JP7339815B2 - Recording device, imaging device, control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device, an imaging device, a control method, and a program.

A NAND flash memory is widely used as a recording medium for imaging devices. A NAND flash memory is composed of units of "cell" for storing data as a minimum unit, "page" composed of a plurality of cells, and "block" composed of a plurality of pages. A method of recording 1-bit information per cell is called an SLC method (Single Level Cell), and a method of recording 2-bit information per cell is called an MLC method (Multi Level Cell). A method of recording 3-bit information per cell is called a TLC method (Triple Level Cell).

The SLC method has the highest read/write speed and is suitable for writing a large amount of data in a short time, but the unit price per bit is high. In addition, although the capacity per cell is small, it is highly reliable and has a long life, so it is used as a general storage cache area or as an industrial equipment storage. The MLC system and the TLC system are inferior to the SLC system in read/write speed, reliability, and life. On the other hand, the capacity per cell of the MLC method is twice that of the SLC method, and that of the TLC method is three times that of the SLC method. there is

SSDs (Solid State Drives) using NAND flash memories and card-type media often have a configuration in which the SLC method and the TLC method are combined. In this case, the memory controller manages the area used for the SLC method as a cache area and the area used for the TLC method as a main data area. By writing the data transferred from the host controller to the cache area, the memory controller can write at top speed.

The SLC area, which is a cache area, has a low ratio in the total capacity. Therefore, the memory controller moves data from the cache area to the TLC area, which is the main data area, in order to secure an empty area in the cache area in preparation for the next write while writing is stopped. This is called flash cache.

Top-speed writing is realized by using the SLC area as a cache area. By moving the data to the TLC area by the flash cache, it becomes possible to secure the SLC area and effectively utilize the capacity of the entire NAND flash memory.

In addition, the NAND type flash memory has the characteristic that the data erasing unit is restricted to each block and existing data cannot be overwritten. When a file in the NAND flash memory is deleted from the host controller, the memory controller records the deletion in the internal file table. Unnecessary data remains in blocks where deleted files were recorded, resulting in fragmented blocks.

Fragmented blocks remain as areas that cannot be overwritten by new data. Therefore, the memory controller saves valid data in the block to another block, erases the data in the current block, and restores it as a recording area for new data. This is called garbage collection.

Periodic execution of flash cache and garbage collection by the memory controller is expected to restore the write speed and maximize the write capacity of the recording medium for the image pickup apparatus, which can withstand continuous shooting of large-capacity still images.

A technology has been proposed in which flash cache and garbage collection processing by a memory controller is performed as background processing during a time when there is no main processing of writing/reading from a host controller (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 6193189

By the way, there is also a demand for real-time task processing in which data generated in real time, such as moving image recording, is regularly recorded for a long period of time in the recording media of imaging apparatuses. In this case, the imaging device, which serves as the host controller, needs power management that can withstand long-term recording by setting a power-saving period between regular real-time data recordings to suppress the heat generation of the NAND-type flash memory. becomes.

However, if the memory controller starts background processing while there is no main processing, which is expected as a power saving period, the NAND flash memory will consume power without a power saving period, and the recording media will heat up. growing. As a result, problems such as recording stop may occur.

On the other hand, if the background processing is prohibited, the heat generation of the recording medium is reduced, so that the stop of recording due to heat generation can be avoided. You can't expect maximum capacity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for appropriately controlling whether or not to permit execution of automatic background processing during a power saving period on a recording medium. .

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides recording control means for controlling recording of still images or moving images on a first recording medium, and automatic background recording during a power saving period on the first recording medium. and control means for controlling whether or not to permit execution of the process, wherein the control means controls the automatic background process during the power saving period when the still image is recorded on the first recording medium. and performing control so as not to permit execution of the automatic background processing during the power saving period when recording the moving image on the first recording medium. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control whether or not to permit the execution of automatic background processing during the power saving period of the recording medium.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description in the following detailed description.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an imaging device 100; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of imaging processing executed by the imaging apparatus 100; 4 is a flowchart showing details of card control (S207 in FIG. 2); FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining determination of a temperature condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining determination of power supply conditions, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining determination of a remaining buffer amount/delay time condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining determination of a remaining buffer amount condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining determination of a delay time condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an imaging device 100, which is an example of a recording device. In FIG. 1 , a lens unit 102 , an imaging unit 103 , a display unit 104 , an operation unit 105 , an imaging apparatus temperature detection unit 106 , a heat dissipation fan 107 , and a CPU 108 are connected to an imaging apparatus internal bus 101 . Also, an image processing unit 109 , a first media control unit 110 , a second media control unit 111 , a RAM 112 , a nonvolatile memory 113 , and a power supply unit 114 are connected to the imaging apparatus internal bus 101 . Each unit connected to the imaging device internal bus 101 is configured to be able to exchange data with each other via the imaging device internal bus 101 .

