JP2004229021A - Method for additionally writing metadata and information processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for generating image file data which simplifies data carrying, which can be utilized similarly to a normal file without the necessity of loading a novel recording medium and which can extract metadata by an application, and to provide an information processing unit. <P>SOLUTION: An image file and the metadata are filed in one file by securing a metadata area by byte shift processing the predetermined area of an image file and storing the metadata and supplementary data. The metadata is temporarily stored in a known media file format in an external recording medium (memory card) such as a memory card, etc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a metadata appending method and an information processing apparatus for a file recording / reproducing apparatus including a small-scale SDRAM such as a digital camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital cameras that allow a user to add information to an image file have been invented. For example, there is a device that stores character information arbitrarily described by a user, such as a comment on an image, as a camera memo, and outputs the character information to a header portion of a captured image file using a predetermined reproduction application.
[0003]
For metafile data other than characters (metafile data is a set of one or more character, audio, image, or moving image file data), the same function as in the previous section is performed by using the file name of a shooting file and an audio file. (For example, by recognizing that Rig0001.jpg and Rsou0001.wav are related to each other), when a plurality of related files exist in the same directory (folder), the related audio file is displayed while displaying the image. There are also devices that play back.
[0004]
As a prior art example of a method and an apparatus for generating image file data as described above, a sound is linked to an image, recorded in a storage unit, and the sound at the time of photographing the image is stored as a file name of the image. There is a "digital camera" that facilitates management and management (for example, see Patent Document 1). Also, there is a “camera recording device, a camera reproducing device, and a recording device” that can record / reproduce not only still image data but also audio data and record / reproduce by adding a character pattern or the like using an MD. (For example, see Patent Document 2). Further, the user can input a shooting list including a cut name of a recording target to be recorded, and can shoot while checking the cut name of the shooting list displayed on the display unit. And a method for creating a document with an image ”(for example, see Patent Document 3).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2000-341569
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-9-97490
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-2002-189553
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The function of the conventional digital camera is useful in that it simultaneously provides information related to the image file. However, in a conventional method such as Exif, related information can be stored only in character data in a single image file.
[0007]
Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to always associate a plurality of related files with each other by a method for associating files, and it is not possible to inadvertently change a file name. Further, the invention described in Patent Document 2 retains a large number of related metadata by having management information. However, not only does the user have trouble managing the file when moving the file, but also the storage capacity is increased. In information devices with a small number of storage devices, the storage capacity may be insufficient. The invention described in Patent Document 3 adds only document data and character data to an image file, and cannot cope with addition of metadata such as audio data.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and uses a relatively small-capacity SDRAM mounted on a conventionally known digital camera or the like, and complies with a conventionally known image data format while achieving a single unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a metadata appending method for inserting and updating metadata containing commentary of an image or the like in an image file.
[0009]
In addition, the present invention uses a relatively small capacity SDRAM mounted on a conventionally known digital camera or the like to store metadata in a single image file while complying with a conventionally known image data format. In addition, a small and medium-sized information processing device such as a digital camera that realizes the conventional SDRAM capacity without adding a recording medium to the conventional configuration and does not make the user aware of the appearance, operation, and traces is provided. The purpose is to do.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a metadata adding method according to claim 1 is a metadata adding method for generating image file data on a recording medium having a directory configuration having a recording directory (folder) and a template directory. Generating a metadata file (character, sound, image or moving image) in the template directory, an SDRAM having a capacity sufficient for generating one image file, and a format having a header section and a data section on the SDRAM Generating image file data (format); outputting metadata, which is all data of the media file, to the byte area at the rear of the header after generating the header; and supplementary information about the media file Transfer data to the media file Generating the data portion in an area not overlapping with the output data of the media file, generating the data portion in an area not overlapping with the output data of the media file and the supplementary information data, and recording the entire generated data area as a single file Recording in a directory. As a result, a plurality of metadata can be generated as one file even in a device having a small recording capacity. Since the file conforms to a conventional file format, it can be reproduced by an existing image reproducing device. It is also possible to reproduce the metadata in the image reproducing device of the above.
