JP4657130B2 - Content recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content recording apparatus, and more particularly to a content recording apparatus that records, for example, a plurality of contents having different properties on a recording medium.

An example of a conventional device of this type is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to this prior art, the hard disk employs a ZCAV (Zone Constant Angular Velocity) method. In which zone the data is recorded is determined based on the attribute of the data. For this reason, for example, moving image data is recorded in zone 1, still image data is recorded in zone 2, and audio data is recorded in zone 3. This avoids an increase in fragments on the hard disk.
JP 2005-86737 A [H04N 5/91, G11B 20/10, 20/12, H04N 5/225]

    However, the conventional technique has a problem that the use efficiency of the capacity of the hard disk is lowered because the data recording destinations are distributed in units of zones.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a content recording apparatus capable of avoiding an increase in fragments in a recording medium and a decrease in utilization efficiency of the recording medium.

  The content recording device (10) according to the invention of claim 1 is formed in a distributed manner on N (N: integer greater than or equal to 2) content capturing means (S71, S77) and recording medium (38). Discriminating means (S153) for discriminating whether or not there are N or more free areas to be obtained in relation to the fetching process of the fetching means, and less than N formed on the recording medium when the discrimination result of the discriminating means is negative Dividing means (S155, S163, S167) for dividing the empty area into N or more empty areas, and N contents taken in by the taking means are recorded in N empty areas formed on the recording medium, respectively. Recording means (S91, S127) are provided.

  N pieces of content (N: integer greater than or equal to 2) are taken in parallel by the taking-in means. The discriminating unit discriminates whether or not there are N or more free areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the recording medium in relation to the capturing process of the capturing unit. If the determination result of the determination means is negative, the less than N empty areas formed on the recording medium are divided into N or more empty areas by the dividing means. The recording means records the N contents captured by the capturing means in N free areas formed on the recording medium.

  Therefore, if there are N or more free areas formed on the recording medium, N contents are recorded in N free areas, respectively. On the other hand, if the number of free areas formed on the recording medium is less than N, N or more free areas are formed on the recording medium by the area dividing process. N contents are respectively recorded in N empty areas obtained by the area dividing process.

  Since N contents are recorded in N empty areas, an increase in fragments in the recording medium is avoided. In addition, since the area division processing is executed as necessary when N pieces of content are taken in parallel, a reduction in the usage efficiency of the recording medium is avoided.

  A content recording apparatus according to the invention of claim 2 is dependent on claim 1, and is a first recording means (S91) for recording one of N contents taken in by the taking-in means in one of N free areas, And second recording means (S127) for recording the other one of the N contents captured by the capturing means in the other one of the N empty areas, and the determining means is a recording process by the first recording means. When the second recording instruction is received during execution, the determination process is executed. Thereby, the area division processing is executed at a necessary timing.

  The content recording apparatus according to the invention of claim 3 is dependent on claim 2, and the dividing means divides the empty area recorded by the first recording means.

  A content recording apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is dependent on any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the recording medium is formed by a plurality of unit areas each having a unit size, and one free area is continuously empty. Are formed by one or more unit regions.

  The content recording apparatus according to the invention of claim 5 is dependent on claim 4, and the dividing means specifies one empty area formed by two or more unit areas from less than N empty areas. S155), and a dividing execution means (S163, S167) for dividing the empty area specified by the specifying means. As a result, the region division processing is accurately executed.

  A content recording apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the invention is dependent on any one of the first to fifth aspects, and the N pieces of content captured by the capturing unit include moving image content and still image content.

  The content recording apparatus according to the invention of claim 7 is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 6, and at least one of the N contents taken in by the take-in means has an indeterminate size when the take-in by the take-in means is started. Content.

  A video camera according to an eighth aspect of the invention includes the content recording device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

  The recording control program according to the invention of claim 9 is a recording step for fetching N contents (N: an integer of 2 or more) in parallel into the processor (40) of the content recording apparatus (10) (S71, S77), recording A determination step (S153) for determining whether or not there are N or more free areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the medium (38) in relation to the acquisition process of the acquisition step, and the determination result of the determination step is negative A division step (S155, S163, S167) that divides less than N empty areas formed on the recording medium into N or more empty areas, and N contents captured by the capturing step are formed on the recording medium. This is a recording control program for executing the recording steps (S91, S127) for recording in each of the N empty areas.

