JP2011034236A - Image pickup device and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively use a storage medium in which different file systems coexist, and to record a pickup still image and moving image. <P>SOLUTION: When it is determined that there exists the storage regions of two types of file systems of an FAT 32 and exFAT in a mounted memory card (S207), the system control part of a digital camera determines the storage region of the FAT 32 file system as a storage region for a still image, and determines the storage region of the exFAT file system as a storage region for a still image (S208). Then, the pickup still image data and moving image data are respectively stored in the storage regions corresponding to photographic modes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

   The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and a control method thereof.

  An imaging device such as a digital camera or a digital video camera performs processing for recording captured still images and moving image data on a removable medium such as an SD card. At this time, a file system is constructed in advance on the removable medium, and still image and moving image data are stored as files on the file system. A typical file system is FAT (File Allocation Table).

  On the other hand, a technique has been proposed in which a plurality of file systems are constructed on one removable medium, still image data is stored in a file system with a small cluster size, and moving images are stored in a file system with a large cluster size (Patent Literature). 1). This patent document 1 utilizes the fact that the cluster size in the file system differs according to the area size secured by the file system called FAT.

  However, since FAT is used as the file system, reducing the cluster size is equivalent to reducing the size of the storage space that can be stored and managed by the file system. However, the resolution taken by recent digital cameras is only increasing, and even for still images, the file size is larger than ever. Accordingly, FAT has become insufficient as a file system for storing and managing a sufficient number of still image files. In the case of moving images, it has become possible to record moving images at HD resolution with recent cameras. Therefore, even if a memory space of 4 GBye (1 cluster = 64 KB), which is the maximum storage area of the FAT file system, is secured, it has become a situation where moving images cannot be stored with peace of mind.

JP 2005-352899 A

  As described above, due to the pressure on the memory space, recent digital cameras and the like are adopting FAT32 as a file system instead of FAT. However, although FAT32 can manage a memory space of up to 2 TBytes, there is a restriction that the maximum size of one file that can be recorded therein is 4 GBytes. Even if one piece of still image data is stored as RAW data, there is no problem because the file size exceeds 4 Gbytes at present, but there is no problem. For videos, the maximum file size is not enough. Recently, a file system called exFAT (Extended FAT) has been developed, but it has not yet become widespread, and above all, it can be used and recognized by previous devices. There is a problem that can not be.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and intends to provide a technique for recording captured still images and moving images by effectively using a storage medium in which storage areas of different file systems are mixed. In particular, in the case of file systems of exFAT (extended FAT) and FAT32 as file systems, it is guaranteed that at least still images can be directly accessed by devices such as conventional imaging devices. A technique is also provided that enables access to moving images through a predetermined process.

In order to solve this problem, for example, an imaging apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
An imaging device for recording an image obtained by imaging by an imaging means on a removable storage medium,
Detecting means for detecting a file system type of a storage area secured in the storage medium;
When the detection unit detects at least two types of accessible file systems on the storage medium, the storage area of the file system with the larger maximum size of files that can be generated according to the specification is set as the moving image storage area. Setting means for setting the other as a stationary storage area;
A selection means for selecting either a moving image shooting mode or a still image shooting mode;
When the shooting mode selected by the selection unit is the moving image shooting mode, the moving image data obtained by shooting is recorded in the moving image storage area, and the shooting mode selected by the selection unit is the still image shooting mode. In this case, the image processing apparatus includes recording means for recording still image data obtained by imaging in the still image storage area.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to record a captured still image and moving image by effectively using a storage medium in which storage areas of different file systems are mixed. In particular, in the case of a storage medium in which storage areas of file systems such as exFAT (extended FAT) and FAT32 are mixed, it is possible to guarantee that at least still images can be directly accessed by devices such as conventional imaging devices. It is also possible to make a moving image accessible through a predetermined process.

1 is a block diagram of a digital camera according to an embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the storage status of a file system and a file. The figure which shows the recognition possible / impossible relationship of the file system according to OS. 5 is a flowchart showing a file move processing procedure according to the first embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a GUI display in 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the present invention is applied to an imaging device such as a digital camera that can capture a subject and record a still image and a moving image on a removable storage medium.