The CPU 108 uses the RAM 112 as a work memory to control each unit of the imaging apparatus 100 according to a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 113, for example.

The nonvolatile memory 113 stores image data, audio data, other data, various programs for the CPU 108 to operate, and the like. The nonvolatile memory 113 is composed of, for example, a hard disk (HD) or ROM.

Under the control of the CPU 108, the image processing unit 109 processes the image data stored in the nonvolatile memory 113 and the RAM 112, the image data obtained by capturing the optical image of the subject incident through the lens unit 102 with the imaging unit 103, and the like. Apply various image processing. Image processing performed by the image processing unit 109 includes A/D conversion processing, D/A conversion processing, image data encoding processing, compression processing, decoding processing, enlargement/reduction processing (resize), noise reduction processing, and color conversion processing. and so on. The image processing unit 109 may be composed of a dedicated circuit block for performing specific image processing. Further, depending on the type of image processing, the CPU 108 can perform image processing according to a program without using the image processing unit 109 .

The display unit 104 displays an image, a GUI screen constituting a GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc. under the control of the CPU 108 . The CPU 108 controls each part of the imaging device 100 to generate a display control signal according to a program, generate a video signal to be displayed on the display unit 104 , and output the video signal to the display unit 104 . The display unit 104 displays an image based on the output image signal. Note that the imaging apparatus 100 itself includes an interface for outputting a video signal to be displayed on the display unit 104, and the display unit 104 may be configured by an external monitor (such as a television).

The operation unit 105 is an input device for receiving user operations, including a character information input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse and a touch panel, buttons, dials, joysticks, touch sensors, and touch pads. It should be noted that the touch panel is an input device that is superimposed on the display unit 104 and configured in a two-dimensional manner so as to output coordinate information according to the touched position.

The power supply unit 114 has a power supply input terminal to which the battery 115 and the AC adapter 116 can be attached. select.

Also, the power supply unit 114 includes a battery interface that connects the imaging device 100 and the battery 115 . The battery interface includes not only power supply and ground, but also a communication terminal with a microcomputer (not shown) inside the battery 115 and a temperature detector (not shown) inside the battery 115 . Furthermore, the power supply unit 114 includes an AC adapter interface that connects the imaging device 100 and the AC adapter 116 . The AC adapter interface includes detectors for detecting power, ground, and AC adapter 116 .

In addition, the power supply unit 114 can notify the CPU 108 of information on the battery 115 and the AC adapter 116 via the imaging apparatus internal bus 101 . Also, the power supply unit 114 regulates the voltage from the selected power supply using a DC/DC converter and a series regulator (not shown), and supplies power to each unit forming the imaging apparatus 100 . Also, the power supply unit 114 A/D-converts the voltages of the attached battery 115 and the AC adapter 116 and notifies the CPU 108 of the values.

The imaging unit 103 is an imaging device such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor. A lens unit 102 is a lens unit including a zoom lens, a focus lens, a shutter, an aperture, a distance measuring unit, an A/D converter, and the like.

The imaging unit 103 can capture still images and moving images. The image data of the captured image is transmitted to the image processing unit 109, and after being subjected to various processing, is recorded as a still image file or a moving image file in the first recording medium 150 or the second recording medium 160. Reference numeral 107 denotes a cooling fan. The temperature inside the imaging apparatus 100 is detected by an imaging apparatus temperature detection unit 106 and notified to the CPU 108 . The CPU 108 controls the number of revolutions of the heat dissipation fan 107 according to the temperature, and adjusts the temperature inside the imaging apparatus 100 .

The image capturing apparatus 100 converts still image/moving image data, which has undergone image processing, encoding processing, and compression processing by the image processing unit 109 via the first media control unit 110 and the first media interface 155, into the first can be recorded on the recording medium 150 of Further, the imaging device 100 can read data of still images and moving images recorded on the first recording medium 150 via the first media control unit 110 and the first media interface 155 . The imaging device 100 displays on the display unit 104 an image obtained by decoding the read data by the image processing unit 109 .

The first recording medium 150 is a recording medium that can be attached to and detached from the imaging device 100, and in this embodiment, is a memory card conforming to the CFexpress standard.

The first media controller 110 can also communicate control commands with the first memory controller 152 via the first media interface 155 . Control commands include, in addition to commands for recording and reproducing data, commands for acquiring vendor information, temperature information, write count information, and the like.

