JP2008077402A - Image processor, its control method, computer program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To set a kind of image data to be stored corresponding to cluster sizes of a plurality of logical partitions in order to improve the efficiency of a recording medium and facilitate a data classification after photographing and to provide the partition configuration by formatting the recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: The image processor for storing picked-up images in a detachable recording medium comprises: a first determination means for determining the number of the logical partitions in the recording medium; a cluster size acquisition means for acquiring the cluster sizes of the respective logical partitions in determining that the plurality of logical partitions are present by the first determination means; and a setting means for setting the classification of the images to be stored in each of the plurality of logical partitions on the basis of the cluster sizes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method thereof, a computer program, and a storage medium.

  In recent years, the recording capacity of memory cards used in digital cameras has become enormous, and a large number of image data can be recorded. In such a situation, if a memory card is searched for desired image data or image data is sorted after shooting, a large amount of image data is handled and processing takes time, and image data management is a burden. It will take. Therefore, it is required to manage image data easily even when handling a large number of image data.

  In addition, in the digital camera, not only a still image mode for capturing still image data but also a moving image mode capable of capturing moving image data is prepared. With the advancement of digital camera technology, the data size of moving image data is increasing compared to still image data, such as being able to shoot for a long time and recording high-definition moving images. It is also an important issue to efficiently record two types of different data on a memory card, such as moving image data having a huge size and still image data having a smaller size than moving image data.

  A method for solving the problem of efficient use of the memory card by providing a plurality of cluster sizes when storing data has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). This proposed method will be described below with reference to FIG. 1, taking a FAT file system common to Windows (registered trademark) PCs as an example.

  FIG. 1 simply shows the data arrangement state and the FAT status corresponding to the data when the cluster size is different from C1, C2, and C3 (C1 <C2 <C3).

  For example, in FIG. 1A, when the data arrangement 102 in the data area is seen, it can be seen that the file 1 is arranged across the cluster 0 and the cluster 1. At that time, in the FAT 101, since the next to the cluster 0 is the cluster 1, "1" is written in the entry of the cluster 0 of the FAT 101. Next, since the file is finished in cluster 1, “0xFFFF” indicating the final cluster is written in the entry of cluster 1 of FAT101. As described above, in the FAT 101, the arrangement status of data in the data area is expressed in a list state.

  The difference depending on the cluster size will be described. Comparing FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the cluster size C2 (106) is smaller between the cluster size C1 (103) and the cluster size C2 (106). Thus, even if the size of the data area is the same, the data arrangement 105 in FIG. 1B, which has a smaller cluster size, has fewer free areas that do not store data, and stores more files. You can see that it is possible.

  However, it can be seen that FIG. 1A has more free space than FIG. 1B, but the FAT 101 area is smaller than the FAT 104. FIG. This is even more pronounced with reference to FIG. If the cluster size is large, the FAT area can be accommodated in a small area, and this is effective when it is desired to secure a large data area by reducing the FAT as the data management area.

That is, for a file with large data, the management area can be reduced by using a large cluster size, and the data area can be used efficiently. In addition, if the management area is small, the number of times of writing to the management area can be reduced when the file is saved, so that the file saving time can be shortened. Furthermore, for a small file, a small cluster size can be used to reduce a useless empty area and use a data area more effectively.
JP 2000-357112 A

  Based on the above, Patent Document 1 proposes a file system in which a plurality of cluster sizes can be set in one partition so that the cluster size can be changed according to the data size to be stored. However, a file system in which multiple cluster sizes are set in one partition is not common, and there is no compatibility with other general file systems such as FAT, so the usage situation is limited. End up. Further, in order to use this system, it is necessary to incorporate a file system driver corresponding to the system, and it cannot be used easily.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in order to make the recording medium efficient and facilitate data type after shooting, it is possible to set the type of image data to be stored according to the cluster size of a plurality of logical partitions. Objective. It is another object of the present invention to provide a partition configuration by formatting a recording medium.

One invention for solving the above problems is:
An image processing apparatus for storing a captured image in a removable recording medium,
First determination means for determining the number of logical partitions in the recording medium;
A cluster size acquisition unit that acquires a cluster size of each logical partition when the first determination unit determines that there are a plurality of logical partitions;
And setting means for setting a type of an image to be stored in each of the plurality of logical partitions based on the cluster size.

