JP2007047978A - File generation method, file restoration method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a file generation method and a file restoration method for generating and recording a file by converting an analog signal such as voice to a digital signal, capable of automatically creating a backup prepared for interruption of conversion processing by service interruption, and easily repairing a file which is abnormally ended. <P>SOLUTION: The file generation method for generating a file using a computer comprising an input means of analog signal, a conversion means to digital signal, a means for generating the file and a storage means for storing the file comprises steps of accepting an analog signal by the input means; creating a state display file recording information related to conversion processing; storing the state display file in the storage means; converting the analog signal to a digital signal; generating the file from the converted digital information; and storing the generated file in the storage means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a file generation method, and more particularly to a method for automatically generating a backup file during the conversion process in a method for generating a file by converting an analog signal into a digital signal. Further, the present invention relates to a method for restoring a file using a backup file when the conversion process ends abnormally.

  Conventionally, a tape recorder or the like has been used to record analog signals such as video and audio. In recent years, it has become possible to record using a personal computer instead of a tape recorder. That is, an analog signal can be input from an input terminal of the personal computer, converted into a digital signal, and a file of a predetermined format can be generated and stored and recorded. The conversion from the analog signal to the digital signal uses a program called CODEC. The size of the file converted into the digital signal and the quality during playback depend on the performance of the codec.

  There are multiple types of codecs. There are a plurality of types depending on the compression rate (ratio between the information amount of the analog signal and the information amount of the converted digital signal), the conversion method, and the file format after conversion. Among them, as a typical codec, “write-once type codec” and “collective type codec” are known. The write-once codec is a method in which an analog signal as an input signal is sequentially converted into a digital signal and sequentially added to one file and recorded. The batch codec is a method in which an analog signal as an input signal is temporarily stored in a memory and converted into a batch after the storage is completed to generate a file. At present, a batch-type codec that uses a high compression rate and enables high-quality conversion is often used. A specific example of the write-once codec is a codec that generates a Wav format file. A specific example of the collective codec is a codec that generates a file in MP3 format or WMA format.

  The batch-type codec has a high compression ratio and high quality, but if the processing is interrupted or forcibly terminated for some reason during the conversion process, the analog signal stored in the memory will disappear and the digital signal will be lost. Cannot be converted to Therefore, when recording using a collective codec, it is necessary to prepare a backup in case of an unexpected situation. Prepare a separate recording system for backup. In general, when an analog signal is sound, backup is performed using a tape recorder.

  However, there is a possibility that the backup tape recorder as described above is neglected. Further, the preparation is complicated, and when the recorded backup tape is converted into a file format by digital conversion, the conversion process needs to be performed again, which is inefficient.

  When converting an analog signal to a digital signal as a recording device without using a tape recorder for backup as described above, selectively recording to a separate memory card and encrypting the recorded file Thus, an invention for ensuring the security of recorded contents is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Also, an invention is known in which backup audio recording is performed by preliminarily recording audio data from a current recording time to a point in time a predetermined time back in a buffer memory, and performing actual recording processing in the subsequent operation ( For example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-283521 A JP 07-271400 A

  However, even if the above-described invention is used, if the process ends abnormally during the process of converting an analog signal into a digital signal (ie, during recording or recording), a recording file cannot be generated. In addition, an intermediate file generated upon abnormal termination may remain, but this intermediate file cannot be used for reproduction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a method for generating a file by converting an analog signal into a digital signal, and automatically performing backup recording in case the conversion process ends abnormally An object is to provide a generation method. It is another object of the present invention to provide a file restoration method capable of automatically restoring a digital signal after the conversion process is abnormally terminated.

  The present invention uses a computer including input means for receiving an analog signal, conversion means for converting an analog signal into a digital signal, means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, and storage means for storing the generated file. A method of generating a file by converting an analog signal into a digital signal, wherein the input means accepts the analog signal, and the generating means creates a status display file for recording information related to the conversion process; Storing the created status display file in the storage means, converting the analog signal into a digital signal by the converting means, generating a file from the converted digital information, and generating the generated file Storing in the storage means Also a major feature.

