JP4958803B2 - Information processing apparatus, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that receives data from an external device, a control method thereof, and a program.

  In recent years, as the capacity of a storage medium increases, the capacity of a memory card of a digital camera also increases, and a large amount of image data can be stored. Along with this, a large amount of image data transferred from the digital camera is also captured in the storage of a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”).

  When handling a large number of images in this way, it is difficult for the user to correctly determine whether or not the captured image data has already been captured by the PC.

  Further, if all the image data is transferred from the digital camera to the PC during communication every time, the image data is duplicated and transferred to the PC.

  In order to avoid such a problem, a method for avoiding transfer of duplicate image data by using identification information added to the image data is known.

For example, the IDs of all the image data in the digital camera and the IDs of all the image data in the PC are obtained and compared with each other to search for the same ID. A method of finding a thing is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-309219 A

  However, when comparing UUIDs as in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a large amount of image data IDs must be compared, and a huge number of comparison processes must be performed to find the same ID. there is a possibility. As a result, the processing speed becomes slow and the response to the user may be slow.

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that classifies and stores a plurality of image data stored in a storage medium of the information processing apparatus into a plurality of folders provided for each image data shooting condition; Receiving means for receiving image data from the apparatus, and a storage destination when image data is received by the receiving means and stored in the storage medium of the information processing apparatus among a plurality of folders provided for each photographing condition A determination unit that determines a folder based on a photographing condition of image data stored in the storage medium of the external device, identification information of the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device, and the determination unit The image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is compared with the identification information of the image data stored in the folder, and the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device has already been determined by the determining means. Determination means for determining whether or not the image data is stored in the folder, and the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is not already stored in the folder determined by the determination means by the determination means. The determination means further includes identification information of the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device and another folder different from the folder determined by the determination means among the plurality of folders The image data stored in the external device is sequentially compared with the identification information of the image data stored in the external device to determine whether the image data stored in the storage medium is already stored in any of the plurality of folders, If it is determined that the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is not stored in any of the folders, the storage means The image data received by the receiving unit is stored in a folder determined as a storage destination, and the determination unit determines that the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is stored in any folder In this case, the storage means does not store the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine at high speed whether data has not been transferred.

<First Embodiment>
<Configuration of imaging device>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus 100 that is an example of an image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The imaging device includes a device such as a digital camera or a digital video camera that captures a subject and obtains image data.

  The imaging apparatus 100 includes an optical system 101, an imaging element 102, a CPU 103, a primary storage device 104, a secondary storage device 105, a storage medium 106, a display unit 107, an operation unit 108, and a communication device 109. It is composed of

  The optical system 101 includes a lens, a shutter, and an aperture, and forms an image of light from a subject on the image sensor 102 with an appropriate amount and timing. The image sensor 102 converts light imaged through the optical system 101 into an image.

  The CPU 103 performs various calculations and controls each part of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the input signal and program.

  The primary storage device 104 stores temporary data and is used for the work of the CPU 103.

  The secondary storage device 105 stores a program (firmware) for controlling the imaging device 100 and various setting information.

  The storage medium 106 stores captured image data and the like. Note that the storage medium 106 can be removed after shooting, and data can be read out by being attached to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC). That is, the imaging apparatus 100 only needs to have an access unit to the storage medium 106 and can read / write data from / to the storage medium 106.

  A display unit 107 displays a viewfinder image at the time of shooting, displays a shot image, and displays characters for interactive operation. Note that the display unit 107 does not have to be included in the imaging apparatus 100, and the imaging apparatus 100 only needs to have a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 201.

  The operation unit 108 is for accepting a user operation. For example, a button, a lever, a touch panel, or the like can be used as the operation unit 108.

  The communication device 109 is connected to an external device and transmits / receives control commands and data. As a protocol for establishing a connection and performing data communication, for example, PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) is used. The communication device 109 may perform communication through a wired connection such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. Further, communication may be performed through a wireless connection such as a wireless LAN. Further, it may be directly connected to an external device, or may be connected to the external device via a server or a network such as the Internet.

  Note that the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment adds a UUID (Universal Unique ID) to image data obtained as a result of imaging. The UUID is identification information for identifying image data, and is unique to the image data. The UUID is generated based on the identification number of the imaging device 100 and the number of times of imaging of the imaging device 100 so far. When transmitting image data to the PC 200, the imaging apparatus 100 copies image data having the same UUID and transmits it to the PC 200.