  The internal configuration of the digital camera in the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 and will be described below. The digital camera 100 according to the embodiment includes a photographing lens 101, a shutter 102 having a diaphragm function, an image sensor 103 that converts an optical image into an electrical signal using a CCD, a still image compression circuit 104 that compresses still image information, and moving image information. A moving image compression circuit 105 for compressing the video. The apparatus also includes a volatile memory 106 (RAM) for temporarily storing still images and moving images, and an operation unit 107 (release switch 107a). Further, the present apparatus includes a display unit 109 for confirming a captured image and displaying various menus, interfaces 110 and 111 for electrically connecting removable memory cards 112 and 113, and the entire apparatus. And a system control unit 150 that controls the above. When the memory cards 112 and 113 are attached to the connectors 114 and 115 provided in the apparatus, a signal indicating that the memory card is connected is notified to the system control unit 150. As a result, the system control unit 150 can access the storage units 116 and 117 inside the memory card via the interfaces 110 and 111. In the drawing, two memory cards can be mounted, but the number of memory cards that can be mounted may be one or three or more.

  As described above, the digital camera can capture and record still images and moving images, and the operation unit 107 selects which mode to use. When the release switch 107 a is turned on by the user, the shutter 102 is opened, and an electric signal generated by the image sensor that receives optical information obtained through the photographing lens 101 is supplied to the still image compression circuit 104 and the moving image compression circuit 105. The When the shooting mode is the still image shooting mode, the system control unit 150 activates the still image compression circuit 104 and deactivates the moving image compression circuit 105. Therefore, in the still image shooting mode, the still image compression circuit 104 compresses the input image, for example, by JPEG and stores it in the memory 106. The system control unit 150 stores the compressed still image data stored in the memory 106 as an image file in one of the memory cards 112 and 113 (details will be described later). In the moving image shooting mode, the still image compression circuit 104 is inactive and the moving image compression circuit 105 is active. Therefore, while the release switch 107 a is in the ON state, each frame image being shot is compressed by the moving image compression circuit 105 and stored in the memory 106. Since the memory 106 has a capacity to store images of several frames, the system control unit 150 sequentially stores the compressed moving image data stored in the memory 106 in either of the memory cards 112 and 113. (Details will be described later). When the release switch 107a is turned off, the system control unit 150 waits for the storage of the compressed data of the last frame stored in the memory 106 to the memory card, and then stores the moving image stored in the memory card. The image data file is closed.

  Next, processing in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the digital camera 100 is turned on by a power switch (not shown) of the operation unit 107, the system control unit 150 performs processing of the camera or processing (S201). Next, the system control unit 150 determines whether or not the memory cards 112 and 113 are connected (S202). At this time, if the memory card cannot be detected, the digital camera does not perform an operation of recording the captured still image and moving image on the memory card. In the embodiment, two memory cards can be mounted as shown in FIG. 1, but only one memory card may be mounted. When the connection of the memory card is detected in S202, the system control unit 150 detects a storage area in the connected memory card (S203), and detects the capacity of each storage area (S204). At this time, if it is determined in S205 that there is only one memory card installed and there is only one storage area in the memory card, still images and moving images are stored in the same storage area. It is determined to be recorded (S208). Information for specifying the storage area of the recording destination of moving images and still images is stored and held in a nonvolatile memory (not shown) in the system control unit 150.

  Conversely, if two memory cards are installed, or if there are a plurality of storage areas on one memory card and there are at least two types of file systems, the process proceeds to S206, Detect the file system of the storage area.

  At this time, if all the file systems in each storage area are the same file system, the process proceeds to S208, and the operation of determining the recording destination of the still image and the moving image is terminated.

  In this case, the recording destination of the still image and the moving image may be recorded in an area allocated as a drive first, or a storage area having the largest storage area may be selected.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3A, it is assumed that one memory card 12 is mounted, and there are two storage areas, each of which is a different file system. In this case, in S205, the detected file systems are compared, and the storage area of the file system having the larger file capacity that can be stored is given priority as the moving image storage area, and the other file capacity that can be generated is determined. It decides to give priority to the small storage area as the still image storage area (S208). For example, the file system A in FIG. 3A will be described as FAT32 and the file system B as exFAT. The upper limit of the file size that can be generated in the storage area managed by the file system A (FAT32) is 4 GByte (2 to the 32nd power) in the specification. On the other hand, the upper limit of the file size that can be generated in the storage area managed by the file system B (exFAT) is 16 EBytes (2 to the 64th power). In this case, the storage area (302) managed by the file system B (exFAT) is selected as a recording destination for a moving image whose file size tends to increase. That is, the exFAT storage area is determined as the moving image storage area. Then, the storage area (301) managed by the file system A (FAT32) is selected as the still image recording destination where the upper limit of the file size is 4 GB or less at present. That is, the storage area of the FAT 32 is determined as a still image storage area.

