing is stored in the node / link information storage unit 4.
The node is moved in accordance with the user request made via the dialogue unit 405 while being stored in the information storage unit 06. The hidden information is usually not stored in the node / link information storage unit 406 and cannot be moved to the hidden node. To move to the hidden node, the user must follow the same path as the encrypted path.

The route traveled by the user in the database is recorded in the browsing route storage unit 403 at any time, and the determination unit 404 determines whether a part of this route matches the encrypted route. The confidential information is read from the route / secret information storage unit 402 and added to the node / link information storage unit 406.

According to the present invention, a new method of concealing data, which does not use keywords, can be realized. This can of course be used for the purpose of keeping certain information from being seen by others, but it can also be used, for example, in title software to display a bonus screen when a certain link is followed. it can.

(Embodiment 20) FIG. 35 shows a video recording / reproducing apparatus in which story development can be changed by an input from a user. In FIG. 35, the dialogue unit 401 receives a user's request by means such as icon selection on the screen, two-dimensional position designation, voice input, and the like, and transmits information necessary for the dialogue to the user by screen output and voice output. Video selection unit 40
3 selects the video information to be reproduced next from the instruction of the dialogue unit 401 and the information in the link information storage unit 404. The video information is stored in the video information storage unit 405, and the access unit 406 accesses the information from this, and the display device 4
It is displayed on 08.

As a means for interacting with the user, there is, for example, icon menu selection by a pointing device. Notify the user when the story is reached and let the user select the branch. In addition, we do not notify the user of the branch point of the story in particular, but point the part where the user is interested with a mouse etc.,
If there is a branch point, it is possible to change the story development. In addition, an instruction by voice input is also possible. If one of the characters prompts the user to give an instruction as the story progresses and the user gives an instruction by voice input, a natural user interface can be realized without the trouble of using a mouse.

The type of information stored in the link information storage unit 404 differs depending on the type of interaction means. When the icon selection is used, the shape of the icon, the displayed position, the displayed frame, the destination when the icon is selected, and the like are accumulated as link information. In the case of free two-dimensional position designation, a link area, a frame to be stretched, a destination when the area is designated, and the like are accumulated as link information. It is also possible to group some areas and to branch the story when the areas belonging to the group are designated a certain number of times or more. When the voice instruction is used, a keyword, a destination when the keyword is selected, a frame in which the keyword is effective, and the like are accumulated.

The image selection means 403 selects an image at the branch point based on the user's request input from the dialogue unit 401 and the link information obtained from the link information storage unit 404, reads the image information, and displays the display device 408. Pass to. If the link information is read into the memory in advance, the processing speed will be increased. Here, it is not desirable that the video is interrupted to access the branch destination when the story branches. Therefore, even if the story diverges, it must be devised to play it back so that the viewer does not understand it. For example, data is read from the video information storage unit 405 at a speed of several times the required transfer rate, temporarily stored in the buffer memory 407, and then reproduced. When the story branches, data is stored in the buffer memory 407 so that the current video can be played until the access to the position of the video information of the branch destination, and then the video is played back without interruption if it is accessed.

FIG. 36 shows a modification of this embodiment.
Here, the line-of-sight tracking unit 402 is used instead of the dialogue unit. As the configuration of the line-of-sight tracking unit 402, the light of the infrared diode is applied to the pupil to capture the image of the eyeball with the CCD,
A method of detecting the line of sight from this image has been realized. As the link information accumulated in the link information storage unit 404,
The area where the link is set, the frame where the link is set, the destination when the area is instructed with the line of sight, the gaze time determined to be instructed, and the like are accumulated as link information. It is also possible that some areas are grouped so that the story branches when the areas belonging to the group are watched a certain number of times or a certain time or more.

According to this method, the story branching can be performed without the user being aware of the existence of the story branching at all, and without being aware that the user has selected the story. Therefore, it becomes possible for a user to watch a movie with a different story while viewing it in the same way as a conventional movie from the user's point of view.

(Embodiment 21) FIG. 37 shows an example of a concrete configuration of a system capable of creating an empty node.

The dialogue unit 505 receives a request from the user and presents various information necessary for the dialogue to the user. Specifically, it comprises an output means such as a display and an input means such as a pointing device such as a mouse or a tablet or a keyboard.

The database 504 stores video / audio information corresponding to nodes, attribute information of those nodes, link information between data, group information and the like.
Although various media are conceivable, it is preferable to store large-capacity data such as video / audio data in an optical disk and other easily accessible information in a RAM or a hard disk.

The empty node generating means 501 normally constitutes a node of the hypermedia database, which is data in which various attribute data are added to data such as moving images, still images and voices. In this empty node generation means 501, a moving image,
It is possible to generate a node that does not have central data such as a still image or audio and is composed only of attribute data (in a special case, no attribute data). Here, an empty node can be created from an empty state, or an empty node can be created by removing the moving image, still image, and audio data of the normal node.

The link generation means 503 links the nodes as in the normal hypermedia database. In the case of this system, it is possible to link to an empty node. If only the link source is specified and the link destination is not specified, it is determined that an empty node will be created at the link destination, and the empty node creating means 50 is created.
Transfer control to 1 and prompt the user to create an appropriate empty node.

The empty node changing unit 502 adds data such as moving images, still images, and voices to the empty nodes in the database created by the above-described two creating units to make them normal nodes. Actually, it can be realized only by the process of writing an address in the attribute data of the node, and it is not always necessary to add data such as a moving image, a still image, and a sound. Of course, it is also possible to change only the attribute value.

The control unit 506 bridges the above three database control units 501, 502, 503 and the dialogue unit 505, and controls them.

Next, the processing flow of this system will be described.

First, a method in which the user constructs the link structure desired by the user by using the empty node will be described.

The user must specify the link structure by
Select the link structure construction process. Furthermore, in order to build the data structure on the display, select a mode for placing an empty node anywhere on the display. When this mode is selected, the position is specified by the user by inputting the coordinates on the display from the keyboard or by specifying the position on the display using a pointing device (such as a mouse or tablet). An icon indicating an empty node will be displayed at the position. By specifying the position on the display in this way, as many empty nodes as the user desires can be placed at the desired position on the display.

The above operation is processed as follows in the block diagram of FIG. The designation made by the user using the input means is input to the system through the dialogue unit 505, and the control unit 506 controls each block based on this request. When the user selects a mode for placing an empty node and specifies a position on the display, the empty node generation unit 501 generates an empty node. For example, if the attribute data of a node and the data such as moving images / still images / voices corresponding to the node are recorded in different storage areas, the moving image / still image / voice of the node attribute data This can be easily realized by generating the attribute data of the node in which the content of the address data in which the data such as is recorded is NULL. In addition, when the attribute data of a node has an attribute indicating whether or not the node is an empty node, the attribute data of the node having the attribute that the node is empty can also be used to easily make an empty node. Nodes can be created. In any case, the empty node has the attribute data of the node actually, but the moving image / still image /
It can be realized in the form that voice data does not actually exist.

When the icon of the node can be arranged on the display, the user next selects the linking mode so that the system can link the icon of the node displayed on the display. The designation method can be performed in the same way as the location of the empty node is designated.

The link generator 503 links the nodes as in the case of a normal hypermedia database. In this system, in addition to normal nodes, empty nodes can be linked. When a link is set up according to a user's instruction and two empty nodes to be set up are determined, the link generation unit 503 selects from among the empty node attribute data recorded in the database 504.
The empty node attribute data corresponding to the two empty nodes linked to each other are specified. Then, the address where the attribute data of each node is recorded is written in the link destination data address in the attribute data of the node. If the link information is managed separately from the node attribute data, the link information is written separately. By such an operation, a link can be established between the empty nodes.

When the user designates a portion where nothing is displayed on the display when designating a link destination, normally, the link generator 503 sends a corresponding signal to the controller 506, and the controller issues an error. Dialog unit 50 to send a message to the user to input again as
Send command to 5. However, when a portion where nothing is displayed as the link destination is designated as the link destination, the link destination may be interpreted as an empty node that is not displayed on the display. In such a case, the control unit 506 immediately issues an instruction to the empty node generation unit 501 to generate a new empty node, and the empty node generation unit 501 performs only the attribute data of the node in the database 504 by the above procedure. To generate. Further, the link generator 50
3 writes each other's address in the link destination data address of the attribute data of the new empty node and the attribute data of the empty node to which the link is set. Through the above processing, the work of creating an empty node and the work of establishing a link can be performed at one time.

In the above, the method of constructing a link structure in which all are empty nodes has been described. However, some of them are empty nodes and the others are not empty, and data such as moving images, still images, and audio are input. The link structure can be constructed even when the node is an ordinary node.

This can be done by the user selecting a mode for placing a normal node instead of a mode for placing an empty node. Selecting this mode will allow the user to select the regular nodes that they want to include in the link structure. The selected node can be placed anywhere on the display. When a node is selected and placed on the display, the attribute data of the node in which the address of the data such as the moving image / still image / audio written in the selected node is written is generated.

In the already constructed link structure, it is also possible to erase only data such as moving images / still images / voices from an ordinary node containing moving images / still images / voices to make it an empty node. it can. When the user gives such an instruction through the dialogue unit 505, the data such as the moving image / still image / sound of the node corresponding to the instructed node is erased and only the attribute data of the node is left, so that the normal node Can be an empty node. At this time, without actually deleting data such as video, still image, and audio,
The address of data such as a still image / voice may be set to NULL.

In the link structure including the empty node created by the above processing, the user later writes data such as a moving image / still image / audio into the empty node,
It can be a regular node. When the user specifies an empty node in the link structure and a moving image / still image / audio to be written in this empty node, the empty node changing unit 5
Reference numeral 02 writes the address of the attribute data of the node recorded in the database 504 at which the data of the moving image / still image / audio to be written in the empty node is recorded. By such a process, a moving image, a still image, a sound, etc. are written in the empty node, and the node is changed to a normal node.
The empty node changing unit 502 also uses the database 50 when the user instructs to change other attributes of the empty node.
The attribute data of the node recorded in 4 can be changed.

Next, description will be made regarding the processing in the case where the user constructs the link structure desired by the user by utilizing the link structure of the empty node prepared in advance in the system.

The user can use the prototype of the link structure prepared in the system when it is troublesome to create the link structure from the beginning or when the link structure having a basic structure is constructed. That is, the database 504 records a basic link structure having a basic structure and each node being empty. Prototypes of this basic link structure include linear structures, tree structures, radiation structures, ring structures, and bus-type structures.

