JP4521245B2 - Storage device control apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage device control apparatus and a program, and more particularly, a plurality of storage blocks each having a physical address assigned thereto, and assigned to a specific area in a storage block storing valid data. The present invention relates to a storage device control apparatus connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a logical address is written, and a storage device control program for causing a computer to function as the storage device control apparatus.

  A flash memory is a non-volatile memory that can electrically write and erase data. For example, a flash memory is used as a recording medium for recording image data taken by a digital still camera (DSC), or a computer. It is widely used in various fields, such as being used as a memory for storing BIOS. In general, a flash memory is provided with a plurality of storage blocks which are units for writing and erasing data, and each storage block is given a physical address. Therefore, when writing data to the flash memory, writing data to the storage block is not necessarily performed in ascending order of physical addresses, and data writing is concentrated on a specific storage block. In order to avoid this, continuous data may be written separately in storage blocks with discrete physical addresses.

  For this reason, a memory control unit is provided in a device to which the flash memory is connected (for example, a DSC into which a recording medium with a built-in flash memory is inserted). In order to eliminate the need for complicated processing such as recognizing and specifying the location (physical address) of the storage block in which the data to be read is written, when reading data from it, etc. Among each storage block, a logical address is assigned to a storage block in which valid data is written, and a process of writing the assigned logical address to a specific area of the corresponding storage block is performed.

  Further, when the flash memory becomes accessible (for example, when the power of the device is turned on and the flash memory is connected), the memory control unit stores all the storage blocks provided in the flash memory. Each time a storage block in which a logical address is written is found, the logical address is read from the found storage block and registered in the table together with the physical address of the storage block, so that valid data is written. A logical / physical conversion table that associates a logical address and a physical address of a storage block is created. This logical / physical conversion table is used for conversion from a logical address to a physical address when data is read from or written to the flash memory.

In relation to the above, Patent Document 1 discloses that all defective sector addresses are stored in a block or sector of a predetermined address in a memory unit built in a PC card at the time of manufacture, and all stored defective sectors are stored. A technique for creating a logical / physical address conversion table using addresses is disclosed.
JP-A-11-345174

  However, in recent years, recording media have a tendency to increase in capacity, and accordingly, there is a problem that it takes a long time to create a logical / physical conversion table of a flash memory built in the recording medium. In particular, DSC is required to shorten the activation time (the time from when the power is turned on until it is ready to shoot), and it takes time to create a logical / physical conversion table, which leads to an increase in the activation time of the DSC. Absent.

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 is a technique that is premised on being applied to a memory device (MGM: Mostly Good Memory) that allows an initial defect at a certain ratio. Even if this technique is applied to a method in which a logical address is assigned to a block and the assigned logical address is written to a specific area of the corresponding storage block, it is logical for a flash memory that has zero or very few initial defects. / It is difficult to shorten the time required to create the physical conversion table.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a storage device control apparatus and a storage device control program that can reduce the time required to create a logical / physical conversion table.

  In order to achieve the above object, a storage device control device according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of storage blocks each assigned a physical address, and is provided in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data. A storage device controller connected to a rewritable non-volatile storage device to which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written, and every time the operation starts, all logical addresses written to the storage device are Read, and a table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table that associates a logical address with a physical address, and when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned among the storage devices changes, Number information indicating the number of storage blocks to which addresses are assigned is written to the storage device. Prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, the table creation means reads the number information written to the storage device by the writing means, and reads the logical information read from the storage device. When the number of addresses reaches the number indicated by the number information, reading of the logical address from the storage device is terminated.

  The storage device connected to the storage device control apparatus according to claim 1 is a rewritable nonvolatile storage device (for example, a flash memory), and includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned a physical address, The logical address given to the storage block is written in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data. According to the first aspect of the present invention, each time the operation is started (for example, every time the apparatus is turned on and the storage device is connected and the storage device becomes accessible), the data is written into the storage device by the table creating means. All the logical addresses are read out, and a logical / physical conversion table for converting the logical addresses into physical addresses is created.

  Further, the writing means according to the first aspect of the invention is provided with a logical address at the end of operation (for example, when the apparatus is powered off or disconnected from the storage device) or the storage device. When the number of storage blocks changes, the number information indicating the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned is written to the storage device. Then, prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, the table creation means reads the number information written to the storage device by the writing means, and the number of logical addresses read from the storage device is the number represented by the number information. At this point, reading of the logical address from the storage device is terminated.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, unless the logical address is written in the last storage block in the access order by the table creating means, the table is based on the number information written in the storage device by the writing means. Before the creation means accesses all the storage blocks, it can recognize that reading of all the logical addresses written in the storage device has been completed, and the table creation means can create a logical / physical conversion table. The number of storage blocks to be accessed can be reduced. Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table can be shortened.

  In addition, the storage device control device according to the invention of claim 2 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address, and assigns the storage block to a specific area in the storage block storing valid data. A storage device controller connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a written logical address is written, and each time the operation starts, the plurality of storage blocks are accessed in a predetermined order and written to the storage device Table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table for reading all the logical addresses and associating the logical addresses with the physical addresses, and the number of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned at the end of operation or among the storage devices Of the storage block corresponding to the fixed order, the logical address And writing means for writing to the storage device range information including at least one of start position information indicating the start position and end position information indicating the end position within the range where the storage block to which the storage block is assigned is present. The table creation means reads the range information written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the read position information includes the head position information. In this case, reading of the logical address from the storage device is started from the head position represented by the head position information, and when the read range information includes the tail position information, the logical address from the storage device is Logical address from the storage device when the address read reaches the end position represented by the end position information It is characterized in that to end the reading.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned is changed among the storage devices, the writing means makes a fixed order (access order of storage blocks by the table creating means). Range information including at least one of start position information indicating the start position and end position information indicating the end position in the range in which the storage block to which the logical address is assigned exists is present. Written to the storage device. The table creation means reads the range information written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and stores the head position information if the read range information includes the head position information. When reading of the logical address from the device starts from the start position indicated by the start position information, and the end position information is included in the read range information, the read of the logical address from the storage device is indicated by the end position information. When the end position is reached, reading of the logical address from the storage device is terminated.

  Thus, in the invention described in claim 2, when the head position information is written to the storage device by the writing means, the logical address is not written unless the logical address is written to the head storage block in the access order by the table creating means. In the storage block array corresponding to the access order of the storage blocks by the table creation means, access by the table creation means to the storage block at the head side where the logical address is not written is saved. Will be. Further, when the tail position information is written to the storage device by the writing means, the table is based on the tail position information described above unless the logical address is written to the tail storage block in the access order by the table creating means. In the storage block array corresponding to the access order of the storage blocks by the creation means, access by the table creation means to the storage block that has not yet been written with the logical address is omitted.