  The recording control method according to the invention of claim 10 is a recording control method executed by the content recording device (10), and takes in N pieces (N: an integer of 2 or more) of contents in parallel (S71, S77), a determination step (S153) for determining whether or not there are N or more free areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the recording medium (38) in relation to the acquisition process of the acquisition step, and the determination result of the determination step is When negative, less than N free areas formed on the recording medium are divided into N or more free areas (S155, S163, S167), and N contents captured by the capture step are recorded A recording step (S91, S127) is provided for recording in each of N empty areas formed on the medium.

  According to the present invention, since N contents are recorded in N empty areas, an increase in fragments in the recording medium is avoided. In addition, since the area division processing is executed as necessary when N pieces of content are taken in parallel, a reduction in the usage efficiency of the recording medium is avoided.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a digital video camera 10 of this embodiment includes a focus lens 12. The optical image of the object scene is irradiated onto the imaging surface of the image sensor 14 through the focus lens 12. On the imaging surface, a charge corresponding to the optical image of the object scene, that is, a raw image signal is generated by photoelectric conversion.

  When the camera mode is selected by the key input device 42, through image processing, that is, processing for displaying a real-time moving image of the object scene on the LCD monitor 26 is executed. First, the CPU 40 instructs the driver 18 to repeat exposure and thinning readout. The driver 18 repeatedly executes the exposure of the image sensor 14 and the thinning readout of the raw image signal generated thereby. Exposure and thinning readout are executed in response to a vertical synchronization signal generated every 1/30 seconds. As a result, a low-resolution raw image signal corresponding to the optical image of the object scene is output from the image sensor 14 at a frame rate of 30 fps.

  The output raw image signal of each frame is subjected to a series of processes of noise removal, level adjustment and A / D conversion by the CDS / AGC / AD circuit 20, thereby obtaining raw image data which is a digital signal. The signal processing circuit 22 performs processing such as white balance adjustment, color separation, and YUV conversion on the raw image data output from the CDS / AGC / AD circuit 20 to generate YUV format image data. The generated image data of each frame is written into the SDRAM 26 by the memory control circuit 24 and then read out by the same memory control circuit 24.

  The video encoder 28 converts the image data read by the memory control circuit 24 into a composite video signal conforming to the NTSC format, and provides the converted composite video signal to the LCD monitor 30. As a result, a through image of the scene is displayed on the monitor screen. In the following description, although the description is omitted as appropriate, access to the SDRAM 26 is always performed through the memory control circuit 24.

  When the moving image recording start operation is executed by the key input device 42, the CPU 40 activates the MPEG4 codec 34 and the card driver 36 in order to execute the moving image recording process.

  The MPEG4 codec 34 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 26 every 1/30 seconds, applies compression processing according to the MPEG4 format to the read image data of each frame, and writes the compressed image data, that is, MPEG data to the SDRAM 26. .

  The card driver 36 newly creates and opens a moving image file on the memory card 38, and writes the MPEG data stored in the SDRAM 26 into the opened moving image file by a predetermined amount.

  When a moving image recording end operation is performed by the key input device 42, a moving image recording end process is executed. The moving image file in the open state is closed, thereby completing the moving image file.

  When a still image recording operation is executed by the key input device 42, the CPU 40 first controls the driver 16 to set the focus lens 12 to the in-focus point and sets the optimum exposure time for the driver 18. When the adjustment of the shooting conditions is completed, a still image reading process and a still image recording process are executed.

  In the still image reading process, the CPU 40 instructs the driver 18 to perform one main exposure and one full pixel reading. The driver 18 executes the main exposure of the image sensor 14 and the reading of all pixels of the raw image signal generated thereby once. As a result, a high-resolution raw image signal corresponding to the optical image of the object scene is output from the image sensor 14. The output raw image signal is converted into YUV format still image data by the same processing as described above, and the converted still image data is written in the SDRAM 26.