As a special linear structure, a structure in which empty nodes are generated one after another may be prepared. For example, it is assumed that there is an empty node B linked from the normal node A by a link. An empty node that has the same attributes as the empty node B when the video / audio data is put into this empty node B, or the attributes that have undergone a certain change (for example, increase the number part of the file name by 1). C is created and added after node B. When the video / audio data is put into the empty node C, the empty node D is similarly created. In other words, it is a structure in which any number of nodes having a linear structure are generated. Besides, it is also possible to store the structure built by the user as a prototype and use it.

When constructing a link structure, the user designates a structure similar to the structure desired by the user through the dialogue unit 505. At this time, the link structures registered as the prototype may be displayed in a list so that the user can select them using a pointing device or the like while viewing the link structures. Further, there are structures of the same type but different numbers of nodes. For example, even a link structure having a tree structure has a different link structure depending on parameters such as how deep the tree is set and whether the tree is a binary tree or a ternary tree. Therefore, it is effective to specify the structure and parameters (number of nodes, etc.). When the user selects one prototype, only the prototype of the selected link structure is displayed on the display. At this time, the empty node generation unit 501 creates attribute data of an empty node having the same structure as the prototype of the designated link structure on the database. The attribute data of these nodes is
The address of data such as a still image / voice is NULL, and the address of the attribute data of the empty node at the end of the link according to the prototype link structure is written in the link destination address. In this way, by designating the prototype, the same link structure as the prototype of the link structure can be constructed without performing any other operation.

When the user wants to change the link structure constructed in this way, the link structure desired by the user can be easily changed by designating the node to be deleted, the link or the node to be added, and the link. it can. The link can be deleted by deleting the link destination address of the attribute information of the node. The empty node can be deleted by deleting the attribute information of the empty node and the link destination address to the deleted empty node in the attribute information of other nodes. Links and nodes can be added in the same way as links and nodes. Also, not only empty nodes,
It is also possible to add ordinary nodes. During construction of the link structure, further prototypes of the link structure can be selected and incorporated into the link structure under construction. Therefore, even if the link structure you want to build is not similar to the prototype registered in the system, if a partially similar structure is registered in the system, you can use the prototype only for that part. Is.

In this way, in the link structure constructed by using the prototype of the link structure, the operation of writing the moving image / still image / audio etc. in the empty node and changing the normal node is the same as the operation method described above. The same is done.

Next, the case where the link structure including the empty node is not constructed by the user but is predetermined will be described.

When a link structure including an empty node is given, the user's main task is to write a moving image / still image / audio etc. in the empty node and change it to a normal node. Such processing is similar to the above-described writing of data such as moving images / still images / voices to the empty node, but it will be described in a little more detail here.

First, the user must prepare the video to be written in the empty node. This may be input by any means. Finally Database 5
It is convenient if it is recorded on 04. In this case, when an instruction to reproduce a moving image / still image / sound written in the node is given, the data can be immediately read from the database 504 and reproduced. However, the data written in the node cannot always be recorded in the database 504 due to a problem such as capacity. In this case, the data is recorded in another external recording device.

The user first selects an empty node. When there are multiple link structures including empty nodes, it is necessary to select from the link structures. At this time, the name given to the link structure or the link structure is displayed,
The user specifies and selects from the displayed link structure. Also when selecting an empty node in the selected link structure, the name given to the empty node is designated, or the empty node of the displayed link structure is designated directly by a pointing device or the like.

When an empty node is designated, the user next designates data such as a moving image / still image / audio to be written in this empty node. This specification is also specified by the name of the data,
A method such as specifying by selecting an icon is used. If there is a large amount of data such as moving images, still images, audio, etc. and it is difficult to directly find the desired data in a short time,
It is also possible to specify by using search together. For example,
It is possible to use a method of inputting a keyword to list related moving images, still images, sounds, etc., and designating from among them. Also, when using the data already written in another node, you can search by browsing using the link.

When the data to be written to the empty node is designated, the address where the data such as the moving image / still image / audio is recorded is read and written in the attribute data of the empty node. By this operation only, the empty node is changed to a normal node, and a desired moving image / still image / audio is written in the node. Even if the same data is written to different nodes, it is possible to write to the nodes simply by writing the address to the attribute data of each node. Therefore, it is not necessary for the database to record the same number of data such as moving images, still images, and sounds, and the database capacity can be used without waste.

When data to be written in an empty node such as a moving image / still image / voice is recorded in an external recording device, it is necessary to write data indicating that to the attribute data of the node. When the reproduction of the node is instructed and it is found that the data such as the moving image / still image / sound corresponding to the node is recorded in the external storage device, the control unit 506.
Sends a message to the user to prepare the external storage device containing the data for use. If beforehand,
If the external recording device containing the data is in a reproducible state, the operation may be started so as to immediately start the access.

Next, a more specific application provided under such an environment will be described, and the effect of the present invention will be described. The system described here is an instructor support system in various sports clubs. It is said that it is effective to objectively capture one's own form in order to improve skills in sports. For this reason, some schools are using VTRs to show their forms to students and improve the effects such as form modification. However, since the VTR is not suitable for repeatedly viewing the same scene or quickly searching for a desired video, it cannot be denied that it is difficult to use. Since a disk-based video recorder can be randomly accessed, the efficiency when used for such purposes is expected to be greatly improved. At present, multimedia systems and hypermedia systems based on disk media are being researched in various fields, and at present, there is a problem in using them for the aforementioned needs (that is, they are currently very expensive). ),
Such a system is suitable for the purposes mentioned above.

However, in order to meet such needs, usability must first be considered. For example,
Consider a tennis school as an example. Considering what kind of footage to record, first of all, one student must record various types of shots such as serve, receive, stroke, volley. Furthermore, there are various kinds of serve even if you take one serve, and as a result, you will take a considerable amount of video about each student. If there are multiple students, the number of videos will further increase, and without an environment that can manage and search these videos well, it will be impossible for instructors who are not experts in video databases to use them.

The present invention is one method of solving these problems. In other words, first create a link structure that is easy to manage and search, with only the video data extracted. For example, it's easy to find the footage of each shot by the student's name, easy to find the footage of that shot by all the classes by the shot name, and easy to find the footage of that shot from all the footage. Make the link structure like this and leave the video itself empty. The video of the students can be recorded during the lesson, which is also stored in the appropriate empty node with a simple operation. Since the structure for searching is prepared in advance, you can use it immediately after recording the video. In this case, the tennis instructor can use the video without having to think about the structure of the database (especially the link etc.). The only thing you need to do is to enter the student's name, and that's all you need to do at a tennis school.

Such an adaptation example can be required not only for tennis and other sports but also for various education. In any case, there is a great appeal in being able to use it as a tool for education without having to be aware of the database.

(Embodiment 22) A system for operating an external environment by reaching a certain node is realized by the configuration shown in FIG.

Each block in FIG. 38 will be described.
The dialogue unit 604 receives the user's request and inputs it to the system. The environment operation node creation unit 601 creates an environment operation node that operates the external environment by following the link to reach the node, and records it in the database 603. The database 603 also records video / audio information and link information. The reproducing unit 605 is the dialogue unit 60.
The information in the database is reproduced in accordance with the user's request inputted from No. 4, and when the environment operation node is received from the database 603, this is passed to the environment operation means 602. The environment operation unit 602 executes the environment operation according to the instruction.

There are several possible external environments here, such as the brightness of illumination, temperature, and humidity. The most feasible is probably the brightness control. For example, if it is possible to control the brightness of the room along with the story development while watching a video such as a movie, it is considered that the sense of presence will be further enhanced. Therefore, if a link to the brightness control environment operation node is provided in the video data, the brightness can be controlled when necessary.

In order to realize this, it is necessary to standardize the lighting control. The parameters to control include brightness, color, etc., but it is also possible to specify an absolute value (for example, setting the brightness to 1000 lux) as a control method, but the initial value of brightness (of the original room It is easier to realize relative control with respect to brightness (such as doubling the brightness).

(Embodiment 23) FIG. 39 shows a database that automatically groups and links input data. The information input unit 704 is a unit for inputting a moving image, a still image, voice, and the like. This is, for example, an image pickup unit for inputting an image, a microphone for recording sound, a line input unit for a musical instrument, or the like. Date / time information generator 70
3 has a built-in clock and generates information on the date and time when the information was input. The position information generating device 702 generates the information of the position / place where the information is recorded. This can use, for example, the GPS technology used in car navigation systems. The link / grouping information generation unit 701 automatically performs operations such as grouping and linking the input information based on the information obtained by the date / time information generation unit 703 and the position information generation unit 702. .
The database 707 stores the input information together with the link / grouping information (including attribute information here). The control unit 708 controls each of the blocks described above.

Next, the flow of processing will be described in detail.
First, when information is input, the position information generation unit 702 and the date / time information generation unit 703 generate position information and date / time information. Using this information, the link / grouping information generation unit 701 refers to the link / grouping information of the information that has already been stored, and determines to which group the newly input information belongs and where it is linked. And record it. This determination work is performed as follows, for example.

Now, it is assumed that the input information is a still image. The input still images are first arranged in order of shooting time, as shown in FIG. Those that are next to each other in this order and whose shooting positions are close are regarded as the same group. If this is performed for all still images, still images taken at locations that are close in position are grouped together, and the groups are arranged in time series. That is, the information of the group information and the link (this indicates that they are lined up temporally) between the groups is obtained. Furthermore, if there are groups that are close to each other in terms of shooting position even if they are not adjacent in time, a link is generated between them. This link is a link indicating that the shooting positions are close. Through the above processing, grouping and linking are performed as shown in the lower part of FIG.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be expected. Considering the storage of still images by electronic means, the task of organizing them is indispensable. However, it seems that there will always be users who keep shooting even if they take this kind of work. If it is a moving image, it will lose its usefulness if a large number of still images are stored without being organized. According to this embodiment,
The system automatically performs a certain amount of organization, reducing the burden on the user.

As another example, a video analysis means is provided,
If the analysis result of the video is reflected in the grouping / linking, a more suitable environment can be constructed.

(Embodiment 24) A comfortable editing environment in which the input from the user can be minimized can be realized by the configuration shown in FIG. The dialogue unit 804 accepts an edit request from the user. The database 803 stores video / audio information, attribute information, and link information. The editing information is also stored here. The default edit information storage unit 801 stores default edit parameters so that the user's editing request can be minimized in response to the user's editing request. The edit processing unit 802 performs edit work according to the user's request, and the database 8
Record to 03.

