JP2007053707A - Recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an imaging device to be quickly activated for a short period of time without the need for a new CPU even when a removal of a recording medium occurs. <P>SOLUTION: When a PC and a recording medium 200 are connected with a general-purpose interface 205, the controller 201 of the recording medium 200 can execute a read/write processing of image data received from the PC on a second nonvolatile memory 203. The controller 201, however, cannot execute the read/write processing of management information 300 in a first nonvolatile memory 202. When a digital camera 100 and the recording medium 200 are connected with a camera interface 204, the controller 201 can execute the read/write processing on both the first nonvolatile memory 202 and the second nonvolatile memory 203. The first nonvolatile memory 202 holds an update flag 301 indicating whether or not the recording medium 200 is updated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a removable recording medium used in an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera or a digital video camera.

  In recent years, imaging devices such as a digital camera and a digital video camera that store captured image data on a recording medium such as an SD memory card or a compact flash (registered trademark) have been developed.

  Usually, in an imaging apparatus, an initialization process of a file system is required to confirm whether captured image data can be recorded on a recording medium. Specifically, restrictions on the start time of the file system, information on the recording medium (recording medium type information, total capacity of the recording medium, used capacity up to now, current free capacity, file format, and current latest file information Etc.) from the recording medium, the photographing operation cannot be performed even though the initialization operation of the mechanical mechanism and the initialization operation of the electric mechanism are completed. It was.

  As the recording capacity of the recording medium increases, the time required for initialization of the file system increases, and the entire system startup time becomes longer. Therefore, by providing a sub CPU in addition to the main CPU in the image pickup apparatus, an initialization operation of the file system and an initialization operation of another mechanical mechanism are provided, and the image data is supplied to the main CPU of the image pickup apparatus. As long as the recording medium is not removed even when the power is turned off, an apparatus has been proposed in which the sub CPU holds information about the recording medium to start the imaging apparatus at high speed (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-209485 (FIG. 1 etc.)

  However, the imaging device described in Patent Document 1 requires a new CPU, which is expensive, and there is a problem that it is difficult to provide an inexpensive imaging device. Further, when the recording medium is removed, there is a problem that the image pickup apparatus cannot be started at high speed in a short time, and a photo opportunity is missed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable an imaging apparatus to be activated at high speed in a short time without requiring a new CPU even when a recording medium is removed.

  The recording medium according to the present invention includes a first recording area, a second recording area, a first interface suitable for an imaging device, a second interface different from the first interface, and the first interface. Comprises a control means for enabling access to both the first recording area and the second recording area, and allowing only the second recording area to be accessed from the second interface. This recording area is characterized in that it holds a flag indicating whether or not the recording medium has been updated.

  According to the present invention, even when the recording medium is removed, the imaging apparatus can be activated in a short time without requiring a new CPU, and the chance of missing a photo opportunity can be reduced. .

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing main components of a recording medium according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 200 denotes a recording medium. The recording medium 200 includes a controller 201, a first nonvolatile memory 202, a second nonvolatile memory 203, a camera interface 204, and a general-purpose interface 205.

  The first nonvolatile memory 202 and the second nonvolatile memory 203 are nonvolatile memories such as a flash ROM, and may be a medium such as a hard disk, a CD-R, or a DVD. The two nonvolatile memories may be physically different memories, or may be realized by logically dividing the same memory into two areas. The first nonvolatile memory 202, which is one of the two nonvolatile memories, is an update indicating whether or not the recording medium 200 shown in FIG. 2 to be described later has been updated in order to start the digital camera 100 at high speed. Management information 300 necessary for starting the flag 301 and the digital camera 100 at high speed is held.

  The camera interface 204 is an interface compatible with a connector 92 of the digital camera 100 described later.

  The general-purpose interface 205 is an interface compatible with a standard PC (personal computer). For example, USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  The controller 201 operates differently depending on whether the interface of the recording medium 200 connected to the external connector is the camera interface 204 or the general-purpose interface 205, and controls access to the first nonvolatile memory 202 and the second nonvolatile memory 203. .

  When the general-purpose interface 205 connects the PC and the recording medium 200, the controller 201 can execute read / write processing of image data received from the PC with respect to the second nonvolatile memory 203. The read / write processing for the management information 300 in 202 cannot be executed.

  On the other hand, when the digital camera 100 and the recording medium 200 are connected by the camera interface 204, the controller 201 can execute read / write processing for both the first nonvolatile memory 202 and the second nonvolatile memory 203. .