  Therefore, the invention described in claim 2 can also reduce the number of storage blocks accessed by the table creating means for creating the logical / physical conversion table, and shorten the time required for creating the logical / physical conversion table. Can do. In the invention described in claim 2, it is desirable that the writing means writes the head position information and the tail position information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device control apparatus comprising a plurality of storage blocks each provided with a physical address, and the storage block in a first specific area in the storage block storing valid data. A storage device controller connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a logical address assigned to the storage device is written, and reads out all the logical addresses written to the storage device every time the operation is started. Table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table for associating an address with a physical address, and the logical address is assigned when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned in the storage device changes Position information indicating the position of the first storage block in a series of stored storage blocks. Writing means for writing to the device and writing position information indicating the position of the next storage block in the series of storage blocks to a second specific area in each of the storage blocks constituting the series of storage blocks; The table creation means reads the position information indicating the position of the first storage block written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and then reads the position information. The logical address and the position information are repeatedly read out from the storage block existing at the position represented by, thereby sequentially reading out the logical address from each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks.

  In the invention according to claim 3, at the time of the end of operation or when the number of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned among the storage devices changes, among the series of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned by the writing means The position information indicating the position of the first storage block is written to the storage device, and the position of the next storage block in the series of storage blocks is indicated in the second specific area in each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks. Location information is written. Then, prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, the table creation means reads the position information indicating the position of the first storage block written to the storage device by the writing means, and then at the position indicated by the read position information. By repeatedly reading the logical address and the position information from the existing storage block, the logical address is sequentially read from each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks.

  Thus, in the invention described in claim 3, since the table creation means accesses only the storage block in which the logical address is written, the storage block accessed by the table creation means for creating the logical / physical conversion table is stored. The number can be reduced, and the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table can be shortened.

  In addition, the storage device control program according to the invention of claim 4 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address, and is assigned to the storage block in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data. Every time the computer connected to the rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which the written logical address is written is read out, all the logical addresses written in the storage device are read out, and the logical address is associated with the physical address. Table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table, and a storage block to which the logical address is assigned at the end of operation or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned in the storage device changes. Functions as a writing means for writing the number information representing the number to the storage device. The table creation means reads the number information written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the number of logical addresses read from the storage device is Reading the logical address from the storage device is terminated when the number indicated by the number information is reached.

  The storage device control program according to the invention of claim 4 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address, and is assigned to the storage block in a first specific area in the storage block storing valid data. The computer according to claim 4 is a program for causing a computer connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a written logical address is written to function as the table creating means and the writing means. By executing the storage device control program according to the first aspect, the computer functions as the storage device control apparatus according to the first aspect, and it is necessary to create the logical / physical conversion table as in the first aspect. Time can be shortened.

  The storage device control program according to the invention of claim 5 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned a physical address, and is assigned to a specific area in the storage block storing valid data. Each time a computer connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a written logical address is written is accessed, the plurality of storage blocks are accessed in a predetermined order, and the logical address written in the storage device Table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table that correlates logical addresses and physical addresses, and when the operation ends or the number of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned among the storage devices changes , Among the array of storage blocks corresponding to the certain order, the logical address is And functioning as writing means for writing range information including at least one of head position information representing a head position within a range where a given storage block exists and tail position information representing a tail position to the storage device, and The table creation means reads the range information written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the read position information includes the head position information Starts reading the logical address from the storage device from the start position represented by the start position information, and if the read range information includes the end position information, the logical address from the storage device When the reading of the data reaches the end position represented by the end position information, the logic from the storage device It is characterized in that to terminate the reading of the dress.

  The storage device control program according to the invention of claim 5 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned a physical address, and is assigned to the first specific area in the storage block storing valid data. The computer according to claim 5 is a program for causing a computer connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a written logical address is written to function as the table creating means and the writing means. By executing the storage device control program according to the above, the computer functions as the storage device control apparatus according to claim 2, and as with the invention according to claim 2, it is necessary to create a logical / physical conversion table. Time can be shortened.

  The storage device control program according to claim 6 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address, and the storage block is stored in a first specific area in the storage block storing valid data. A computer connected to a rewritable non-volatile storage device to which a logical address assigned to the device is written is read out every time the operation starts, and the logical address and the physical address are read out. And a table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table for associating with each other, and a series to which the logical address is assigned when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which the logical address of the storage device is assigned changes. Position information indicating the position of the first storage block among the storage blocks of Writing to the chair, and functioning as writing means for writing position information indicating the position of the next storage block in the series of storage blocks to the second specific area in each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks, The table creation means reads the position information indicating the position of the first storage block written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and then reads the position information. The logical address and the position information are repeatedly read out from the storage block existing at the position represented by, thereby sequentially reading out the logical address from each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks.

  The storage device control program according to the invention of claim 6 includes a plurality of storage blocks each assigned a physical address, and is assigned to the first specific area in the storage block storing valid data. The computer according to claim 6 is a program for causing a computer connected to a rewritable nonvolatile storage device to which a written logical address is written to function as the table creating means and the writing means. By executing the storage device control program according to the above, the computer functions as the storage device control apparatus according to the third aspect, and as in the third aspect, it is necessary to create a logical / physical conversion table. Time can be shortened.

  As described above, the invention according to claim 1 and claim 4 is a storage block to which a logical address is assigned when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned in the storage device changes. The number information that represents the number of addresses is written in the storage device, and when the logical / physical conversion table is created, the logical address is read from the storage device when the number of logical addresses read from the storage device reaches the number represented by the number information. Therefore, the time required for creating the logical / physical conversion table can be shortened.

  The inventions according to claim 2 and claim 5 are the arrangements of storage blocks corresponding to a certain order when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned in the storage device changes. Range information including at least one of the head position information indicating the head position and the tail position information indicating the tail position in the range where the storage block to which the logical address is assigned exists is written in the storage device, and the logical / physical If the start position information is included in the range information written to the storage device when creating the conversion table, reading of the logical address from the storage device starts from the start position indicated by the start position information and ends with the end of the range information. When position information is included, when the logical address read from the storage device reaches the end position indicated by the end position information. In since so as to end the reading of the logical address from the storage device, it is possible to shorten the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table has the excellent effect that.

  Further, the inventions according to claim 3 and claim 6 are a series of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned at the end of operation or when the number of storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned in the storage device changes. The position information indicating the position of the first storage block is written to the storage device, and the position of the next storage block in the series of storage blocks is indicated in the second specific area in each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks. Write the position information, read the position information indicating the position of the first storage block when creating the logical / physical conversion table, and read the logical address and position information from the storage block existing at the position indicated by the read position information. By repeating this, the logical addresses are sequentially read from the storage blocks constituting the series of storage blocks. Since the manner, thereby shortening the time required for creating the logical / physical conversion table, with an excellent effect that.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an imaging / recording apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The main body 12 of the photographic recording apparatus 10 is substantially box-shaped, and a lens 14 is attached to the center of the front side of the main body 12 slightly upward as shown in FIG. Further, an optical viewfinder 16 for allowing a user to visually check a photographing range, a strobe 18 for emitting auxiliary light, and a microphone 20 are attached above the lens 14 of the main body 12. The strobe 18 emits light when it is detected that the illumination is low or when the user instructs to emit light.