Next, the flow of processing when the user makes a certain edit will be described. First, the user's request is accepted by the dialogue unit 804 and passed to the edit processing unit 802. The edit processing unit 802 sets the parameters necessary for editing in accordance with this request, and uses the default parameters in the default edit information storage unit 801 to minimize the parameters to be input by the user. To do. When the user again sets the necessary parameters through the dialogue unit 804, the temporary editing result is presented to the user using the parameters at this point. If the user is satisfied with the editing result at this point, the process ends there and the editing result is added to the database 803. If the tentative editing result is insufficient, the parameters are corrected through the dialogue unit 804. By repeating this work,
The optimum editing result for the user can be obtained.

[0237] Next, as a more specific example, an edit for giving a title to the beginning of a moving image will be taken up.
The user first selects or creates a still image to be the title. Then, only the title display method (for example, fade-in, cut-in, etc.), the start frame, and the display position are designated. Default values are used for the remaining parameters, and a temporary edit result is presented to the user. On the other hand, if the user wants to make further corrections, for example, if there is a request to increase the title display time or to increase the fade-in speed, the corrections are added.
I also want to move the title while fading in,
If you want to make elaborate edits, make a request to that effect.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be expected. In the conventional editing work, the user sets all the necessary parameters and then confirms the edited result. Therefore, it is necessary to set the parameters while predicting the result. However, according to the present invention, the editing result can be viewed with the minimum parameter setting, and the result is further corrected. It is possible to provide an optimal environment for people who want to be satisfied.

(Example 25) A conventional information recording / reproducing device,
In particular, one of multiple operation targets in video recording and playback equipment
On the other hand, when applying one of the plurality of operating means, the following method was used. That is, one operation target is selected from a plurality of operation targets, and the operation to be performed on the operation target is then selected from the plurality of operations. Alternatively, after selecting an operation to be performed from a plurality of operating means, an operation target to perform the operation is selected. A little more concrete example is shown. FIG. 60 shows an operation procedure for selecting and reproducing one of a plurality of still image files. First, the user uses a pointing device such as a mouse to select one of the files. A plurality of still image files 920 are displayed as a list of reduced images or icons on the screen. When the user moves the mouse, the cursor 92
When 1 is moved and the mouse is clicked, the still image file corresponding to the cursor position is selected, and the menu 9 appears at that position.
22 appears. The menu displays a list of operations such as "play", "delete", and "move". The operator further executes the operation by moving the cursor with the mouse and clicking again at the desired operation. In this example, the operation target is selected and then the operation command is selected, but the order may be reversed. That is, there is a case where a desired operation is first selected from the operation menu and then the operation target is selected from the file list. In any case, the user follows the procedure of search → selection confirmation → search → selection confirmation. Here, “search” refers to searching one out of a plurality of objects by eye, or moving the cursor to a desired target location, and “confirming selection” means clicking the cursor or pressing a button. And so on
Refers to confirming the selection. In addition, as another conventional example, there is also an operation method in which a cursor is moved from the file list to search for a target, and double-clicking at the position of the desired target causes immediate reproduction. In this method, the selection of the operation target and the execution of the operation are performed at the same time, and the procedure is shortened compared to the previous example. However, this method is effective when there is only one operation command for the operation target, or when it is desired to realize one of the operation commands in a shortened procedure.

Here, an operation method and an operation device which can shorten the procedure for all of a plurality of operation instructions will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 61 shows the structure of the embodiment. The operation device includes a position information detection unit 923, an operation target search unit 924, an operation command presentation unit 925, an operation command input unit 926, and an execution unit 927. Position information detector 9
Reference numeral 23 detects the movement of the device held by the user in order to perform the operation. For example, it may be a means for detecting movement within a plane, such as a mouse, or a means for detecting spatial movement. The operation target search unit 924 is a unit that selects an operation target (file, icon, or the like) based on the output information of the position information detection unit 923. For example, the cursor is moved along with the movement of the device so that the file at the cursor position is highlighted and the indicator near the file is turned on. The operation command presenting unit 925 presents the type of operation that can be performed on the operation target to the user. It may be a function name displayed near the operation button like an ordinary remote controller, or information displayed on a liquid crystal display device or the like. The operation command input unit 926 is a unit for the user to select and input from the operations presented by the operation command presentation unit 925. There are function buttons, a touch panel overlaid on the liquid crystal display device, and the like.

As a feature of this operating device, when an operation instruction is input from the operation command input unit, the operation target temporarily selected by the operation target searching unit 924 is fixed at the same time. Compared with the operation procedure of the above-mentioned conventional example, in this method, it becomes search → search → selection, and the operation procedure can be shortened.

Subsequently, a more detailed embodiment will be described. FIG. 62 is a configuration diagram of an operating device in which an arbitrary file is selected from a plurality of moving images, still images, and audio files, and operations such as reproduction, deletion, movement, and linking can be suitably performed. Reference numeral 928 denotes an operating device that the operator holds and uses, and the operator holds and uses it like a remote controller. In this embodiment, the structure is almost the same as that of a normal remote controller, but it may be composed of a liquid crystal display device and a touch panel as will be described later. Reference numeral 929 denotes a video information recording / reproducing device main body. Reference numeral 931 is a remote control position detection unit. Infrared light emitted from the remote controller is detected by a position detection element such as PSD to detect the position of the remote controller. The remote control position information 936 obtained here is sent to the operation target search unit 932, and the operation target search unit 932 detects the operation target that is temporarily selectable. The control unit 934 is the information storage unit 9
The reduced image data of the file is read from 33 and displayed on the display unit, but the cursor is displayed from the information obtained from the operation target search unit, and the file at the position corresponding to the cursor is highlighted by changing the color around it. And give the user feedback as to which files are now temporarily selectable. Therefore, the user can search the operation target by moving the operation device. The operation device has a function button 937 and a function display 938, which correspond to the operation command input unit and the operation command presentation unit in FIG. 61, respectively. When the operator presses one button (for example, a play button) in the operating device, the operation instruction signal is transmitted from the operating device. In the main body, it is the receiving unit 93
0 to be sent to the control unit 934. Control unit 9
Reference numeral 34 executes the sent operation command for the file on which the cursor is located when sent. In this case, the data of the file where the cursor is located is stored in the video information storage unit 933.
Read more and play.

A more detailed example of the processing in the control unit 934 will be given. Now the files are listed as shown in FIG. Each file 939 is represented by its representative image or reduced image. A line 940 that surrounds some files indicates that the files are grouped together. A line 941 connecting the files represents a link. Now, when the operating device is moved to move the cursor 942 to the target file and the "play" button is pressed, the file with the cursor is played. When playing, you can pause, fast play, reverse play, etc. like normal video play. When stopped, it returns to the initial state (list display state). When the "Delete" button is pressed, the user is asked to confirm and then the file with the cursor is deleted. When the operating device is moved while pressing the "move" button, the reduced image of the file moves along with the movement of the operating device, and when the button is released, the movement is completed. At this time, if you move a file in a group out of the line, the file will leave the group, and when it gets closer to another group, it will be absorbed by that group, so that the file moves between groups. Can be done easily (Fig. 64). When the operating device is moved while pressing the "link" button, the link extends from the file where the cursor was when the button was pressed, and the link is connected to the file where the cursor was when the button was released. In order to perform one operation like this, the operation of pressing the button is
The operation can be performed very efficiently because the operation of moving the operating device only once or twice is required.
In addition, the user can be given the feeling that he or she is operating the object directly, and a natural operating environment is realized.
It is easy for the user to use because it is not necessary to set unnecessary mode states.

FIG. 65 is an external view of an operating device used in this operating method. A user holds and operates this operating device by hand like a conventional remote control device. As described above, this operation device needs to input the movement information and the operation command. As means for inputting movement information, (a) an acceleration detector is built in and the movement amount of the device is detected. (B)
It has a light emitting part, and this light is detected by the photodetector on the main body of the video recording / reproducing device or the display device to detect the position of the device. (C) The amount of movement in the two-dimensional plane is detected by detecting the amount of rotation of the ball like a mouse. As a means for inputting an operation command, (a) the button 944 assigned with the function is pressed. (B) Press the operation command displayed on the liquid crystal display device 943 that is overlaid on the touch panel. (C) A and b combined. and so on. Although the combination of (b) and (a) was used in the previous embodiment, other combinations are also possible.

When a touch panel and a liquid crystal display device are used as the operation device, erroneous input can be prevented by selectively displaying the operation command that can be input at that time. An example of realizing a more comfortable operating environment for the user using this method will be described below. In this interactive environment, there is no button on the remote controller, or even if there is one, the minimum is required. Instead, commands are input by pointing the icon displayed on the tablet-equipped liquid crystal display with a finger or pen. The remote controller is equipped with a three-dimensional position sensor or direction sensor, and also functions as a pointing device for the display device of the main body. Then, the screen displayed on the liquid crystal display of the remote controller is adaptively controlled by factors such as the contents displayed on the main body screen and the position of the cursor, so that information necessary for the user is appropriately provided. The following is a detailed description of this interactive environment.

The structure of this interactive environment is represented by FIG. First, the remote control unit has a position sensor 901 or a direction sensor, and a user can point at a point on the screen of the main body when the user holds the remote control and moves it.
This position information is sent to the main body by the transmission unit 907 and received by the reception unit 909 on the main body side. Based on this information, in the main body, the remote control screen determination unit 911 determines what command can be executed from the remote controller at present, and sends a signal for identifying it to the remote control unit using the transmission unit 910. Upon receiving this identification information through the receiving unit 906, the remote control unit refers to the information in the remote control screen information storage unit 902 and displays an appropriate input screen. This display is displayed on the display device 904 on which the transparent tablet 903 is overlapped, and the user inputs a command by pointing the tablet 903 with a finger or a pen. Then, this input information is sent to the main body through the transmitter 907 of the remote controller. At this time, if the remote control moves due to a "push" operation, the cursor may shift and the wrong object may be designated. In order to prevent this, a point shift correction unit 905 is provided. That is, when the point is moved immediately before the operation and the point is located in the vicinity of the point that is a certain time or more before that, it is determined that the operation is performed on the point that is located for the certain time. With this, it is possible to prevent a mistake that an operation is performed on an adjacent icon due to a hand shake at that time when an operation is performed by designating an icon.