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 206 denotes a command line for transmitting / receiving commands such as writing / reading from the digital camera 100, or reactions caused thereby. Reference numeral 207 denotes a data line for transmitting and receiving information such as image data and management information.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of information held in the first nonvolatile memory 202. In FIG. 2, 301 is an update flag indicating whether or not the recording medium 200 has been updated. In this example, the value is “1” which means that the recording medium 200 has not been updated.

  Reference numeral 300 denotes management information, which is composed of an empty cluster size 302, the number of images 303 in the recording medium 200, the last shooting time 304 of the last image recorded on the recording medium 200, and a management rev 305 indicating the version of the management information 300. Yes. Here, since “free cluster size” indicates the free cluster size, it can also be called “free space size”. The management rev 305 has the same format for each item such as the free cluster size 302 in the same management information 300 in the case of the same management rev. Therefore, it can be said that there is consistency between the management information 300 having the same management rev 305 and that each item of the management information 300 is reliable. In this example, only the same management rev 305 is assumed to be reliable, but the management rev 305 may be upward compatible. In the example in FIG. 2, the management information 300 is “105” cluster, “34”, “05/08/05 13:47”, and version “1.2”, respectively. This management information is information necessary for displaying the number of images that can be taken and the number of shootable images calculated from the free cluster size on an image display unit 28 (to be described later) of the digital camera 100. Therefore, the system control unit 50 that manages the control in the digital camera 100 can store the management information in advance, thereby omitting the detection work such as the number of images of the recording medium 200 and the free cluster size executed at the time of activation.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating main components of the digital camera 100 that is an example of the imaging apparatus according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. Note that an imaging apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to a digital camera, and may be an apparatus that operates as a digital camera. For example, it may be a device such as a digital video camera or a camera-equipped mobile phone.

  In FIG. 3, 10 is a photographing lens, 12 is a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 is an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electric signal, and 16 is an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor 14 into a digital signal. It is.

  A timing generator 18 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26, and is controlled by the memory control unit 22 and the system control unit 50.

  An image processing unit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control unit 22. The image processing unit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 based on the obtained calculation result. TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are performed. Further, the image processing unit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation result.

  A memory control unit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation unit 18, the image processing unit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression unit 32. The data of the A / D converter 16 is written into the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the image processing unit 20 and the memory control unit 22 or the data of the A / D converter 16 is directly written via the memory control unit 22. It is.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes an image display memory, 26 denotes a D / A converter, 28 denotes an image display unit including a TFT LCD, and the image data for display written in the image display memory 24 passes through the D / A converter 26. Displayed by the image display unit 28. If the image data captured using the image display unit 28 is sequentially displayed, the electronic viewfinder function can be realized. The image display unit 28 can arbitrarily turn on / off the display according to an instruction from the system control unit 50. When the display is turned off, the power consumption of the digital camera 100 can be significantly reduced. it can.

  Reference numeral 30 denotes a memory for storing captured still images and moving images, and has a sufficient storage capacity for storing a predetermined number of still images and a moving image for a predetermined time. Thereby, even in the case of continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot, it is possible to write a large amount of images to the memory 30 at high speed. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control unit 50.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes an adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT), which is a compression / decompression unit that compresses or decompresses image data according to an image compression method using JPEG or the like. The compression / decompression unit 32 compresses or decompresses the image data read from the memory 30 and writes the compressed or decompressed image data to the memory 30.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control means for controlling the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  Reference numeral 42 denotes a distance measuring control means for controlling the focusing of the photographing lens 10, reference numeral 44 denotes a zoom control means for controlling zooming of the photographing lens 10, and reference numeral 46 denotes a barrier control means for controlling the operation of the protection means 102 as a barrier.

  A flash 48 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function. The exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement control means 42 are controlled using the TTL method, and the system control unit 50 uses the exposure control means 40 and the distance measurement based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing unit 20. Control is performed on the control means 42.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a system control unit that controls the digital camera 100, and 52 denotes a memory that stores constants, variables, programs, and the like for operation of the system control unit 50.