The first recording medium 150 includes a first memory controller 152, a first NAND memory section 153, and a first medium temperature detecting section 154, which are connected by a first recording medium internal bus 151. .

The first memory controller 152 records the still image/moving image data transferred from the first media control unit 110 in the first NAND memory unit 153 . At this time, the first memory controller 152 executes control of writing to the cache area of the first NAND memory unit 153 and control of data movement to the main data area. In addition, the first memory controller 152 can move and organize fragmented data in the first NAND memory unit 153 to perform garbage collection to secure free space.

Also, the first memory controller 152 acquires the temperature of the first NAND memory unit 153 detected by the first media temperature detection unit 154 . The first memory controller 152 performs clock frequency control, access prohibition/permission control, and access speed control to the first NAND memory unit 153 according to the acquired temperature.

The second recording medium 160 is connected to the imaging device 100 via the second media control section 111 and the second media interface 165 and has the same configuration and functions as the first recording medium 150 . The second memory controller 162, the second NAND memory unit 163, and the second media temperature detection unit 164 are respectively connected to the first memory controller 152, the first NAND memory unit 153, and the first medium. It corresponds to the temperature detection unit 154 . The second memory controller 162 , the second NAND memory section 163 and the second medium temperature detection section 164 are connected by the second recording medium internal bus 161 .

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of imaging processing executed by the imaging device 100 . Unless otherwise specified, the CPU 108 executes a control program stored in the non-volatile memory 113 to control each section of the imaging apparatus 100 to implement the processing of each step of this flowchart. When the image capturing apparatus 100 is in a shooting standby state in which the power of the image capturing apparatus 100 is turned on, the processing of this flowchart starts.

Note that the imaging apparatus 100 can select any one of a single recording mode, a dual recording mode, and a relay recording mode as a recording mode of image data for a plurality of recording media. In the single recording mode, the imaging device 100 selects one of the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 as the recording destination of the image data (hereinafter referred to as "recording target card"). In the case of the dual recording mode, the imaging device 100 treats both the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 as recording target cards, and the same recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 are treated as cards to be recorded. Record data. In the relay recording mode, the imaging device 100 selects one of the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 as the recording target card. When the remaining capacity of the recording target card becomes low, the imaging device 100 newly records the one of the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 that is not the recording target card (hereinafter referred to as a "standby card"). Select as target card. The original recording target card becomes a standby card. In other words, when the remaining capacity of the recording target card becomes low, the imaging device 100 replaces the recording target card with the standby card.

It is assumed that the recording mode has been selected in advance by a user's operation via the operation unit 105, for example. Dual recording mode and relay recording mode can be selected when both the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 are attached to the imaging device 100 . In the case of the relay recording mode, it is assumed that the first card to be recorded has been selected in advance by user operation via the operation unit 105, for example. Single recording mode can be selected when at least one of the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 is attached to the imaging device 100 . When both the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 are loaded in the imaging apparatus 100 in the single recording mode, the recording target card is selected in advance by user operation via the operation unit 105, for example. shall be

In the following description, the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 may be simply referred to as "card" or "media".

First, in S<b>201 , the CPU 108 transmits a background processing (BG processing) permission command to all cards attached to the imaging apparatus 100 . The BG processing permission command is a command for controlling to permit automatic execution of background processing (execution of automatic background processing) during a power saving period (between data recording and the like).

In this embodiment, the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 are assumed to be memory cards conforming to the CFexpress standard. BG processing permission/prohibition is controlled using NOPPME (Non-Operational Power State Permissive Mode Enable) command of NVM Express standard (NVMe standard). The NOPPME command is actually not a command that directly controls the BG processing during the power saving period, but a command that specifies whether or not to permit BG processing that exceeds a predetermined power.

When "1" indicating Enable is specified by the NOPPME command, the media can execute BG processing that exceeds a predetermined power consumption, and as a result, BG processing can be executed during the power saving period. Therefore, specifying "1" by the NOPPME command corresponds to transmitting a BG processing permission command for controlling to permit execution of the BG processing during the power saving period.

On the other hand, when "0" indicating Disable is specified by the NOPPME command, the media cannot perform BG processing exceeding a predetermined power, and as a result, BG processing cannot be performed during the power saving period. . Therefore, specifying "0" by the NOPPME command corresponds to transmitting a command (BG processing prohibition command) for prohibiting (not permitting) execution of the BG processing during the power saving period.

Note that this embodiment is not limited to a configuration in which permission/inhibition of BG processing during the power saving period is controlled using the NOPPME command of NVM Express. Also, the standard to which the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 conform is not limited to the CFexpress standard. A configuration for controlling permission/prohibition of BG processing during the power saving period of media conforming to other standards by using other types of commands as a BG processing permission command and a BG processing prohibition command is also within the scope of the present embodiment. included.