In this interactive environment, the operation target is selected from the display device of the main body, and the operation for the operation is selected from the display device of the remote controller, so that movement of the line of sight occurs and is troublesome. Therefore, another embodiment (FIG. 43) is provided with a mechanism for further improving usability. When the cursor is positioned on a target object that can be operated and has hardly moved for a certain period of time, a cursor stop detection unit 913 is provided to detect the same and to receive detection information from the cursor stop detection unit 913. The contents are displayed on the display device 915 of the main body. At this time, the main body side also requires the remote control screen information storage unit 914 having the same contents as the remote control side. Since the same screen appears on the display device of the main body and the display device of the remote control, it is possible to operate without looking down on the remote control.

The present system has the following effects. In the case of a system having an extremely large number of functions such as a VTR in recent years, an extremely large number of buttons are attached to a remote controller or the like. This is hard to say for many users. This is because it becomes difficult to make a good correspondence between the user's request and what should be done for that purpose (which button should be pressed). For example, in the VTR recording reservation, input is made in the order of reservation start → date → channel → recording start time → recording end time → reservation set. Then, each item has a button for setting, and it must be set in the order described above. In other words, even though there are multiple buttons that seem to be settable, only one of them can be set at a certain time (even if you try to match channels after pressing the reservation start button,
It does not respond because it is in the date setting mode).
Generally, this problem is circumvented by displaying information indicating what the current setting item is on the display device or indicating the order of pressing by the buttons of the remote controller. However, as a fundamental solution, it is desirable that the user can press only the buttons that can be operated at that time. In this system, only the operable buttons can be displayed on the display screen of the remote controller, so this request can be met.

(Twenty-sixth Embodiment) FIG. 44 shows the configuration of a system in which a sample object is called, assembled to form a video, and a search is performed using the video as a key video. Figure 44
In, the sample object storage unit 1001 stores objects that are easily used as a search key in a hierarchical structure. The objects stored here are objects extracted from natural images, graphic data described two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally, and the like. The sample objects are managed in a hierarchical structure so that they can be easily selected by the user. The sample object selection unit 1002 includes a sample object storage unit 1
A sample object desired by the user is called from 001. The object processing unit 1003 performs a process such as enlarging, rotating, moving, and freely deforming an object selected by the user, and plays a role of bringing the object closer to the object desired by the user. The object assembling unit 1004 assembles a plurality of objects that have been called or processed and creates a key image that the user wants to use for searching. Control unit 1005
Controls the above three blocks according to the user's request sent from the dialogue unit 1006. Video search unit 10
08 performs a search process using the key image passed from the control unit 1005. The search information storage unit 1010 is a high-speed accessible storage medium such as a memory in which information such as a feature amount / keyword necessary for a search is read from the database information. The database 1009 is composed of an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like, and stores a large amount of video data. The display unit 1007 displays the searched video,
Or display the interactive environment with the user.

Next, the flow of search processing in FIG. 44 will be described. A request from the user to the system is a dialogue unit 1006.
Done through. The selection of sample objects can be done in various ways. First, there is a method of narrowing down objects by selecting icons. Group the sample objects and define the icon objects that represent each. If necessary, further group the group. By repeating this, the sample object is hierarchized. This layering allows an object to belong to multiple groups. When selecting, a desired sample object is reached by selecting icons in order from the upper hierarchy.
Besides this, a method of using text input together is also conceivable.
For example, when inputting “person” or “human”, various person objects are immediately displayed (male, female, child, etc.). There are several possible input methods such as key input, handwriting input, and voice input.

Then, the control unit 1005 gives an instruction to the sample object selection unit 1002 in accordance with these user requests. The user can process the selected sample object as needed. Enlarge graphic data objects such as circles, triangles, cylinders, and cuboids.
According to the user's request such as rotation, the object processing unit 10
The processing is performed by 03. A process for a natural image object such as changing the direction of a person's image uses a different processing system depending on its content. The object processing unit 10 responds to a request such as “enlarge a person's drawing”.
03 performs processing. However, the request to "turn the person" is dealt with by reselecting a different object. That is, an object of a person facing various directions is presented and selected. Alternatively, the objects to be displayed are sequentially changed according to the input direction, and the desired picture is confirmed when it appears. The user creates a key image by assembling objects that are selected and processed as needed. At this time, the object assembling unit 1004 arranges the objects according to the user request,
Processing such as overlapping and mixing is performed. In addition, the assembled object can be made into one object and further processed. The object processing unit 10 also has attributes such as color tone, brightness, and sharpness of the assembled image.
It can be changed by 03.

The key image thus created is passed to the image retrieval section 1008 and the retrieval is executed. Video search unit 10
Reference numeral 08 analyzes the key image to extract the feature amount, infers the keyword using the name of the selected sample object, and refers to the information in the search information storage unit 1010 to perform the search process. Database 1009 based on search results
The video is read out and displayed on the display unit 1007.

The delivery of the key image from the control unit 1005 to the image retrieval unit 1008 can be performed during the process of creating the key image. With this control, a temporary search result is given at any time even while the user is creating the key image, and if the desired image is found before the key image is completed, the search ends there.

According to the embodiment, it is possible to provide an environment in which a key image can be easily created even for a user who is annoyed or unsuccessful in creating an image at the time of searching with a key image.

(Embodiment 27) FIG. 45 shows an outline of the structure of a browsing system in which a moving image, a sound or a sequential still image sequence can be viewed together with linked information provided on them. With this browsing system, a link that is normally hidden in the video can be displayed, which is suitable for editing hypermedia information. In addition, an environment is provided in which the linked information can be easily understood by the user when browsing.

First, each block in this figure will be described. The video / audio / link information storage unit 1106 is an external disk such as an optical disk in which these pieces of information are stored. In addition, if the system manages the information of the external disk in the internal hard disk or memory, it also includes them. The access unit 1107 accesses the necessary information from the video / audio / link information storage unit 1106 as needed. The main information storage unit 1102 is the access unit 1
Of the information read by 107, the moving image, audio, and
Sequential still image sequences and link information are stored. The main information reproducing unit 1103 reads out data from the main information storage unit 1102 and reproduces it on the display unit 1109 according to a user's instruction. Linked information storage unit 1104
Identifies the information linked to the main information from the link information and stores it. Further, link information related to the linked information is also stored. The linked information reproducing unit 1105 refers to the data read from the linked information storage unit 1104 by referring to the reproducing position / speed of the main information detected by the reproducing position / speed detecting unit 1108, and the display unit 1109.
To play. The dialogue unit 1101 transmits a request from the user in browsing to the access unit 1107, the main information reproducing unit 1103, and the linked information reproducing unit 1105.

Next, the flow of processing when browsing is performed in this system will be described. A request from the user, that is, what information to browse, how fast to play, etc. is accepted by the dialogue unit 1101. The dialogue unit 1101 gives an instruction to the access unit 1107, the main information reproducing unit 1103, and the linked information reproducing unit 1105 according to the received request. Access unit 110
A video / audio / link information storage unit 1106 follows the instruction.
The data is read out from the main information storage unit 110.
2, stored in the linked information storage unit 1104. The main information reproducing unit 1103 reads out the data from the main information storing unit 1102 and displays it on the display unit 1109 based on the user request (reproduction speed change, stop, page turning, etc.) transmitted from the dialogue unit 1101. The reproduction position / speed detection means 1108 detects information such as the current reproduction position and reproduction speed from the main information reproduction unit 1103. The linked information reproducing section 1105 has a current reproduction position given by the reproduction position / speed detecting means 1108 and the linked information storage section 1104.
The linked information is reproduced using the link information in.
At this time, the current playback speed is used to appropriately control the display timing and display time of the linked information. Alternatively, conversely, the reproduction speed of the main information reproducing unit 1103 can be controlled so that the linked information can be easily seen by the user. Then, it is displayed on the display unit 1109 together with the main information.

Now, the processes of the dialogue unit and each reproducing unit will be described in more detail.

First, the reproducing method in the main information reproducing section 1103 will be described. When the main information is a moving image, it is not so different from normal moving image reproduction. The user can give instructions for reproduction, stop, variable speed reproduction, reverse reproduction, and the like. When the main information is a sequential still image, several reproduction methods are possible. First, there is a method of simply switching and displaying still images in order. Next, it is the same as switching in order, but there is also a method of gradually changing to the next image from the bottom or the side so as to turn over the overlapping documents. These are hereinafter referred to as "page-turning type reproduction". In the page-turning type reproduction, the time interval for switching the still image is controlled in response to the above user request. In either case, the main video is displayed in the center with margins left, right, top, and bottom of the screen. In the margin part, by the linked information reproducing part described later,
The linked information is played. Also, as shown in FIG.
There is a method in which still images are arranged side by side or vertically and connected, and then played back by feeding the film. This reproduction method will be hereinafter referred to as "film feed type reproduction". In the film feed type reproduction, the speed of sending a still image is controlled in response to the above user request. If one frame of a moving image is considered to be a still image, film feed type reproduction is also possible for the moving image. When the main information is voice, it is the same as the moving image. Either the video is not displayed or the index still image attached to the audio information is displayed.

Next, the reproducing method in the linked information reproducing section 1105 will be described. This part is the main feature of this system, and it is devised to reproduce the main information and efficiently browse the information linked to it. Here, two types of reproduction of the main information, that is, normal moving image reproduction, still image page-turning reproduction or audio reproduction, and film feed type reproduction will be described.

First, in the former case, the linked information is basically displayed in the margin portion when the link source portion of the main information is reproduced (FIG. 49). Here, because it is a system for efficiently browsing what kind of link is attached to certain main information and what kind of information is in the future, only the link icon can be seen in normal playback, or Even if you don't know the existence of, at first glance, it displays a video or still image. The voice instead displays an icon indicating that the voice information is linked (FIG. 49). By specifying this icon, linked audio information can be heard. However, if the main information does not have voice information, the voice can be played back at the same time. With this, if there is linked information when reproducing the main information, it is possible to know its existence. In the film feed type reproduction, the linked information appears according to the flow of the film. If the link source information is long in time, the linked information first appears along the flow of the film, and while the main information is the link source, the linked information stays on the screen, and at the end. Linked information also flows out of the screen in conjunction with the fact that the link source of flows out of the screen. However, if you are browsing at a very high speed, or if the link source is a very short time in the video, it is difficult to understand the content of the link, although you can know it. Therefore, it has the following features so that the contents of the link can be understood even under such conditions. There are two features that can be considered here, and the system can provide a comfortable environment to the user by having either or both of them.

