JP2013037612A - Recording device and recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording device for sufficiently developing the recording performance of a recording medium, increasing the use efficiency of a recording area, and reducing the possibility that temporarily recorded data are lost.SOLUTION: First and second areas Art and Anrt of allocation block units consisting of a plurality of clusters are set for the data area of a recording medium. The set of actual data and an accessory file to be made accessory to the actual data according as the actual data are recorded is recorded by the allocation block units in the first area Art. When the accessory file recorded in the first area is updated irrelevantly with the recording of the actual data, the updated accessory file is recorded by cluster units in the second area Anrt.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method for recording data such as video data and audio data on a recording medium such as a flash memory.

  In recording devices such as video cameras, flash memories that do not require a mechanical drive unit have been widely used. In particular, the NAND flash memory can be easily increased in capacity, and is suitable for use in a recording apparatus that records data of a large size such as video data. A recording medium such as a flash memory is initialized with a file-based logical structure (file system) to record data. As a file system, a FAT (File Allocation Table) file system is often used. In the FAT file system, data is recorded in units called clusters.

International Publication No. 2005/076275 Pamphlet JP 2005-190331 A

  The recording area of the flash memory is configured in physical units called erase blocks (erase blocks), and management inside the recording medium is performed in units of erase blocks. In many cases, a logical block (hereinafter referred to as an allocation block) specific to a recording medium is used as a recording unit for high-speed recording. The allocation block is composed of a plurality of clusters, and one or more erase blocks are included in one allocation block. As data to be recorded in the flash memory, in addition to actual data such as video data and audio data, there are accompanying files attached to the actual data. As the accompanying file, there are an auxiliary file, which is metadata related to actual data, and a management file for managing actual data. The accompanying file (auxiliary file or management file) has a smaller file size than the actual data.

  When various types of data (actual data, auxiliary files, management files) are recorded on the recording medium, it is desirable to record so that the high recording performance possessed by the recording medium can be sufficiently obtained. It is also desirable to increase the use efficiency of the recording area by efficiently recording actual data having a large file size and accompanying data having a small file size while reducing the free area. It is also desirable to reduce the possibility that data once recorded is unintentionally lost for some reason.

  In order to meet such a demand, the present invention can sufficiently bring out the recording performance of the recording medium, increase the use efficiency of the recording area, and reduce the possibility that data once recorded is lost. It is an object to provide a recording apparatus and a recording method that can be used.

  The present invention includes a control unit (5) for controlling the recording of data on the recording medium (4) in order to solve the above-described problems of the conventional technology, and the control unit controls the data area of the recording medium. Setting means for setting first and second areas in units of allocation blocks composed of a plurality of clusters; real data in the first area; and the real data corresponding to recording the real data And a first recording means for recording a set of accompanying files to be attached to each of the allocation blocks, and the accompanying file recorded in the first area is updated regardless of the recording of the actual data. In this case, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a second recording unit that records the updated accompanying file in a cluster unit in the second area.

  In the recording apparatus, when the accompanying file includes an auxiliary file that is metadata of each clip attached to each clip in the actual data, and a management file that manages the entire actual data, The second recording means records the updated auxiliary file in the second area when the auxiliary file is updated, and updates the management file when the management file is updated. Recording is performed in the second area.

  In the above recording apparatus, the recording medium has a management table for recording entries corresponding to the respective clusters, and the second recording unit records the updated associated file in the second area. In addition to this, it is preferable to further include an erasing unit for erasing the entry corresponding to the cluster in which the accompanying file before update is recorded.

  In addition, in order to solve the above-described problems of the conventional technology, the present invention sets the first and second areas in allocation block units composed of a plurality of clusters for the data area of the recording medium, and the recording medium When recording real data, a set of the real data and a file to be recorded in real time corresponding to the recording of the real data is a real time data. When the real-time data is recorded in the first area in units of allocation blocks and the associated file recorded in the first area is updated after the real-time data is recorded, Non-real-time data is recorded, and the non-real-time data is recorded in clusters in the second area. To provide that the recording method.

  According to the recording apparatus and the recording method of the present invention, the recording performance of the recording medium can be sufficiently obtained, the use efficiency of the recording area can be increased, and the possibility that the data once recorded is lost can be reduced. it can.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a recording apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the logical structure of the recording medium 4 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the specific structure of the data area | region in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the specific structure of the data area | region in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the state which adds and records real-time data in a data area. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of updating an auxiliary file. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of updating a management file. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the recording operation of one Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a recording apparatus and a recording method of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The recording apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 uses a video camera as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the video camera. In FIG. 1, processing and recording of audio data are omitted, and actual data recorded on the recording medium 4 will be described as moving image data. The actual data may be still image data or audio data, or arbitrary data such as program data other than video data and audio data.