Other inventions for solving the above problems are:
An image processing apparatus for storing a captured image in a removable recording medium,
Determining means for determining the number of logical partitions when formatting the recording medium;
Cluster size setting means for setting the cluster sizes of the plurality of logical partitions different from each other when the number of logical partitions is determined to be plural;
Formatting means for formatting the recording medium based on the number of logical partitions and each cluster size.

  According to the present invention, the type of image data to be stored can be set according to the cluster size of a plurality of logical partitions in order to make the recording medium efficient and facilitate data type after shooting. . In addition, the recording medium can be formatted to provide such a partition configuration.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes an image processing apparatus corresponding to this embodiment. The image processing apparatus 100 can be implemented as a digital camera, for example. Also, it can be realized as a personal computer, a mobile phone, a PDA or the like having an image photographing function.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes a photographing lens, 12 denotes a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 denotes an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and 16 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor 14 into a digital signal. 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. Further, the image processing unit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data. The system control unit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 based on the obtained calculation result, and performs 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, and 28 denotes an image display unit composed of a TFT LCD or the like. Display image data 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. Further, 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 image processing apparatus 100 can be greatly reduced. Can do.

  Reference numeral 30 denotes a memory for storing captured still images and moving images, and has a recording amount sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images and moving images 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.

  A compression / decompression unit 32 compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like, reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and stores the processed data in the memory 30. Write to.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control unit that controls the shutter 12 having an aperture function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48. Reference numeral 42 denotes a distance measurement control unit that controls focusing of the photographing lens 10, reference numeral 44 denotes a zoom control unit that controls zooming of the photographing lens 10, and reference numeral 46 denotes a barrier control unit that controls the operation of the protection unit 102 serving as a barrier. A flash 48 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function.

  The exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 are controlled using the TTL method. Based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing unit 20, the system control unit 50 performs the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement. The controller 42 is controlled. Reference numeral 50 denotes a system control unit that controls the entire image processing apparatus 100, and reference numeral 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, a message, or the like using characters, images, sounds, and the like according to execution of a program in the system control unit 50. The display unit 54 is installed at a single or a plurality of positions near the operation unit of the image processing apparatus 100 so as to be easily visible, and is configured by a combination of, for example, an LCD, an LED, and a sounding element.

  In addition, the display unit 54 is partially 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 There are speed display, aperture value display, and exposure compensation display. In addition, flash display, red-eye reduction display, macro shooting display, buzzer setting display, watch battery remaining amount display, battery remaining amount display, error display, information display with multiple digits, display / removal state display of recording media 200 and 210, Communication I / F operation display, date / time display, etc. 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 units for inputting various operation instructions of the system control unit 50. A single unit such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, pointing by line-of-sight detection, a voice recognition device, or the like Consists of multiple combinations.

  Here, a specific description of these operation units 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 the operation of a shutter button (not shown), and performs AF (auto focus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash pre-flash) processing, and the like. Instruct to start operation.

  Reference numeral 64 denotes a shutter switch SW2, which is turned on when the operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed, and instructs to start the following series of processing operations. The series of processes includes an exposure process 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, and the image processing unit 20 and the memory control unit 22 Development processing using computation is included. Also included is a recording process in which image data is read from the memory 30, compressed by the compression / decompression unit 32, and the image data is written to the recording medium 200 or 210.

  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, in particular, a function for setting a quick review function when the image display unit 28 is turned off is provided.

  70 is an operation unit composed of various buttons, a touch panel, etc., 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) Includes buttons. Further, it further includes a menu movement- (minus) button, a reproduction image movement + (plus) button, a reproduction image- (minus) button, a photographing image quality selection button, an exposure correction button, a date / time setting button, and the like.

  A power control unit 80 includes a battery detection unit, a DC-DC converter, a switch unit that switches a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. The power supply control unit 80 also controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and an instruction from the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 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 lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, NiMH battery, or Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like. A card controller 90 transmits and receives data to and from an external recording medium such as a memory card. 91 is an interface with an external recording medium such as a memory card, 92 is a connector for connecting to an external recording medium such as a memory card, and 98 is a recording medium attachment / detachment for detecting whether or not the external recording medium 200 is attached to the connector 92 It is a detection unit.