When the main information reproducing section reproduces the main information, at the same time, the link information corresponding to the frame being reproduced is reproduced from the video / audio / link information accumulating section. The link information stored in the video / audio / link information storage unit includes the attributes of the linked information, the address, the display method, the display position, the display size, and the number of frames ahead of the frame with the link (or Information such as whether the object is in the front) or the position of a linked object is recorded for each frame. This system is characterized in that the link information is written not only in the frame with the link, but also in all or some of the frames in a certain range before and after the frame. In the link information, information about how many frames ahead (or in front) of the frame to which the link is attached is, for example, the link is not attached to the frame, but the link is attached after 30 frames. Is
Such information is recorded. Of course, when the frame is linked, data indicating that the link is linked is recorded.

Information about how many frames ahead (or on the near side) the frame to which the link is attached is given as follows. First, the user designates a frame for linking with a pointing device such as a mouse or a touch panel. Next, the linked information is specified. By the operation up to this point, the link information can be written in the frame to which the link is set. Next, the system detects the number of frames up to the frame with the link before and after the designated frame, and writes this information as link information of the frame. It is sufficient to limit the range of performing such an operation to a frame in which the linked information may be simultaneously reproduced when the main information is reproduced at high speed.

The display method information is information such as how to display when the linked information is displayed simultaneously with the main information. For example, the display information is displayed by fade-in and fade-out, or a small display is gradually enlarged. The method is recorded such that the display becomes smaller and disappears again, or suddenly appears and the pad disappears. The position information of the linked object is
It records the position of the object in the frame. This information is usually empty for unlinked frames, but if the frame is near the linked frame and contains linked objects. May have recorded the position of this object.

Next, the method of displaying the linked information will be described in detail when the fade-in and fade-out are used as the display method (FIG. 80).

During reproduction of the main information, when a portion having linked information approaches, the linked information gradually fades in and appears, and after passing the linked portion, gradually fades out. Diminishing. Such a display method is realized by the configuration shown in FIG.
The fade state determination means 1110 is a reproduction position / speed detection means 1 for detecting a relative reproduction position and a reproduction speed of a frame currently being reproduced with respect to a frame having a link.
By referring to the information from 108, the timing of starting and ending the display of the linked information, the speed of fade, etc. are determined. In other words, by considering the distance between the currently playing position and the linked position of the main information, the current playback speed, and the length of the linked frame, It is possible to calculate when to start the fade-in / fade-out or the speed of the fade in order to present the backlink information to the user for a time. Due to this feature, when browsing the main information at high speed, when the linked information approaches, the linked information is gradually displayed from the time before the linked frame, so the user can You can know the existence of link information. At this time, the start time of the fade, the speed of the fade, and the like are appropriately controlled so that the user can recognize the linked information regardless of the reproduction speed of the main information at that time.

For example, when the section with a link is very short or the main information is reproduced at a very high speed, the conventional system displays the linked information only for a moment, and therefore the user cannot display the linked information. Has overlooked, or missed the timing of issuing a command such as pause or playback of linked information. However, by performing the control as described above, the user can see the linked information for a sufficient time to recognize the linked information. Moreover, if the linked information is clearly displayed (or a frame with a conspicuous frame may be displayed) in the place where the link is actually made, and if it is displayed in a vague state before and after that, it is being viewed. It is possible for the user to recognize whether the place is a linked place or a place near it. The user recognizes that the vicinity of the linked frame is being reproduced due to the fade-in of the linked information, and at the time when the link is actually established, it may be paused or the playback speed may be slowed down. , It is possible to issue a command such as reproduction of linked information. Even if the main information is voice, the flow of link information can be followed on the screen while listening to the sound, and comfortable browsing is possible. These are the first features of the present invention.

Next, the relationship between the display of the link information and the linked information will be described in detail. When reproducing a moving image, the linked information reproducing unit always refers to the link information for each frame. Then, when the information about how many frames ahead of the frame with the link is read is read, the predetermined calculation is immediately performed on the current moving image playback speed and the number of frames up to the frame with the link, and Determines whether to display link information. If it is decided to display the linked information, the linked information is immediately displayed in the manner described in the link information. The display position of the linked information at this time is also determined according to the display position of the linked information described in the link information. The display of the linked information includes a method of displaying an icon indicating that there is linked information and a method of actually reproducing and displaying the linked information (still image, text, moving image). . When the linked information is a voice, there is a method of displaying an icon indicating that the voice information is linked, or actually playing the voice.

When the link information of the currently displayed frame contains the coordinate information of the linked object, the link position of the linked information in the moving image is changed to the linked object in the moving image. Arrows can be displayed (Fig. 75). The user can select whether or not to display this. When displaying the arrow, it becomes possible to easily know which object is linked to and which object the linked information is a description of. Also, if you want to see the main information without disturbing it, you should not display it. Since the position coordinates of the object change for each frame according to the movement of the linked object, the arrow is displayed while moving the linked object while the linked information is displayed. . When displaying, the arrow indicating the link relationship is displayed until there is no coordinate information of the object linked to the link information of the frame being reproduced, or until display of the linked information is completed.

There is also a method of displaying the display position of the linked information in the vicinity of the linked object, instead of indicating the linked object with an arrow. In order to display in this way, the linked information display position information in the link information of the frame may be set in accordance with the position of the object with the link. If the display position information of the linked information is changed according to the movement of the object, the display of the linked information moves according to the movement of the object as shown in FIG. 76, and information about which object is displayed at a glance. I can understand. However, since the display of the main information may be hindered, it is desirable that the user be able to select whether or not to display the linked information. Such a method of moving the display of the linked information can be performed in combination with the arrow display described above. Also,
You can make the linked object easier to understand by enclosing the linked object in a circle or displaying the object in a prominent color, but a similar method can be used for this purpose.

Up to now, regarding the linked information display method in the case where link information is added to a frame to which a link is set and link information is also added to frames before and after the frame to which a link is set explained. Next, a method of reproducing linked information when link information is added only to a frame with a link will be described.

FIG. 77 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the linked information reproducing system in the case where the link information is added only to the frame with the link. The main information reproducing unit 1131 reproduces the main information recorded in the main information recording unit 1130. After that, the main information is stored in the buffer 1133 for a time corresponding to the reproduction speed of the main information and then displayed on the display unit 1136. The reproduction position / speed detection unit 1132 detects the reproduction speed and reproduction position of the main information, and sends this information to the linked information reproduction unit 1135. The link information storage unit 1137 reads out the link information relating to the frame corresponding to the reproduction position information sent from the reproduction position / speed detection unit, and sends this link information to the linked information reproduction unit. Upon receiving the link information, the linked information reproducing section determines from the reproduction speed information of the main information whether to start the reproduction of the linked information from a position several frames backward from the linked frame. This determination method is similar to the case where the link information is added to the frames before and after the frame to which the link has been set as described above. When the reproduction position of the linked information is determined, the linked information reproducing unit reads the linked information to be reproduced from the linked information recording unit 1134, and the buffer 1133 outputs a frame corresponding to the linked information reproducing position. The linked information is displayed on the display unit 11 in time with
Send to 36. Alternatively, the delay amount of the buffer is adjusted according to the reproduction speed of the main information so that the main information is sent to the display unit so that the frame display and the linked information display are synchronized. The display unit displays the combined main information and linked information. The buffer 1133 needs to have a sufficient capacity for storing the frame at the linked information reproduction position even when the main information is reproduced at high speed. That is, it is necessary to have a capacity to store all the frames from the frame read from the main information recording unit to the frame in which the linked information extended in the frame is to be reproduced.

The method of pointing the linked object with an arrow so that the linked object can be easily recognized and the method of changing the display position of the linked information are the coordinates of the object and the linked information. This cannot be done unless the display position information is described. If the link information is attached only to the frame with the link, the link is not actually created, but
The coordinates of the object and the display position information of the linked information cannot be given to the frame that simultaneously displays the linked information extended in the nearby frames. Therefore, although the display by the arrow as described above cannot be performed, this problem can be solved as follows.

First, there is a method of describing in the link information corresponding to the frame to which the link is set, all coordinate information of the objects to which the link is set in the preceding and following frames. Therefore, when a frame with a link is read, it can be known in which frame an object with a link exists at which coordinate. Using this information, it is possible to perform processing such as displaying an arrow even in a frame with no link and changing the display position of the linked information.

Also, by changing the system configuration as shown in FIG. 78, it is possible to display the linked information that is easy to recognize. That is, the image recognition unit 1138 is placed between the buffer and the linked information reproducing unit. When the frame having the link is reproduced by the main information reproducing unit, the frame is stored in the buffer, and the link information corresponding to the frame is read from the link information recording unit to the linked information reproducing unit. The link information includes coordinate information of the linked object. The frame stored in the buffer is immediately sent to the image recognition unit 1138, and the linked object is specified from the link information. In this case, the multi-resolution method (for example, Iijima, basic proof of figure and observation conversion, Theological Theory (C), pp. 641-64)
8, 1971) to extract the edge of the object. When the linked object is specified from the linked frame, it is used to determine whether the linked object exists in the unlinked frame,
Where the coordinates are is calculated. For that purpose, using a frame with a link as a starting point, a motion vector extraction method such as block matching is sequentially applied to adjacent frames in the buffer to detect where the same object is in other frames. If an object disappears from a frame due to a scene change, it can be easily detected because successive frames change significantly.In such a case, an object with a link is placed in a frame before that. Assuming that it does not exist, further object extraction can be stopped. By tracking the movement of an object from consecutive frames in this way, even if the display start position of the linked information does not have link information, it can be detected if a linked object exists. , It becomes possible to perform processing such as displaying an arrow.

It is obvious that the above-described processing for extracting where an object exists in another frame using the image recognition technique can be used not only when referring to a link but also when linking. That is, the user specifies an object that exists in a certain frame,
When the link is established, the edge of the object is detected by the same image recognition processing, and the coordinates are recorded as link information. Furthermore, using the frame with a link as a starting point, the motion vector extraction method is applied to adjacent frames one after another, and the same frame as the object with a link is applied to the frames around the frame with the link. Record the coordinate information of the object. With such an operation, not only the information that there is a frame with a link nearby also in the surrounding frames, but also where the same object as the linked object is,
It becomes possible to record such information.

In addition to the method of providing link information in a wide range and using a buffer, the link information is intensively recorded at a predetermined position on the recording medium, and the system first uses this link information. There is a method to know the position of the linked frame by reading only the frame.