  In the still image recording process, the CPU 40 activates the JPEG codec 32 and the card driver 36. The JPEG codec 32 reads still image data from the SDRAM 26, performs JPEG compression on the read still image data, and writes the compressed still image data, that is, JPEG data to the SDRAM 26. The card driver 36 newly creates and opens a still image file on the memory card 38, and writes the JPEG data stored in the SDRAM 26 to the open still image file. The open still image file is closed after the writing of JPEG data is completed.

  When the reproduction mode is selected by the key input device 42 and a desired moving image file is selected from the memory card 38, the CPU 40 activates the card driver 36, the MPEG4 codec 34, and the video encoder 28 to execute the moving image reproduction process. To do.

  The card driver 36 transfers MPEG data stored in a desired moving image file to the SDRAM 26 by a predetermined amount. The MPEG4 codec 34 reads the MPEG data stored in the SDRAM 26 at a rate of 1 frame per 1/30 second, performs a decompression process according to the MPEG4 system on the read MPEG data, and writes the decompressed image data to the SDRAM 26.

  The video encoder 28 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 26 at a rate of 1 frame per 1/30 second, converts the read image data into a composite video signal conforming to the NTSC format, and converts the converted composite video signal to the LCD This is given to the monitor 30. As a result, the playback moving image of the scene is displayed on the monitor screen.

  When a desired still image file is selected from the memory card 38 in a state where the reproduction mode is selected, the CPU 40 activates the card driver 36, the JPEG codec 32, and the video encoder 28 in order to execute a still image reproduction process.

  The card driver 36 transfers JPEG data stored in a desired still image file. The JPEG codec 32 reads the JPEG data stored in the SDRAM 26, expands the read JPEG data by the JPEG method, and writes the expanded image data to the SDRAM 26.

  The video encoder 28 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 26 at a rate of 1 frame per 1/30 second, converts the read image data into a composite video signal conforming to the NTSC format, and converts the converted composite video signal to the LCD This is given to the monitor 30. As a result, a reproduced still image of the scene is displayed on the monitor screen.

  When a file deletion operation is performed by the key input device 42 in a state where a desired moving image file or still image file is selected, the CPU 40 requests the card driver 36 to delete the selected file. The selected file is deleted from the memory card 38.

  Referring to FIG. 2, memory card 38 adopts an MS-DOS format and has a reserved area 38a and a data area 38b. The reserve area 38a includes an MBR (Master Boot Area), a PBR (Partition Boot Area), a FAT (File Allocation Table) 1, a FAT2 that is a copy of the FAT1, and a root directory. The data area 38b is formed by a plurality of clusters, and each cluster is formed by 32 sectors. Further, an identification number (cluster number) starting from “2” is assigned to each cluster. Here, the size of each sector is 512 bytes, and the size of each cluster is 16384 bytes.

  In the data area 38b, for example, a recorded area and an empty area are formed as shown in FIG. According to FIG. 3, the first free area is formed by 85 clusters starting from the sixth cluster, the second free area is formed by 32 clusters starting from the 121st cluster, and the third The empty area is formed by 48 clusters starting from the 178th cluster.

  The free area formed in the data area 38b is managed by a free list (free area list) 40t shown in FIG. According to FIG. 4, columns L (0) to L (2) are created corresponding to the three empty areas, respectively. All of the columns L (0) to L (2) have items of “head”, “size”, and “next”. In “head”, the identification number of the leading cluster that forms the vacant area of interest is described. In “size”, the number of clusters forming a focused empty area is described. In “next”, a column number corresponding to the next empty area is described.

  When a moving image recording start operation is performed, a free area is detected with reference to the free list 40t. MPEG data is recorded in the detected empty area. “Head” and “size” in the column that manages the free area of the recording destination are updated together with the recording.

  When a still image recording operation is performed, an empty area is detected with reference to the free list 40t as described above. JPEG data is recorded in the detected free area. “Head” and “size” in the column that manages the free area of the recording destination are updated together with the recording.