Next, in S202, the CPU 108 determines whether or not a still image shooting instruction has been issued. If a still image shooting instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to S203; otherwise, the process proceeds to S204.

In S203, the CPU 108 performs still image shooting for generating a still image using the imaging unit 103, and records the obtained still image on the recording target card. After that, the process returns to S202.

In S204, the CPU 108 determines whether or not a moving image shooting instruction has been issued. If a moving image shooting instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to S205; otherwise, the process proceeds to S205.

In S205, the CPU 108 transmits a BG processing prohibition command to the recording target card. That is, in the case of moving image recording, BG processing is basically prohibited in the recording target card. As for the standby card, BG processing is permitted because the BG processing permission command is transmitted in S201. Since images are not recorded on the standby card, BG processing is basically permitted.

In S206, the CPU 108 starts moving image shooting for generating a moving image using the imaging unit 103 and recording the moving image on the recording target card.

In S207, the CPU 108 performs card control. The card control includes switching control of the recording target card and the standby card in the relay recording mode, permission/prohibition control of the BG processing of the recording target card, and permission/prohibition control of the BG processing of the standby card. Details of card control will be described later with reference to FIG.

In S208, the CPU 108 determines whether or not a recording stop instruction has been issued. If the recording stop instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to S209; otherwise, the process returns to S207. That is, card control is repeatedly executed during moving image recording.

In S209, the CPU 108 stops shooting and recording moving images. After that, the process returns to S201, and the BG process permission command is sent to all the cards again. Since the BG processing permission command is sent to all cards when recording of a moving image is stopped and when the processing of this flow chart is started, when recording a still image in S203, the memory controller of the recording target card performs BG processing during the power saving period. It is viable.

Next, details of the card control (S207 in FIG. 2) will be described with reference to FIG. In S301, the CPU 108 determines whether the current recording mode is the relay recording mode. If it is the relay recording mode, the process proceeds to S302; otherwise, the process proceeds to S304.

In S302, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the current remaining capacity of the recording target card is less than a preset threshold (less than a sixth threshold). If the remaining capacity is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to S303; otherwise, the process proceeds to S304.

In S303, the CPU 108 replaces the recording target card and the standby card. At this time, the CPU 108 transmits a BG processing prohibition command to the recording target card that has newly become a recording destination due to the replacement, and a BG processing permission command to the standby card that has been changed from the recording destination to the non-recording destination. to send. This is because BG processing is basically prohibited for a recording target card on which an image is newly recorded, and BG processing is basically permitted for a standby card on which image recording is no longer performed.

In S304, the CPU 108 determines various conditions regarding whether to permit or prohibit the BG processing during the power saving period of the recording target card. Various conditions are, for example, temperature conditions, power supply conditions, and remaining buffer amount/delay time conditions. A prohibition flag corresponding to each condition (for example, "prohibition flag based on temperature condition", "prohibition flag based on power supply condition", and "prohibition flag based on remaining buffer amount/delay time condition") is defined. Depending on the determination result of each condition, the corresponding prohibition flag is set to ON or OFF. Each prohibition flag is held in the RAM 112, for example. Details of these conditions and their determination will be described later with reference to FIGS. As described above, the card control process of FIG. 3 is repeated until a recording stop instruction is given. Therefore, switching between permission and prohibition of BG processing according to the determination result of various conditions is repeatedly executed during recording of a moving image, and permission/prohibition of BG processing is changed each time the determination result of various conditions changes.

In S305, the CPU 108 determines whether or not all prohibition flags related to the recording target card set by the process of S304 are OFF. If all prohibition flags are OFF, the process proceeds to S306; otherwise, the process proceeds to S307.

In S306, the CPU 108 transmits a BG processing permission command to the recording target card.

In S307, the CPU 108 transmits a BG processing prohibition command to the recording target card.

In the dual recording mode, a BG processing permission command or a BG processing prohibition command is transmitted to both recording target cards. For conditions such as the temperature condition that may result in different determination results for each card, the conditions may be determined and the corresponding prohibition flag may be set for each card. Therefore, the determination result of S305 may differ from card to card. In this case, the process of S306 is executed for one card to be recorded, and the process of S307 is executed for the other card to be recorded.

In S308, the CPU 108 determines whether or not there is a standby card. A standby card exists in the relay recording mode and in the single recording mode when both the first recording medium 150 and the second recording medium 160 are attached to the imaging device 100 . If there is a waiting card, the process proceeds to S309; otherwise, the card control ends and the process proceeds to S208 in FIG.