[0011]
3. The metadata appending method according to claim 2, wherein the image file data having an image format having a header portion and a data portion is loaded with image file data to an SDRAM, and from a predetermined portion of the header portion to the end of the file. , A step of securing a supplementary information data storage area (Fm) in a predetermined format, a step of securing a metadata storage area (Fd) in a predetermined format, and a step of securing the supplementary information data. , Storing the metadata, and outputting the updated file data to the file system as a file having the same name as the file before the update. As a result, metadata can be stored in a conventional image file while maintaining the advantage of the first aspect.
[0012]
4. A metadata adding method according to claim 3, wherein the file data is expanded to the SDRAM with respect to image file data having an image format having a header portion, a metadata portion, and a data portion, and the data portion is shifted in byte units. , Securing a supplementary information data storage area (Fm), securing a metadata storage area (Fd) in a predetermined format, supplementary information data storage area (Fm) and metadata storage area (Fd). A) determining an area size; specifying a file to be stored in a metadata storage area (Fd); storing the supplementary information data; storing the metadata; Outputting to the file system as a file with the same name as the file before update; and It is characterized by having. Accordingly, in addition to the advantages of the first and second aspects, in an image file that already has metadata, the metadata can be updated without inconsistency.
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the metadata adding method according to any one of the first to third aspects, a difference between a value of a byte address next to the end of the header part and a value of a first byte address of the data part is: Equal to the sum of the size of the supplementary information data (Fm) and the size of the metadata storage area (Fd), and from the beginning of the file, a header section, a supplementary information data area (Fm), a metadata storage area (Fd), It is characterized in that a file composed in the order of the data part is generated. Thus, the image information data can be reproduced by storing it in the header.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the metadata appending method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the number of files serving as data sources to be stored in the metadata storage area is zero or more. Features. This makes it possible to extract metadata and generate image data in which only supplementary information data is added.
[0015]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the metadata appending method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a step of storing the character media file in the supplementary information data area Fm. And As a result, management of metadata can be simplified.
[0016]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus which performs the metadata adding method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, and stores the metadata file in the template directory when the external recording medium is formatted and when the power is cut off. It is characterized by having means for deleting all. As a result, in a device such as a digital camera, in addition to restoring the capacity of an external recording medium used as a save area for metadata, it is possible to perform processing that does not make the user aware of the operation.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the numbers in the respective drawings are the same as much as possible for the same members and the same processing.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is an external view of a digital camera which is an example of the imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a digital camera which is an example of the imaging apparatus of the present invention.
[0019]
First, the operation of a digital camera, which is an example of the imaging apparatus of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0020]
2 and 3, a lens barrel unit (7) includes a zoom lens (7-1a) for capturing an optical image of a subject, a zoom optical system (7-1) including a zoom drive motor (7-1b), and a focus lens (7-1). 7-2a), a focus optical system (7-2) including a focus drive motor (7-2b), an aperture (7-3a), an aperture unit (7-3) including an aperture motor (7-3b), and a mechanical shutter ( 7-4a), a mechanical shutter unit (7-4) including a mechanical shutter motor (7-4b), and a motor driver (7-5) for driving each motor. Then, the motor driver (7-5) receives a CPU block (104) in a digital still camera processor (104), which will be described later, based on an input from the remote control light receiving unit (6) and an operation input from the operation unit Key unit (SW1 to SW13). The drive is controlled by the drive command from -3).
[0021]
The ROM (108) stores a control program and parameters for control described in codes readable by the CPU block (104-3). When the power of the digital camera is turned on, the program is loaded into a main memory (not shown), and the CPU block (104-3) controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus according to the program. Is temporarily stored in a RAM (107) and a Local SRAM (104-4) in a digital still camera processor (104) described later. By using a rewritable flash ROM for the ROM (108), it is possible to change the control program and the parameters for control, and it is possible to easily upgrade the functions.