  Further, a shutter button 22 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 12 on the left side when viewed from the front, and a recording medium 68 containing a flash memory on the left side surface when viewed from the front of the main body 12 (see FIG. 2). Is provided in the slot 24. As shown in FIG. 1B, an optical viewfinder 16 and a power switch 26 are provided on the upper rear side of the main body 12, and a reflective or transmissive color LCD 28 is mounted on the lower left side. Yes. Further, on the right side of the LCD 28, shooting mode switching and various setting switches 30 are respectively attached. Further, on the upper right side, a moving image recording start / stop button 31 operated when shooting a moving image is provided. It is arranged.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the electrical system of the photographic recording apparatus 10. An area CCD sensor 34 is disposed at a position corresponding to the focal position of the lens 14 inside the main body 12, and light incident on the lens 14 after reflecting the subject is imaged on the light receiving surface of the area CCD sensor 34. The The area CCD sensor 34 is driven at a timing synchronized with a timing signal generated by a timing generation circuit (not shown) (not shown), and receives an image signal (each of a large number of photoelectric conversion cells arranged in a matrix on the light receiving surface). A signal indicating the amount of light received at. An A / D converter 36 and an image signal processing circuit 38 are sequentially connected to the signal output terminal of the area CCD sensor 34. The image signal output from the area CCD sensor 34 is converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 36 and input to the image signal processing circuit 38. The image signal processing circuit 38 performs various processes such as color correction and γ correction on the input image data.

  The image signal processing circuit 38 is connected to a bus 40, which includes a CPU 42, a DMAC (direct memory access controller) 44, a media I / F (interface) unit 46, a YC processing circuit 48, a code Circuit 50, liquid crystal / video I / F unit 56, and memory controller 60 are connected to each other, and contacts are made according to operations such as half-press or full-press of the power switch 26, various setting switches 30, and the shutter button 22. An operation unit 62 configured to include a shutter switch (not shown) that switches between and the like is connected. Although not shown in the figure, the CPU 42 includes peripheral circuits such as a ROM, a RAM, and an input / output port. An eggplant DRAM) 64 and a flash ROM 66 are connected to each other.

  The flash ROM 66 stores in advance various processing programs for executing various processes by the CPU 42. Among the various processing programs, an operating program for performing an operating process described later is included. include. Among the operating programs, a logical / physical conversion table creation program for performing a logical / physical conversion table creation process, which will be described later, an area reservation program for performing an area reservation process, and an area release for performing an area release process Each program is included as a subroutine. These logical / physical conversion table creation program, area reservation program, and area release program (and the power-off program for performing the power-off process described in the third embodiment) correspond to the storage device control program according to the present invention. When the CPU 42 executes these programs, the photographing / recording apparatus 10 functions as a storage device control apparatus according to the present invention.

  When taking an image, the image data output from the image signal processing circuit 38 is input to the liquid crystal / video I / F unit 56, and the subject is displayed on the LCD 28 as a moving image by the liquid crystal / video I / F unit 56. When the user presses the shutter button 22 halfway, the CPU 42 calculates the AF evaluation value of the image data output from the image signal processing circuit 38, and drives the AF mechanism of the lens 14 so that the AF evaluation value is maximized. In addition to performing AF processing, AE processing for automatically determining exposure is performed. When the shutter button 22 is fully pressed by the user, the image data output from the image signal processing circuit 38 at the timing when the shutter button 22 is fully pressed is temporarily stored in the SDRAM 64 via the memory controller 60, and YC The Y / C conversion process by the processing circuit 48 and the encoding (compression) process by the encoding circuit 50 are sequentially performed, and then recorded as image data on the recording medium 68 via the media I / F unit 46. Note that data transfer (direct memory access) between the SDRAM 64 and each circuit in the above processing is performed under the control of the DMAC 44.

  When an instruction to reproduce (display) the image represented by the image data recorded on the recording medium 68 is given, the image data is read from the recording medium 68 and transferred to the liquid crystal / video I / F unit 56. The image is displayed (reproduced) on the LCD 28. On the other hand, when the user operates the operation unit 62 to instruct display of a menu screen or various setting screens, the liquid crystal / video I / F unit 56 stores various screen data stored in the flash ROM 66 in advance. Among them, the screen data to be displayed is read out and displayed on the LCD 28.

  Next, as an operation of the present embodiment, the recording medium 68 will be described first. The recording medium 68 incorporates a flash memory as a rewritable nonvolatile storage device. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage area of the flash memory is divided into a plurality of storage blocks. Are fixedly assigned in advance with physical addresses 0, 1, 2,... The storage area in each storage block is divided into a data area and a redundant part area, and arbitrary data such as image data can be written in the data area. In addition, a logical address is assigned to a storage block in which valid data is written in the data area, and a storage block to which a logical address is assigned (valid data is written in the data area). Storage block (denoted as “used block” in FIG. 3), the assigned logical address is written in the redundant area, and no valid data is written in the data area and no logical address is assigned. A predetermined symbol indicating an unused block is written in the redundant portion area (denoted as “unused block” in FIG. 3).

  As will be described in detail later, when the photographing and recording apparatus 10 is turned on and the recording medium 68 becomes accessible, a logical / physical conversion table creation process is performed, and each storage block of the recording medium 68 (flash memory) is stored. A logical / physical conversion table in which physical addresses and logical addresses are associated and registered is created for all storage blocks to which logical addresses are assigned. Various programs stored in the flash ROM 66 and executed by the CPU 42 include a conversion program. The higher-level application program designates a logical address to instruct access to the recording medium 68 and is designated. After the logical address is converted into the corresponding physical address based on the logical / physical conversion table by the above-described conversion program, the actual access to the recording medium 68 is performed. As shown in FIG. 4 as physical space, the logical address given to each storage block in which valid data is written does not necessarily match the actual arrangement order of each storage block. Since it becomes possible to access the recording medium 68 by specifying a logical address by the physical conversion table, it is assumed that each storage block in which valid data is written is arranged in ascending order of the logical address ( (Refer to the logical space shown in FIG. 4) The recording medium 68 can be accessed.

  Next, a flowchart of FIG. 5 will be described with respect to the operation process performed by the CPU 42 executing the operation program when the power switch 26 is operated by the user and the photographing recording apparatus 10 is turned on. The description will be given with reference. In step 100, initialization processing such as checking the status of each part of the photographing and recording apparatus 10 including whether or not the recording medium 68 has been inserted and clearing the memory is performed. In this initialization process, if it is confirmed that the recording medium 68 is inserted, a logical / physical conversion table creation process described later is also performed. In the next step 102, the processing mode selected by the user is determined, and the processing branches according to the determination result.

  If the processing mode selected by the user is a shooting mode for shooting the subject, the process proceeds from step 102 to step 104, and shooting processing for shooting the subject is performed according to the shooting operation of the user. In this photographing process, image data obtained by photographing is written to the recording medium 68. When the image data is written to the recording medium 68, an effective storage block (a logical address is given to the logical / physical conversion table). In the case where there is a shortage of free space in the storage block registered in (2), a new storage block is secured as an effective storage block by performing an area securing process described later. If the processing mode selected by the user is the image display mode, the process proceeds from step 102 to step 106, and image display processing is performed in which image data instructed to be displayed is read from the recording medium 68 and displayed on the LCD 28. Done. If the processing mode selected by the user is the image erasing mode, the process proceeds from step 102 to step 108, and an image erasing process for erasing the image data instructed to be erased from the recording medium 68 is performed. In addition, when image data from the recording medium 68 is erased, when a specific storage block of the recording medium 68 does not store any valid data, an area release process described later is performed. The storage block is excluded from valid storage blocks.