In S309, the CPU 108 determines various conditions regarding whether to permit or prohibit BG processing during the power saving period of the standby card. Various conditions are temperature conditions and power supply conditions, for example. A prohibition flag corresponding to each condition (for example, "prohibition flag by temperature condition" and "prohibition flag by power supply condition") is defined. Depending on the determination result of each condition, the corresponding prohibition flag is set to ON or OFF. Each prohibition flag is held in the RAM 112, for example. Details of these conditions and their determination will be described later with reference to FIGS.

In S310, the CPU 108 determines whether or not all prohibition flags relating to the standby cards set by the process of S309 are OFF. If all prohibition flags are OFF, the process proceeds to S311; otherwise, the process proceeds to S312.

In S311, the CPU 108 transmits a BG processing permission command to the standby card. In S312, the CPU 108 transmits a BG process prohibition command to the standby card.

Next, determination of the temperature condition, which is an example of the various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3, will be described with reference to FIG.

In S401, the CPU 108 acquires various temperature thresholds. Specifically, the CPU 108 reads from the nonvolatile memory 113 the camera temperature threshold TC_TH (second threshold), the media temperature threshold TM_TH (first threshold, seventh threshold), the media temperature effective lower limit TM_MIN, and the media temperature Read the effective upper limit TM_MAX.

Note that various temperature thresholds may change according to the operation mode of the imaging device 100, the recording bit rate of a moving image, or the like. For example, a data table having various temperature threshold values corresponding to each combination of the operation mode and recording bit rate of the imaging device 100 is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 113 . Then, the CPU 108 obtains various temperature thresholds corresponding to the combination of the current operation mode and recording bit rate by referring to the data table.

Also, various temperature thresholds may differ between the temperature condition for the recording target card (in the case of S304 in FIG. 3) and the temperature condition for the standby card (in the case of S309 in FIG. 3).

In S<b>402 , the CPU 108 acquires camera temperature information TC from the imaging device temperature detection unit 106 . As described above, in the imaging device 100 , the temperature inside the imaging device 100 is detected by the imaging device temperature detection unit 106 and notified to the CPU 108 .

In S403, the CPU 108 acquires media temperature information TM from the recording target card (in the case of S304 in FIG. 3) or from the standby card (in the case of S309 in FIG. 3). As described above, the first memory controller 152 acquires the temperature of the first NAND memory section 153 detected by the first media temperature detection section 154 . Therefore, the CPU 108 acquires the media temperature information TM from the first recording medium 150 via the first memory controller 152 . The same applies to the second recording medium 160 as well.

In S404, the CPU 108 determines whether the media temperature TM acquired in S403 is valid. That is, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the media temperature TM is equal to or greater than the media temperature effective lower limit TM_MIN and equal to or less than the media temperature effective upper limit TM_MAX (whether it is within a predetermined range). If the media temperature effective lower limit TM_MIN or more and the media temperature effective upper limit TM_MAX or less, the process proceeds to S405; otherwise, the process proceeds to S408.

In S405, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the media temperature TM is equal to or higher than the media temperature threshold TM_TH. If the media temperature TM is greater than or equal to the media temperature threshold TM_TH, the process proceeds to S406; otherwise, the process proceeds to S407.

In S406, the CPU 108 sets the temperature condition prohibition flag to ON. That is, the CPU 108 controls to prohibit the execution of the BG processing by setting the temperature condition prohibition flag to ON when the media temperature TM or the camera temperature TC is equal to or higher than the corresponding threshold value. This makes it possible to suppress the heat generation of the media or the camera and suppress the stoppage of recording due to the heat generation.

In S407, the CPU 108 sets the temperature condition prohibition flag to OFF.

In S408, the CPU 108 determines whether the camera temperature TC is equal to or higher than the camera temperature threshold TC_TH. If the camera temperature TC is greater than or equal to the camera temperature threshold TC_TH, the process proceeds to S406; otherwise, the process proceeds to S407. When the process of S408 is executed (that is, when it is not equal to or higher than the media temperature effective lower limit TM_MIN and not equal to or lower than the media temperature effective upper limit TM_MAX), the temperature information that is not assumed in the range of normal use is generated due to media abnormality, communication abnormality, or the like. It is considered to have been obtained. Therefore, in this case, unlike S405 using the media temperature TM, the ON/OFF of the prohibition flag depending on the temperature condition is controlled based on the camera temperature TC.

Here, a modified example regarding the processing of each step in FIG. 4 will be described. In addition to acquiring the camera temperature information TC and the media temperature information TM in S402 and S403, the CPU 108 may perform predetermined preprocessing such as unit system conversion processing and offset adjustment processing.