  Reference numeral 54 denotes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device or a speaker that displays an operation state or a message using characters, images, sounds, and the like in accordance with execution of a program in the system control unit 50, and an operation unit of the digital camera 100 A single or a plurality of locations are provided in the vicinity where they can be easily seen, and are configured by a combination of, for example, an LCD, an LED, and a sounding element. The display unit 54 has a part of its function installed in the optical viewfinder 104. Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed on the LCD or the like includes single shot / continuous shooting display, self-timer display, compression rate display, number of recorded pixels, number of recorded pixels, number of remaining images that can be captured, shutter Speed display, Aperture display, Exposure compensation display, Flash display, Red-eye reduction display, Macro shooting display, Buzzer setting display, Clock battery level display, Battery level display, Error display, Multi-digit number information display, External There are an attachment / detachment state display of the recording medium 200, a communication interface operation display, a date / time display, and the like. Among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.

  Reference numeral 56 denotes an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM.

  Reference numerals 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, and 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control unit 50, such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, pointing by gaze detection, a voice recognition device, or the like. Consists of multiple combinations.

  Here, a specific description of these operating means will be given. Reference numeral 60 denotes a mode dial switch, which can switch and set various function modes such as power-off, automatic shooting mode, shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, playback mode, multi-screen playback / erase mode, and PC connection mode.

  Reference numeral 62 denotes a shutter switch SW1, which is turned on during operation of a shutter button (not shown), and performs AF (auto focus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and the like. Instruct the start of operation.

  Reference numeral 64 denotes a shutter switch SW2, which is turned on when an operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed, and exposure in which a signal read from the image sensor 12 is written into the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control unit 22. Processing, development processing using calculation in the image processing unit 20 or the memory control unit 22, recording processing for reading image data from the memory 30, compression in the compression / decompression unit 32, and writing the image data in the recording medium 200 or 210. Instructs the start of a series of processing operations.

  Reference numeral 66 denotes an image display ON / OFF switch, which can set ON / OFF of the image display unit 28. With this function, when photographing using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power by cutting off the current supply to the image display unit including a TFT LCD or the like.

  Reference numeral 68 denotes a quick review ON / OFF switch, which sets a quick review function for automatically reproducing image data taken immediately after photographing. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a function for setting a quick review function when the image display unit 28 is turned off is provided.

  Reference numeral 70 denotes an operation unit including various buttons, a touch panel, and the like, a menu button, a set button, a macro button, a multi-screen playback page break button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, menu movement + (plus ) Button, menu movement-(minus) button, reproduction image movement + (plus) button, reproduction image-(minus) button, shooting image quality selection button, exposure correction button, date / time setting button, and the like.

  80 is a power supply control means, which is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, etc., and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. The DC-DC converter is controlled based on the result and an instruction from the system control unit 50, and a necessary voltage is supplied to each unit including the recording medium for a necessary period.

  Reference numeral 82 denotes a connector, 84 denotes a connector, and 86 denotes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

  Reference numeral 90 denotes a card controller that transmits and receives data to and from a recording medium such as a memory card, 91 denotes an interface with an external recording medium such as a memory card, and 92 denotes a connector that connects to the memory card, and is compatible with the camera interface 204. Reference numeral 98 denotes recording medium attachment / detachment detection means for detecting whether or not the recording medium 200 is attached to the connector 92.

  In the present embodiment, the interface or connector for attaching the recording medium may have a single or plural number of systems. Further, it may be configured to have a combination of interfaces and connectors of different standards. The interface and the connector may be configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like based on a standard. Further, when the interface 91 and the connector 92 are configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like, a LAN card, modem card, USB card, IEEE 1394 card, P1284 card, etc. By connecting various communication cards such as SCSI cards, PHS and other communication cards, image data and management information attached to the image data can be transferred to and from other computers and peripheral devices such as printers. it can.

  Reference numeral 102 denotes protection means that is a barrier that prevents the imaging unit from being soiled or damaged by covering the imaging unit including the lens 10 of the digital camera 100.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes an optical viewfinder, which can take an image using only the optical viewfinder without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. Further, in the optical viewfinder 104, some functions of the display unit 54, for example, focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like are installed. .

  Next, with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 8, regarding the operation of the digital camera 100 and the recording medium 200 for starting the digital camera 100 at high speed, the digital camera 100 is connected to the recording medium 200 when its own power supply is stopped. The management information 300 is written (flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5), the management information 300 is read from the recording medium 200 at the time of activation (flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7), and the recording medium 200 is processed by a command of the digital camera 100. A processing flow (flowchart in FIG. 8) will be described.

  First, an example of a sequence when the power of the digital camera 100 is stopped will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5. The flowchart in FIG. 4 starts when the user performs a camera power supply stop operation. For example, the operation of the power button in the operation unit 70 or the opening of a battery cover (not shown) corresponds to this. The system control unit 50 updates the management information 300 required at the time of startup in order to perform the next startup of the digital camera 100 of FIGS. 6 and 7 at high speed (step S100).