Another method for making it easier to understand that the linked information is present during the reproduction of the main information is that when the portion having the linked information approaches, the user sets the reproduction speed of the main information to the linked information. There is a method of making information slow enough to be recognized. This feature can be realized by the configuration shown in FIG. The main information reproducing speed determining means 1112 determines the main information reproducing speed from the information obtained from the reproducing position / speed detecting means 1108 and the information in the linked information storage portion 1104, and the main information reproducing portion 110.
Instruct 3. That is, how much the reproduction speed should be slowed down so that the user can recognize the linked information is calculated from the current reproduction speed of the main information and the length of the linked portion. Then, from the position of the linked portion, the current playback speed, and the proper playback speed of the linked portion, it is determined from which position and at what pace the speed is to be reduced. The reproduction unit 1113 compares the current reproduction position of the main information obtained from the reproduction position / speed detecting means 1108 with the link position obtained from the linked information storage unit 1104, and when the position to reproduce the linked information is reached, Information is read from the linked information storage unit 1104 and reproduced. The reproduction speed of the main information and the displayed information at this time are as shown in FIG.

As described above, in order to change the speed before and after the portion having the linked information, it is necessary to know where the link position is in advance at the time of reproducing the portions before and after the linked information. I won't. As a means to do so, the link information corresponding to the frame before and after the linked frame describes that the linked frame is near, and it is displayed using a large buffer. A method to read the information of the frame far ahead of the frame (Fig. 7
7, 78) and so on. These details are the same as the method of changing the reproduction position of the linked information described above. In order to make the linked object more understandable, you can display the arrow pointing to the object and change the display position of the linked information to describe the display position of the object and the linked information in the link information. Then, it becomes possible easily.

The effects obtained by the above features are as follows. That is, even when playing / browsing at high speed, or when the length of the link is short, the playback speed becomes slower as the link point approaches, and the linked information is played so that it can be recognized by the user. . If the main information is a moving image, the length of the link can be grasped at the playback speed at the link point. These are the second features of the present invention. It is preferable to use this second feature during the above-described film advance reproduction.

When a system having both the first and second characteristics described above is constructed, it is possible to create a more suitable browsing environment.

In the previous example, browsing was performed with one video information as the axis and the information linked thereto. Next, we describe a video information playback device that can browse many video files and browse when multiple video information are complicatedly linked by links. The configuration is almost the same as in FIG. Here, the operation of the user and the change of the screen will be described later. FIG. 66 is a screen configuration diagram. One of the frames that are now divided into 1120
Video A is shown in. This may be a moving image or a sequential still image sequence, and a color frame 1121 indicating that the image in this frame is being reproduced is attached. You can browse this video at high speed or reverse playback. At this time, if there is information linked to this video, they appear in adjacent frames 1122 (FIG. 6).
7). This appears by fading in so that the user can easily recognize even during high-speed reproduction as in the previous embodiment. The difference from the previous embodiment is that the main image and the linked image are represented by the same size, and the image is connected by a line 1123 so that the link relationship can be seen. This line is represented by a light color while the linked image is being faded in and out, and a dark color when the linked image is completely displayed. That is, in FIG. 72, A1
To A6 and B1 to B5 as a group of images, A1, A
2. ． ． Is one frame (or one still image), the dark line indicates that the currently visible frames (or still images) (A5 and B2) are linked by a link (Fig. 73), Light colored lines indicate that they are linked except in the frame (or still image) in which they appear (Fig. 74). When the user wants to see the linked image B that has just appeared better, the user can issue a command to play the linked image B. Then, the image B changes to the main image and you can browse. At this time, a color frame 1124 representing the main image
And the video A, which was the main video in the past, stops there. As the image B is reproduced, when the portion connected to the image A by the link passes, the line 1125 changes to a light color (FIG. 68). Next, if the user wishes to browse the linked image C that appeared while browsing the image B again, by issuing an instruction, the image C can be used as the main image for browsing (FIG. 69). If you want to browse video A again, you can go back. This time, the linked image comes to appear in a frame different from that of the image B, and it is possible to browse another linked image D (FIG. 70). The image that appears once in this process remains as long as you do not specify to erase it, and unless the frame runs out, you can always return, and the line shows the link relationship. By selecting and instructing a link (line 1126), the parts 1127 and 1 connected by the link are selected from the images connected by the link.
You can also call 128 (Fig. 71).

Although a case where one display device is used has been described here, it is possible to configure a browsing system using a plurality of display devices by corresponding one frame in the above embodiment to one display device. Is. In this case, it is desirable that a means for displaying the link relationship of the images displayed on each display device is separately provided. Further, if a buffer memory or a reproducing unit is provided for each display device, it is possible to browse a plurality of videos at a higher speed at the same time.

(Embodiment 28) A browsing system capable of accessing information such as video images as if turning a book can be realized by the configuration shown in FIG. This system is characterized in that not only still images but also moving images, voices, etc. can be browsed as if turning a book. An example of the browsing environment is as shown in FIG.

The dialogue section 1201 is a section for accepting a user request. This request is passed to the control unit 1202,
The control unit 1202 issues a command to the information access unit 1205. The information access unit 1205 accesses information from the information storage device 1203 according to the instruction, and the information reproduction unit 1204.
Pass to. The information reproducing unit 1204 is a video display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display or an audio reproducing device such as a speaker, and this provides information to the user. Further, the control unit 1202 superimposes and displays page information, attribute information and the like on the information reproducing unit 1204.

The information input to the dialogue section 1201 includes a page turning instruction, an instruction for variable speed reproduction or pause when the information to be reproduced is a moving image or sound. Generally, a pointing device such as a mouse will be used as the instruction method.

Although this metaphor is used as a browsing environment in this embodiment, considering the usability of the user,
It is a good link between actual book handling and operation and user feedback. For example, the amount of pages remaining on the left and right indicates where the currently displayed information is located (the front, the middle, etc.). As a result, the user can visually memorize the information that "it was on that side" but not the exact information that "that page was on that page", and browsing can be performed efficiently. In fact, it's hard to remember information about "how many pages it was". For page turning, you can turn one page up or down by clicking the "slightly flipped part" at the top corner of the page with the mouse, but you can see the remaining pages on the left and right. You can jump to that page by clicking on the part. When turning, the mouse cursor is clicked to ensure that the user is informed that the instruction has been received by the system, and to implicitly describe what happens with the click (in this case, turning). Figure 53
Change like. At this time, in order to make it look more natural, the display positions of the two icons are appropriately controlled so that the “backs of hands” of the two icons do not move as much as possible. When the mouse cursor is on the left half of the screen, the icon on the left of FIG. 53 is used, and when it is on the right half, the icon on the right of FIG. 53 is used to make it look more natural.

The information that can be reproduced here is not only a still image but also a moving image and sound, which is a major feature of the present invention. When the information of a certain page is a moving image, when the page is designated, the page changes and the reproduction of the moving image starts, and a control panel for controlling the reproduction state is displayed at the same time. When the page is advanced further, the reproduction position at that time is remembered, and when returning to the page, the reproduction is performed from there. However, if the page is not reproduced for a while and then returns to the page, the page is reproduced again from the beginning. This determination can be performed by using the condition whether the time until the reproduction is repeated exceeds a certain time, or how far the page has moved to before being reproduced again. This environment is suitable when there are many short moving images and one wants to browse and find a certain moving image. That is, each time the page is turned over, the next moving image is reproduced. If the moving image is found not to be the desired one, the next moving image is moved if the user turns the page even during the reproduction. You can use the control panel when you want to pause and take a closer look, or fast forward.

When the information on a certain page is audio, video information is not necessary, but an image showing that the information is audio information is displayed.

In order to comfortably perform browsing work with this system, it is important that the system quickly responds to user requests. Therefore, a technique for accessing desired information as fast as possible is required. However, since it is difficult to make the seek time of the disk drive physically very small, the apparent access time is shortened by using the buffer memory.

A more detailed structure of the information access unit with a faster access time is shown in FIG. Each block will be described below. The screen information storage unit 1206
At present, information about what kind of instruction can be given with the pointing device on the screen is stored. For example, if there is an icon indicating a link in the currently displayed information, where is it, if the currently displayed information is a movie, where is the control panel for special playback, page turning instruction Where is the icon of, and where can the page jump instruction be issued?

The access information determining section 1207 is provided with the information sent from the screen information storage section 1206 and the control section 120.
The information to be accessed next is determined from the information such as the position, the moving direction, and the speed of the cursor sent from 2. The access unit 1209 accesses information according to the instruction from the access information determination unit 1207. There are several patterns for handling access. First, the information storage device 1203
Information is read out from the information reproducing unit 1204 immediately, information already transferred to the buffer memory 1208 is reproduced to the reading information reproducing unit 1204, and information is read from the information storage device 1203 and stored in the buffer memory. is there.

[0293] A detailed description will be given of how this apparently faster access time is specifically realized. Information to be browsed now is assumed to be a moving image. First, at the moment when a frame of a current moving image file is being reproduced, there is the following information that may be requested to be reproduced in the future. (1) Next frame image (2) Frame image played by special playback (high-speed playback, reverse playback, etc.) (3) Information linked from the currently displayed image (4) Playback according to the page turning icon Previous video, next video (5) Video of other pages played by direct page instructions

Which of these information is most likely to be accessed depends on the position of the cursor at that time. For example, if the cursor is on the paging icon, the next moving image is more likely to be requested, and the previous moving image is less likely to be requested. There is a high possibility that the next frame image will always be reproduced regardless of the cursor position. In addition, when the reproduction of these is requested, how much the response delay is recognized depends on the type of the requested information. For example, in order to obtain a smooth moving image, the reproduction delay of the next frame image is not recognized. On the other hand, some delay can be recognized when accessing moving images on other pages. Taking these conditions into consideration, the information to be accessed in advance is determined.

However, there is a problem when accessing a moving image on another page. That is, it is possible to select all the moving images other than the page currently being reproduced, but it is impossible to read them all. By the way, when the user gives such an instruction, he does not strictly specify the page, but only wants to turn "about this". Therefore, it suffices to read only the moving images of the discontinuous pages to some extent and open the page closest to the position designated by the user. Also, how to access the discrete pages is as described below. That is, first, the page farthest from the current page (that is, the first page or the last page) is accessed, and then the page in the middle of that page and the current page is accessed. Next, I will continue to access more of the pages I have accessed so far. As described above, by uniformly distributing the pages to be accessed, which are rough at first and gradually finer, it is possible to successfully respond to a reproduction request for another page (FIG. 54).

When the user roughly indicates the location of another page at a high speed, since the accuracy of the location is not often required so much, it is sufficient to select and play from the page that is accessed roughly. If the user is carefully specifying the location (i.e., if they are spending time), then it is likely that they are requesting the accuracy of the location on another page, but in this case there is plenty of time to access it. A moving image as requested by the user can be reproduced. As another example, when the cursor hardly moves (that is, it is considered that an accurate position is being searched for in the vicinity of the cursor), it is effective to perform the access centering there.