[0022]
The CCD (101) is a solid-state imaging device for photoelectrically converting an optical image, and the F / E (front end) -IC (102) is a CDS (102-1) that performs correlated double sampling for removing image noise. AGC (102-2) for gain adjustment, A / D (102-3) for digital signal conversion, and a vertical synchronizing signal (hereinafter referred to as VD) and a horizontal synchronizing signal from CCD1 control block (104-1). (Hereinafter referred to as HD), and a CCD (101) controlled by a CPU block (104-3) and a TG (102-4) for generating a drive timing signal for an F / E-IC (102). Have.
[0023]
The digital still camera processor (104) performs white balance setting and gamma setting on output data of the F / E-IC (102) from the CCD (101), and supplies a VD signal and an HD signal as described above. CCD1 control block (104-1), CCD2 control block (104-2) for converting into luminance data and chrominance data by filtering, CPU block (104-3) for controlling the operation of each unit of the apparatus described above, Local SRAM (104-4) for temporarily storing data and the like necessary for control performed, a USB block (104-5) for performing USB communication with an external device such as a personal computer, and serial communication with an external device such as a personal computer. Serial block (104-6), JPEG codec block for JPEG compression / decompression (104-7), a RESIZE block (104-8) for enlarging / reducing the size of image data by interpolation processing, and a TV signal for converting the image data into a video signal for display on an external display device such as a liquid crystal monitor or a TV. It has a display block (104-9) and a memory card block (104-10) for controlling a memory card for recording captured image data.
[0024]
The SDRAM (103) temporarily stores the image data when the digital still camera processor (104) performs various processes on the image data. For example, the image data to be stored is taken from the CCD (101) via the F / E-IC (102), and the white balance setting and the gamma setting are performed in the CCD1 signal processing block (104-1). The “RAW-RGB image data” in the state, the “YUV image data” in which the luminance data / chrominance data conversion has been performed in the CCD2 control block (104-2), and the JPEG codec block (104-7) And "JPEG image data". The memory card slot (121) is a slot for mounting a removable memory card.
[0025]
The built-in memory (120) is a memory for storing captured image data even when a memory card is not inserted in the memory card slot (121).
[0026]
The LCD driver (117) is a drive circuit for driving an LCD monitor (10), which will be described later, and is a signal for displaying a video signal output from the TV signal display block (104-9) on the LCD monitor (10). It also has the function of converting to. The LCD monitor (10) is a monitor for monitoring the state of a subject before photographing, confirming a photographed image, displaying image data recorded on a memory card or the above-mentioned built-in memory (120), and the like. is there. The video AMP (118) is an amplifier for converting the video signal output from the TV signal display block (104-9) into a 75Ω impedance, and the video jack (119) is connected to an external display device such as a TV. Jack for.
[0027]
The USB connector (122) is a connector for making a USB connection with an external device such as a personal computer. The serial driver circuit (123-1) is a circuit for converting the output signal of the above-described serial block (104-6) into a voltage in order to perform serial communication with an external device such as a personal computer. This is a connector for serial connection with external devices such as a personal computer. The SUB-CPU (109) is a CPU in which ROM / RAM is built in one chip, and uses the output signals of the operation key units (SW1 to 13) and the remote control light-receiving unit (6) as user operation information as the CPU block described above. (104-3) or the status of the camera output from the above-mentioned CPU block (104-3), the sub-LCD (1), AF LED (8), strobe LED (9), buzzer ( 113) and outputs the control signal.
[0028]
The sub LCD (1) is a display unit for displaying, for example, the number of images that can be taken, and the like. The LCD driver (111) displays the sub LCD (1) based on the output signal of the SUB-CPU (109). This is a drive circuit for driving. The AF LED (8) is an LED for displaying an in-focus state at the time of shooting, and the strobe LED (9) is an LED for indicating a strobe charging state. Note that the AF LED (8) and the strobe LED (9) may be used for other display purposes such as during access to a memory card.
[0029]
The operation key units (SW1 to SW13) are key circuits operated by the user, and the remote control light receiving unit (6) is a signal receiving unit of a remote control transmitter operated by the user. The audio recording unit (115) includes a microphone (115-3) for the user to input an audio signal, a microphone AMP (115-2) for amplifying the input audio signal, and an audio recording circuit (115) for recording the amplified audio signal. 115-3). An audio reproduction unit (116) converts a recorded audio signal into a signal that can be output from a speaker, and an audio AMP (116) for amplifying the converted audio signal and driving the speaker. -2), a speaker (116-3) for outputting an audio signal.