  When a still image recording operation is performed during the moving image recording process, the free area detected for recording the JPEG data is different from the free area where the MPEG data is recorded. If the recording destination of the MPEG data is a free area managed by the column L (0), the JPEG data is recorded in the free area managed by the column L (1). As a result, an increase in fragments due to the parallel processing of recording content having different properties is suppressed.

  If there is only one free area in the data area 38b, and a still image recording operation is performed while a moving image recording process is being performed on this single free area, the area is divided prior to recording the JPEG data. Processing is executed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, if the first and second empty areas are full and MPEG data is recorded in the third empty area, the third image is recorded. The empty area is divided into two as shown in FIG.

  When the description of the column L (2) of the free list 40t at the time when the still image recording operation is performed is in the state shown in FIG. 6A, the description of the column L (2) is performed as shown in FIG. 6B. Is updated and a new column L (3) is created. According to FIGS. 6A and 6B, “size” in the column L (2) is updated from “44” to “22”, and “3” is updated in “next” in the column L (2). Written. Further, “204” and “22” are written in “head” and “size” of the column L (3). As described above, the region division processing is executed as necessary. As a result, a decrease in utilization efficiency of the data area 38t is avoided.

  When the deletion process is executed in the reproduction mode, an empty area is formed in the data area 38t, and the free list 40t is updated accordingly. If the data of the 153rd to 172nd clusters are deleted in the state where the empty area is formed as shown in FIG. 7A (same as FIG. 3), the second as shown in FIG. 7B. The size of the free area is expanded. The description of the column L (1) in the free list 40t is updated from FIG. 8 (A) to FIG. 8 (B).

  8A (same as FIG. 3), if the data of the 173rd to 177th clusters are deleted in the state where the empty area is formed, as shown in FIG. 8B. A new empty area is created between the second empty area and the third empty area. Accordingly, as can be seen from FIGS. 10A to 10B, “3” is written in “next” of the column L (2), and the column L (3) is newly created.

  The CPU 40 includes a main task shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, an imaging control task shown in FIG. 16, a moving image recording control task shown in FIGS. 17 to 18, a still image recording control task shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, and FIGS. A plurality of tasks including the reproduction task shown in FIG. 23 are executed in parallel. Note that control programs corresponding to these tasks are stored in the flash memory 44.

  First, referring to FIG. 7, an initialization process is executed in step S1. The flag Ferr is set to “0” when the initialization process is successful, and is set to “1” when the initialization process fails. In step S3, the state of such a flag Ferr is determined. If the flag Ferr is “0”, the process proceeds to step S5 and subsequent steps, while if the flag Ferr is “1”, the process proceeds to error processing.

  In step S5, free list creation processing is executed. In step S7, it is determined whether the current mode is the camera mode or the playback mode. If the camera mode is selected, an imaging control task, a moving image recording control task, and a still image recording control task are activated in step S9. If it is in the reproduction mode, a reproduction task is activated in step S11. When the process of step S9 or S11 is completed, it is determined in step S13 whether or not a mode switching operation has been performed. If YES here, the task started in step S9 or S11 is stopped in step S15, and the process returns to step S7.

  The initialization process in step S1 is executed according to a subroutine shown in FIG. First, initialization of the card driver 36 is attempted in step S21. In step S23, it is determined whether the notification returned from the card driver 36 is “OK” or “NG”. If the notification is “NG”, it is considered that the initialization of the card driver 36 has failed, and the flag Ferr is set to “1” in step S31. If the notification is “OK”, it is considered that the initialization of the card driver 36 has succeeded, and the processing from step S25 is executed.

  In step S25, the validity of the MBR and PBR formed in the reserved area 38a (see FIG. 2) of the memory card 38 is checked. In step S27, it is determined whether or not the check result is “valid”. If YES, the flag Ferr is set to “0” in step S29, while if NO, the flag Ferr is set to “1” in step S31. When the process of step S29 or S31 is completed, the process returns to the upper hierarchy routine.