In addition, in the case of a configuration having a plurality of temperature detection units, a configuration in which temperature information is acquired from all temperature detection units may be adopted, or a configuration in which temperature information is acquired from only some of the temperature detection units may be adopted. may be adopted. Alternatively, the temperature information obtained from a plurality of temperature detection units may be subjected to predetermined calculations such as averaging, weighting, maximum value detection, and minimum value detection.

Also, although the determination is made using the media temperature TM in S405, the CPU 108 may make the determination using temperature information of both the media temperature TM and the camera temperature TC. For example, the difference between the media temperature TM and the media temperature threshold TM_TH and the difference between the media temperature TC and the media temperature threshold TC_TH, whichever is smaller, can be used as the determination criterion.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, determination of the power supply condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3, will be described. When the BG processing is performed, the imaging apparatus 100 consumes more power than the normal recording operation, so the power supply is consumed faster. There is Therefore, by using the power-condition-based prohibition flag for determining the power state of the imaging apparatus 100, the possibility of such a problem occurring can be reduced. Also, regarding the battery 115 connected to the imaging apparatus 100, the permission/inhibition of the BG processing should be properly controlled in consideration of the case where the CPU 108 cannot determine the characteristics or the change in the remaining amount of the battery 115. is desirable.

Regarding the temperature condition described with reference to FIG. 4, there is a possibility that the determination result differs depending on the medium, but in the case of the power supply condition, there is no difference in the determination result depending on the medium. Therefore, in S309 of FIG. 3, the power condition determination may be omitted, and the temperature condition determination result in S304 may be used as the temperature condition determination result for the standby card.

First, in S<b>501 , the CPU 108 acquires power supply information from the power supply unit 114 . The power supply information indicates which of the battery 115 and the AC adapter 116 is the current driving power supply for the imaging apparatus 100 .

In S<b>502 , the CPU 108 determines whether or not the current driving power source of the imaging apparatus 100 is the battery 115 . If battery 115, processing proceeds to S503, otherwise processing proceeds to S507.

In S503, the CPU 108 determines whether the characteristics of the battery 115 are known. For example, the CPU 108 acquires identification information (model number, etc.) from the battery 115, and determines that the characteristics of the battery 115 are known when characteristic information corresponding to the acquired identification information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 113. do. If the characteristics of the battery 115 are known, the process proceeds to S504; otherwise, the process proceeds to S507.

In S504, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the voltage of the battery 115 is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value (ie, greater than or equal to a third threshold value). If the voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold, that is, if the remaining amount of the battery 115 is equal to or higher than the preset threshold and is sufficient, the process proceeds to S506. Then, if the voltage is less than the threshold, that is, if the remaining amount of the battery 115 is less than the preset threshold and the remaining battery amount is low, the process proceeds to S505. Note that the threshold used here may change according to the characteristics of the battery 115 .

In S505, the CPU 108 sets the power condition prohibition flag to ON. That is, when the voltage of the battery 115, which is the current driving power source, is not equal to or higher than the threshold value, the CPU 108 controls to prohibit execution of the BG process by setting the power condition prohibition flag to ON. As a result, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 115 due to the BG processing, and to suppress the stoppage of recording due to the shortage of the remaining amount of the battery 115 .

In S506, the CPU 108 sets the power condition prohibition flag to OFF.

If it is determined in S502 that the current drive power source is not the battery 115, and if it is determined in S503 that the characteristics of the battery 115 are unknown, in S507 the CPU 108 sets the power condition prohibition flag to OFF.

In the flowchart of FIG. 5, when the drive power source is a battery and the voltage of the battery 115 is less than the threshold, the prohibition flag is set to ON to prohibit the BG process. However, the BG process may be always prohibited in the case of battery drive without determining the remaining amount of the battery 115 based on the voltage. Further, when the driving power supply is only the battery 115, the permission/inhibition of the BG processing may be controlled according to the remaining amount of the battery 115 based on the voltage without judging the type of the driving power supply.

Next, determination of remaining buffer amount/delay time condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3, will be described with reference to FIG. When data that is generated in real time is regularly recorded for a long period of time, such as when recording a moving image, the imaging apparatus 100 temporarily stores data in a buffer memory before writing real time data to a medium made up of a NAND flash memory. to be recorded. For example, the RAM 112 is used as the buffer memory. When a predetermined amount of real-time data has been recorded in the buffer memory, recording to the media is executed. At this time, BG processing is being executed inside the medium, and if the main processing for recording real-time data is delayed, the remaining capacity of the buffer memory (remaining buffer capacity) will be exhausted, and the real-time data will be lost. In addition, a delay time occurs when the BG processing executed inside the medium transitions to the recording of real-time data, which is the main processing. If this delay time is longer than the time required to write the real-time data, the real-time data will not be recorded in time and the real-time data will be lost. Therefore, it is necessary to control permission/inhibition of BG processing so as not to use up the buffer memory capacity of the RAM 112 and to maintain a sufficient writing speed.