  At this time, the file capacity of the storage area managed by the exFAT file system is desirably 4 GB or more which is a file capacity that can be generated by the file system A (FAT32). However, in the case of 4 GB or less, still images and moving images may be recorded by the file system A (FAT32) in a storage area managed by the file system A (FAT32). Regardless of the capacity of the storage area, still images may be recorded in the storage area managed by the file system A (FAT32), and moving images may be recorded in the storage area managed by the file system B (exFAT). And

  The above file system detection method and the storage area determination means for recording still images and moving images have been described.

  As described above, the still image is recorded in the storage area A (301) managed by the file system A, while the moving image is recorded in the storage area B (302) managed by the file system B. As a result, the still image is stored in a file system called FAT32, and the file can be accessed even with an existing digital camera or PC. In the case of moving images, shooting and recording can be performed substantially without worrying about the upper limit of the file.

  However, since FAT32 is already a widely used file system, there is no problem with access, but exFAT cannot always be accessed with an existing digital camera or PC. In other words, in the above example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is conceivable that a drive that can be recognized from the PC and a drive that cannot be recognized are mixed depending on the file system that manages the storage area in the memory card. In the illustrated case, the OS (operating system) 1 can recognize drives managed by all file systems, but the OS 2 cannot recognize the file system B (302). A user using OS2 cannot even know that a moving image is stored in the file system B on a PC.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the following measures are taken. First, after determining a storage area for recording a still image and a storage area for recording a moving image, a shooting mode to be actually used is selected in S209. When the still image shooting mode is selected, the still image is recorded in the storage area (301) of the still image recording destination determined using the above means (S210). On the other hand, when the moving image shooting mode is selected, the moving image data itself is recorded in the determined moving image recording destination storage area (302) (S211). In addition, if the storage area of the still image recording destination is different from the storage area of the moving image recording destination, auxiliary information indicating that the moving image has been recorded is recorded in the file system in which the still image is recorded. Specifically, the thumbnail image of the first frame of the captured moving image is also recorded in the storage area (301) where the still image data is recorded (S212). The file name of the thumbnail image in the embodiment can be distinguished from the file name of the still image, and the character string of the file name of the moving image stored in the file system B and the number indicating the data size of the moving image data file And a character string. As an example, when the file name of a still image is “S-IMAGE #####. JPG” (where #### is a serial number), the file name of a moving image is “MOVIE”. #### MPG ". Then, the file name of the thumbnail is added to the format of “TMMOVIE ####-$$$$. JPG” with the letter “T” added to the head of the file name of the corresponding moving image and the size added to the rear end. To do. For example, when the file name of the thumbnail is “TMMOVIE0002-500MB.JPG”, the exFAT has a moving image data file “MOVIE0002.MPG”, and its size is 500 MByte.

  In the present embodiment, in the auxiliary information recording process, a thumbnail of a moving image that has been shot is recorded. However, instead of a thumbnail, a flag that notifies that a moving image has been recorded in a different storage area is a still image storage area. (301) may be set. By doing so, it is possible to recognize from all the PCs that a moving image is recorded in the memory card.

  Next, the operation of the PC when the memory card is connected to the card reader of the PC will be described based on the flowcharts of FIG. 3B and FIG.

  First, a memory card in which still images and moving images are recorded with a camera using the above-described means is connected to the PC (S601). When the memory card is connected to the PC, the CPU in the PC detects the storage area in the memory card under the OS (S602), and detects the total capacity and free capacity of each storage area (S603).

  At this time, when it is detected that a plurality of storage areas exist in the connected memory card (S604), the type of the file system of each storage area (301, 302) is detected (S605). On the other hand, if the storage area is single, the memory card is normally accessed (S613).

  Next, it is detected whether there is an unsupported file system (file system that cannot be accessed) among the file systems detected in S605 (S606). Next, it is detected whether there are moving image thumbnails (502, 503) in addition to the still image group (501) in the storage area A (301) managed by the supported file system (S607). At this time, there is a storage area B (507) managed by the unsupported file system in S606, and the storage area A (506) managed by the file system within the support is stored in S606. When the thumbnails (502, 503) exist, the CPU can determine that the moving images 504, 505 are recorded in the storage area B (507) (S608).

  At this time, the user executes a predetermined PC application installed on the PC. This application forms part of the configuration of the present invention, and when executed, the CPU has a file system of the file system A (FAT32) and an unknown file system (exFAT) on the connected memory card, Further, it is determined whether or not a thumbnail file of a moving image (file name is “TMMOVIE ####-$$$$. JPG”) exists in the file system A. Then, the CPU displays a thumbnail image list for the user to select which thumbnail moving image is to be converted (moved) to the file system A.

