Video signals compression/decompression device for video disk recording/reproducing apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for generating compressed signals, comprising: image grouping/compressing means (103, 106) for processing video data into groups, each consisting of video data items or frames which correspond to a predetermined reproducing time, and for compressing and encoding the video data items of each group; speech grouping/compressing means (102, 105) for processing audio data corresponding to the video data into groups, each group consisting of audio data items, and for compressing and encoding the audio data items of each group; and a formatter (108) for combining a plurality of groups of compressed and encoded video data items, which have been supplied from said image grouping/compressing means, into a video-data packet, for combining a plurality of groups of compressed and encoded audio data items, which have been supplied from said speech-grouping/compressing means, into an audio-data packet, for combining at least the video-data packet and the audio-data packet into a data unit, and for supplying the data unit to a recording system or a transfer system.

Claim 7

An apparatus for reproducing compressed signals from a data unit (DUT) comprised of video data groups each consisting of compressed and encoded video data items or frames which correspond to a predetermined reproducing time, audio data groups corresponding to the video data groups, each consisting of compressed and encoded audio data items, sub-video data groups corresponding to the video data groups, each consisting of compressed and encoded sub-video data items, said apparatus comprising: a speech decoder (122) for separating the audio data groups from the data unit and decoding the audio data groups, thereby generating decoded audio data; an image decoder (123) for separating the video data groups from the data unit and decoding the video data groups, thereby generating decoded video data; a sub-image decoder (124) for separating the sub-video data from the data unit and decoding the sub-video data, thereby generating decoded sub-video data; and data synthesizing means (125) for combining decoded the decoded video data generated by said image decoder and the decoded sub-video data generated by said sub-image decoder.

Claim 8

An apparatus for managing compressed signals, comprising memory means for storing program information recorded on a recording medium, said program information forming a data allocation table which consists of numbers assigned to tracks on the recording medium, numbers assigned to zones forming each track, numbers assigned to sectors forming each track, and a link pointer of a data unit to be reproduced next.

Claim 10

An apparatus for synchronizing compressed signals, comprising: an encoder section which comprises: image grouping/compressing means (202, 203, 204) for encoding a predetermined number of image frames which corresponds to a predetermined reproducing time of an original image, thereby generating encoded video data items, and for combining the encoded video data items into a video packet; speech grouping/compressing means (210, 211) for processing encoded audio data corresponding to the packet of encoded video data items, thereby generating speech frames, and for combining the speech frames into a audio packet; additional data generating means (212, 213, 214, 215) for generating additional additional data consisting of a speech frame number assigned to that speech frame included in said audio packet which represents an original speech corresponding to a start timing of a specified image frame included in the video packet; and a formatter for combining the additional data, the audio packet and the video packet into a data unit, and a decoder section which comprises: decoding means (312, 313, 302, 303) for decoding the encoded video data, encoded audio data and additional data of each data unit; and output timing setting means (305, 322, 323, 324, 325, 304, 327, 314) for setting timing of outputting a first specified image frame, when a speech frame number contained in said encoded audio data coincides with a speech frame number contained in said addition data.

Claim 13

An apparatus for synchronizing compressed signals, comprising: an encoder section which comprises: image grouping/compressing means (202, 203, 204) for encoding a predetermined number of image frames which corresponds to a predetermined reproducing time of an original image, thereby generating encoded video data items, and for combining the encoded video data items into a video packet; speech grouping/compressing means (210, 211) for processing encoded audio data corresponding to the packet of encoded video data items, thereby generating speech frames, and for combining the speech frames into a audio packet; additional data generating means (212, 213, 214, 215) for generating additional additional data consisting of a speech frame number assigned to that speech frame included in said audio packet which represents an original speech corresponding to a specified image frame included in the video packet; and a formatter for combining the additional data, the audio packet and the video packet into a data unit, and a decoder section which comprises: image decoding means (402) fro decoding the encoded video data of each data unit into a decoded video data; a frame buffer (402) for storing the decoded video data of each data unit, supplied from said image decoding means; speech decoding means (407) for decoding the encoded audio data of each data unit into decoded audio data; a speech block buffer (408) for storing the decoded audio data of each data unit, supplied from said speech decoding means; first frequency dividing means (404) for frequency-dividing an internal clock signal, thereby generating an image frame pulse defining a timing of outputting data from said frame buffer; a second frequency dividing means (412) for frequency-dividing the internal clock signal, thereby generating a speech sampling pulse and a speech frame pulse; a decoded speech sample address counter (414) which is reset by the speech frame pulse, which counts speech sampling pulses and which generates a read address for said speech block buffer; a register (415) for latching the read address generated by said decoded speech sample address counter, in response to a specified image frame pulse obtained by frequency-dividing the image frame pulse; and means (416) for comparing the comparing a speech sample number contained in the additional data with the address supplied from the register, and for performing synchronization adjustment on the image frame pulse under control of said first frequency dividing means or on the decoded speech sampling pulse under control of said second frequency dividing means, when a difference between the speech sample number and the address is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

Claim 14

An apparatus for reproducing compressed signals from a data unit containing encoded video data generated by compressing and encoding a plurality of image frames, encoded audio data generated by compressing and encoding a plurality of speech frames corresponding to the image frames, and a data unit header representing a position of the encoded vide data and a position of the encoded audio data, said apparatus comprising: memory means (702) for temporarily storing at least the encoded video data and the encoded audio data contained in the data unit; and control means (701) for analyzing the data unit header contained in the data unit, recognizing an address in said memory means, at which the encoded video data and the encoded audio data are stored, and supplying the encoded video data and the encoded audio data from said memory means to an image decoder and a speech decoder, respectively.

Claim 18

An apparatus for reproducing compressed signals from a data unit containing a header, an encoded sub-video data, an encoded audio data and an encoded video data, said header portion containing data representing a size of the data unit, data representing a starting position of the encoded video data and data representing a starting position of the encoded audio data, said apparatus comprising: data cache memory (702) for storing the data unit; and header analyzing means (701) for analyzing the data of the header, recognizing addresses in said data cache memory, at which the encoded audio data, the encoded video data and the encoded sub-video data are stored stored, and designating read addresses, thereby to supply the encoded audio data, the encoded video data and the encoded sub-video data to different decoders, respectively.

Claim 20

An apparatus for reproducing data from a disk having a management area on a central portion and a data area surrounding the management areas, with identical management data items recorded in the management area, and data to be accessed based on the management data item recorded in the data area, said apparatus comprising: first data-checking means (S11 to S14) for reading a first management data from the management area when the apparatus is started and checking the first management data item, thereby determining whether or not it is possible to use the first management data item; data-reading means (S10, S20, S15) for storing the first management data item into a work memory when said first data-checking means determines that it is impossible to use the first management data item, and for read a second management data item from the management area; second data-checking means (S16, S17) for checking the second management data item, thereby determining whether or not it is possible to use the second management data item; and warning-generating means (S19, S20, S15) for storing the second management data item into the work memory when said second data-checking means determines that it is impossible to use the second management data item, and for generating a warning.