  In the present embodiment, the interface or the connector for attaching the recording medium may be configured to have a single or a plurality of systems, any number of systems. Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with combining the interface and connector of a different standard. The interface and the connector may be configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like that conforms to a standard.

  Further, let us consider a case where the interface 91 and the connector 92 are configured using a PCMCIA card, a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card, or the like conforming to a standard. In this case, by connecting various 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 a printer. The various communication cards include LAN cards, modem cards, USB cards, IEEE 1394 cards, P1284 cards, SCSI cards, communication cards such as PHS, and the like.

  A protection unit 102 is a barrier that prevents the imaging unit from being soiled or damaged by covering the imaging unit including the lens 10 of the image processing apparatus 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. In the optical viewfinder 104, some functions of the display unit 54, for example, a focus display, a camera shake warning display, a flash charge display, a shutter speed display, an aperture value display, an exposure correction display, and the like are installed. Reference numeral 200 denotes an external recording medium such as a memory card.

  The overall system configuration of the image processing apparatus 100 has been described above.

  Next, the configuration of a logical partition (hereinafter also simply referred to as a partition) of the recording medium 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In order to configure a logical partition in the recording medium 200, it is necessary to create a partition table 302 in the MBR sector 301 located at the head of the recording medium 200. Up to four entries (302a to 302d) can be registered in the partition table 302. This entry indicates the information of the corresponding partition.

  When the recording medium 200 is used in one partition as shown in FIG. 3A, only entry 1 (302a) of the partition table 302 is valid, and entries 302b to 302d of other partitions are cleared to 0. ing. Members of each entry include a boot indicator 307, a start CHS (cylinder, head, sector) 308, an end CHS 309, a system indicator 310, a partition start sector 311 and a partition size 312.

  When the FAT file system is configured in the partition, the boot sector 303 is arranged at the start sector position 311. The boot sector 303 includes management information such as the size of the FAT 304 and the size of the cluster 305 in the partition, and the configuration in the partition can be acquired by analyzing the boot sector 303.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, when all four entries 302a to 302d of the partition table 302 are valid, the partitions are independent of each other. Therefore, the file system can be configured by changing the size of the cluster 305 in each partition.

  When the recording medium 200 having a plurality of partitions as described above is used in the image processing apparatus 100, refer to FIG. 4 for processing of the data storage destination partition setting unit for setting which partition to store the captured image data. To explain. The data storage destination partition setting unit can be provided in the image processing apparatus 100 so as to be communicable with the system control unit 50. Alternatively, the system control unit 50 may function as the data storage destination partition setting unit by executing a processing program stored in the memory 52, and this case will be described below.

  In the present embodiment, in order to simplify the description, the image processing apparatus 100 is described as having only two types of shooting modes: a still image shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode.

  When the recording medium 200 is connected to the image processing apparatus 100 and activated, the data storage destination partition setting unit reads the MBR 301 as the first sector in step S401 in order to acquire the logical partition state of the recording medium 200. In step S402, entry i (i = 1, 2, 3, 4) in the partition table 302 is set as a processing target, and in step S403, it is determined whether the partition entry i is not cleared to 0 and is valid. If not valid (“NO” in step S403), the process proceeds to the next entry. On the other hand, if it is valid (“YES” in step S403), the process proceeds to step S404. In step S404, the start sector 311 is acquired from the partition entry, and the boot sector 303 of the partition is read. In step S405, the boot sector 303 is analyzed to obtain the cluster size Ci.

  After checking all the entries, it is determined in step S406 whether or not a valid partition exists. If all entries are invalid (“NO” in step S406), an error is notified in step S407 and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if there is a valid one (“YES” in step S406), the process proceeds to step S408. In step S408, the number of valid partitions is determined. If there is only one (“1” in step S408), the process proceeds to step S411. In step S411, the effective partition is set as a partition for storing both moving images and still images. In step S413, the partition setting information is stored in the memory 30.