  Subsequently, the system control unit 50 transmits a “flag setting” command for setting the update flag 301 to “1” to the recording medium 200 (step S101). Is turned OFF (step S102).

  Next, the management information update process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The system control unit 50 sends a “management information write” command to the recording medium 200, writes the free cluster size 302 to the management information 300 in the first nonvolatile memory 202 (step S200), and writes the number of images 303 ( In step S201, the last shooting time 304 of the image recorded on the recording medium 200 is written (step S202), and the format of each management information 300 (for example, the start address of data, the number of items, The management rev 305, which is version information for guaranteeing the item content), is written (step S203). Note that the empty cluster size 302, the number of images 303, the last shooting time 304, and the management rev 305 may be written separately to the recording medium 200, or may be written collectively to the recording medium 200.

  Next, a sequence at the time of starting the digital camera 100 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, a camera activation operation is performed by the user. For example, the operation of the power button in the operation unit 70 corresponds to this. In order to enable access to the recording medium 200, the system control unit 50 controls the power control 80 to turn on the recording medium 200 (step S300). Then, the system control unit 50 transmits a “read flag” command for reading the update flag 301 in the recording medium 200 to the recording medium 200 (step S301).

  Subsequently, the system control unit 50 executes an update determination process (flowchart of FIG. 7 described later) in order to determine the update of the image data and the reliability of the management information 300 in the recording medium 200 (step S302), and as a result “TRUE” indicating that the obtained recording medium 200 has not been updated and the management information 300 can be trusted, or the recording medium 200 has been updated or the management information 300 cannot be trusted, and the management information 300 needs to be updated. Whether or not the recording medium 200 has been updated is determined based on “FALSE” indicating that it is (step S303).

  If the recording medium 200 has been updated (“YES” in step S303), the number of shootable images calculated from the free cluster size 302 and the required number of images 303 to be displayed on the image display 28 upon completion of camera activation is acquired. In order to do this, the system control unit 50 acquires information on the recorded image data from the recording medium 200 (step S304), and uses the result to search for a free cluster size in the recording medium 200 (step S305) and recording. The total number of images in the medium 200 is counted (step S306).

  On the other hand, if the recording medium 200 has not been updated (“NO” in step S303), the information in the management information 300 can be used, so that the system control unit 50 detects a free cluster size when the camera is activated, etc. This process (steps S304 to S306) is omitted.

  As described above, the system control unit 50 can start the digital camera 100 at a higher speed by determining whether the recording medium 200 is updated based on the update flag 301 and the management information 300.

  Next, detailed processing of the update determination processing will be described with reference to FIG. First, the system control unit 50 determines the update flag 301 obtained by the “flag read” command transmission (see step S301) process of FIG. 6 in the first step of the flowchart of FIG. 7 (step S400).

  When the update flag 301 is “0” indicating that it has been updated (“NO” in step S400), the system control unit 50 has updated the recording medium 200 as a result of the update determination process, and has managed it. “FALSE” indicating that the information 300 needs to be updated is obtained (step S406).

  On the other hand, when the update flag 301 is “1” indicating that it has not been updated (“YES” in step S400), the system control unit 50 manages the management rev 305 recorded in advance in the nonvolatile memory 56 of the digital camera 100. Is acquired (step S401).

  Subsequently, the system control unit 50 acquires the management information 300 from the recording medium 200, holds it in the memory 30 in the digital camera 100 (step S402), and extracts the management rev 305 in the management information 300 (step S403).

  Then, the system control unit 50 compares the nonvolatile memory 56 and the management rev 305 in the memory 30 to determine whether they match (step S404).

  When the management rev 305 in the nonvolatile memory 56 and the memory 30 match (“YES” in step S404), the system control unit 50 determines that the recording medium 200 has not been updated as a result of the update determination process, and management information “TRUE” indicating that 300 can be used reliably is obtained (step S405).

  On the other hand, if the management rev 305 in the non-volatile memory 56 and the memory 30 do not match (“NO” in step S404), the system control unit 50 determines that the format of each item in the management information 300 is the result of this update determination process. Since the management information 300 cannot be used reliably because it matches or is not determined, “FALSE” indicating that the management information 300 needs to be updated is obtained (step S406).