(Embodiment 29) FIG. 55 shows a system which automatically browses the database without the user giving an instruction. The database 1302 includes a video / audio information storage unit 1304 and a link / attribute information storage unit 1303. Although various recording media can be considered, it is preferable that the former uses a large-capacity storage medium such as an optical disk and the latter uses a medium having a high access speed such as a RAM or a hard disk in the system. The external environment information acquisition unit 1301 is various sensors and the like. For example, there are sensors such as temperature, humidity, brightness, vibration, shock, and acceleration, a microphone that captures surrounding sounds and images, and a camera. These devices may be included in the system main body or may be mounted on a remote controller or the like.

The control unit 1305 controls the external environment information acquisition unit 1
The information to be reproduced is determined based on the information obtained from 301. Here, the information to be reproduced next may be selected from the information linked from the currently reproduced information, or may be selected from a certain group or the entire database. Further, not only the information to be reproduced but also how to reproduce can be determined here.
It is possible to select various reproduction modes such as the reproduction time of a still image, screen division of a still image / moving image, reproduction in which a small window is displayed and moved in the screen, and sound volume.

The reproducing unit 1306 reads out information from the video / audio information storage unit and displays it on the display unit 1307 according to the determination of the control unit 1305.

In this system, various kinds of external environment information can be used to determine reproduction information. Next, as an example, a system for automatically browsing a still image by taking in “brightness” and “noisiness” of the surroundings as environmental information will be described, and a processing flow of the system will be described. The images stored in the database are still images with grouping and hyperlinks.
For each still image, two parameter values, that is, whether the color is flashy or light and whether the composition is simple or complex, are attached as attributes.

The still images can be reproduced by switching them one by one, displaying them by dividing the screen, and sequentially displaying still images slightly smaller than the screen at random positions. There is a method of instantly switching to the next still image, a method of repeating fade-in / fade-out, and a method of switching by cross-fade, even by switching.

First, both the brightness information x and the noisy information y are input as scalar values from the external environment information acquisition unit 1301. The control unit 1305 calculates the appropriate color saturation a of the still image to be displayed, the composition complexity b, and the reproduction method thereof from these two values. Next, of the still images linked to the currently displayed still image, the still image whose attribute is closest to a and b previously calculated is selected and displayed.

It is essential that an environment for casual viewing of a home video database is prepared.
According to the present invention, the video database created by the user can be automatically browsed and displayed, and can be utilized as a BGV. Also, since the browsing method and display method are properly controlled depending on the environment at the time of playback, you can enjoy the same database many times, and enjoy the way you enjoy it. For example, when you are alone in a dark room, you can play while changing the color of a light color while switching with a crossfade, and when using it as a BGV for a large number of parties, you can display a picture of a clear color with an instant switch. Automatic browsing is possible.

(Embodiment 30) Next, a pointing device suitable for the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention will be described.

A mouse, a trackball, a joystick, and the like are known as pointing devices for inputting two-dimensional coordinates into a computer or the like. The mouse and the trackball are pointing devices that move the cursor according to the movement. The joystick can also be used to move the cursor in accordance with the movement of the stick, but it is often used in a method of associating the movement speed / direction of the cursor with the movement of the stick.

There are some problems in mounting such a conventional pointing device on a remote controller for portable equipment. For example, a mouse is not suitable for such an application because it requires a certain amount of flat space to move it.

The joystick is difficult to be finely positioned by the method of moving the cursor largely in response to the movement of the stick.
The method of moving the cursor largely in response to the movement of the stick is familiar to such use, but is inferior in operation time for positioning as compared with the mouse.

In this embodiment, a pointing device which is superior in operability to the conventional ones when used in a portable device, a remote controller or the like is provided. In order to achieve this object, in the present embodiment, a spherical or hemispherical movable part rotatable about the center, a mechanism for detecting the amount and direction of movement of the movable part, and a movable part having a standard position and a finger. With a mechanism that returns to the standard position when released, a pointing device that can move the cursor with a few finger movements is configured.

In addition to the above-mentioned functions, a mechanism in which the spherical movable portion can freely rotate without having a standard position, a mechanism for detecting the rotation amount and direction thereof, and the above-mentioned functions and simple operations are used. With the structure that can be switched, it is possible to efficiently move the cursor over a wide range and to position the cursor within a narrow range by moving a finger.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention realizes high operability by giving the shape of the trackball a function of a joystick. Further, by switching the function of the joystick and the function of the conventional trackball with a simple operation, it is possible to achieve both positioning ability in a narrow range of the trackball.

The structure of the pointing device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 56 to 59. As shown in FIG. 56, elongated metal plates 2001 and 2002 having slits and bent in a semicircle shape are attached to the shafts of two potentiometers 2003 and 2004.
Here, the metal plates 2001 and 2002 have semicircles with slightly different radii, and are arranged such that the axes of the semicircles are vertical and the centers of the semicircles are aligned with each other.
003 and 2004 are fixed.

With this structure, the metal plate 2001,
When an object penetrates the slit of 2002, the object moves on a hemispherical surface centered on the center of the semicircle of the metal plates 2001 and 2002, and the movement is the potentiometer 200.
3, 2004.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 58 and 59, the spherical body 200 is placed inside the semi-circular portions of the metal plates 2001 and 2002.
5 is arranged, and a contact plate 2100 made of a material having a large friction coefficient with the spherical body 2005 is inserted into the slits of the metal plates 2001 and 2002. The diameter of the spherical body 2005 is substantially equal to the inner diameters of the semicircles of the metal plates 2001 and 2002. It is desirable that the tip of the contact plate 2100 has a shape that easily fits to the surface of the spherical body 2005.

Normally, as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 5 is held in a floating state with respect to the contact plate 2100 by holding mechanisms 2111 and 2112 using springs. In this state, as shown in FIG. 57, the spherical body 2005 comes into contact with the detection disks 2006 and 2007 (not shown in FIGS. 58 and 59), and when the spherical body 2005 is rotated, the detection disk 2006, 2007 is rotated. Detection disc 20
06 and 2007 are rotary pulse generators 2008 and 20.
It is attached to the 09 shaft. Therefore, the spherical body 200
The rotation amount and direction of No. 5 are detected by the rotary pulse generators 2008 and 2009 via the detection disks 2006 and 2007, and the same function as that of the trackball is obtained here.

When the spherical body 2005 is pressed with a finger, the spherical body 20
As shown in FIG. 59, 05 sinks against the holding mechanism 2111 and comes into close contact with the contact plate 2100. When the finger is moved in this state to rotate the spherical body 2005, the contact plate 2100 moves with the movement of the spherical body 2005, and the movement of the contact plate 2100 is detected by the potentiometers 2003 and 2004 in FIG. When the finger is released, the spherical body 2005 is separated from the contact plate 2100 by the holding mechanism 2111,
00 is returned to the standard position of FIG. 58 by the return mechanism 2112, 2113 using a spring.

Note that the moving speed of the cursor on the display increases as the moving amount of the contact plate 2100 increases.

As described above, the pointing device according to the present embodiment is expected to improve operability by performing cursor movement over a wide range, which is difficult for the trackball, by a method of designating the movement speed / direction of the cursor like a joystick. it can. Further, since the function of the original trackball can be switched by a simple operation, cursor movement over a wide range and positioning within a narrow range can be performed efficiently.

[0318]

The effects of the present invention are listed below.

(1) It is possible to reduce operation mistakes as much as possible even if the user has various device operation capabilities.

(2) When link information is defined between video and audio, it is possible to perform appropriate processing during information processing and dubbing.

(3) According to the file management system of the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, files that are frequently referred to are moved to the same disc without bothering the user, so that the discs can be replaced. Fewer files and faster file browsing. Further, since the file is moved in response to a change in the reference ratio such that the number of references decreases and the number of references increases, the disk replacement can be kept small at all times.

(4) According to the still image display method of the present invention, the relationship between still images is expressed as the distance between still images, so that the relationship between each still image can be visually recognized. In addition, since a still image that is rarely referred to is not automatically displayed, it is less likely to refer to a useless still image when searching for a desired still image.

(5) According to the link structure construction method of the present invention, the link structure is constructed by using the link structure that has been completed to some extent, so that the link structure can be constructed more easily than it is from the beginning. Moreover, since the link structure is constructed by modifying the basic link structure,
A relatively easy-to-understand link structure can be created.

(6) According to the method of selecting the scene representative frame of the present invention, the frame emphasized by the sound is selected as the representative of the scene. Therefore, rather than simply selecting the beginning or center frame of the scene as the representative, The frame that shows the contents of is selected as the scene. By using the frame automatically selected in this way as a scene index, the scene can be easily understood by just looking at the index, and the search efficiency is improved.

(7) According to the timer reservation method of the present invention, the format of the user's own format can be saved without being conscious of the format or performing the troublesome button operation, or preparing or checking something for reservation. You can easily make a reservation because you can make a timer reservation as if you were taking notes.

(8) In the still image retrieval system according to the present invention,
Since the search is started by recognizing from the part that is completed while creating the still image drawn for the search, the search speed can be increased. Also, when a still image that is different from the desired still image is searched while creating a still image, it is found that it is necessary to include it in a still image that draws another feature, and a still image that is efficiently searched can be found. You will be able to draw.

(9) According to the still image generating method of the present invention,
The blurring of the frame, which had been blurred due to the intense movement, has been corrected, and a beautiful still image can be obtained.

(10) According to the present invention, when the number of discs in the autochanger is large, the files stored on the discs are automatically managed. Therefore, the user needs to know what the disc capacity is. It is not necessary to have it, and management is easy.

(11) In the disk management box according to the present invention, when the file is searched, the disk containing the searched file is selected from the disk management box and pushed out. There is no need to search for disks from among the disks lined up again, and a comfortable search environment is provided.

(12) In the disc management information communication of the present invention, even if the disc information is rewritten by another information recording / reproducing device, the disc management information can be managed in real time, and the disc management information is purposely input. No more hassle of inserting.

(13) Since it seems that a user-specific database structure suitable for the database usage status of each user is constructed, it is possible to preferably perform browsing.

(14) Since the user can add link nodes necessary for himself or delete link nodes unnecessary for himself, the database structure can be constructed for his own convenience. . Also, since the user information is added to the shared database structure, it can be used by a user who does not have the user information.