  Also provided are input means for receiving an analog signal, a plurality of conversion means for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, storage means for storing the generated file, and file detection means. A method of repairing a file generated by converting an analog signal into a digital signal using a computer, wherein the file detecting means detects a status display file generated by the generating means, and the converting means Reading a file existing in the same directory as the status display file, converting the read file into a different file format, storing the file in the different file format in a storage means, and Deleting the status display file and storing it in the storage means Characterized by a step of deleting the serial read the converter file from the storage means.

  According to the present invention, recording backup has conventionally been performed using a tape medium or the like, but a backup file can also be created only by a personal computer, wiring trouble when preparing a tape backup, cost, You can avoid forgetting mistakes.

  Even if the recording is abnormally terminated during recording, the recorded file can be automatically repaired using the remaining file.

  The file generation method which is the first invention according to the present application will be described. Although the present invention can be performed using dedicated hardware, an embodiment will be described here by taking a file generation program capable of executing the file generation method according to the present invention on a personal computer as an example. FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration example of a personal computer that can be used in the present invention.

  Fig.5 (a) is an image figure of the form which implements the method based on this invention. A personal computer 1 is connected to a microphone 2 that is an external input device. FIG. 5B shows a hardware configuration of the personal computer 1.

In FIG. 5B, the CPU (Central) included in the personal computer 1 is provided.
A processing unit (Processing Unit) 11 performs various processes, calculations, condition judgments, and control of various devices according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 or a program loaded in a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13.

  The ROM 12 is a read-only memory in which basic programs and parameters for causing the personal computer 1 to function are stored. The RAM 13 is a memory that stores programs and data necessary for the CPU 11 to perform various processes and that can be read and written at high speed.

  The interface 15 is connected to various devices such as the storage device 16, the display unit 17, the input unit 18, the operation unit 19, and the output unit 20, an interface with the device and the CPU 11, and the interface between these devices and the CPU 11. I will provide a. The bus line 14 is a transmission medium used when the interface 15 and the CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, and the like transmit and receive data and control signals.

  The storage device 16 includes a storage medium that can be accessed at a high speed and has a large storage capacity, and stores various programs and data. The recording device 16 also stores and saves the file generated by the present invention. As the storage device 16, for example, a hard disk, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a magneto-optical disk, or the like is used.

  The input means 18 is a terminal for connecting a microphone or the like for inputting an analog signal from the outside and its control device. The operation means 19 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse and the like. In addition to the mouse, a pointing device such as a touch panel or a tablet can be used. The output means 20 is, for example, a speaker.

  Next, a processing method according to the present invention performed using the personal computer 1 and the microphone 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing processing contents according to the present invention. In the figure, each processing step is represented as (101), (102), (103). The process starts from step 101. After the process starts, first, an indicator file which is a status display file of the process is generated and stored in a predetermined directory of the storage device 16 (102). This indicator file is a file in which the start time of the process is recorded in a text format. As a specific example, the system date and system time at which the program started the process is written in a text format, and specified in advance. The file name of the file generated by the conversion process is written. The indicator file may be automatically saved in a specific directory of the recording device 16, or the directory may be designated at the time of saving.

  An input signal (analog signal) necessary for the file generation processing according to the present embodiment is input via the input unit 18 by the microphone 2 connected to the personal computer 1. The input analog signal is converted into a digital signal by a write-once codec as a conversion processing means to generate a file (103). Simultaneously with the conversion process, the same analog signal as described above is used as an input, and the conversion process using the batch codec is also started (104). In the conversion process by the collective codec, the signal to be converted is temporarily stored in a predetermined directory of the RAM 13 or the storage device 16 until the input signal is completed.

  The file generated by the write-once codec is saved in the same directory as the directory where the indicator file is saved (105).

  The processing from step 102 to step 105 is repeated until the recording of the analog signal is completed, that is, until the end operation of the processing (N in 106). When the processing is completed (Y in 106), the information temporarily stored in step 104 is digitally converted by a batch codec to generate a file (107). When the batch codec conversion process ends normally and the generation of the digital signal file is completed (Y in 108), the file by the batch codec is stored in the directory where the indicator file is stored (109).