  The free list creation process in step S5 shown in FIG. 12 is executed according to the subroutine shown in FIGS. First, in step S41, the total number of clusters formed in the data area 38b is detected with reference to the PBR. In step S43, the variable k is set to “1”, and in step S45, the column L (k) is created in the free list 40t. “Head”, “size”, and “next” in the created column L (k) all indicate “0”.

  In step S47, the column L (k) is set in each of the pointer Ltop pointing to the leading column and the pointer Llast pointing to the trailing column. In step S49, the variable n for identifying the cluster number is set to “2”, and in step S51, it is determined based on the total number detected in step S41 whether or not the nth cluster is the tail cluster. If “YES” here, the process returns to the upper layer routine, while if “NO”, the process proceeds to a step S53.

  In step S53, it is determined whether or not the nth cluster is empty. In step S55, it is determined whether or not “head” of the column pointed to by the pointer Llast indicates “0”. In step S59, it is determined whether or not the sum of two numerical values respectively indicated by “head” and “size” of the column pointed to by the pointer Llast is equal to the variable n.

  If “YES” in each of steps S53 and S55, the cluster of interest is regarded as the first cluster forming the first empty area, and the process proceeds to step S57. In step S57, “n” and “1” are written in “head” and “size” of the column pointed to by the pointer Llast. When the process of step S57 is completed, the variable n is incremented in step S69, and the process returns to step S51.

  If “YES” in the step S53, “NO” in the step S55, and “YES” in the step S59, it is considered that the cluster of interest is a cluster different from the first cluster and the last cluster among the clusters forming the free area, and the step S61. Proceed to In step S61, the numerical value indicated by “size” of the column pointed to by the pointer Llast is incremented. When the process of step S61 is completed, the process returns to step S51 via step S69.

  If “YES” in the step S53 and “NO” in each of the steps S55 and S59, the cluster of interest is regarded as the first cluster forming the second and subsequent empty areas, and the process proceeds to the step S63. In step S63, the variable k is incremented, and in step S65, a new column L (k) is created at the end of the free list 40t. “N” and “1” are written in “head” and “size” of the created column L (k), respectively. In addition, “k” is written in “next” of the column pointed to by the pointer Llast. In step S67, the column L (k) is set in the pointer Llast, and then the process returns to step S51 via step S69.

  If “NO” in the step S53, the variable n is incremented in a step S69, and then the process returns to the step S51.

  Referring to FIG. 16, through image processing is executed in step S71. As a result, a through image of the object scene is output from the LCD monitor 30. In step S73, it is determined whether or not a still image recording operation has been performed. If YES, imaging conditions such as focus and exposure amount are adjusted in step S75. When the adjustment is completed, a still image reading process is executed. As a result, still image data representing the object scene image at the time when the still image recording operation is performed is secured in the SDRAM 26. When the process of step S77 is completed, the process returns to step S71.

  Referring to FIG. 17, in step S81, flag Fmov is set to “0”. The flag Fmov is a flag for identifying whether the moving image recording process is in an interrupted state or an execution state. “0” indicates an interrupted state, while “1” indicates an execution state.

  In step S83, it is determined whether or not a moving image recording start operation has been performed. If “YES” here, the flag Fmov is set to “1” in a step S85, the MPEG4 codec 34 is activated in a step S87, and the column acquisition process 1 is executed in a step S89. As a result of the processing in step S89, the column L (i) defining the free area is detected from the free list 40t. In step S91, a part of the MPEG data stored in the SDRAM 26 is written into a cluster indicated by “head” in the column L (i) among a plurality of clusters forming the data area 38b (FIG. 2).

  In step S93, it is determined whether or not a moving image recording end operation has been performed. If YES, the MPEG4 codec 34 is stopped in step S95, the moving image recording end process is performed in step S97, and the process returns to step S81. If “NO” in the step S93, it is determined in a step S99 whether or not the cluster focused for the process of the step S91 is full. If the cluster of interest is full, the process returns to step S91, and if the cluster of interest is full, the process proceeds to step S101.

  In step S101, the numerical value described in “head” of the column L (i) is incremented, while the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (i) is decremented. The description of the column L (i) defines the latest state (position and size) of the empty area of interest. In step S103, it is determined whether or not the numerical value described in “size” in the column L (i) indicates “0”. If NO, the process returns to step S91. If YES, the process returns to step S89.