  In FIG. 1, light indicated by a broken line from a subject (not shown) enters the imaging unit 1 and the subject is imaged. The imaging signal output from the imaging unit 1 is input to the video signal processing unit 2, and A / D conversion and various types of signal processing are performed. The moving image data output from the video signal processing unit 2 is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 3. The control unit 5 controls writing and reading of data in the temporary storage unit 3 and the recording medium 4. The moving image data stored in the temporary storage unit 3 is input to the recording medium 4 and recorded. When moving image data is recorded on the recording medium 4, an auxiliary file that is metadata related to the moving image data and a management file for managing the moving image data are also recorded. The recording medium 4 is a flash memory as an example. For example, the auxiliary file and the management file are XML (eXtensible Markup Language) files.

  The user can erase the moving image data recorded on the recording medium 4 by operating the operation unit 6. The control unit 5 updates the management file when the moving image data is deleted. Further, by operating the operation unit 6, the user can newly add information such as a photographer who has recorded the moving image data, or can rewrite already recorded information. Information such as the photographer is recorded as an auxiliary file.

  The logical structure of the recording medium 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording medium 4 is divided into a plurality of sectors having addresses 0 to M. The sector at address 0, which is the start address, is MBR (Master Boot Record). A sector at a predetermined address is a PBR (Partition Boot Record). A FAT area (management table) is provided by a plurality of sectors, and a data area (recordable area) for recording actual data, auxiliary files, and management files is provided by a plurality of sectors. The FAT area includes a plurality of entries 2 to N. The data area includes a plurality of clusters. The entry has a one-to-one correspondence with the cluster.

  In the present embodiment, data to be recorded on the recording medium 4 is divided into real-time data and non-real-time data, and the recording method when data is recorded on the recording medium 4 is controlled by control by the control unit 5. In the case of the video camera according to the present embodiment, actual data recorded during so-called recording from the start to the end of recording of the captured video, and auxiliary files and management recorded in association with the actual data recorded during recording Let files be real-time data. After the recording is finished, regardless of the actual data recording, when the already recorded auxiliary file or management file is updated, the newly recorded auxiliary file or management file is set as non-real time data.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a real-time data recording area Art for recording real-time data and a non-real-time data recording area Anrt for recording non-real time data are set separately for the data area. Yes. The position of the non-real time data recording area Anrt is not particularly limited. In the example of FIG. 3, a non-real time data recording area Anrt is provided on the final address side. As shown in FIG. 4, two non-real time data recording areas Anrt1 and Anrt2 may be provided on both the first address side and the final address side.

  3 and 4, each section in the real-time data recording area Art and the non-real-time data recording area Anrt (Anrt1, Anrt2) is a cluster. A plurality of clusters in a horizontal row constitute one allocation block. The real-time data recording area Art and the non-real-time data recording area Anrt are set in units of allocation blocks each consisting of one or a plurality of allocation blocks. The number of allocation blocks in the non-real-time data recording area Ant may be significantly smaller than the number of allocation blocks in the real-time data recording area Art. The section indicating the cluster is indicated by a broken line in the real-time data recording area Art and by a solid line in the non-real-time data recording area Anrt (Anrt1, Anrt2), but does not mean a difference in physical structure.

  With reference to FIG. 5, an operation when recording is performed by sequentially adding real-time data to the real-time data recording area Art during recording will be described. The control unit 5 controls to record data in allocation block units in the real-time data recording area Art. In FIG. 5A, moving image data Dv1 is actual data of one clip from the start to the end of video recording. In the example of FIG. 5A, the entire allocation block B1 and a part of the allocation block B2 are moving image data Dv1.

  In the allocation block B2, the control unit 5 controls to record the auxiliary file Fs1, which is metadata related to the moving image data Dv1, in the cluster next to the final cluster of the moving image data Dv1. The auxiliary file Fs1 is an XML file related to the moving image data Dv1 that is one clip. In addition, the control unit 5 controls the allocation block B2 to record the management file Fm1 for managing the entire real data recorded in the real-time data recording area Art in the next cluster of the auxiliary file Fs1.