  On the other hand, when there are a plurality of valid partitions (“plurality” in step S408), the process proceeds to step S409. In step S409, the partition j having the largest cluster size Cj among the acquired cluster sizes is set as the moving image storage partition. Thereby, it is possible to store moving image data having a large image data size in a partition having a large cluster size, and can be efficiently stored.

  In step S410, a partition k having a cluster size Ck next to the cluster size Cj is set as a still image storage partition.

  In a succeeding step S412, it is determined whether or not the set partition has a free space. If there is no space and the image data cannot be saved (“YES” in step S412), the process returns to step S406 and is repeated. As a result, the storage destination partition can be set again for other valid partitions excluding the partition. On the other hand, if there is a space and the image data can be stored (“NO” in step S412), the process proceeds to step S413, the partition setting information is stored in the memory 30, and the process ends.

  Thus, by analyzing the boot sector of each partition based on the partition table and obtaining the cluster size, the image data storage destination partition for each shooting mode can be set according to the cluster size.

  The partition setting information is stored in the memory 30 that is also used as a work area of the system control unit 50, and when storing the image data newly generated by shooting in the recording medium 200, the partition setting information is stored. Referenced to determine.

  Accordingly, if different cluster sizes are set in a plurality of partitions, moving image data having a large data size can be allocated to and stored in a partition having a larger cluster size. Still image data can be allocated and stored for a partition having a smaller cluster size. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the useless empty area in the data area and use the data area more effectively.

  In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, two types of shooting modes are taken as an example. However, even in the same movie shooting mode, the high-quality shooting mode that can shoot high-definition movie data and the low-quality low-quality shooting mode depending on the frame rate, compression rate, or image size at the time of shooting. And exist. In this case, the high quality mode moving image data having a large data size can be assigned to the partition having the maximum cluster size. In addition, the moving image data in the low quality shooting mode in which the data size is relatively small can be assigned to a partition having a smaller cluster size. In this way, even in the same moving image shooting mode, it is possible to distinguish the partition to be allocated and to effectively use the data area. The same applies to still images.

  If the size of the image data generated as a result due to the difference in shooting quality, even if the type of captured data, i.e., moving image, still image, or even the same moving image, still image, It is preferable to distinguish the partition to be allocated. Also in this case, if a partition having a large cluster size is allocated from a large data size assumed for the image data photographed according to the type, it is possible to cope with any increase in the number of photographing modes.

  As an exception, when a set partition becomes full, it is possible to avoid missing a shooting opportunity by changing the storage destination to another partition. At that time, the setting information stored in the memory 30 is also changed.

  In this manner, storing image data in a partition corresponding to the type facilitates management of image data after shooting. Also, using partitions is common in Windows PCs, and the recording medium storing image data can also be used in PCs other than digital cameras, so compatibility is maintained.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the data storage destination partition setting unit reads the MBR 301 at startup, acquires the partition table 302, analyzes the boot sector 303 of each partition, and acquires the cluster size. And on that, the storage partition was set.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the image processing apparatus 100 does not analyze all the partitions as in the first embodiment, and the storage destination setting at the previous use is “storage destination partition setting file” when the power is turned off. Are stored in a predetermined storage location. Thereby, necessary information can be acquired quickly.

  In this embodiment, the root directory of partition 1 is used as the storage destination of the storage destination partition setting file. In addition, as in the first embodiment, there are two types of shooting modes: a moving image mode and a still image mode for simplicity.

  Processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 5, first, in step S501, the MBR 301 is read in order to acquire the partition table 302. In this embodiment, since the storage destination partition setting file is stored in the partition 1 as described above, whether or not the partition 1 is valid is determined based on the contents of the entry 302a of the partition 1 in step S502. . If it is valid (“YES” in step S502), the process proceeds to step S503. In step S503, the boot sector 303 of the partition 1 is acquired according to the start sector 311 of the entry 302a, and the information is analyzed.

  In step S504, based on the information of the boot sector 303, it is determined whether or not the storage destination partition setting file exists in the partition 1. If the save destination partition setting file exists (“YES” in step S504, the process proceeds to step S505. In step S505, the save destination partition setting file is read.) In step S506, the save destination partition setting file is read. The storage destination partition for the data acquired in the moving image mode and the still image mode is set based on the description information, and the setting result is stored in the memory 30 as partition setting information.