In S601, the CPU 108 acquires the delay time from the recording target card. In S<b>602 , the CPU 108 acquires the remaining buffer amount of the imaging device 100 .

In S603, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the delay time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (greater than or equal to a fifth threshold). If the delay time is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to S604; otherwise, the process proceeds to S606. Note that the threshold used here may change according to the recording bit rate of the moving image.

In S604, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the remaining buffer amount is less than a predetermined threshold (less than a fourth threshold). If the remaining buffer amount is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to S605; otherwise, the process proceeds to S606. Note that the threshold used here may change according to the recording bit rate of the moving image.

In S605, the CPU 108 sets ON a prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount/delay time condition. That is, when the delay time is equal to or greater than the threshold value and the remaining buffer amount is less than the threshold value, the CPU 108 controls to prohibit execution of the BG processing by setting the prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount/delay time condition to ON. do. As a result, it is possible to prevent the real-time data of moving images to be recorded from being lost due to the main processing of recording data being interrupted by the BG processing.

On the other hand, in S606, the CPU 108 sets the prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount/delay time condition to OFF.

By the way, as can be understood from FIG. 6, in the case of the prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount/delay time condition, ON/OFF of the prohibition flag is controlled based on the judgment regarding both the remaining buffer amount and the delay time. However, even if the remaining buffer amount/delay time condition is divided into the remaining buffer amount condition and the delay time condition, and a "prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount condition" and a "prohibition flag based on the delay time condition" corresponding to each are provided. good. That is, examples of the various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG. 3 also include the remaining buffer amount condition and the delay time condition.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining determination of the remaining buffer amount condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG.

In S<b>701 , the CPU 108 acquires the remaining buffer amount of the imaging device 100 . In S702, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the remaining buffer amount is less than a predetermined threshold. If the remaining buffer amount is less than the threshold, in S703, the CPU 108 sets the prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount condition to ON. If the remaining buffer amount is not less than the threshold, in S704, the CPU 108 sets the prohibition flag based on the remaining buffer amount condition to OFF.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining determination of the delay time condition, which is an example of various conditions described in S304 and S309 of FIG.

In S801, the CPU 108 acquires the delay time from the recording target card. In S802, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the delay time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If the delay time is equal to or greater than the threshold, in S803, the CPU 108 sets the prohibition flag based on the delay time condition to ON. If the delay time is not equal to or greater than the threshold, in S804, the CPU 108 sets the prohibition flag based on the delay time condition to OFF.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the imaging device 100 performs recording control to record a still image or a moving image on a recording target card. The imaging device 100 permits execution of automatic background processing during the power saving period when recording a still image on the recording target card. On the other hand, the imaging apparatus 100 performs control so as not to permit execution of automatic background processing during the power saving period when recording a moving image on the recording target card. As a result, it becomes possible to appropriately control whether or not to permit the execution of automatic background processing during power-saving periods on the recording medium, making it possible to achieve both high-speed still image recording and stable video recording. do.

In the above description, permission/inhibition of automatic BG processing is controlled (transmission of BG processing permission command/BG processing prohibition command) during moving image recording. However, before recording starts (during shooting standby, switching between movie shooting and still image shooting modes, etc.), it is determined whether the camera is in movie shooting mode or still image shooting mode. Execution of the BG processing may not be permitted, and execution of the automatic BG processing may be permitted in the case of the still image shooting mode. In this case, in the moving image shooting mode, execution of automatic BG processing is prohibited once before starting moving image recording. Further, at the start of moving image recording and during recording, execution of automatic BG processing is permitted according to the various conditions described above (temperature, power supply type, remaining power supply, delay time, remaining buffer capacity, etc.). It is preferable to control whether or not

Further, in the above embodiment, the permission/inhibition of BG processing is controlled based on the condition of moving image recording and various conditions such as temperature, power supply, delay time, and remaining buffer capacity. However, permission/prohibition of BG processing may be controlled using only one of these conditions. Further, permission/inhibition of BG processing may be controlled by combining some of these conditions.

In the above description, permission/inhibition of execution of BG processing is controlled according to the determination results of various conditions also for the standby card. However, since the standby card is a recording medium on which no image is recorded, execution of BG processing may be permitted without determining various conditions. Further, the execution of the BG process is prohibited for the card to be recorded, and the execution of the BG process is permitted for the card to be recorded, without judging various conditions not only for the standby card but also for the card to be recorded. good too.