<Configuration of PC>
For example, a PC is used as an information processing apparatus to which the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a PC 200 that is an example of the information processing apparatus.

  The PC 200 includes a display unit 201, an operation unit 202, a CPU 203, a primary storage device 204, a secondary storage device 205, and a communication device 206. Since the basic function of each component is the same as that of the imaging apparatus 100, detailed description is omitted here. Note that a display device such as an LCD is used for the display unit 201. The display unit 201 does not need to be included in the PC 200, and the PC 200 may have a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 201. Furthermore, as the operation unit 202, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like can be used.

<Storing received image data>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a storage destination when image data is transmitted from the imaging apparatus 100 to the PC 200 in the present embodiment. Here, it is assumed that image data 301, 302, and 303 are stored in the secondary storage device 105 of the imaging apparatus 100.

  When the PC 200 in the present embodiment is connected to the imaging device 100, the PC 200 acquires attribute information of image data stored in the secondary storage device 105 of the imaging device 100 from the imaging device 100. The attribute information includes the file name of the image data, the shooting date and time, and the UUID.

  Based on the UUID included in the acquired attribute information, the PC 200 receives the image data from the imaging device 100 and stores it in the secondary storage device 205. Hereinafter, which area of the secondary storage device 205 is stored will be described.

  The PC 200 sets in advance a folder that is the base point of the storage destination of the image data received from the imaging apparatus 100. In the example of FIG. 3, the “My Picture” folder 311 is a base folder. The image data received from the imaging apparatus 100 is stored in a hierarchy below this folder, that is, a subfolder.

  The PC 200 creates a subfolder based on the shooting date / time of the image data received from the imaging apparatus 100. For example, let us consider a case where image data 301 with the shooting date “December 18, 2006” is received. In this case, the PC 200 first creates a “2006” folder 312 having a folder name corresponding to the shooting year of the image data 301 at a level below the “My Pictures” folder 311.

  Further, the PC 200 creates a “12-18” folder 313 having a folder name corresponding to the shooting date of the image data 301 at a level below the “2006” folder 312.

  Then, the image data 301 is stored in the “12-18” folder 313.

  Next, consider a case where image data 302 with the shooting date “June 15, 2007” is received. In this case, the PC 200 first creates a “2007” folder 314 having a folder name corresponding to the shooting year of the image data 302 at a level below the “My Pictures” folder 311.

  Further, the PC 200 creates a “06-15” folder 315 having a folder name corresponding to the shooting date of the image data 302 in the hierarchy below the “2007” folder 314.

  Then, the image data 302 is stored in the “06-15” folder 315.

  Further, consider a case in which image data 303 with the shooting date “October 3, 2007” is received. In this case, a “2007” folder 314 having a folder name corresponding to the shooting year of the image data 303 exists below the “My Pictures” folder 311. In this case, the PC 200 does not create a folder corresponding to the shooting year.

  Then, the PC 200 creates a “10-03” folder 316 having a folder name corresponding to the shooting date of the image data 303 at a level below the “2007” folder 314.

  Then, the image data 303 is stored in the “10-03” folder 316.

  If a folder corresponding to the shooting date of the received image data already exists, the PC 200 does not create a new folder and stores the image data in the folder corresponding to the shooting date of the received image data.

  The above is the outline of the storage processing of the received image data. In this way, the PC 200 classifies the image data received from the imaging device 100 into folders based on the shooting date and time. Thus, the image data is classified for each shooting date and time without classifying the image data received by the user, so that the user can easily search for the image data.

<Acquisition of untransferred image using UUID>
The PC 200 in this embodiment does not acquire all the image data stored in the connected imaging device 100, but acquires only the image data that is not yet stored in the secondary storage device 205. Specifically, by comparing and collating the UUID of the image data stored in the secondary storage device 105 of the imaging device 100 with the UUID of the image data stored in the secondary storage device 205 of the PC 200, untransferred Identify and obtain image data.

  Hereinafter, transmission processing of an untransferred image in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the PC 200 in the untransferred image transmission process. The present embodiment is realized by the CPU 203 controlling each unit in accordance with a program stored in the secondary storage device 205. Details of this process will be described below.

  In step S <b> 401, the PC 200 determines whether the imaging device 100 is connected to the communication device 206. If it is determined that the connection has been established, the process proceeds to step S401. If it is determined that the connection is not established, the process is repeated.