  FIG. 5B shows a state where moving image data Dv2, which is the next clip, is added to FIG. 5A. As described above, since the data is recorded in allocation block units, the moving image data Dv2 is recorded not from the free area of the allocation block B2, but from the allocation block B3. In the example of FIG. 5B, the entire allocation block B3 and a part of the allocation block B4 are moving image data Dv2. In the allocation block B4, the control unit 5 controls to record the auxiliary file Fs2, which is metadata related to the moving image data Dv2, in the cluster next to the final cluster of the moving image data Dv2.

  The management file Fm1 is a file for managing the entire actual data. When the moving image data Dv2 is newly added as shown in FIG. 5B, it is necessary to rewrite the management file. Therefore, the control unit 5 controls the allocation block B4 to record the management data Fm2 for managing the entire actual data, that is, the moving image data Dv1 and Dv2, in the next cluster of the auxiliary file Fs2. Since the management file Fm2 is recorded, the management file Fm1 becomes unnecessary, and the management file Fm1 is deleted as indicated by a cross. Strictly speaking, the control unit 5 does not delete the management file Fm1 itself, but deletes the entry corresponding to the cluster that records the management file Fm1. By deleting the entry corresponding to the cluster that records the management file Fm1, the management file Fm1 is apparently deleted.

  Further, FIG. 5C shows a state in which moving image data Dv3 which is the next clip is added to FIG. 5B. The moving image data Dv3 is recorded from the allocation block B5. In the example of FIG. 5C, the entire allocation block B5 and a part of the allocation block B6 are moving image data Dv3. In the allocation block B6, the control unit 5 controls to record the auxiliary file Fs3, which is metadata related to the moving image data Dv3, in a cluster next to the final cluster of the moving image data Dv3.

  Due to the addition of the moving image data Dv3, the control unit 5 controls to record the entire actual data, that is, the management file Fm3 for managing the moving image data Dv1, Dv2, and Dv3 in the next cluster of the auxiliary file Fs3. . Similar to FIG. 5B, the management file Fm2 is erased as indicated by a cross. Strictly speaking, the control unit 5 does not delete the management file Fm2 itself, but deletes the entry corresponding to the cluster that records the management file Fm2. In FIG. 5C, the management files Fm1 and Fm2 are apparently deleted.

  Next, the operation when the auxiliary file already recorded is updated after the end of recording will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a case where the non-real time data recording area Anrt is provided as shown in FIG. FIG. 6A shows a case where the real-time data recorded in the real-time data recording area Art is in the state shown in FIG. For example, it is assumed that the user operates the operation unit 6 and changes information indicating a photographer of a clip made of moving image data Dv1.

  When the information indicating the photographer is changed, the auxiliary file Fs1 is updated. As shown in FIG. 6B, when the auxiliary file Fs1 is updated, the control unit 5 records the auxiliary file Fs10 obtained by updating the auxiliary file Fs1 in the cluster in the non-real-time data recording area Anrt. Control. At the same time, the control unit 5 apparently deletes the management file Fs1 by deleting the entry corresponding to the cluster that records the auxiliary file Fs1. In FIG. 6B, in addition to the management file Fm1 that has already been deleted, the auxiliary file Fs1 is also deleted as indicated by a cross.

  Further, using FIG. 7, the operation when a part of the already recorded real data is erased will be described following FIG. 6B. For example, assume that the user operates the operation unit 6 to perform an operation of deleting the moving image data Dv1. As shown in FIG. 7B, the controller 5 apparently deletes the moving image data Dv1 and the auxiliary file Fs1 by deleting the entry corresponding to the cluster of the moving image data Dv1 by the operation of deleting the moving image data Dv1. to erase.

  Since it is necessary to update the management file Fm3 by deleting the moving image data Dv1, the control unit 5 adds the management file Fm3 to the cluster in the non-real-time data recording area Anrt as shown in FIG. 7B. The management file Fm30 that has been updated is recorded. At the same time, the control unit 5 apparently deletes the management file Fm3 by deleting the entry corresponding to the cluster that records the management file Fm3. The control unit 5 controls to record accompanying files (auxiliary files and management files) in units of clusters in the non-real-time data recording area Anrt.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 5, the set of actual data, auxiliary files, and management files is sequentially recorded in units of allocation blocks. High recording performance can be fully exploited. In addition, since the actual data, the auxiliary file, and the management file are combined and recorded in units of allocation blocks, the free area can be reduced and the use efficiency of the recording area can be increased.