Also, in the above description, permission/inhibition of execution of BG processing is controlled for a recording target card and a standby card when recording a moving image. However, permission/inhibition of execution of the BG processing may be controlled not when recording a moving image but before recording is started (for example, when waiting for recording or when selecting a card to be a recording destination).

Further, even when recording a moving image on a recording target card, the imaging apparatus 100 performs control so as to permit the execution of BG processing depending on the determination result of various conditions. This makes it possible to achieve both optimization processing of the NAND flash memory and stable moving image recording.

In the above description, the configuration for controlling permission/prohibition of BG processing based on whether to record a still image or a moving image has been described. may For example, permission/inhibition of BG processing may be controlled according to operation modes such as long-exposure shooting mode, high-frame shooting mode, and time-lapse shooting mode. In this case, for example, in the case of a low-bit-rate shooting mode such as a time-lapse shooting mode, BG processing is permitted in the same manner as in still-image shooting, and in the case of a high-bit-rate shooting mode such as a high-frame shooting mode, BG processing is permitted. should be prohibited.

In the above description, the BG processing is permitted when recording a still image. processing may be prohibited.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 5, the prohibition flag based on the power supply condition is set to OFF when it is determined that the current drive power source is not the battery 115 and when it is determined that the characteristics of the battery 115 are not known. Ta. However, if the characteristics of the battery 115 are not known, a configuration may be adopted in which the prohibition flag based on the power supply condition is turned ON.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to make public the scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Imaging apparatus, CPU108..., 110... 1st media control part, 111... 2nd media control part, 112... RAM, 113... Non-volatile memory, 150... 1st recording medium, 160... 2nd recording media

Claims (19)

recording control means for controlling recording of still images or moving images on the first recording medium;
control means for controlling whether or not to permit execution of automatic background processing in the power saving period in the first recording medium;
with
The control means permits execution of the automatic background processing during the power saving period when recording the still image on the first recording medium, and when recording the moving image on the first recording medium. controls not to permit execution of the automatic background processing during the power saving period. The control means permits execution of the automatic background process during the power saving period if a first condition is not satisfied even when the moving image is recorded on the first recording medium. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so as to if the first condition is not met, the temperature of the first recording medium is less than a first threshold;
3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first threshold varies according to an operation mode of the recording apparatus or a recording bit rate of the moving image. if the first condition is not met, the temperature of the recording device is less than a second threshold;
3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: When the first condition is not satisfied, the temperature of the first recording medium is not within a predetermined range and the temperature of the recording device is less than a second threshold.
3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: If the first condition is not satisfied, the power source of the recording device is not a battery.
7. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: When the first condition is not satisfied, the power source of the recording device is a battery, and the voltage of the battery is equal to or higher than a third threshold.
7. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said third threshold varies according to characteristics of said battery. When recording the moving image on the first recording medium, the recording control means controls such that the moving image is temporarily stored in a buffer memory before being recorded on the first recording medium;
if the first condition is not satisfied, the remaining capacity of the buffer memory is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold;
10. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that: 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said fourth threshold varies according to a recording bit rate of said moving image. further comprising acquisition means for acquiring, from the first recording medium, a delay time that occurs when the process executed in the first recording medium transitions from the automatic background process to the main process of recording data. ,
if the first condition is not met, the delay time is less than a fifth threshold;
12. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that: 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said fifth threshold varies according to a recording bit rate of said moving image. The recording control means determines whether or not the remaining capacity of the first recording medium is less than a sixth threshold when recording the moving image on the first recording medium. when it is determined that the remaining capacity of is less than the sixth threshold, controlling to change the recording destination of the moving image to a second recording medium;
When the first recording medium is the recording destination of the moving image and the second condition is not satisfied, the control means performs automatic backup during the power saving period on the second recording medium. control to permit the execution of the background processing, and when the second condition is satisfied, the execution of the automatic background processing in the power saving period on the second recording medium is not permitted 14. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein control is performed such that: if the second condition is not met, the temperature of the second recording medium is less than a seventh threshold;
15. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, characterized by: 15. The control means controls whether or not to permit the execution of automatic background processing using a NOPPME (Non-Operational Power State Permissive Mode Enable) command of NVM Express standards. The recording device according to any one of 1. a recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16;
imaging means for generating the still image or the moving image;
An imaging device comprising: A control method executed by a recording device,
a recording control step of controlling to record a still image or moving image on the first recording medium;
a control step of controlling whether or not to permit execution of automatic background processing in the power saving period in the first recording medium;
with
In the control step, when recording the still image on the first recording medium, execution of the automatic background process is permitted during the power saving period, and when recording the moving image on the first recording medium. controls not to permit execution of the automatic background process during the power saving period. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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