  The column acquisition process 1 in step S95 is executed according to the subroutine shown in FIG. First, in step S111, the variable i is set to “0”, and in step S113, it is determined whether or not the column L (i) exists in the free list 40t. If “NO” here, the process proceeds to an error process, and if “YES”, it is determined in a step S115 whether or not the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (i) exceeds “0”. If the numerical value is “0”, the variable i is incremented in step S117 and the process returns to step S113. If the numerical value is “1” or more, the process returns to the upper hierarchy routine. Thus, the column L (i) that defines the free area is detected.

  Referring to FIG. 19, in step S121, it is determined whether or not a still image recording operation has been performed. If “YES” here, the JPEG codec 32 is activated in a step S123, and the column acquisition process 2 is executed in a step S125. By the process of step S125, the first column L (j) defining the free area is detected from the free list 40t. In step S127, a part of the JPEG data stored in the SDRAM 26 is written in the cluster indicated by “head” in the column L (j).

  In step S129, it is determined whether or not writing of JPEG data is completed. If YES, the process returns to step S121. If NO, it is determined in step S131 whether or not the cluster of interest for the processing in step S127 is full. If the cluster of interest is not full, the process returns to step S127, and if the cluster of interest is full, the process proceeds to step S133.

  In step S133, the numerical value described in “head” of the column L (j) is incremented, while the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (j) is decremented. The description in the column L (j) defines the latest state of the target empty area. In step S135, it is determined whether or not the numerical value described in “size” in the column L (j) indicates “0”. If NO, the process returns to step S127, and if YES, the process returns to step S125.

  The column acquisition process 2 in step S125 is executed according to a subroutine shown in FIG. First, in step S141, it is determined whether or not the flag Fmov is “0”. If YES, the moving image recording process is considered to be in an interrupted state, and the process proceeds to step S143. If NO, the moving image recording process is considered to be in an executed state, and the process proceeds to step S151.

  In step S143, the variable j is set to “0”, and in step S145, it is determined whether or not the column L (j) exists on the free list 40t. If the column L (j) does not exist, the process proceeds to error processing. If the column L (j) exists, the step determines whether the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (j) exceeds “0”. The determination is made in S147. If the numerical value is “0”, the variable j is incremented in step S117 and the process returns to step S145. If the numerical value is “1” or more, the process returns to the upper hierarchy routine. Thus, the column L (j) that defines the empty area is detected.

  In step S151, the variable j is matched with the variable i. In step S153, it is determined whether or not the column L (j) matches the column pointed to by the pointer Llast. If “NO” here, it is considered that at least two free areas exist in the data area 38t, and the variable j is incremented in a step S157. As a result of incrementing the variable j, the empty area where the JPEG data is recorded is different from the empty area where the MPEG data is recorded.

  In step S159, it is determined whether or not the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (j) exceeds “0”. In step S161, whether the column L (j) matches the column directed by the pointer Llast. Determine whether or not. If “YES” in the step S159, the process returns to the upper hierarchy routine. If “YES” in the step S161, the process proceeds to an error process. If “NO” in both the steps S159 and S161, the process returns to the step S157. Thus, the column L (j) that defines the empty area is detected.

  If “YES” in the step S153, it is determined whether or not the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (j) is “2” or more. If NO here, the process proceeds to error processing, while if YES, a column (j + 1) is newly created at the end of the free list 40t. In the “head” of the created column L (j + 1), the numerical value described in “head” of the column L (j) and ½ of the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (j) The sum is written. “Size” of column L (j + 1) is obtained by subtracting ½ of the numerical value described in “size” of column L (j) from the numerical value described in “size” of column L (j). Written numerical value is written. In addition, “j + 1” is written in “next” of the column L (j).

  In step S165, the pointer Llast is set to the column L (j + 1). In step S167, the numerical value described in “size” in the column L (j) is updated to a half of the numerical value. Thus, the last empty area is divided into two, and JPEG data and MPEG data are recorded in different empty areas.