  As the contents of the storage destination partition, a partition number may be specified for each shooting mode. Alternatively, the cluster size of all partitions may be noted, and the storage destination partition for each shooting mode may be set based on the cluster size in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, when the partition 1 is not valid (“NO” in step S502) and when the storage destination partition setting file does not exist (“NO” in step S504), the process proceeds to step S507. In step S507, it is determined whether another valid partition exists. If it exists (“YES” in step S507), the process proceeds to step S508. On the other hand, if it does not exist (“NO” in step S507), an error is notified in step S510, and the process ends.

  In step S508, the cluster size of the partition determined to be valid is acquired, and the storage destination partition corresponding to each shooting mode is set according to the cluster size. The setting result is stored in the memory 30 as partition setting information. This process is the same as the process after step S407 in the first embodiment. In subsequent step S509, the information on the set storage destination partition is stored in the root directory of partition 1 as a storage destination partition setting file. Thereby, the storage destination partition can be set efficiently by referring to the file from the next time onward.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the partition setting information is stored in the recording medium 200 as a storage destination partition setting file, and can be reused. Partition can be set.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the processing of the image processing apparatus 100 when the recording medium 200 has a plurality of partitions has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a format process for formatting the recording medium 200 so as to have a plurality of partitions having different cluster sizes in the image processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of format processing of the recording medium 200 in the image processing apparatus 100 of the present invention, corresponding to the present embodiment.
In this process, according to the instruction received from the user, the recording medium 200 configured with a single partition can be formatted so as to be configured with a plurality of partitions having cluster sizes corresponding to a plurality of shooting modes. . Further, it is possible to perform a format suitable for the shooting mode for each partition, and it is also possible to reconfigure the data into one partition as a whole.

  In FIG. 6, first, in step S601, it is determined whether or not the recording medium 200 to be formatted already has a plurality of logical partitions. If there are a plurality (“plural” in step S601), the process proceeds to step S602.

  In step S602, it is determined based on an input from the user whether to format each partition or to combine into one partition. At this time, for example, a selection screen can be displayed on the display unit 54 of the image processing apparatus 100 and the selection can be received using the operation unit 70. Here, if the format for each partition is selected (“individual” in step S602), the process proceeds to step S603. On the other hand, when a format to be combined into one partition is selected (“1” in step S602), the process proceeds to step S609.

  In step S603, the selection of the partition to be formatted is received from the user. Here, for example, the selection screen can be displayed on the display unit 54 of the image processing apparatus 100 and the selection can be received using the operation unit 70.

  In the subsequent step S604, the user further receives a selection as to whether the selected partition is a moving image storage partition or a still image storage partition. Here, for example, the selection screen can be displayed on the display unit 54 of the image processing apparatus 100 and the selection can be received using the operation unit 70.

  If the moving image storage partition is selected by the user (“moving image” in step S604), the process proceeds to step S605. On the other hand, when the still image storage partition is selected (“still image” in step S604), the process proceeds to step S606.

  In step S605, the cluster size of the selected partition is set to N, and in step S606, the cluster size is set to M. At this time, arbitrary data sizes can be set for N and M, but N must have a value larger than M. A predetermined data size may be assigned to the values of N and M, or a setting pattern is prepared, a selection screen is displayed on the display unit 54 of the image processing apparatus 100, and the operation unit 70 is used. Then, the user may be allowed to select any pattern.

  By setting the cluster size to N> M in this way, a large size can be efficiently stored for moving image storage, and a small size can be efficiently stored for still image storage. When there are more shooting modes, for example, as options, high-speed storage (cluster size N), medium-speed storage (cluster size M), low-speed storage (cluster size L) (where N> M> L ) May be prepared and selected. In this way, even when the number of shooting modes increases, it is possible to devise so that the options do not increase significantly.

  In the subsequent step S607, the selected partition is formatted in the selected cluster size, and the formatting process is completed.

  If it is determined in step S601 that only one exists (“1” in step S601), the process proceeds to step S608. In step S608, it is selected whether to create a plurality of partitions or to format with one partition. Here, for example, the selection screen can be displayed on the display unit 54 of the image processing apparatus 100 and the selection can be received using the operation unit 70.