  When any one of the processes in steps 104 to 108 is performed, the process proceeds to step 110, and it is determined whether or not the user has instructed to turn off the photographing and recording apparatus 10 by operating the power switch 26. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 102, and steps 102 to 110 are repeated until the determination of step 110 is affirmed. If the determination in step 110 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 112 to perform end processing such as writing necessary information in the flash ROM 66 in preparation for the power-off of the photographing and recording apparatus 10. In the first embodiment, the number of effective blocks (logical address is given) in the data area of a specific storage block of the recording medium 68 (in this embodiment, the first storage block (physical address “0”)). The number of storage blocks (corresponding to the number information described in claim 1) is written, and when the number of effective blocks increases or decreases, that is, when the above-described area securing process or area releasing process is performed, the above-mentioned effective blocks Although the number is updated (details will be described later), the number of valid blocks may be updated only when the power is turned off. In this case, the number of valid blocks is updated at the end of step 112 at the same time. When the end processing is completed, the power of the photographing / recording apparatus 10 is turned off at the next step 114.

  Next, a logical / physical conversion table creation process that is executed when the above-described initialization process (step 102 in FIG. 5) is executed will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. This logical / physical conversion table creation processing corresponds to the table creation means described in claims 1 and 4. In step 120, an area for storing a logical / physical conversion table provided in a memory (for example, SDRAM 64) is initialized. As described above, in the first embodiment, the number of effective blocks (the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned) is written in a specific storage block of the recording medium 68 (the entire recording medium 68 is not yet stored). In the state of use, 0 is written as an initial value), and in the next step 122, the number of effective blocks is read from a specific storage block of the recording medium 68. In step 124, the count value of the address counter and the count value of the block counter are each initialized to 1.

  In the next step 126, it is determined whether or not the count value of the address counter is larger than the total number of storage blocks of the recording medium 68. When the determination is negative, the routine proceeds to step 128, where it is determined whether or not the count value of the block counter is larger than the number of valid blocks read out at step 122. If the entire recording medium 68 is unused, the determination is affirmed when the determination in step 128 is first performed. If this determination is also denied, the process proceeds to step 130, the storage block whose physical address matches the current count value of the address counter is accessed, and the information stored in the redundant part area of the storage block is logically processed. Read as address. In step 132, it is determined whether the logical address read in step 130 is a valid logical address.

  As described above, the logical address is written in the redundant part area of the effective storage block where the effective data is written, while the redundancy of the storage block (unused storage block) where the effective data is not written. Since a symbol indicating unused is written in the partial area, the determination in step 132 is affirmed if the accessed storage block is a valid storage block, and if the accessed storage block is an unused storage block. Denied. If the determination in step 132 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 134, and the count value of the address counter in the area corresponding to the read valid logical address in the logical / physical conversion table initialized in step 120, that is, Write the physical address of the accessed storage block. In the next step 136, 1 is added to the count value of the block counter, and the process proceeds to step 138. On the other hand, if the determination in step 132 is negative, the process proceeds to step 138 without performing any processing.

  In step 138, 1 is added to the count value of the address counter, the process returns to step 126, and steps 126 to 138 are repeated until the determination in step 126 or step 128 is affirmed. Then, when the determination at step 126 or step 128 is affirmed, the process is terminated.

  In the logical / physical conversion table creation process described above, if the last storage block in the ascending order of physical addresses is a valid storage block, all the storage blocks are accessed in order and the logical / physical conversion table is created. Later, since the determination in step 126 is affirmed and the processing is terminated, the time required for creating the logical / physical conversion table is the same as before, but the storage block at the end in the ascending order of physical addresses is an unused storage block. If there is, the count value of the block counter exceeds the number of valid blocks before all the storage blocks are accessed in order, so that the determination in step 128 is affirmed and the process ends. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the number of valid blocks is 5 and the last valid storage block in ascending order of physical addresses is the 10th storage block (storage block with physical address “9”), When the reading of the logical address from the tenth storage block is completed, it is determined that the reading of the logical address is completed (the determination in step 128 is affirmed), and the process is terminated. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table can be shortened. Accordingly, the start-up time of the imaging / recording apparatus 10 (initialization processing after the power is turned on (FIG. The time required for completing step 100) in step 5) can be shortened.

  Subsequently, in the first embodiment, the area securing process realized by executing the area securing program by the CPU 42 when an instruction is issued to secure a new effective storage block from the upper application program. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The area securing process and the area releasing process described below correspond to the writing means described in claims 1 and 4. In the area securing process, first, in step 140, it is determined whether or not an unused storage block exists in the recording medium 68. This determination can be made by sequentially accessing, for example, storage blocks whose physical addresses are not registered in the logical / physical conversion table and determining whether or not a symbol indicating unused is written in the redundant area. it can. If the determination in step 140 is negative, the instruction source application program is notified of the failure to secure the storage block, and the process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 140 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 142, where a logical address to be assigned to the storage block to be secured that has been recognized in step 140 is determined, and the determined logical address is stored in the storage block to be secured. In addition to writing to the redundant area, the physical address of the storage block to be secured is written to the area corresponding to the determined logical address in the logical / physical conversion table. In step 144, the effective block number is read from the specific block of the recording medium 68, 1 is added to the read effective block number, and the result is written back to the specific block. As a result, a new effective storage block is secured, and the number of effective blocks written in the recording medium 68 is updated as the number of effective storage blocks increases.

  Next, in the first embodiment, the area release processing realized by executing the area release program by the CPU 42 when a release of a valid storage block is instructed by a higher-level application program will be described with reference to FIG. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this area releasing process, first, in step 150, the data written in the data area of the storage block to be released is erased and a symbol indicating unused is written in the redundant part area. In step 152, the physical address of the storage block to be released is deleted from the logical / physical conversion table. In the next step 154, the effective block number is read from the specific block of the recording medium 68, 1 is subtracted from the read effective block number, and the result is written back to the specific block, and the process ends. As a result, the storage block to be released changes from an effective storage block to an unused storage block, and the number of effective blocks written in the recording medium 68 is updated as the number of effective storage blocks decreases. become.

  In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the number of valid blocks written in the recording medium 68 is updated every time the number of valid storage blocks increases or decreases is described. The present invention is not limited to the above, and the physical address is registered in the logical / physical conversion table when the power-off of the photographing / recording apparatus 10 is instructed or the removal of the recording medium 68 from the photographing / recording apparatus 10 is instructed. The number of stored storage blocks (the number of effective storage blocks) may be counted, and the counting result may be written in the recording medium 68 as the number of effective blocks. In this case, the area securing process and the area releasing process can be performed in a shorter time. However, when the power source of the photographing / recording apparatus 10 is momentarily cut off, the above processing cannot be performed, and there is a possibility that a mismatch occurs between the number of effective blocks written on the recording medium and the actual number of effective storage blocks. Therefore, it is desirable to update the number of effective blocks every time the number of effective storage blocks increases or decreases.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, since 2nd Embodiment is the structure same as 1st Embodiment, it attaches | subjects the same code | symbol to each part, abbreviate | omits description of a structure, and demonstrates the effect | action of this 2nd Embodiment hereafter.