  Next, based on the file name of the moving image thumbnail selected by the user, it is determined whether or not there is a free area in the file system A that can move the moving image data indicated by the moving image thumbnail. This is because the size of the moving image is determined from the file name of the selected thumbnail, and the total size of the selected moving image may be compared with the free capacity of the file system A. If the file system A does not have enough free space to move, a message such as “Set the memory card in the digital camera because the file system conversion flag has been written” is displayed on the PC screen. Then, it waits for a free area to be secured in the file system.

  Thus, when it is determined that an empty area is secured in the file system A, a file move flag is set in the moving image thumbnail selected by the user. The location to be set may be written in a reserved space in the data file of the moving image thumbnail, but in the embodiment, it functions as a flag at a preset position such as the beginning or end of the file name of the moving image thumbnail. A character string to be added was added. For example, a character “C” may be added to the rear end of the file name portion of the thumbnail to make “TMMOVIE ####-$$$$ C.JPG”). Up to the change of the file name is also a function of the application program installed in the PC.

  The above is the processing on the PC side. Thereafter, the user takes out the memory card from the PC (S614) and sets it in the digital camera (S615). As a result, the system control unit 150 of the digital camera determines whether there is a moving image thumbnail (502, 503) for which the flag is set in the storage area A (506) managed by the file system A. (S616). In the above example, it is determined whether or not there is a thumbnail whose file name is “TMMOVIE ####-$$$$ C.JPG”. If a moving image thumbnail having such a file name exists, the corresponding moving image data file (502, 504) in the file system B (302) is moved to the file system A (301) (S617). ). At this time, the moving image thumbnails 502 and 503 existing in the file system A (301) are deleted. Further, if the data size of the moving image file to be moved exceeds 4 Gbyte, which is the upper limit size of FAT32, it cannot be moved as it is, so that the moving image file is divided into a plurality of files each having an upper limit size or less.

  In the present embodiment, a moving image thumbnail is selected on the PC. However, if all the information in the inaccessible storage area B (507) is to be converted into the storage area A (506) accessible by the PC on which the OS 2 is installed, it is necessary to select a moving image thumbnail. There is no. That is, it can be realized simply by setting a flag for the file system A or storing a file storing a predetermined message for performing conversion.

  As a result, when a storage medium having two types of file systems, FAT32 and exFAT, is set in a PC, the moving image exists in exFAT even if the PC cannot recognize the file system of exFAT32. I can know. In addition, by activating the flag set application in the embodiment, the file system can be moved to a recognizable file system, and a moving image can be viewed.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, a memory card initialization process will be described. The configuration of the digital camera in the second embodiment is the same as that in FIG. The digital camera according to the present embodiment will be described as having two types of file systems, FAT32 and exFAT, as recognizable file systems.

  Processing when an uninitialized memory card is inserted into the apparatus or when an initialization instruction is input from the operation unit 107 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the system control unit 150 determines that a memory card is inserted (S701), the system control unit 150 detects the total capacity of the memory card (S702). Next, the system control unit 150 compares the minimum file size among the maximum file sizes that can be generated in each recognizable file system and the total capacity of the memory card detected in S702 (S703). Since the maximum file size that can be generated is 4 GB in FAT32 and 6 EByte in exFAT, 4 GB is compared with the total capacity of the installed memory card. If the comparison result indicates that the total capacity of the memory card is equal to or less than the maximum file size that can be generated by the FAT 32, the system control unit 150 determines that one of the maximum file sizes that can be generated by each recognizable file system is one. The entire area of the memory card is formatted using the smallest file system, that is, FATFAT 32 (S704). Then, both the still image and the moving image are set to be recorded in the common file system (S705).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the total capacity of the memory card exceeds the smallest size (4 GB) of the maximum file sizes that can be generated in each recognizable file system, the process proceeds to S706. In this S706, the CPU displays on the display unit 109 a GUI for inquiring how much area is to be reserved in the area for storing moving image data in order to secure two storage areas (partition processing) for the installed memory card. To do. For example, the GUI when the total capacity of the installed memory card is 16 GB is as shown in FIG. The user operates the left and right keys (not shown) of the operation unit 107 to change the position of the boundary between the sizes of the storage areas of the moving image and the still image. In the illustrated case, a state where 10 GB is set for recording a moving image (a state where 6 GB is set for recording a still image) is shown. When the user operates a confirmation key (not shown) of the operation unit 107 (S707), a storage area for moving images and still images is determined based on the capacity indicated by the boundary at that time (S708). The area for storing moving images is formatted with the ex FAT file system having a large file size that can be generated, and the area for storing still images is formatted with FAT 32 (S709). Then, a setting is made to record a moving image in the area of the exFAT file system, and a setting is made to record a still image in the area of the FAT32 (S208). The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, when a moving image is recorded in an exFAT file system that may not be recognized by another device such as a PC, the corresponding thumbnail is recorded in the FAT32.