  Using the result of this update determination process (“TRUE” or “FALSE”), the system control unit 50 determines whether the recording medium 200 has been updated in the flowchart at the time of camera activation in FIG. 6 (see step S303). .

  Next, the flow of processing performed by the recording medium 200 according to commands from the digital camera 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the controller 201 in the recording medium 200 performs processing 1 and processing 2 shown in FIG. 12 according to the command received from the digital camera 100 (step S500).

  The controller 201 processes each command as follows. When the “write” or “erase” command is received, the update flag 301 indicating that the image data in the recording medium 200 has been updated is set to “0”, and the update flag is set to “0”. Then, data writing or data block erasing is executed in the second nonvolatile memory 203.

  The update flag 301 in the first non-volatile memory 202 is set to “1” by a “flag setting” command received immediately before the power of the digital camera 100 is stopped (see step S102).

  The value “0” or “1” of the update flag 301 is read from the first nonvolatile memory 202 and notified to the digital camera 100 by a “flag read” command received when the digital camera 100 is activated (see step S303).

  The management information 300 is written into the first nonvolatile memory 202 by the “write management information” command received immediately before the power of the digital camera 100 is stopped (see step S303).

  The management information 300 is read from the first nonvolatile memory 202 and notified to the digital camera 100 by a “read management information” command received when the digital camera 100 is activated (see step S303).

  Note that general-purpose interfaces such as USB can use only the “write” and “erase” commands, and other “flag setting”, “flag read”, “management information write”, and “management information read” commands. Can only be used with a camera interface.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the recording medium is removed, the imaging apparatus can be activated in a short time without requiring a new CPU, and a photo opportunity is missed. Can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, the update determination of the recording medium 200 is performed by the management rev. However, in this embodiment, when the ID unique to the recording medium 200 matches the number of times the flag is set in the digital camera 100 and the recording medium 200. The difference is that the digital camera 100 can be activated at high speed.

  In the present embodiment, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. The differences from the first embodiment are (1) the contents of the management information 400 shown in FIG. 9, (2) the management information update process shown in FIG. 10, and (3) whether the recording medium 200 shown in FIG. Update determination processing for determining Needless to say, in step S100 in FIG. 4, not the management information 300 but the management information 400 is updated.

  First, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of information held in the first nonvolatile memory 202 corresponding to the present embodiment will be described. Items in the management information 400 that are different from the above-described embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a recording medium ID 405 and a flag setting count 406 are used instead of the management rev 305. The recording medium ID 405 is a unique value assigned to each recording medium 200 and is “MID_001234” in this example. The flag setting number 406 is the number of times the “flag setting” command is executed, and is “5” in this example. The above is the description of the information held in the first nonvolatile memory 202.

  Next, the management information update process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The system control unit 50 writes the free cluster size 402 to the management information 400 in the first nonvolatile memory 202 (step S600), and writes the number of images 403 and the last shooting time 404 (step S601). Further, the system control unit 50 increments the number of flag settings held by the digital camera 100 in the nonvolatile memory 56 (step S602), and then sets the flag setting number 406 in the management information 400 in the first nonvolatile memory 202. Writing is performed (step S603). Subsequently, the system control unit 50 writes the recording medium ID 405 read from the recording medium 200 and the flag setting count 406 written to the recording medium 200 in the nonvolatile memory 56 (step S604). Note that the empty cluster size 402, the number of images 403, the final shooting time 404, and the flag setting count 406 may be written separately to the recording medium 200 or may be written to the recording medium 200 in a lump. Good.

  Next, an update determination process for determining whether or not the recording medium 200 has been updated will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the system control unit 50 determines the update flag 401 obtained by the “flag read” command transmission (see step S301) process of FIG. 6 in the first step of the flowchart of FIG. 7 (step S700).

  When the update flag 401 is “0” indicating that it has been updated (“NO” in step S700), the system control unit 50 has updated the recording medium 200 as a result of this update determination processing, and manages it. “FALSE” indicating that the information 400 needs to be updated is obtained (step S707).

  On the other hand, when the update flag 401 is “1” indicating that the update flag 401 has not been updated (“YES” in step S700), the system control unit 50 records the recording medium recorded in advance in the nonvolatile memory 56 of the digital camera 100. The ID 405 is acquired (step S701), and the flag setting count 406 is acquired (step S702).