  In the second embodiment, in place of the number of effective blocks described in the first embodiment, range information composed of a head address and a tail address is written in a data area of a specific storage block of the recording medium 68. The start address is the storage block with the smallest physical address among the effective storage blocks (the storage block that exists at the position corresponding to the beginning of the range where the effective storage block exists in the array of storage blocks). The end address is located at the position corresponding to the end of the effective storage block with the maximum physical address (the effective storage block in the array of storage blocks). Storage block) is set. When the entire recording medium 68 is unused, blanks are respectively written as initial values of the start address and the end address.

  Next, the logical / physical conversion table creation processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This logical / physical conversion table creation processing corresponds to the table creation means described in claims 2 and 5. In step 160, an area for storing the logical / physical conversion table is initialized. In step 162, the start address and end address written as range information in a specific block of the recording medium 68 are read. In the next step 163, whether or not the start address (which may be the end address) read from the recording medium 68 is blank. judge. If the determination is affirmative, the entire recording medium 68 can be determined to be unused, and the process ends.

  If the determination in step 163 is negative, the process proceeds to step 164, and the head address read from the recording medium 68 is set in the address counter. In the next step 166, it is determined whether or not the count value of the address counter is larger than the value of the end address read from the recording medium 68. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 168, the storage block whose physical address matches the current count value of the address counter is accessed, and the information stored in the redundant part area of the storage block is logical address Read as. In step 170, it is determined whether or not the logical address read in step 168 is a valid logical address.

  If the determination in step 170 is affirmative, that is, if the accessed storage block is a valid storage block, the process proceeds to step 172, and the address in the area corresponding to the read valid logical address in the logical / physical conversion table is transferred. The count value of the counter, that is, the physical address of the accessed storage block is written, and the process proceeds to step 174. On the other hand, if the determination in step 170 is negative, that is, if the accessed storage block is an unused storage block, the process proceeds to step 174 without performing any processing. In step 174, 1 is added to the count value of the address counter, the process returns to step 166, and steps 166 to 174 are repeated until the determination in step 166 is affirmed. If the determination at step 166 is affirmative, the process ends.

  In the logical / physical conversion table creation process described above, if the first and last storage blocks are valid storage blocks in ascending order of physical addresses, the first storage block to the last storage block in ascending order of physical addresses. Since the determination in step 166 is affirmed after all the storage blocks are accessed in order and the logical / physical conversion table is created, the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table is the same as before, but the ascending order of physical addresses. If the first storage block is an unused storage block, access to the storage block (reading of the logical address) is performed in the ascending order of the physical address in the middle storage block (the storage corresponding to the first block read from the recording medium 68). Storage starting from the block and the last storage block in the ascending order of physical addresses is unused In the case of the lock, the access to the storage block is terminated when the storage block corresponding to the end block read from the recording medium 68 is reached, so that the number of storage blocks to be accessed is reduced. / The time required to create the physical conversion table is reduced.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the physical address of the storage block located at the beginning of the range where the valid storage block exists is “6”, and the end of the range where the valid storage block exists. If the physical address of the storage block located at “12” is “12”, access to the storage block (reading of the logical address) is started from the storage block of the physical address “6”, and the physical address “12” The process ends when the storage block is reached. Therefore, the number of storage blocks from which logical addresses are read out is greatly reduced, so that the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table is greatly reduced, and the start-up time of the imaging / recording apparatus 10 is also greatly reduced.

  Next, the area securing process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The area securing process and the area releasing process described below correspond to the writing means described in claims 2 and 5. In step 180, it is determined whether or not an unused storage block exists in the recording medium 68. If the determination in step 180 is negative, the fact that storage block allocation has failed is notified and the process ends. If the determination in step 180 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 182 to determine a logical address to be assigned to the storage block to be secured that has been recognized in step 180, and the determined logical address is determined for the storage block to be secured. In addition to writing to the redundant area, the physical address of the storage block to be secured is written to the area corresponding to the determined logical address in the logical / physical conversion table. In step 184, the start address and end address are read from the specific block of the recording medium 68, and in the next step 186, it is determined whether or not the read start address is blank. If the determination is affirmative, it can be determined that there is no valid storage block other than the storage block to be secured, so the process proceeds to step 190, and the storage block to be secured is used as the start address to be written to the recording medium 68 later. Is temporarily stored in the memory.

  If the determination in step 186 is negative, there is a valid storage block other than the storage block to be secured, so that in the next step 188, the value of the physical address of the storage block to be secured is the first value. It is determined whether or not the value is smaller than the value of the head address read in step 184 (whether the storage block to be secured is positioned in front of the storage block corresponding to the head address in the storage block array). If the determination in step 188 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 190, and after the physical address of the storage block to be secured is temporarily stored in the memory as the head address to be written to the recording medium 68 later, the process proceeds to step 192. If the determination in step 188 is negative, the process proceeds to step 192 without performing any processing.

  In step 192, it is determined whether or not the end address read in the previous step 184 is blank. If the determination is affirmative, it can be determined that there is no valid storage block other than the storage block to be secured, so the process proceeds to step 196 and the storage block to be secured is used as the end address to be written to the recording medium 68 later. Is temporarily stored in the memory. If the determination in step 192 is negative, the process proceeds to step 194, and whether the physical address value of the storage block to be secured is larger than the value of the end address read in step 184 (the storage block to be secured). However, in the storage block array, it is determined whether or not it is located behind the storage block corresponding to the end address. If the determination in step 194 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 196, and the physical address of the storage block to be secured is temporarily stored in the memory as the end address to be written later on the recording medium 68, and then the process proceeds to step 198. If the determination in step 194 is negative, the process proceeds to step 198 without performing any processing. In step 198, the start address and end address temporarily stored in the memory are written in a specific block of the recording medium 68, and the process is terminated. As a result of the above processing, a new effective storage block is secured, and as the number of effective storage blocks increases, at least one of the start address and end address written in the recording medium 68 is updated as necessary. Will be.

  Next, the area release processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 200, the data written in the data area of the storage block to be released is erased and a symbol indicating unused is written in the redundant part area. In step 201, the start address and the end address are read from a specific block of the recording medium 68. In the next step 202, whether the physical address value of the storage block to be released matches the value of the start address read in step 201. It is determined whether or not the storage block to be released is located at the beginning of a range where a valid storage block exists in the storage block array. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 212 without performing any processing.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 202 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 204, and the storage block to be released is excluded from the currently effective storage block, so that a new effective storage block exists at the beginning. Search for the memory block that will be located. This search can be realized, for example, by searching for the minimum physical address of the physical addresses registered in the logical / physical conversion table, excluding the physical address of the storage block to be released. In the next step 206, it is determined whether or not the corresponding storage block has been extracted by the search in step 204. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 208, and the physical address of the storage block extracted by the search in step 204 is temporarily stored in the memory as the head address to be written to the recording medium 68 later. If the determination in step 206 is negative, the process proceeds to step 210, and a blank is temporarily stored in the memory as a head address to be written to the recording medium 68 later.