  As a first comparative example, it is conceivable to record actual data, auxiliary files, and management files sequentially in cluster units. In this case, the use efficiency of the recording area can be increased, but there is a possibility that the recording performance cannot be sufficiently obtained. As a second comparative example, it can be considered that actual data, auxiliary files, and management files are sequentially recorded in units of allocation blocks. In this case, since auxiliary files and management files having a small file size are recorded in units of allocation blocks, the use efficiency of the recording area is greatly reduced. In the present embodiment, compared with the first and second comparative examples, the high recording performance of the recording medium 4 can be sufficiently obtained, and the use efficiency of the recording area can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, when the auxiliary file or management file is updated after the recording is finished, the updated auxiliary file or management file is stored in the real-time data recording area Art. However, since it is recorded in the non-real-time data recording area Ant, it is possible to greatly reduce the possibility that the actual data recorded in the real-time data recording area Art will be lost unintentionally.

  If the updated auxiliary file or management file is recorded in the real-time data recording area Art, then when the auxiliary file or management file data is written to the cluster in the real-time data recording area Art, it is stored in another cluster in the same allocation block. May have an effect. In the present embodiment, since the updated auxiliary file and management file are recorded in the non-real time data recording area Anrt, there is almost no possibility of affecting other clusters in the real time data recording area Art. Since the auxiliary file and the management file before the update are not actually deleted but only the entry is deleted, the other clusters in the allocation block are not affected.

  As a third comparative example, it can be considered that an area for recording actual data and an area for recording auxiliary files and management files are divided in the same manner as in FIG. In this case, since the actual data and the auxiliary file and management file to be attached to the actual data are recorded at positions separated from each other, the recording performance may be deteriorated, which is not preferable.

  The recording operation according to the present embodiment will be described again using the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 8, the control unit 5 determines whether or not to record real-time data in step S1. That is, the control unit 5 determines whether or not an instruction to start recording has been given. If it is determined that real-time data is to be recorded (YES), the control unit 5 controls the recording medium 4 to record real-time data in the real-time data recording area Art in step S2. The control part 5 makes it transfer to step S3 after step S2. If it is not determined in step S1 that real-time data is to be recorded (NO), the control unit 5 proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the control unit 5 determines whether to update the auxiliary file or the management file. That is, the control unit 5 determines whether or not an operation for updating the auxiliary file or the management file has been performed by the user. If it is determined to update the auxiliary file or management file (YES), the updated auxiliary file or management file is recorded in the non-real-time data recording area Anrt in step S4, and the entry of the auxiliary file or management file before the update is recorded. By erasing, the auxiliary file or management file before update is apparently deleted. If it is not determined in step S3 that the auxiliary file or the management file is updated (NO), the control unit 5 returns the process to step S1.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The recording medium 4 is preferably a flash memory, but may be another recording medium as long as it has the same logical structure as FIG. The recording medium 4 may be built in the recording device or may be detachable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging part 2 Video signal processing part 3 Temporary storage part 4 Recording medium 5 Control part 6 Operation part

Claims (4)

A control unit for controlling data recording on the recording medium;
The controller is
Setting means for setting a first area and a second area in units of allocation blocks made up of a plurality of clusters with respect to the data area of the recording medium;
A first recording means for recording, in allocation block units, a set of actual data and an accompanying file associated with the actual data in association with recording the actual data in the first area;
When the associated file recorded in the first area is updated regardless of the recording of the actual data, the updated associated file is recorded in the second area in units of clusters. Recording means;
A recording apparatus comprising: The accompanying file includes an auxiliary file that is metadata of each clip attached to each clip in the actual data, and a management file that manages the entire actual data,
The second recording means records the updated auxiliary file in the second area when the auxiliary file is updated, and updates the management file when the management file is updated. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed in the second area. The recording medium has a management table for recording an entry corresponding to each cluster,
In addition to recording the updated associated file in the second area by the second recording unit, the erasing unit further erases an entry corresponding to a cluster in which the associated file before update is recorded. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is provided. For the data area of the recording medium, first and second areas in allocation block units composed of a plurality of clusters are set,
When recording actual data on the recording medium, a set of the actual data and a file to be recorded in real time corresponding to the recording of the actual data, and an accompanying file associated with the actual data Real-time data, this real-time data is recorded in allocation blocks in the first area,
When the accompanying file recorded in the first area is updated after the recording of the real-time data, the updated accompanying file is made non-real-time data, and the non-real-time data is clustered in the second area. A recording method characterized by recording.

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