  When the process of step S167 is completed, each of the variables j and k is incremented in step S169, and then the process returns to the upper hierarchy routine. Thus, the column L (j) that defines the empty area is detected.

  When the number of clusters forming the divided free areas is an odd number, the number of clusters forming one of the divided free areas is “1” larger than the number of clusters forming the other divided free area. .

  Referring to FIG. 22, in step S171, a file designation process for designating a desired file (moving image file or still image file) is executed, and in step S173, a file reproduction process for reproducing the designated file is executed. In step S175, it is determined whether a file update operation has been executed. In step S177, it is determined whether a file deletion operation has been executed. If “YES” in the step S175, the process returns to the step S171. If “YES” in the step S177, the file deleting process is executed in a step S179, and then the process returns to the step S179.

  The file deletion process in step S179 is executed according to a subroutine shown in FIG. In step S181, the first cluster is identified from one or more clusters storing the specified moving image file or still image file, and the identification number of the identified first cluster is set in the variable M. In step S183, a column managing a cluster adjacent to the Mth cluster is searched from the free list 40t, and in step S185, it is determined whether or not the search is successful.

  If “YES” in the step S185, the process proceeds to a step S187 to determine whether or not the numerical value obtained by subtracting “1” from the numerical value described in “head” of the column L (x) matches the variable M. . If “YES” in the step S187, the Mth cluster and the cluster managed by the column L (x) are considered to have the positional relationship shown in FIG. 11A, and the process proceeds to the step S191 through the step S189. If “NO” in the step S189, the Mth cluster and the cluster managed by the column L (x) are regarded as having the positional relationship shown in FIG. 11B, and the process proceeds to a step S191 as it is. In step S189, the numerical value described in “head” of the column L (x) is decremented. In step S191, the numerical value described in “size” of the column L (x) is incremented.

  If “NO” in the step S185, the variable k is incremented in a step S193, and the column L (k) is created in the free list 40t in a step S195. “Head”, “size”, and “next” in the created column L (k) indicate “M”, “1”, and “0”, respectively. In step S197, “k” is described in “next” of the column pointed to by the pointer Llast, and in step S199, the column L (k) is set in the pointer Llast. When the process of step S199 is completed, the process proceeds to step S201.

  In step S201, it is determined whether or not the Mth cluster is the last cluster that stores the designated moving image file or still image file. If “NO” here, the process proceeds to a step S203 to update the FAT so that the Mth cluster becomes empty. When the update of the FAT is completed, the variable M is incremented in step S205, and the process returns to step S183. If “YES” in the step S201, the same process as the step S203 is executed in a step S207, and the process returns to the upper hierarchy routine.

  As can be seen from the above description, moving image content and still image content (N contents) representing the object scene captured by the image sensor 14 are captured in parallel by the processing of the CPU 40 (S71, S77). Whether or not the number of empty areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the memory card 38 is 2 (= N) or more is determined in relation to the capturing process of moving image content and still image content (S153). If this determination result is negative, the free area formed in the memory card 38 is divided into two (S155, S163, S167). The CPU 40 records the captured moving image content and still image content in two empty areas formed in the memory card 38, respectively.

  Therefore, if there are two or more empty areas formed in the memory card 38, the moving image content and the still image content are recorded in the two empty areas, respectively. On the other hand, if there is one free area formed in the memory card 38, two free areas are formed in the memory card 38 by the area dividing process. The moving image content and the still image content are recorded in two free areas obtained by the area dividing process, respectively.