[0030]
Hereinafter, a preferred use example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4 to 6. In this usage example, an operation and an operation when adding metadata to a newly captured image at the time of recording will be described.
[0031]
FIG. 4 shows camera memo information that appears when the OK switch SW12 is pressed. Since there is no metadata to be added, the state is “unset” (see (1) in FIG. 4). Here, a submenu ((1) in FIG. 4, upper right) for selecting the metadata media by pressing the right switch SW8 appears. Next, when the lower switch SW10 or the upper switch SW7 is depressed, a submenu is displayed ((1) in FIG. 4, lower right), and when the OK switch SW12 is depressed, voice recording is started, and as shown in (2) in FIG. Become like The user transmits sound from the microphone 115-3 to the camera, and stores sound data until the release shutter SW1 is pressed in the file AUDMEM01. wav is recorded in the template directory (FIG. 5 / TEMPLATE / AUDMEM01.wav). At the end of the recording, the state is as shown in (3) of FIG.
[0032]
Similarly, when the text is recorded in the item of the memo 3, the screen of (5) in FIG. 4 appears by selecting the text. In this operation, the cursor is moved up, down, left and right by SW7, SW8, SW10, and SW11, and input, delete, and end operations are performed by an OK switch SW12. At the end of the process, the state of FIG. txt has been generated.
[0033]
Also, when a moving image is recorded in the item of the memo 4, the moving image is recorded by the same operation as that of the sound, and the AUDMEM04. Recording is performed as avi (see (6) in FIG. 4).
[0034]
When the menu switch SW6 is pressed in the states shown in (1), (3), (4), and (6) of FIG. 4, a shooting standby state is set, and an image is shot with the release shutter SW1.
[0035]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the directory structure in the memory card in the shooting standby state. Under the root directory “/”, there is a TEMPLATE / directory, under which the files AUDMEM01. wav. Similarly, a metafile corresponding to each memo item exists. Here, the first three characters of the file name are the attributes of the metafile, and the last two characters excluding the extension are memo numbers.
[0036]
At this time, an operation when the release shutter SW1 is pressed and taken to generate a JPEG image file is shown.
[0037]
At the time of FIG. 5, two JPEG files DIMG0001. jpg and DIMG0002. jpg has already been generated, so the camera uses DIMG0003. Generate jpg. At this time, file data composed of data shown in FIG. 1A representing a memory map is generated on the RAM 107. Note that the upper side of the figure is the address head side. Here, the header portion is data of bytes from the beginning to immediately before a real image DQT marker (attention to be confused with a thumbnail DQT marker) conforming to JPEG baseline DCT and Exif2.1, and the image data portion is a real image DQT marker. Refer to the following.
[0038]
Next, the supplementary information data part and the ΔFm image data part ΔFd are calculated, and the image data part is shifted downward by ΔFm + ΔFd bytes. Then, all data of the file attached to the TEMPLATE folder is stored in the metadata section.
[0039]
At this time, the supplementary information data part Fm and the image data part Fd are developed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the left column shows the outline of the information, the middle column shows the byte length, the right column shows the data to be recorded, and the upper column shows the address head. Here, the supplementary information data section and each piece of metadata independently constitute an application marker segment 5 (APP5), the contents of which are the contents of the information described in the code column of FIG. .
[0040]
Finally, the generated file image is stored in DIMG0003. jpg is stored in 100IMAGE /.
[0041]
The TEMPLATE / directory erases files under the TEMPLATE / directory when the power switch 13 is turned off.
[0042]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, firstly, there is a point that an image file storing metadata of audio, video, and text can be generated while conforming to the conventional JPEG format. This is different from the conventional invention in that metadata can be conveyed by moving a single file, and an image can be reproduced by a known image reproduction application regardless of the presence or absence of metadata.