  Next, the indicator file is deleted from the storage device 16 (110). Next, the file generated by the write-once codec is similarly deleted (111), and the process ends.

  If a power failure, instantaneous interruption, or the like occurs during the above processing (particularly during conversion processing), the personal computer cannot normally continue the processing, and the above processing is forcibly terminated. When the forced termination is performed, all the information stored in the RAM 11 for the conversion process by the batch codec is erased. Therefore, it is impossible to create a recording file without successfully completing the conversion process using the collective codec. As described above, when the conversion process using the batch codec cannot be completed normally (N in 108), the indicator file and the write-once file exist in the directory where the file is stored.

  As described above, when the file by the batch codec is not normally generated, the file by the write-once codec is not deleted from the indicator file stored in the directory, and the process ends. As a result, even if the conversion process using the batch codec ends abnormally, it is possible to leave a record with the file using the write-once codec. That is, a backup file can be generated by a write-once codec.

  Next, the processing image of the method according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 3A is a diagram in the case of normal operation from the start to the end of analog signal recording. At the time of recording / recording start 301, creation of an indicator file (303) and start of digital conversion processing by write-once codec (304) are performed, and intermediate file creation for digital conversion processing by batch codec is also started. (305). An indicator file 306 is created at time 301 and stored in a predetermined directory.

  Until the stop point 302 arrives, the file 307 that has been digitally converted by the write-once codec is additionally recorded. When the method is stopped (302) by the operation of the operation means, digital conversion processing by a batch codec is performed and a file 308 is generated. Confirmation means (not shown) confirms that the file 308 has been normally terminated, deletes the indicator file 306 and the file 307, and terminates.

  Next, the processing by the method according to the present invention when an interruption event occurs during recording / recording processing will be described. In FIG. 3B, the processing by the recording / recording start point 301 is the same as in the normal processing. When the interruption occurs at the time 309, information necessary for the conversion processing by the batch codec recorded in the intermediate file is erased. As described above, when the conversion process using the batch codec does not end normally, the indicator file 310 and the file 311 using the write-once codec are stored in a predetermined directory and the deletion process is not performed. As a result, the file 311 functions as a backup by holding the contents recorded up to the time 309.

  Next, a file repair method which is another invention according to the present application will be described. The present invention can also be performed using dedicated hardware. Here, the embodiment will be described by taking a file repair program executable on a personal computer as an example, as in the above-described embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 shows the processing contents of the file repair method according to the present invention. The process is started from step 201. First, it is determined whether an indicator file exists in a predetermined directory (202). If the indicator file does not exist (N in 202), the recording file to be repaired does not exist, and this process ends (206).

  If the indicator file exists (Y in 202), the file (for example, wav format file) created by the write-once type codec existing in the same directory is converted into a file (for example, wma) Format file) is created (203). Next, the indicator file is deleted (204). Next, the file by the above-mentioned write-once type codec is deleted (205), and this process ends.

  The image of the file creation method using the said invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 4A shows an image of the predetermined storage directory 4 checked in the above 202. If an abnormal termination occurs during the digital conversion process, the write-once file 311 and the indicator file 310 are deleted and stored. Therefore, if an indicator file exists in this predetermined directory, it can be determined that an abnormal termination has occurred. Since the indicator file 310 and the write-once file 311 have different extensions, file generation processing may be performed so that the same file name is assigned.

In this way, when it is determined that the abnormal end has occurred, the presence or absence of the repair can be confirmed by displaying the screen 5 as shown in FIG. 4B on a screen (not shown). In FIG. 4B, the screen 5 displays a file name 6 stored in a predetermined directory in which the digitally converted file is stored and a display 7 indicating whether or not the file is restored.
In the presence / absence display 7, a file with a repair display (file name yyyyyy) is an abnormally terminated file.

  As described above, even when the creation of the recording file is interrupted in the middle, the batch codec file is automatically created using the automatically created backup file (file by write-once type codec). It becomes possible. In this case, the file name indicated by the file name 6 may be used as the file name of the batch codec file.