  In the next step 212, whether or not the physical address value of the storage block to be released matches the value of the end address read in step 201, that is, there is a storage block in which the storage block to be released is valid. It is determined whether it is located at the end of the range. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 222 without performing any processing. On the other hand, if the determination in step 212 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 214, and the memory block to be released is excluded from the currently effective storage block, so that the newly valid storage block exists at the end of the range. Search for the memory block that will be located. This search can be realized, for example, by searching for the maximum physical address from the physical addresses registered in the logical / physical conversion table, excluding the physical address of the storage block to be released. In the next step 216, it is determined whether or not the corresponding storage block has been extracted by the search in step 214. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 218, and the physical address of the storage block extracted by the search in step 214 is temporarily stored in the memory as the end address to be written to the recording medium 68 later. If the determination in step 216 is negative, the process proceeds to step 220, and a blank is temporarily stored in the memory as a head address to be written to the recording medium 68 later.

  In the next step 222, the start address and the end address temporarily stored in the memory are written to a specific block of the recording medium 68. In step 224, the physical address of the storage block to be released is deleted from the logical / physical conversion table, End the process. As a result of the above processing, the release target storage block changes from a valid storage block to an unused storage block, and at least the start address and the end address written to the recording medium 68 with the decrease in the number of valid storage blocks. One will be updated as needed.

  In the above-described second embodiment, the example in which the range information (start address and end address) written in the recording medium 68 is updated every time the number of valid storage blocks increases or decreases has been described. The update timing of information (the start address and the end address) is not limited to the above, and when the power-off of the photographing / recording apparatus 10 is instructed or when the recording medium 68 is instructed to be taken out from the photographing / recording apparatus 10 In addition, the minimum value and the maximum value of the physical address registered in the logical / physical conversion table may be searched, and the minimum value extracted by the search may be written to the recording medium 68 as the start address and the maximum value as the end address. .

  In the above-described second embodiment, the example in which the start address (start position information) and the end address (end position information) are written in the recording medium 68 as the range information according to the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 11B, only the head address (in this example, the physical address “6”) may be written in the recording medium 68 as range information. In this case, since the access to the storage block (reading of the logical address) is started from the storage block having the physical address “6”, the access to the started storage block is continued up to the last storage block in ascending order of the physical addresses. However, the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table can be shortened by reducing the number of storage blocks from which logical addresses are read compared to the case where logical addresses are read from all storage blocks. For example, as shown in FIG. 11C, only the end address (in this example, the physical address “12”) may be written in the recording medium 68 as the range information. In this case, the access to the storage block (reading of the logical address) starts from the first storage block in ascending order of the physical address, but the access to the started storage block reaches the storage block of the physical address “12”. Therefore, the time required to create the logical / physical conversion table can be shortened by reducing the number of storage blocks from which logical addresses are read compared to reading logical addresses from all storage blocks. Can do.

  In the second embodiment described above, an example in which only one set of the start address and the end address is written in the recording medium 68 as the range information according to the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in D), a plurality of sets of head addresses and tail addresses may be written to the recording medium 68 as range information. In the example of FIG. 11D, the storage blocks having physical addresses “3”, “5”, “6”, “21”, “23”, and “24” are valid storage blocks, and the physical address “3” is used as range information. ”“ 5 ”“ 6 ”, the first address“ 3 ”indicating the storage block, the last address“ 6 ”, and the physical addresses“ 21 ”“ 23 ”“ 24 ”indicating the storage block“ 21 ”, last Each set of addresses “24” is written. By writing the above information as range information, access to the storage block (reading of the logical address) is performed only in the range of “3” to “6” and “21” to “24” in the physical address. be able to. As a result, the number of storage blocks from which logical addresses are read can be greatly reduced, and the time required to create a logical / physical conversion table can be greatly shortened.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part same as 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the third embodiment, chain information is used in place of the number of effective blocks described in the first embodiment and the range information (start address and end address) described in the second embodiment. The chain information regards valid storage blocks as a series of valid storage blocks in ascending order of physical addresses (descending order or another order may be applied), and the individual storage blocks constituting this series of valid storage blocks As shown in FIG. 15, the physical address of the first block in the series of valid storage blocks written in the specific block (physical address “2” in the example of FIG. 15) and the series of valid The physical address of the next block (next valid storage block) written in each of the new storage blocks (however, the last storage block (storage block with physical address “11”) in the series of valid storage blocks includes Instead of the physical address of the block, a terminal symbol indicating the terminal (written as “EOC” in FIG. 15) is written.

  Note that a redundant information area of each storage block of the recording medium 68 according to the third embodiment is provided with a chain information storage area for storing chain information in addition to a logical address storage area for storing a logical address. The chain information is written in the chain information storage area of each storage block. When the entire recording medium 68 is unused, the terminal symbol is written as the initial value of the chain information only in the chain information storage area of the specific block.

  Next, logical / physical conversion table creation processing according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This logical / physical conversion table creation process corresponds to the table creation means described in claims 3 and 6. In step 230, the logical / physical conversion table storage area is initialized. In step 232, information written in the chain information storage area of the specific block of the recording medium 68 is read. In the next step 234, information read from the chain information storage area of the specific block (usually the physical address of the first block) is read. Set in the address counter. In the next step 236, it is determined whether or not the information set in the address counter is a terminal symbol. As described above, in the chain information storage area of a specific block, if there is a series of valid storage blocks, the physical address of the first block of the series of valid storage blocks is written, and there is a valid storage block. If not, a terminal symbol is written. If the determination is affirmative, the entire recording medium 68 is determined to be unused, and the process ends.

  If the determination in step 236 is negative, the process proceeds to step 236, and the storage block whose physical address matches the current count value of the address counter (the physical address read from the chain information storage area) is accessed. Information stored in the logical address storage area and the chain information storage area of the redundant part area of the storage block is read out. In step 240, it is determined whether the information read from the logical address storage area in step 238 is a valid logical address. If this determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 244, but the determination in step 240 is normally affirmed, and in the next step 242, the logical address read from the logical address storage area in the logical / physical conversion table is handled. The count value of the address counter, that is, the physical address of the accessed storage block is written in the area.

  In step 244, the information read from the chain information storage area is set in the address counter, and the process returns to step 236. Thus, steps 236 to 244 are repeated until the determination in step 236 is affirmed, that is, until a storage block in which a terminal symbol is written in the chain information storage area appears. Then, when the determination at step 236 is affirmed, the process is terminated.

  In the logical / physical conversion table creation process described above, access to a storage block (reading of a logical address) is performed only on an effective storage block based on chain information, so the number of storage blocks to be accessed is minimized, and logical / The time required to create the physical conversion table is greatly reduced. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when the storage blocks with physical addresses “2”, “3”, “6”, “8”, and “11” are valid storage blocks, the physical address of the first block from the chain information storage area of the specific block After “2” is acquired, access to the storage block (reading of the logical address) is sequentially performed only on the valid storage block, and when access to the storage block with the physical address “11” is completed, step 236 The determination is affirmed and the process ends. Therefore, by minimizing the number of storage blocks from which the logical address is read, the time required for creating the logical / physical conversion table is minimized, and the start-up time of the imaging / recording apparatus 10 is greatly shortened.