  The system control unit 50 acquires the management information 400 from the recording medium 200, holds it in the memory 30 in the digital camera 100 (step S703), and extracts the recording medium ID 405 and the flag setting count 406 in the management information 400 (step S704). ). Then, the system control unit 50 compares the non-volatile memory 56 with the recording medium ID 405 and the flag setting count 406 in the memory 30 to determine whether they match (step S705).

  When the recording medium ID 405 and the flag setting count 406 in the nonvolatile memory 56 and the memory 30 match (“YES” in step S705), the system control unit 50 updates the recording medium 200 as a result of the update determination process. However, “TRUE” indicating that the management information 400 can be used reliably is obtained (step S706).

  On the other hand, when the recording medium ID 405 and the flag setting count 406 in the nonvolatile memory 56 and the memory 30 do not match (“NO” in step S705), the system control unit 50 stores the management information 400 in the management information 400 as a result of the update determination process. Since the format of each item does not match or is not determined, the management information 400 cannot be used with confidence, so “FALSE” indicating that the management information 400 needs to be updated is obtained (step S707).

  Using the result of this update determination process (“TRUE” or “FALSE”), the system control unit 50 determines whether the recording medium 200 has been updated in the flowchart at the time of camera activation in FIG. 6 (see step S303). .

  As described above, also in the second embodiment, by operating the digital camera 100 and the recording medium 200, it is possible to speed up the activation process of the digital camera 100.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the update determination of the recording medium 200 is performed by the update flag 301 and the management rev 305. However, in the present embodiment, the recording medium is updated by the update flag 301 and the identification ID of the digital camera 100 (not shown). judge. As described above, only the difference from the management rev 305 to the identification ID is changed, and the processing flow according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

It is a figure which shows the main components of the recording medium based on the 1st-3rd embodiment. It is a figure explaining an example of the information which the 1st non-volatile memory holds. It is a figure which shows the main components of the digital camera which is an example of the imaging device which concerns on 1st-3rd embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing when the power of the digital camera according to the first embodiment is stopped. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the management information update process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing when the digital camera according to the first embodiment is activated. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing in update determination of a recording medium of the digital camera according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining an example of a process when the command is received from the digital camera of the recording medium according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the data in the 1st non-volatile memory which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the management information update process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the process in the update determination of the recording medium of the digital camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the process performed with the recording medium which concerns on the 1st-3rd embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100: Digital camera 200: Recording medium 201: Controller 202: First nonvolatile memory 203: Second nonvolatile memory 204: Camera interface 205: General-purpose interface

Claims (14)

A first recording area;
A second recording area;
A first interface adapted to the imaging device;
A second interface different from the first interface;
A control means for enabling access to both the first recording area and the second recording area from the first interface, and allowing access to only the second recording area from the second interface; Prepared,
The recording medium, wherein the first recording area holds a flag indicating whether or not the recording medium has been updated.   The first recording area holds management information necessary for starting up the imaging apparatus, such as the number of images in the recording medium and a free area size of the recording medium, and management information consistency determination information. The recording medium according to claim 1.   2. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the flag is set is detected by the imaging device at startup, and consistency between the recording medium and the management information acquired from each of the imaging devices is determined. .   2. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein immediately before the power of the imaging apparatus is stopped, an empty area size, the number of images, and consistency determination information of the management area are written in the first recording area.   The first recording area includes the number of times the flag has been set to the recording medium, the number of times the flag is set, a unique ID of the recording medium, the number of images in the recording medium, The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein management information necessary for initializing the imaging apparatus, such as a free area size, is stored.   Whether or not the flag is set at the start-up is detected by the imaging device, and it is determined whether or not the recording medium and the recording medium ID acquired from each of the imaging devices match the number of times the flag is set to the recording medium. The recording medium according to claim 1.   2. The recording according to claim 1, wherein immediately before the power supply of the imaging apparatus is stopped, an empty area size, the number of images, and the number of times the flag is set to the recording medium are written in the first recording area. Medium.   2. The first command detection means for detecting a data update command for a second recording area received from the first or second interface in order to clear the flag. recoding media.   The recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising: a second detection unit configured to detect a flag setting command for a management area received from the first interface in order to set the flag.   The recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising a third detection unit configured to detect a flag notification command received from the first interface in order to notify the imaging device of the flag.   The recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth detection unit configured to detect a management information read command received from the first interface in order to read management information.   The recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising a fifth detection unit that detects a management information write command received from the first interface to write management information.   The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the flag is cleared by executing data update in the second recording area after clearing the flag.   The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the flag is set immediately before the power of the imaging apparatus is stopped.

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