  In addition, before performing step 203 in the above embodiment, in order to confirm the contents of the file by the write-once type codec, it is clearly shown to the user whether or not the reproduction process is executed by using the output means 20. You may make it specify.

  By using the present invention for a conference device used for an audio conference, it is possible to automatically create a backup of a conference record.

It is a flowchart which shows the example of the software which implement | achieves the file production | generation method concerning this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the software which implement | achieves the file restoration method concerning this invention. It is an image figure which shows the computer processing of the file production | generation concerning this invention. It is an image figure which shows the computer processing of the file restoration method concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of the personal computer which can be utilized for this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Personal computer 2 Microphone 5 Screen 6 File name display column 7 Restoration presence / absence display column 306 Indicator file 307 File by write-once type codec 308 File by batch type codec

Claims (7)

The analog signal is input using a computer having an input means for receiving an analog signal, a conversion means for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, a means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, and a storage means for storing the generated file. A method for converting to a digital signal and generating a file,
Receiving the analog signal by the input means;
The means for generating creates a status display file for recording information relating to the conversion process;
Storing the created status display file in the storage means;
Converting an analog signal into a digital signal by the converting means;
Generating a file from the converted digital information;
And a step of storing the generated file in the storage means. Analog using a computer having an input means for receiving an analog signal, a plurality of conversion means for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, a means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, and a storage means for storing the generated file A method of converting a signal into a digital signal and generating a file,
Receiving the analog signal by the input means;
The means for generating creates a status display file for recording information relating to the conversion process;
Storing the created status display file in the storage means;
Converting an analog signal into a digital signal by the plurality of conversion means;
Generating a plurality of files from the plurality of converted digital information;
Storing the plurality of generated files in the storage means;
Deleting the status display file;
And a step of deleting one file stored in the storage means from the storage means. Analog using a computer having an input means for receiving an analog signal, a plurality of conversion means for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, a means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, and a storage means for storing the generated file A method of converting a signal into a digital signal and generating a file,
Receiving the analog signal by the input means;
The means for generating creates a status display file for recording information relating to the conversion process;
Storing the created status display file in the storage means;
Converting an analog signal into a digital signal by the plurality of conversion means;
Generating a plurality of files from the plurality of converted digital information;
Storing the plurality of generated files in the storage means;
Deleting the status display file on condition that one of the plurality of files has been successfully generated;
A file generation method comprising: deleting the first file stored in the storage unit and another file from the storage unit.   3. The file creation method according to claim 2, wherein the conversion means is a write-once type conversion means and a batch type conversion means. Computer having input means for receiving an analog signal, a plurality of conversion means for converting an analog signal into a digital signal, a means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, a storage means for storing the generated file, and a file detection means A method of repairing a file generated by converting an analog signal into a digital signal using
The file detecting means detecting the status display file generated by the generating means;
The conversion means reads a file existing in the same directory as the status display file, and converts the file into a file format different from the read file format;
Storing the file in another file format in a storage means;
Deleting the status display file;
And a step of deleting the file read by the conversion means stored in the storage means from the storage means. A computer having an input means for receiving an analog signal, a plurality of conversion means for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, a means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, and a storage means for storing the generated file,
Means for receiving analog signals,
Means for creating a status display file for recording information relating to the conversion process;
Means for storing the status display file in the storage means;
Means for converting an analog signal into a digital signal by a plurality of conversion means;
Means for generating a plurality of files from a plurality of converted digital information;
Means for storing a plurality of generated files in a storage means;
Means for deleting the status display file,
Means for deleting one file stored in the storage means from the storage means;
A file generation program characterized by functioning as Computer having input means for receiving an analog signal, a plurality of conversion means for converting an analog signal into a digital signal, a means for generating a file based on the converted digital signal, a storage means for storing the generated file, and a file detection means The
Means for detecting the status display file;
Means for reading a file that exists in the same directory as the status display file and converting it to a different file format from the read file
Means for storing a file of another file format in the storage means;
Means for deleting the status display file,
Means for deleting a file read by the conversion means stored in the storage means from the storage means;
File repair program characterized by functioning as

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