  By the way, in the third embodiment, the update of the chain information written in the recording medium 68 is performed by executing the power-off process shown in FIG. 16 when the power-off of the imaging / recording apparatus 10 is instructed. (Note that this power-off process is also executed when an instruction to remove the recording medium 68 is given). Hereinafter, this power-off process will be described. This power-off process corresponds to the writing means described in claims 3 and 6.

  In step 250, 1 is assigned to the address counter. In the next step 252, it is determined whether or not the count value of the address counter is registered as a physical address in the logical / physical conversion table. If the determination is negative, it can be determined that the storage block whose physical address matches the count value of the address counter is not a valid storage block, so the process proceeds to step 254, and 1 is added to the count value of the address counter. In step 256, it is determined whether or not the count value of the address counter exceeds the total number of storage blocks provided in the recording medium 68. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 252 and steps 252 to 256 are repeated until the determination in step 252 or step 256 is affirmed. If the determination in step 256 is affirmative, it can be determined that there is no valid storage block on the recording medium 68, so the process proceeds to step 258 to write a terminal symbol in the chain information storage area of the specific block and process it. Exit.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 252 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 260, where the count value of the address counter is written in the chain information storage area of the specific block as the physical address of the head block and is temporarily stored in the memory. In the next step 262, 1 is added to the count value of the address counter, and in step 264, it is determined whether or not the count value of the address counter exceeds the total number of storage blocks provided in the recording medium 68. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 266, and whether or not the current count value of the address counter is registered as a physical address in the logical / physical conversion table, that is, the physical address matches the current count value of the address counter. It is determined whether the storage block to be used is a valid storage block. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 262, and step 262 and subsequent steps are repeated.

  If the determination in step 266 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 268, and the count value of the address counter is set to the physical address of the next block in the chain information storage area of the storage block corresponding to the physical address temporarily stored in the memory. Write as. In the next step 270, the count value of the address counter is temporarily stored in the memory as a physical address, and the process returns to step 262. Thus, steps 262 to 270 are repeated until the determination in step 264 is affirmed, and every time a valid storage block is found (when the determination in step 266 is affirmed), the temporarily stored physical address is changed. The physical address of the valid storage block found this time is written as the physical address of the next block in the chain information storage area of the storage block (valid storage block found last time), and the physical address of the valid storage block found this time is temporarily stored The storing process is repeated.

  If the determination in step 264 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 272, where the terminal symbol is written in the chain information storage area of the storage block corresponding to the physical address temporarily stored in the memory, and the process is terminated. As a result of the above power-off process, the chain information written in the recording medium 68 is updated to information representing the connection of individual storage blocks constituting a series of valid storage blocks currently existing in the recording medium 68. Will be.

  In the third embodiment, the update of the chain information written in the recording medium 68 is performed every time the number of effective storage blocks increases or decreases (effective storage) as in the first and second embodiments. It can also be done every time a block is reserved or released. Hereinafter, an area securing process (FIG. 17) for updating chained information simultaneously with securing a valid storage block and an area releasing process (FIG. 18) for updating chained information simultaneously with releasing a valid storage block will be described in order. In the following, in addition to the physical address of the first block, the physical address of the storage block (end block) corresponding to the end of the series of valid storage blocks is written in the chain information storage area of the specific block. The area allocation process and the area release process will be described by taking an example in which the physical address of the previous block (the previous effective storage block) is written in the chain information storage area of the storage block in addition to the physical address of the next block. (Note that when the entire recording medium 68 is unused, terminal symbols are written as physical addresses of the first block and the last block only in the chain information storage area of the specific block). The area securing process and the area releasing process described below correspond to the writing means according to claims 3 and 6.

  In the area securing process shown in FIG. 17, first, in step 280, it is determined whether or not an unused storage block exists in the recording medium 68. If the determination in step 280 is negative, the fact that storage block allocation has failed is notified and the process ends. If the determination in step 280 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 282, where a logical address to be assigned to the storage block to be secured that has been recognized in step 280 is determined, and the determined logical address is stored in the storage block to be secured. In addition to writing to the logical address storage area, the physical address of the storage block to be secured is written to the area corresponding to the determined logical address in the logical / physical conversion table. In step 284, the physical address of the first block and the physical address of the last block are read from the chain information storage area of the specific block of the recording medium 68, and the physical address of the last block read (the physical address of the first block can be used instead. (Good) is a valid physical address.

  If the above determination is negative (when the physical address of the read end block is a terminal symbol), it can be determined that there is no valid storage block other than the storage block to be secured (FIG. 18A )), The process proceeds to step 286, where the physical address of the storage block to be secured is written in the chain information storage area of the specific block as the physical address of the first block. In the next step 288, the physical address of the last block is The physical address of the storage block to be secured is written into the chain information storage area of the specific block. In step 90, the physical address of the specific block (“0” in this embodiment) is written as the physical address of the previous block and the terminal symbol is written as the physical address of the next block in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be secured. Then, the process is terminated (see also FIG. 18B).

  If the determination in step 284 is negative, there is a valid storage block other than the storage block to be secured (for example, the state shown in FIG. 18B). In the chain information storage area of the storage block (current end block) corresponding to the physical address of the last block read from the last chain information storage area, the physical address of the storage block that has secured the area is written as the physical address of the next block. In the next step 294, a terminal symbol is written as a physical address of the next block in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be secured. In step 296, the physical address of the storage block to be secured is written as the physical address of the last block in the chain information storage area of the specific block, and the process ends (see also FIG. 18C). By the above processing, a new effective storage block is secured, and the chain information written in the recording medium 68 is updated as the number of effective storage blocks increases.

  Next, the area release process shown in FIG. 19 will be described. In step 300, the physical address of the first block and the physical address of the last block are read from the chain information storage area of the specific block of the recording medium 68, and the read physical address of the last block is compared with the physical address of the storage block to be released. Then, it is determined whether the block to be released is the last block. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 302, and the physical address of the head block read from the chain information storage area of the specific block is compared with the physical address of the memory block to be released, so that the block to be released becomes the head block. It is determined whether or not.

  If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 304, and the physical address of the next block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be released is written in the chain information storage area of the specific block as the physical address of the first block. . In step 308, the storage block to be released is used as the physical address of the previous block in the chain information storage area of the storage block corresponding to the physical address of the next block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be released. The physical address of the previous block written in the chain information storage area is written (see also FIGS. 20A and 20B). In the next step 318, the data written in the data area of the storage block to be released is erased and a symbol indicating unused is written in the logical address storage area of the redundant part area. In step 320, the physical address of the storage block to be released is deleted from the logical / physical conversion table, and the process ends.

  If the determination in step 302 is negative, that is, if the storage block to be released is a valid storage block other than the first block and the last block, the process proceeds to step 306 and the storage block of the release target is chained. In the chain information storage area of the storage block corresponding to the physical address of the previous block written in the information storage area, as the physical address of the next block, the next block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be released Write the physical address. Subsequently, in step 308 described above, the release target as the physical address of the previous block is stored in the chain information storage area of the storage block corresponding to the physical address of the next block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be released. The physical address of the previous block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block is written (see also FIGS. 20A and 20D). In step 318, data is erased and unused symbols are written into the release target storage block. In step 320, the physical address of the release target storage block is deleted from the logical / physical conversion table.