[0043]
Second, by temporarily recording metadata using a memory card, the additional consumption of RAM due to additional functions can be suppressed. Since audio files and moving image files generally have not less capacity than RAM, there is a point where memory is insufficient or management becomes complicated. However, this point can be solved by the present invention.
[0044]
Third, by deleting the files under the TEMPLATE directory of the memory card when the power is turned off, it is possible to secure the recordable number and to simplify the operation as viewed from the user.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
The invention according to claim 1 is a metadata appending method for generating image file data on a recording medium having a directory configuration having a recording directory (folder) and a template directory, wherein the metadata file (characters) is stored in the template directory. , An audio, an image or a moving image), an SDRAM having a capacity sufficient for generating one image file, and image file data in a format having a header section and a data section on the SDRAM. Means for outputting metadata, which is all data of a media file, to a region at the rear of the header section after generating the header section, and outputting supplementary information data relating to the media file to the media file. Output data and duplication Means for generating the data portion in an area which does not overlap with the output data of the media file and the supplementary information data, and means for recording the entire generated data area as a single file in a recording directory Therefore, a plurality of metadata can be generated as one file even in a device having a small recording capacity. Further, since this file conforms to the conventional file format, it can be reproduced by an existing image reproducing device, and metadata can be reproduced by a predetermined image reproducing device.
[0046]
The invention according to claim 2 is means for expanding file data to an SDRAM for image file data having an image format having a header portion and a data portion, and using an area from a predetermined portion of the header portion to the end of the file as a byte. Means for shifting by a unit, means for securing a supplementary information data storage area Fm in a predetermined format, means for securing a metadata storage area Fd in a predetermined format, means for storing the supplementary information data, Data storage means and means for outputting the updated file data to the file system as a file having the same name as the file before update. Data can be stored.
[0047]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for expanding file data to an SDRAM for image file data having an image format having a header portion, a metadata portion, and a data portion, and a means for shifting the data portion in byte units. Means for securing a supplementary information data storage area Fm, means for securing a metadata storage area Fd in a predetermined format, means for determining Fm and Fd area sizes, means for specifying a file to be stored in Fd, Claims include means for storing supplementary information data, means for storing the metadata, and means for outputting the updated file data to the file system as a file having the same name as the file before update. In addition to the gains of 1 and 2, in image files that already have metadata, It can be no update.
[0048]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the difference between the value of the next byte address at the end of the header portion and the value of the first byte address of the data portion is the size of the supplementary information data Fm. And a file that is equal to the sum of the size of the metadata storage area Fd and a header part, a supplementary information data area Fm, a metadata storage area Fd, and a data part in order from the beginning of the file. Therefore, the image information data can be reproduced by storing it in the header.
[0049]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the number of data source files stored in the metadata storage area is zero or more. It is possible to extract data and generate image data in which only supplementary information data is added.
[0050]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, further comprising means for storing a character media file in the supplementary information data area Fm. Despite the limitations of the conventional image file format, the management of metadata can be simplified by absorbing character data, which is data with a very small amount of information compared to other metadata, into the supplementary information data area. it can.
[0051]
The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising means for deleting all the metadata files in the template directory when the external recording medium is formatted and when the power is turned off. Therefore, in a device such as a digital camera, in addition to restoring the capacity of an external recording medium used as a save area for metadata, it is possible to perform processing that does not make the user aware of the recording operation of the device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing transition of a memory map when recording a JPEG file. Note that the address head is on the paper.