  Since the two contents are respectively recorded in the two free areas, an increase in fragments in the memory card 38 is avoided. Further, since the area division process is executed as necessary when two contents are taken in parallel, a decrease in the utilization efficiency of the memory card 38 is avoided.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that two contents are captured in parallel, but three or more contents (N ≧ 3) may be captured in parallel. Further, in this embodiment, moving image content and still image content are assumed as content to be captured, but audio content may be captured instead of or together with these. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a digital video camera is assumed, but the present invention can also be applied to other apparatuses such as a stationary video recorder and an audio recorder.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Example of this invention. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the mapping state of the memory card applied to FIG. 1 Example. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the distribution state of the empty area | region formed dispersively formed in the memory card. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing one example of a free list (free area list) referred to in the embodiment in FIG. 1; (A) is an illustrative view showing an example of a mapping state of a memory card before being subjected to area division, and (B) is an illustrative view showing an example of a mapping state of a memory card after being subjected to area division. is there. (A) is an illustrative view showing a part of a free list before being subjected to area division, and (B) is an illustrative view showing a part of the free list after being subjected to area division. (A) is an illustration figure which shows an example of the mapping state of the memory card before performing deletion processing, (B) is an illustration figure which shows an example of the mapping state of the memory card after performing deletion processing is there. (A) is an illustrative view showing a part of the free list before being subjected to the deletion process, and (B) is an illustrative view showing a part of the free list after being subjected to the deletion process. (A) is an illustration figure which shows an example of the mapping state of the memory card before performing a deletion process, (B) is the illustration which shows another example of the mapping state of a memory card after performing a deletion process FIG. (A) is an illustrative view showing another part of the free list before being subjected to the deletion process, and (B) is an illustrative view showing another part of the free list after being subjected to the deletion process. is there. (A) is an illustrative view showing one example of a deletion processing operation, and (B) is an illustrative view showing another example of the deletion processing operation. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing yet another portion of behavior of the CPU applied to the embodiment in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing yet another portion of behavior of the CPU applied to the embodiment in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing yet another portion of behavior of the CPU applied to the embodiment in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other operation | movement of CPU applied to the FIG. 1 Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Digital video camera 14 ... Image sensor 22 ... Signal processing circuit 26 ... SDRAM
32 ... JPEG codec 34 ... MPEG4 codec 36 ... Card driver 38 ... Memory card 40 ... CPU

Claims (10)

Capture means for capturing N (N: integer greater than or equal to 2) content in parallel,
A discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not there are N or more empty areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the recording medium in relation to the capturing process of the capturing unit;
A dividing unit that divides less than N empty areas formed on the recording medium into N or more empty areas when the determination result of the determining unit is negative; and N contents captured by the capturing unit A content recording apparatus comprising recording means for recording each in N empty areas formed on the recording medium. First recording means for recording one of N contents taken in by the taking-in means in one of the N empty areas, and another one of N contents taken in by the taking-in means as N Second recording means for recording in another one of the empty areas,
The content recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit executes a determination process when receiving the second recording instruction during execution of the recording process by the first recording unit.   The content recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dividing unit divides the empty area recorded by the first recording unit. The recording medium is formed by a plurality of unit regions each having a unit size,
4. The content recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one empty area is formed by one or more unit areas that are continuously empty.   The dividing means is a specifying means for specifying one empty area formed by two or more unit areas from the less than N empty areas, and a dividing execution means for dividing the empty area specified by the specifying means. The content recording device according to claim 4, comprising:   6. The content recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the N pieces of content captured by the capturing unit include moving image content and still image content.   7. The content recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the N contents captured by the capturing unit is a content whose size is indefinite when capturing by the capturing unit is started.   A video camera comprising the content recording device according to claim 1. In the processor of the content recording device,
A capturing step for capturing N pieces of content (N: an integer of 2 or more) in parallel;
A discriminating step for discriminating whether or not there are N or more empty areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the recording medium in relation to the capturing process of the capturing step;
A division step of dividing less than N free areas formed on the recording medium into N or more free areas when the determination result of the determination step is negative; and N contents captured by the capture step For performing a recording step of recording in each of N empty areas formed on the recording medium,
Recording control program. A recording control method executed by a content recording apparatus,
A capturing step for capturing N pieces of content (N: an integer of 2 or more) in parallel;
A discriminating step for discriminating whether or not there are N or more empty areas that can be formed in a distributed manner on the recording medium in relation to the capturing process of the capturing step;
A division step of dividing less than N free areas formed on the recording medium into N or more free areas when the determination result of the determination step is negative; and N contents captured by the capture step A recording control method comprising: a recording step of recording each of the images in N empty areas formed on the recording medium.

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