  In step S <b> 402, the PC 200 acquires a list of image data stored in the imaging device 100 from the imaging device 100. Specifically, the PC 200 requests the image capturing apparatus 100 for a list of image data. In response to this request, the imaging apparatus 100 creates a list of image data stored in the secondary storage device 105 and transmits it to the PC 200. The PC 200 receives a list of image data transmitted from the imaging device 100. What is acquired here is information for specifying image data in data communication, such as an object handle defined by PTP, and does not include shooting information such as Exif data or UUID.

  In step S <b> 403, the PC 200 acquires image data attribute information from the imaging apparatus 100. Specifically, the PC 200 refers to the list of image data acquired in step S402 and sequentially requests the image capturing apparatus 100 for attribute information of the image data. The image capturing apparatus 100 transmits, to the PC 200, attribute information of image data requested from the PC 200 among the image data stored in the secondary storage device 105. The PC 200 receives a list of image data transmitted from the imaging device 100. The information acquired here includes thumbnail data, shooting information, and UUID. The shooting information includes the shooting date and time. The PC 200 may request attribute information one by one, or may request attribute information corresponding to a plurality of image data at once.

  In step S404, the PC 200 determines whether or not the attribute information of all image data stored in the imaging device 100 has been acquired. If it is determined that it has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S405. If it is determined that it has not been acquired, the process returns to step S403, and attribute information is continuously acquired.

  In step S405, the PC 200 reads one of the attribute information acquired in step S404, and obtains a folder as a storage destination of image data having the read attribute information. Specifically, referring to the shooting date and time included in the attribute information, the storage destination file path is obtained according to the method described with reference to FIG.

  In step S406, the PC 200 searches the storage destination folder obtained in step S405, and searches whether image data having the same UUID as the UUID included in the attribute information read in step S405 is stored. If it is determined that image data having the same UUID is stored, the process proceeds to step S411. If it is determined that it is not stored, the process proceeds to step S411. If the storage destination folder itself obtained in step S405 does not exist in the secondary storage device 205, the process proceeds to step S407.

  In step S407, the PC 200 searches for another folder existing in the secondary storage device 205, that is, a storage area other than the storage destination folder. In the example of FIG. 3, if the folder obtained in step S405 is “My picture ¥ 2006 ¥ 12-18”, all other folders are searched. That is, “My picture”, “My picture ¥ 2006”, “My picture ¥ 2007”, “My picture ¥ 2007 ¥ 03-12”,..., “My picture ¥ 2007 ¥ 10-03” are sequentially searched. Note that “¥” represents a division of the folder hierarchy.

  In step S408, the PC 200 determines whether image data having the same UUID as the UUID included in the attribute information read in step S405 is stored in the folder searched in step S407. If it is determined that it is stored, the process proceeds to step S411. If it is determined that it is not stored, the process proceeds to step S409.

  In step S409, the PC 200 determines whether all folders have been searched. If it is determined that the search has been performed, the process proceeds to step S410. If it is determined that the search has not been performed, the process returns to step S407 to continue the search.

  In step S410, the PC 200 determines that the image data having the attribute information read in step S405 is not stored in any folder, and performs processing for acquiring the image data itself from the imaging apparatus. Specifically, the PC 200 requests the image data from the imaging device 100 by specifying the image data using the object handle. The imaging apparatus 100 reads image data corresponding to the requested object handle from the secondary storage device 105 and transmits it to the PC 200.

  In step S411, the PC 200 determines whether or not UUID comparison / collation has been performed for all image data stored in the imaging apparatus 100. If it is determined that the process has been performed, the process ends. If it is determined that there is unprocessed image data, the process returns to step S405.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the UUID of the image data stored in the imaging apparatus 100 and the UUID of the image data stored in the folder corresponding to the shooting date / time of the image data are preferentially compared and verified. It was decided to. The reason for this processing is as follows.

  That is, as described with reference to FIG. 3, in the PC 200 in the present embodiment, the storage destination folder for image data is determined according to the shooting date. Therefore, the processing shown in steps S405 and S406 in FIG. 4 allows the PC 200 to first select a folder with a high probability of storing image data having the same UUID as a comparison target.

  Accordingly, the PC 200 can find image data having the same UUID with a smaller number of comparisons and collations, and as a result, the processing can be speeded up.

  Further, in steps S407 and S408 of FIG. 4 of the present embodiment, folders other than the storage destination corresponding to the shooting date and time of the image data stored in the imaging apparatus 100 are also subjected to comparison / collation. Thus, for example, even when the user of the PC 200 has moved the image data to another folder, it is possible to correctly determine whether the image data has not been transferred. Note that the processing in steps S407 and S408 may be omitted, and only the folder corresponding to the shooting date and time of the image data may be compared, and whether to transfer the image data may be determined.