  If the user selects one partition (“1” in step S608), the process proceeds to step S609. On the other hand, when the format process for creating a plurality of partitions is selected (“plurality” in step S608), the process proceeds to step S612.

  If the user is selected to format in one partition (“1” in steps S602 and S608), a warning is displayed on the display unit 54 in step S609. This is for notifying that all data is erased by this formatting process. Thereafter, in step S610, it is determined based on an input from the user whether or not the partition is actually executed. Here, for example, a confirmation screen can be displayed on the display unit 54 of the image processing apparatus 100 and a confirmation operation can be accepted using the operation unit 70. If format execution is selected (“YES” in step S610), the process proceeds to step S611. On the other hand, when the execution of the format is canceled (“NO” in step S610), the process ends. In step S611, a process of formatting the recording medium 200 into one partition is performed, and this process ends.

  Next, the process after step S612 is demonstrated. In step S612, the cluster size set for the partition is determined for each shooting mode. Here, the moving image storage partition is the first, and N is set as the cluster size. For the second partition, M (N> M) is set as the cluster size, and it is set as a still image storage partition.

  Even when the shooting mode is 3 or more, it is not always necessary to prepare a cluster size corresponding to all the shooting modes or to create the number of partitions. For example, the image data shot in the shooting mode may be classified into three or four categories, and a partition for each category may be created.

In the subsequent step S613, the size of each partition is set.
For example, as a method for setting the size, a table of partition sizes based on the capacity of the recording medium 200 may be stored in advance in the memory 52 of the image processing apparatus 100, and the size may be determined based on the table. As for the partition size, the capacities may be allocated equally, or a larger size may be allocated to the moving image partition than the still image partition. Alternatively, setting information for each user can be stored in the nonvolatile memory 56 and determined based on the setting information. In this setting information, for example, 60% for a moving image and 40% for a still image for a certain user, and 80% for a moving image and 20% for a still image can be used for another user because the moving image is mainly used. Since these assignments can be determined based on a setting input from the user, the user can determine the size of the partition according to his / her usage status.

  After the cluster size and partition size of each partition are determined, formatting is performed so that a plurality of partitions are configured in step S614.

  As described above, the recording medium 200 can be formatted by the image processing apparatus 100 in a configuration having a plurality of partitions having different cluster sizes. In addition, since the format corresponding to the usage status of the user can be performed, the usage environment is improved and the image management becomes easy.

[Other Embodiments]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.

  The object of the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the above-described functions to the system, and the system reading and executing the program codes. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. In addition, an operating system (OS) running on a computer performs part or all of actual processing based on an instruction of the program code, and the above-described functions are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, you may implement | achieve with the following forms. That is, the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instruction of the program code, the case where the above-described functions are realized by the CPU included in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performing part or all of the actual processing is also included.

  When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.

It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between a cluster size and the size of FAT. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the image processing apparatus corresponding to embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the logical partition corresponding to embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process corresponding to the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process corresponding to the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process corresponding to the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10: Photography lens
12: Shutter
14: Image sensor
16: A / D converter
18: Timing generator
20: Image processing unit 22: Memory control unit
24: Image display memory
26: D / A converter
28: Image display section
30: Memory
32: Image compression / decompression unit 40: Exposure control unit
42: Ranging control unit
44: Zoom control unit
46: Barrier control unit
48: Flash
50: System control unit
52: Memory
54: Display section
56: Non-volatile memory 60: Mode dial switch
62: Shutter switch SW1
64: Shutter switch SW2
66: Image display ON / OFF switch
68: Quick review ON / OFF switch
70: Operation unit 80: Power supply control unit
82: Connector
84: Connector
86: Power supply unit 90: Card controller
91: Interface
92: Connector
98: Recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit 100: Image processing apparatus
102: Protection unit
104: Optical viewfinder 200: External recording medium

Claims (20)