  By using the above method, it is suitable for video recording only when the memory card is larger than the file capacity suitable for video recording when a purchased memory card is inserted or when an initialization instruction is given by the user. File system can be selected. As a result, it is possible for the user to use the camera with a simpler operation and without being aware of the upper limit of the file size when recording a moving image.

  Further, as a derivation of the second embodiment, when the digital camera has a plurality of memory card slots and a recording medium is connected to each slot, the display unit of the camera is shown in FIG. The display as shown in FIG. In this case, the file system managed for each recording medium can be changed. That is, the memory card designated as the moving image recording destination is initialized with the ex FAT file system (otherwise, it is initialized with the FAT 32 file system as a still image storage area).

  In the embodiment, the semiconductor memory card is assumed as the removable storage medium. However, the present invention may be applied to a spindle storage device such as a hard disk device. For example, still image data can be recorded on the CF card using the FAT32 file system A, and moving image data can be recorded on the USB hard disk using the exFAT file system.

  As a result of the above, by clearly displaying the recording medium for recording moving images on the camera display unit, the user can use the camera without worrying about the upper limit of the file size when recording moving images with a user-friendly operation. It becomes possible to do.

(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (5)

An imaging apparatus for recording an image obtained by imaging by an imaging unit on a removable storage medium,
Detecting means for detecting a file system type of a storage area secured in the storage medium;
When the detection means detects at least two types of accessible file systems on the storage medium, the storage area of the file system having the larger maximum size of the file that can be generated according to the specification is set as the moving image storage area. Setting means for setting the other as a still image storage area;
A selection means for selecting either the moving image shooting mode or the still image shooting mode;
When the shooting mode selected by the selection unit is a moving image shooting mode, moving image data obtained by shooting is recorded in the moving image storage area, and the shooting mode selected by the selection unit is a still image shooting mode. In this case, an imaging apparatus comprising: a recording unit that records still image data obtained by imaging in the still image storage area.   If the setting means determines that there are two types of file systems exFAT and FAT32 in the storage medium by the detecting means, the exFAT storage area is used as the moving image storage area, and the FAT32 storage area is used as a still image. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is set as a storage area. Further, when moving image data is recorded in the moving image storage area by the recording means, auxiliary information that identifies the moving image data and indicates that the moving image data is recorded is stored in the still image storage area. Auxiliary information recording means for recording in
Determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined change has been made to the auxiliary information recorded in the still image storage area by the auxiliary information recording means;
When the determination unit determines that the predetermined change has been made to the auxiliary information recorded by the auxiliary information recording unit, the moving image data indicated by the information is transferred from the moving image storage area to the still image. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a moving unit that moves the storage area. An instruction means for instructing the storage medium to initialize;
A comparison unit that compares the total capacity of the storage medium with a minimum file size among the maximum file sizes that can be generated according to the specifications of each accessible file system when initialization is instructed by the instruction unit; ,
If the comparison result of the comparison means indicates that the total capacity is less than or equal to the minimum file size, the entire storage area of the storage medium is formatted with a file system having the minimum file size,
When the comparison result of the comparison means indicates that the total capacity exceeds the minimum file size, the recording medium is divided into the moving image storage area and the still image storage area. 4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a formatting unit that determines partitioning and formatting in accordance with the determined capacity. An image pickup apparatus control method for recording an image obtained by image pickup by an image pickup means on a removable storage medium,
A detection step of detecting a file system type of a storage area secured in the storage medium;
In the detection step, when at least two types of accessible file systems are detected on the storage medium, the storage area of the file system having the larger maximum size of the file that can be generated according to the specification is set as the moving image storage area. A setting step for setting the other as a still image storage area;
A selection process for selecting either the moving image shooting mode or the still image shooting mode;
When the shooting mode selected in the selection step is a moving image shooting mode, moving image data obtained by shooting is recorded in the moving image storage area, and the shooting mode selected in the selection step is a still image shooting mode. In this case, there is provided a recording step of recording still image data obtained by imaging in the still image storage area.

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