FIG. 2 is an external view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a transition example of menu display on a sub LCD 1 in the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a directory configuration of a memory card at the time of shooting in the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of image mapping of generated supplementary information data and metadata in the embodiment of the present invention. The left column is the outline of the information, the middle column is the byte length, and the right column is the data to be recorded. The upper row is the address head.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Sub LCD
2 SD card / battery cover
3 Strobe issuing department
4 Optical finder
5 Distance measuring unit
6 Remote control light emitting unit
7 Mirror copper unit
7-1 ZOOM optical system
7-2 FOUCS optical system
7-3 Aperture unit
7-4 Mechanical shutter unit
7-1a ZOOM lens
7-2a FOCUS lens
7-3a Aperture
7-4a Mechanical shutter
7-1b ZOOM motor
7-2b FOCUS lens
7-3b Aperture
7-4b Mechanical shutter
7-5 Motor driver
8 AF LED
9 Remote control receiver
10 LCD monitor
11 Microphone (MC)
101 CCD
102 F / E-IC
102-1 CDS
102-2 ADC
102-3 A / D
102-4 TG
103 SDRAM
104 Digital Still Camera Processor
104-1 CCD1 signal processing block
104-2 CCD2 signal processing block
104-3 CPU Block
104-4 Local SRAM
104-5 USB block
104-6 serial block
104-7 JPEG CODEC block
104-8 RESIZE block
104-9 TV signal display block
104-10 Memory Controller Block
107 RAM
108 ROM
109 SUB-CPU
111 LCD Driver
113 Buzzer
114 Strobe Circuit
115-1 Audio Recording Circuit
115-2 Microphone AMP
115-3 Microphone
116-1 Audio Playback Circuit
116-2 Audio AMP
116-3 Speaker
117 LCD Driver
118 Video AMP
119 Video Jack
120 Built-in memory
121 Memory card slot
122 USB connector
123-1 Serial driver circuit
123-2 RS-232C connector
SW1 release shutter
SW2 mode dial
SW3 ZOOM switch (WIDE)
SW4 ZOOM switch (TELE)
SW5 Self-timer / Delete switch
SW6 MENU switch
SW7 Up / Strobe switch
SW8 Right switch
SW9 DISPLAY switch
SW10 Down / Macro switch
SW11 Left / Image confirmation switch
SW12 OK switch
SW13 power switch

Claims (7)

A metadata appending method for generating image file data on a recording medium having a directory configuration having a recording directory and a template directory,
A metadata generating step of generating at least one metadata file of characters, sounds, images, and moving images in the template directory;
An image file data generating step of generating image file data in an image format having a header portion and a data portion on an SDRAM having a capacity sufficient for generating one image file;
Metadata writing step of writing metadata composed of all data of an existing media file to a rear byte area of the header section after writing the header section to the SDRAM;
A supplementary information data generating step of generating supplementary information data relating to the media file in an area not overlapping with the output data of the media file;
A data part generating step of generating the data part in an area not overlapping with the output data of the media file and the supplementary information data,
A recording step of recording the entire generated data area as a single file in the recording directory,
Metadata adding method, characterized by having: Expanding the image file data on an SDRAM for image file data having an image format having a header portion and a data portion;
Shifting the area from a predetermined position of the header portion to the end of the file in byte units,
Securing a storage area for supplementary information data in a predetermined format;
Securing a metadata storage area in a predetermined format;
Storing the supplementary information data;
Storing the metadata;
Outputting the image file data after update to a file system as a file having the same name as the file before update,
Metadata adding method, characterized by having: Expanding the image file data on an SDRAM for image file data having an image format having a header portion, a metadata portion, and a data portion;
Shifting the data portion by bytes;
Securing a storage area for supplementary information data in a predetermined format;
Securing a metadata storage area in a predetermined format;
Determining the size of the supplementary information data storage area and the metadata storage area;
Specifying a file to be stored in the metadata storage area;
Storing the supplementary information data;
Storing the metadata;
Outputting the image file data after update to a file system as a file having the same name as the file before update,
Metadata adding method, characterized by having: The difference between the value of the byte address next to the end of the header part and the value of the leading byte address of the data part is equal to the sum of the size of the supplementary information data storage area and the size of the metadata storage area, and from the beginning of the file, 4. The metadata adding method according to claim 1, wherein a file is generated in the order of the header section, the supplementary information data storage area, the metadata storage area, and the data section. 5. 5. The metadata appending method according to claim 1, wherein the number of files serving as data sources stored in the metadata storage area is zero or more. 6. The metadata adding method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of storing a character media file in the supplementary information data storage area. 7. A method for performing the metadata appending method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising means for deleting all metadata files in the template directory when formatting the external recording medium and performing power-off processing. Information processing device.

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