An image processing apparatus for storing an image captured by an imaging unit in a removable recording medium,
First determination means for determining the number of logical partitions in the recording medium;
A cluster size acquisition unit that acquires a cluster size of each logical partition when the first determination unit determines that there are a plurality of logical partitions;
An image processing apparatus comprising: setting means for setting a type of an image to be stored in each of the plurality of logical partitions based on the cluster size.   The said setting means sets the classification from which the size of the image data obtained by imaging becomes larger as a classification of the image which should be stored in the logical partition which has a larger cluster size. Image processing device. The type of image includes at least one of a moving image, a still image, an image shot in a high quality shooting mode, and an image shot in a low quality shooting mode,
The moving image has a larger size of image data obtained by capturing the image than the still image,
The image captured in the high-quality imaging mode has a larger size of image data obtained by the imaging than an image captured in the low-quality imaging mode. Image processing device. The image types include moving images and still images,
The setting unit sets the moving image as a type of an image to be stored in a first logical partition having a first cluster size;
The image processing according to claim 1, wherein the still image is set as a type of an image to be stored in a second logical partition having a second cluster size smaller than the first cluster size. apparatus. Writing means for writing information on the setting result by the setting means to the recording medium;
A second determination means for determining the presence or absence of information on the setting result in the recording medium,
5. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein, when the second determination unit determines that there is information related to the setting result, the setting unit performs the setting according to the content of the setting file. An image processing apparatus according to 1.   6. The writing control unit according to claim 1, further comprising a writing control unit that writes the captured image in a corresponding logical partition according to the type of the image according to a setting result in the setting unit. Image processing apparatus. An image processing apparatus for storing a captured image in a removable recording medium,
Determining means for determining the number of logical partitions when formatting the recording medium;
Cluster size setting means for setting the cluster sizes of the plurality of logical partitions different from each other when the number of logical partitions is determined to be plural;
An image processing apparatus comprising: formatting means for formatting the recording medium based on the number of logical partitions and each cluster size.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cluster size setting unit sets a cluster size according to a type of an image stored in the recording medium. The image types include moving images and still images,
The cluster size setting means includes:
Setting a first cluster size for the first logical partition for the video;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a second cluster size smaller than the first cluster size is set for the second logical partition for the still image. A control method for an image processing apparatus for storing a captured image in a removable recording medium,
A first determination step of determining the number of logical partitions in the recording medium;
A cluster size acquisition step of acquiring a cluster size of each logical partition when it is determined in the first determination step that a plurality of logical partitions exist;
And a setting step of setting a type of an image to be stored in each of the plurality of logical partitions based on the cluster size.   11. The type according to claim 10, wherein in the setting step, a type in which a size of image data obtained by imaging is larger is set as a type of an image to be stored in a logical partition having a larger cluster size. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus. The type of image includes at least one of a moving image, a still image, an image shot in a high quality shooting mode, and an image shot in a low quality shooting mode,
The moving image has a larger size of image data obtained by capturing the image than the still image,
12. The image captured in the high quality shooting mode has a larger size of image data obtained by the imaging than an image captured in the low quality shooting mode. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus. The image types include moving images and still images,
In the setting step, the moving image is set as a type of an image to be stored in the first logical partition having the first cluster size,
The image processing according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the still image is set as a type of an image to be stored in a second logical partition having a second cluster size smaller than the first cluster size. Control method of the device. A writing step of writing information on a setting result in the setting step into the recording medium;
A second determination step of determining the presence or absence of information related to the setting result in the recording medium,
14. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in the second determination step, when it is determined that information related to the setting result exists, the setting step performs the setting according to the contents of the setting file. A control method for the image processing apparatus according to claim 1.   15. The write control process according to claim 10, further comprising a write control process of writing the captured image in a corresponding logical partition according to the setting result in the setting process according to the type of the image. Method for controlling the image processing apparatus. A control method for an image processing apparatus for storing a captured image in a removable recording medium,
A determination step of determining the number of logical partitions when formatting the recording medium;
A cluster size setting step of setting the cluster sizes of the plurality of logical partitions different from each other when the number of logical partitions is determined to be plural;
An image processing apparatus control method comprising: a formatting step of formatting the recording medium based on the number of logical partitions and each cluster size.   The method of controlling an image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein in the cluster size setting step, a cluster size is set according to a type of an image stored in the recording medium. The image types include moving images and still images,
In the cluster size setting step,
Setting a first cluster size for the first logical partition for the video;
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a second cluster size smaller than the first cluster size is set for the second logical partition for the still image.   A computer program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 10.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 19.

Images