  Further, although the PC 101 in this embodiment classifies the storage destination folder for each shooting date and time, it may be classified using other information.

  For example, when position information is added to image data, it is possible to classify using position information. The PC 101 may create a folder for each predetermined range, and determine a folder corresponding to the position information of the received image data as a storage destination of the image data.

  Furthermore, when category information for search (for example, a person, landscape, sports, night view, etc.) is added to the image data, it is possible to classify using the category information. The PC 101 may create a folder for each category, and determine a folder corresponding to the category information of the received image data as the storage destination of the image data. The category information is added by an imaging device such as a digital camera according to the shooting mode at the time of shooting.

  In both the case of classification by position information and the case of classification by category information, UUID comparison / collation is started from the storage destination folder as in the case of classification by shooting date and time.

<Other embodiments>
It is also possible to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions described in this embodiment to an apparatus or system, and for the control unit of the apparatus or system to read the program code from the storage medium and execute it. The object of the present invention is achieved. That is, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of these embodiments, and therefore the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the imaging device in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of PC in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of PC in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of PC in 1st Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 Imaging device 200 PC

Claims (12)

An information processing apparatus,
Storage means for classifying and storing a plurality of image data stored in a storage medium of the information processing apparatus into a plurality of folders provided for each photographing condition of the image data;
Receiving means for receiving image data from an external device;
Of the plurality of folders provided for each photographing condition , a folder that is a storage destination when image data is received by the receiving unit and stored in the storage medium of the information processing apparatus is stored in the storage medium of the external apparatus Determining means for determining based on the shooting conditions of the image data that has been made,
An image stored in the storage medium of the external device by comparing the identification information of the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device with the identification information of the image data stored in the folder determined by the determination unit data already has a determination means for determining whether stored in determined folder by said determining means,
If it is determined by the determination means that the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is not already stored in the folder determined by the determination means , the determination means further includes the storage medium of the external device Sequentially comparing the identification information of the image data stored in the image data and the identification information of the image data stored in another folder different from the folder determined by the determining means among the plurality of folders, Determining whether image data stored in the storage medium is already stored in any of the plurality of folders,
When it is determined by the determination means that no image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is stored in any folder, the storage means receives the received data in the folder determined as the storage destination by the determination means. Storing the image data received by the means;
If the determination means determines that image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is stored in any folder, the storage means stores the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device. An information processing apparatus characterized by not . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shooting condition is a shooting date and time of the image data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of folders are folders classified based on a shooting date and time of the image data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shooting condition is a shooting position of the image data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of folders are folders classified based on a shooting position of the image data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the photographing condition is category information of the image data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the storage destination is a folder classified based on category information of the image data. Setting means for presetting the base folder of the storage destination;
8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a creation unit that creates the plurality of folders for each image data shooting condition in a lower layer of the base folder set by the setting unit. 9. . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is an imaging apparatus, and the image data is obtained by an imaging unit of the external apparatus. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is generated based on the number of times of shooting of the external device . A control method for an information processing apparatus for classifying and managing a plurality of image data stored in a storage medium of the information processing apparatus into a plurality of folders provided for each imaging condition of the image data,
Of the plurality of folders provided for each shooting condition, a folder that is a storage destination when image data is received from an external apparatus and stored in the storage medium of the information processing apparatus is stored in the storage medium of the external apparatus. A determination step for determining the image data based on the shooting conditions;
The image data stored in the storage device of the external device is compared with the identification information of the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device and the identification information of the image data stored in the folder determined in the determination step. A first determination step of determining whether data is already stored in the folder determined by the determination means;
In the determination step, when it is determined that the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is not already stored in the folder determined in the determination step, the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device Are sequentially compared with the identification information of the image data stored in another folder different from the folder determined in the determination step among the plurality of folders, and stored in the storage medium of the external device. A second determination step of determining whether the image data is already stored in any of the plurality of folders;
If it is determined that the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is not stored in any folder in the second determination step, the external device stores the folder determined as the storage destination in the determination step. A storage step of storing the received image data;
In the second determination step, when it is determined that the image data stored in the storage medium of the external device is stored in any folder, the storage unit stores the image stored in the storage medium of the external device. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, characterized by not storing data . A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the information processing apparatus according to claim 11 .

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