  If the determination in step 300 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 310, and it is determined whether the physical addresses of the first block and the last block read from the chain information storage area of the specific block are the same. If this determination is affirmative, it is possible to determine that the number of valid storage blocks is zero by excluding the storage block to be released from the valid storage blocks, so the process proceeds to step 316 and the chain information storage area of the specific block Are written as the physical address of the first block and the physical address of the last block, respectively. Then, the process ends through the above-described steps 318 and 320.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 310 is negative, the release target storage block is the last block, and the number of valid storage blocks is one or more even if the release target storage block is excluded from the valid storage blocks. Since it can be determined that there is, the process proceeds to step 312 and the physical address of the next block is stored in the chain information storage area of the storage block corresponding to the physical address of the previous block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be released. Write a terminal symbol. In step 314, the physical address of the previous block written in the chain information storage area of the storage block to be released is written in the chain information storage area of the specific block as the physical address of the end block (FIGS. 20A and 20B). See also C)). Then, the process ends through the above-described steps 318 and 320. As a result of the above processing, the storage block to be released changes from a valid storage block to an unused storage block, and the chain information written to the recording medium 68 is updated as the number of valid storage blocks decreases. become.

  In the above description, a mode has been described in which the CPU 42 executes a predetermined program to implement the processing (logical / physical conversion table creation processing, area allocation processing, area release processing, power-off processing) according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each process described above can be executed by hardware. Moreover, although the example which makes the imaging | photography recording device 10 function as a storage device control apparatus which concerns on this invention was demonstrated above, it is not limited to this, Various apparatuses (for example, connected with the storage device which concerns on this invention) By incorporating the above program or the above hardware into a PC, a portable terminal, a printer, or the like, it is possible to cause various devices to function as the storage device control apparatus according to the present invention. Further, the above hardware can be incorporated in a recording medium together with a storage device such as a flash memory according to the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the imaging | photography recording device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of an imaging | photography recording device. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of a format of a recording medium (flash memory). It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the effect | action of a logical / physical conversion table. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the process at the time of operation. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the logical / physical conversion table creation process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the effect | action of the logical / physical conversion table creation process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the area ensuring process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the area | region release process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the logical / physical conversion table creation process concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the effect | action of the logical / physical conversion table creation process concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the area ensuring process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the area | region release process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the logical / physical conversion table creation process concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the effect | action of the logical / physical conversion table creation process concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the process at the time of power-off which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. In 3rd Embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the content of the area reservation process in the case of rewriting chain information at the time of area reservation. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the effect | action of the area | region securing process of FIG. In a 3rd embodiment, it is a flow chart which shows the contents of area release processing in the case of rewriting chain information at the time of area release. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the effect | action of the area | region release process of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 Shooting and Recording Device 24 Slot 26 Power Switch 42 CPU
66 Flash ROM
68 Recording media

Claims (6)

A rewritable nonvolatile storage device having a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address and in which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data A storage device controller connected to
Table creation means for reading out all the logical addresses written in the storage device every time the operation is started, and creating a logical / physical conversion table that associates the logical address with the physical address;
Write means for writing, into the storage device, number information indicating the number of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned in the storage device changes. When,
With
The table creation means reads the number information written in the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the number information of the logical address read from the storage device is the number information. The storage device control apparatus, wherein reading of the logical address from the storage device is terminated when the number to be expressed is reached. A rewritable nonvolatile storage device having a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address and in which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data A storage device controller connected to
Table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table that accesses the plurality of storage blocks in a predetermined order, reads all logical addresses written in the storage device, and associates the logical addresses with the physical addresses each time the operation is started When,
When the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned in the storage device changes, there is a storage block to which the logical address is assigned in the array of storage blocks corresponding to the fixed order. Writing means for writing to the storage device range information including at least one of head position information representing the head position in the range and tail position information representing the tail position;
With
The table creation means reads the range information written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the read position information includes the head position information Starts reading the logical address from the storage device from the start position represented by the start position information, and if the read range information includes the end position information, the logical address from the storage device The storage device control apparatus is characterized in that the reading of the logical address from the storage device is terminated when the read of the data reaches the end position represented by the end position information. A plurality of storage blocks each having a physical address assigned thereto, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory in which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written in a first specific area in the storage block storing valid data A storage device controller connected to a storage device,
Table creation means for reading out all the logical addresses written in the storage device every time the operation is started, and creating a logical / physical conversion table that associates the logical address with the physical address;
Position information indicating the position of the first storage block in a series of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned in the storage device changes Writing means for writing position information indicating the position of the next storage block in the series of storage blocks to a second specific area in each of the storage blocks constituting the series of storage blocks;
With
The table creation means reads the position information indicating the position of the first storage block written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and then reads the position information. The logical address and the positional information are repeatedly read from the storage block existing at the position represented by the logical block, and the logical address is sequentially read from each of the storage blocks constituting the series of storage blocks. . A rewritable nonvolatile storage device having a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address and in which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data The computer connected to the
Table creation means for reading out all the logical addresses written in the storage device every time the operation is started, and creating a logical / physical conversion table that associates the logical address with the physical address;
And writing the number information indicating the number of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned to the storage device when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned in the storage device changes. And function as a
The table creation means reads the number information written in the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the number information of the logical address read from the storage device is the number information. A storage device control program, wherein reading of a logical address from the storage device is terminated when the number to be expressed is reached. A rewritable nonvolatile storage device having a plurality of storage blocks each assigned with a physical address and in which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written in a specific area in the storage block storing valid data The computer connected to the
Table creation means for creating a logical / physical conversion table that accesses the plurality of storage blocks in a predetermined order, reads all logical addresses written in the storage device, and associates the logical addresses with the physical addresses each time the operation is started ,
The storage block to which the logical address is assigned in the array of storage blocks corresponding to the predetermined order when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned in the storage device changes. And functioning as writing means for writing range information including at least one of head position information representing the head position and end position information representing the tail position in the range in which the storage device exists, to the storage device,
The table creation means reads the range information written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and the read position information includes the head position information Starts reading the logical address from the storage device from the start position represented by the start position information, and if the read range information includes the end position information, the logical address from the storage device The storage device control program terminates reading of the logical address from the storage device when the read of the data reaches the end position represented by the end position information. A plurality of storage blocks each having a physical address assigned thereto, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory in which a logical address assigned to the storage block is written in a first specific area in the storage block storing valid data A computer connected to the storage device
Table creation means for reading out all the logical addresses written in the storage device every time the operation is started, and creating a logical / physical conversion table that associates the logical address with the physical address;
And when the operation ends or when the number of storage blocks to which a logical address is assigned in the storage device changes, it represents the position of the first storage block in a series of storage blocks to which the logical address is assigned Writing means for writing position information to the storage device and writing position information indicating the position of the next storage block in the series of storage blocks to a second specific area in each of the storage blocks constituting the series of storage blocks As well as
The table creation means reads the position information indicating the position of the first storage block written to the storage device by the writing means prior to reading the logical address from the storage device, and then reads the position information. A storage device control program for sequentially reading out a logical address from each storage block constituting the series of storage blocks by repeatedly reading out a logical address and position information from a storage block existing at a position represented by .

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