(15) Information that the user does not want others to see can be set to be kept secret until a specific browsing route is traced. Unlike the method of using a password, it does not require a character input device such as a keyboard and can be remembered as an image, so it is not easy to forget like a password.

(16) A natural interactive movie can be realized by using not only an instruction from a pointing device but also the movement of the line of sight of the viewer as a trigger for selecting a link.

Further, a natural story development can be performed by accessing using the buffer memory.

(17) By creating an empty node, it is possible to provide an environment in which "a database can be created if only video is taken later", and the user can use the database more easily. You can also use the database without being aware of what is called a link.

(18) When the environment operation node is reached,
For example, because you can control the brightness of the surroundings,
It is possible to improve the effect of movie-like entertainment.

(19) Since a certain degree of grouping and linking is automatically performed only by inputting information, the burden on the user for using the database is reduced. In addition, you can already search to a certain extent just by inputting it (search for photos taken anywhere and where).

(20) Of the parameters necessary for each editing operation, those that can be set in advance can be provided with default values, and therefore editing can be performed with a minimum of user input. Of course, it is possible to change the parameters for which default values are prepared, but rather, the idea that the parameters may be changed only when necessary realizes a suitable environment.

(21) Instead of using the buttons on the remote controller, a menu icon is displayed on the liquid crystal display device, and a transparent tablet placed on top of it is pressed to allow input, so at some point Selectable buttons can be displayed to minimize user confusion.

(22) Since objects constituting a picture are accumulated as a sample, necessary objects can be taken out from the sample, and processed and assembled as needed, a key image for retrieval can be efficiently used. Can be made well.

(23) It becomes possible to browse video / audio information together with link information provided there. It also controls how the link information is displayed so that the user can keep track of the link information even when performing high-speed browsing or when the link is set for a moment.
Enables efficient browsing.

(24) By using this metaphor, the time axis in one moving image is completed in one page, and the axis of the moving image sequence is associated with the page order. You can create a browsing environment.

(25) Since the optimum one is selected from the selectable links by utilizing the external environment information, that is, the information such as temperature, humidity and annoyance, it becomes possible to perform automatic browsing according to the situation. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information recording / reproducing apparatus using an optical disc according to Examples 1 to 6.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a menu according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a menu according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a menu according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a user information input / output unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a user information input / output unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a user information input / output unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a menu according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a user information input / output unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a user information input / output unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of main parts of a user information input / output unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a menu according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of main parts of a user information input / output unit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a screen diagram for defining / displaying a link according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a screen diagram for defining / displaying a link according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram of a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tenth embodiment.

21 is a schematic configuration diagram of Example 11. FIG.

22 is a schematic configuration diagram of Example 12. FIG.

23 is a schematic configuration diagram of Example 13. FIG.

FIG. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fourteenth embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a schematic configuration diagram of Example 15.

26 is a schematic configuration diagram of Example 16. FIG.

FIG. 27 is an image diagram of displaying a part of a virtual wall on which a still image is pasted on a monitor.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a still image under a virtual wall.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of handwritten input characters.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a display example of a recognition result for the handwritten input character in FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a seventeenth embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing automatic link generation.

FIG. 33 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to the eighteenth embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to the nineteenth embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a configuration diagram of a video reproducing device according to the twentieth embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a configuration diagram of another video reproducing device according to the twentieth embodiment.

FIG. 37 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to the twenty-first embodiment.

FIG. 38 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a twenty-second embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a twenty-third embodiment.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of grouping and linking.

FIG. 41 is a block diagram of an information recording / reproducing apparatus in a twenty-fourth embodiment.

FIG. 42 is a configuration diagram of a remote control system according to the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 43 is a configuration diagram of another remote control system according to the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 44 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a twenty-sixth embodiment.

FIG. 45 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 46 is a configuration diagram of a linked information reproducing unit according to the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 47 is a configuration diagram of a linked information reproducing unit according to the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 48 is a diagram showing film-feed type reproduction.

FIG. 49 is a diagram showing an example of a video displayed together with linked information and audio link information.

FIG. 50 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a twenty-eighth embodiment.

FIG. 51 is a configuration diagram of an information access unit according to the twenty-eighth embodiment.

FIG. 52 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of another database system according to the twenty-eighth embodiment.

FIG. 53 is a diagram showing a finger icon.

FIG. 54 is a diagram showing an access order of another page.

FIG. 55 is a configuration diagram of a database system according to a twenty-ninth embodiment.

FIG. 56 is a view showing two potentiometers which are crossed with each other in the pointing device according to Example 30.

FIG. 57 is a view for explaining a method of detecting the rotation amount / direction of the ball in the thirtieth embodiment.

FIG. 58 is a sectional view of a pointing device according to Example 30.

FIG. 59 is a sectional view of a pointing device according to Example 30.

FIG. 60 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure of still image file selective reproduction in the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 61 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of a twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 62 is a block configuration diagram when performing file selection and file operation in the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 63 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a list of files in the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 64 is a diagram of an operation example of moving files between groups according to the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 65 is a diagram of an external appearance example of the operating device according to the twenty-fifth embodiment.

FIG. 66 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration according to the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 67 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when link information is displayed in Example 27.

FIG. 68 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which link information is being reproduced in Example 27.

FIG. 69 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when walking link information in Example 27.

FIG. 70 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when displaying a plurality of pieces of link information in Example 27.

FIG. 71 is a diagram of an example of a screen when calling a part connected by a link in the twenty-seventh embodiment.

72 is a diagram showing a frame relationship between a linked main image and a linked image in Example 27. FIG.

FIG. 73 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of linked frames in the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 74 is a diagram showing a screen display example of linked images in the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 75 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display example of the existence time of link information and an object linked by an arrow in Example 27.

FIG. 76 is a diagram showing a display example of the linked information according to the movement of the object in the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 77 is a system configuration diagram when link information is given only to frames to which links have been applied in the twenty-seventh embodiment.

FIG. 78 is a system configuration diagram using image recognition in the twenty-seventh embodiment.

79 is an explanatory diagram of automatic control of the reproduction speed of the main video in Embodiment 27. FIG.

FIG. 80 is a diagram showing the relationship between the playback speed of the main video and the display time of the linked information in Example 27.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Optical disk recording / reproducing unit 5 ... System controller 19 ... User information input unit 20 ... User information processing unit 21 ... Information processing controller 22 ... System management memory 111 ... User I / F 112 ... Link information memory 113 ... Disk empty information memory 114 Control device 115 Image data memory 116 Disc recording / reproducing device 117 Disc discriminating device 118 Display device 119 File link reference information memory 301 User recognition unit 302 User information rewriting unit acquisition unit 303 User Information storage unit 304 ... Dialogue unit 305 ... Database 306 ... Playback unit 307 ... Display unit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location H04N 5/78 B 8224-5D G11B 27/10 A 8224-5D 27/00 E

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. Storage means for storing information to be recorded and reproduced, display means for displaying an instruction command for each user for processing the information stored in the storage means, and this display means. According to the command command displayed by
Input means for giving an instruction to process the information stored in the storage means, and a time range in which an attribute of information to be processed instructed by the input means, a user's identification, and a current time are set. It is provided with identification means for identifying whether or not it is inside, and change means for changing the command command displayed by the display means and the processing that can be instructed by the input means based on the identification result by the identification means. An information recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by the above. 2. Storage means for storing information to be recorded and reproduced, and link information representing a relationship between arbitrary information units among information units forming the information stored in the storage means. Link information generating means for generating, link information storing means for storing the link information generated by the link information generating means, and processing for an information unit in which the link information is stored in the link information storing means A first processing means, and a second processing means for performing a predetermined processing on the link information when the first processing means processes the information unit. Characteristic information recording / reproducing apparatus. 3. Storage means for storing information used for recording and reproduction, and link information representing a relationship between arbitrary information units among information units constituting the information stored in this storage means. Link information generating means, link information storing means for storing the link information generated by the link information generating means, and when performing a copying process on the information unit in which the link information is stored in the link information storing means, An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a duplication processing unit that also performs duplication processing on other information units whose relationship with the information unit to be duplicated is defined by the link information. 4. A plurality of recording means for recording / reproducing a plurality of information files, a discriminating means for discriminating a recording means being reproduced among the plurality of recording means, and a plurality of recording means recorded in the plurality of recording means. Link information generating means for generating link information representing a relationship between related information files among the information files, link information recording means for recording the link information generated by the link generating means, and the link information recording means. A file / link reference information storage unit for recording a rate at which the information files having the recorded link information are referred to; a free space information storage unit for storing information on free space of the plurality of storage units; The information stored in the link reference information storage means and the free space information storage means is recorded in each of the plurality of recording means. And a judgment means for judging whether or not the information file is transferred to another recording means, and a means for controlling the movement of the information file among the plurality of recording means based on the judgment result of this judgment means. Characteristic information recording / reproducing apparatus. 5. An information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing moving image information and audio information, characterized parameter detecting means for detecting characteristic parameters of audio information reproduced together with moving image information, and detection by the characteristic parameter detecting means. A representative frame selecting means for selecting a frame of the moving image information corresponding to a portion where the characteristic parameter of the generated sound satisfies a preset criterion as a frame representing each scene of the moving image information. Information recording / reproducing apparatus. 6. Storage means for storing a still image, input means for inputting a still image, recognition means for recognizing a still image input by this input means, and recognition means for this recognition means. Feature extraction means for extracting features of the still image, search means for searching the storage means with the features and keys extracted by the feature extraction means, and the still image when the still image is input by the input means. An information recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the recognizing means, the feature extracting means, and the detecting means start operating without waiting for the end of input, and the search result of the search means is fed back to the input means. 7. A database in which information to be recorded and reproduced is recorded as a node together with link information representing a relationship between the nodes, and a reproducing means for reading out the information from the database and reproducing the information based on a user's request. User information storage means for storing at least one of the degree of association of each link information read from the database and the degree of importance of each node as user information for each user, and each node and each node in the database by the reproduction means. Database usage status acquisition means for acquiring information on the usage status of link information for each user, and user information stored in the user information storage means based on the information acquired by the database usage status acquisition means. An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a user information rewriting unit for rewriting. 8. A database in which information used for recording / reproducing and its attribute information are recorded as nodes together with link information representing a relationship between the nodes, and an empty node having no information used for recording / reproducing is stored in the database. An information recording / reproducing apparatus, comprising: an empty node generating unit that generates the empty node; and a storage unit that stores information in the empty node generated by the empty node generating unit.