JPH02299036A - Information recording and reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To store information which is high in continuity efficiently by dividing a file which stores continuous information into plural blocks and storing storage start position addresses of next blocks into respective blocks. CONSTITUTION:When a file 32 on a disk medium 35 is accessed to reproduce its information, the storage start position address E1 of a block 321 of the file 32 is obtained by referring to a block pointer 31b that the contents of a file index 31a correspond to. The block 321 is accessed based upon the address E1 to reproduce the information. After the access to the block 321 is completed, a block 322 is accessed based upon the storage position address E2 of the next block which is provided in the block 321. When information is written, a map area 33 is utilized to look for a bit '0' and a writable address is obtained from its bit address. Then a controller 7 copies the area 33 to a working RAM at the time of the writing. Consequently, the information with high continuity is stored efficiently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an information recording and reproducing method that handles an information file consisting of a plurality of files obtained by dividing continuous information.

[Conventional technology]

There are various types of information recording media that store continuous information, such as music information and video information, such as magnetic tapes and optical disks. An example of an information recording medium that stores music information is a digital audio disc (DAD), and an example of an information recording medium that stores video information is a video disc (VD). It will be done. When recording and reproducing information on these media, ensuring continuity of information becomes a problem.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the data format of a conventional digital audio disc.

As shown in the figure, a file area 1 and a directory 2 are provided on the digital audio disc. File area 1 includes files 101, 102, and 103 consisting of music information.

104, . . . are stored consecutively.

Directory 2 has files 101 and 102.

File identifiers "101", "102", "103", "10" corresponding to 103, 104, ...
4'', etc. are stored, and the files 101, 102, 103, 10
4, storage start position address “A1”, “A2”
”, “A3”.

A file start pointer 2b in which "A4", . . . , etc. are stored is provided.

When accessing the file area 1 and attempting to reproduce music information, first, the file identifier stored in the file index 2a of the directory 2 is specified, and the corresponding file start pointer 2b is referenced. For example, when accessing file 101, the content of the file identifier stored in file index 2a is “1”.
The storage start position address "A+" stored in the file start pointer 2b corresponding to the item "01" is referenced. Based on this storage start position address "A1", the file 101 in the file area 1 is accessed. , to play music information. Similarly, when accessing files 102, 103, etc., specify the file identifiers "102", "103", etc. of the file index 2a, and specify the corresponding storage start position address "A" of the file start pointer 2b.
2”, “A3”, etc.

FIG. 4 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of a conventional digital audio disc information recording and reproducing apparatus.

The digital audio disk 4 shown in this figure has recorded thereon the file area 1 and directory 2 shown in FIG. This digital audio disk 4 is connected to an interface circuit 5. The interface circuit 5 consists of a gate circuit and a timing circuit for controlling the input/output operation of the digital audio disk 4,
Output. The control device 7 connected to the interface circuit 5 controls the operation of the digital audio disk 4 via the interface circuit 5, so that the contents of the file specified by the operation instruction manual 8 can be transferred to the digital audio disk 4 via the interface circuit 5. Control is performed so that the signal is output to output 6.

The working RAM 9 connected to the control device 7 is
This is a memory for temporarily holding intermediate results of various processes for control.

In the digital audio disc information recording and reproducing apparatus having the above configuration, the information in the directory 2 recorded on the digital audio disc 4 is copied to the working RAM 9 as the directory 10, and this copied working RAM 9 is used as the directory 10. By referring to the information in the directory 10 on RAMe, the mechanical operation time of the digital audio disk 4 (the time required to refer to the directory 2 every time the digital audio disk 4 is accessed) is eliminated, and the manual operation instruction is reduced. 8 to obtain the digital audio output 6, the response speed is increased. The copied directory 10 is typically retained until the digital audio disc 4 is replaced or the playback device is powered off.

Increasingly, music information and video information are converted into digital signals and stored on information recording media. For this reason, disk media that have been used to record computer information are sometimes used as information recording media for storing music information and video information.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the data format of a disk medium used in a conventional computer.

As shown in the figure, the disk medium is provided with a file area 20, a table area 21, and a directory 22.

The file area 2o is composed of music information files 23 and 24. These files are composed of multiple blocks. In the case of file 23, it consists of blocks 231, 232, 233, etc., block 231, block 232, block 2
32 and block 233 are not necessarily consecutive in position. Similarly, the file 24 also has blocks 241, 24
It is composed of 2,...

The table area 21 is an index block 25.2
It consists of 6. This index block 2
5.26 is provided corresponding to file 23.24. The index block 25 contains the file 23
Blocks 231 , 232 , 233 , .
... storage start position address 'B1', 'B2', 'B
,”,... are stored.Similarly, the index
Block 26 includes block 2 that constitutes file 24.
41, 242, ... storage start position address "C"
1", "C2", ... are stored in the directory 22, a file index 22a corresponding to the file 23.24, and an index block 25.2
An index block pointer 22b indicating the storage start position address of No. 6 is provided.

File index 22a contains files 23.24
File identifier “23” that specifies.

The index block pointer 22b stores the storage start position address "D," of the index block 25.26.

“B2” is stored.

Now, when accessing the file 23 and playing music information, first, the index block pointer 22b corresponding to the item with the file identifier "23" stored in the file index 22a of the directory 22 is referred to, and the index block pointer 22b is stored in the file index 22a of the directory 22. The storage start position address "Dl" of block 25 is obtained. This storage start position address “D”
Refer to the contents of the index block 25 starting from "l".The address "B1" is stored at the beginning of the index block 25, and this address "B1"
Based on this, the first block 231 of the file 23 is accessed and the music information is played back. Then, referring to the index block 25 again, the next block 232 of the file 23 is accessed based on the address "B2". Thereafter, the index block 25 is referred to sequentially until the end of the index block 25, and blocks 233 and subsequent blocks of the file 23 are accessed.

FIG. 6 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the conventional disk medium information recording/reproducing apparatus shown in FIG.

The figure shows a disk medium 4a, an interface circuit 5, a control device 7, and a working RAM 9. The interface circuit 5 outputs a digital audio output 6, and the control device 7 receives an operation instruction manual 8. is entered. The configuration other than the disk medium 4a is the same as that described above in FIG. 4, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted.

In the playback device shown in the figure, the information in the directory 22 recorded on the disk medium 4a is copied in advance to the working RAM 9 as a directory 42, and when the file area 20 is accessed and music information is played back, the information in the working RAM 9 is copied to the working RAM 9. By referring to the information in the directory 42 copied to the disk medium 4a, the mechanical operation time of the disk medium 4a is eliminated, and the response from the operation command 8 to the digital audio output 6 is accelerated. This directory 42 is generally retained until the disk medium 4a is replaced or the power of the playback device is turned off.

Similarly, in order to reduce the mechanical operation time of the disk medium 4a and increase processing efficiency, the table area 21 corresponding to the file being played is usually also copied in advance to the work RAM 9 as the table area 41, and digital・In order to obtain audio output 6, this working RAM 9
Based on the table area 41 copied to the table area 41, the file (block) in the file area 20 to be read from the disk medium 4a is determined by the method explained in FIG.

In this case, when the playback device shown in FIG. 6 reproduces and outputs different files to multiple users by means such as time division, it copies the table area 21 corresponding to each file to the working RAM 9. I have to take care of it.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

Incidentally, in the information recording medium, not only information from stored files is read out, but also information is sometimes written and erased. However, when writing information to the information recording medium provided with the file area 1 and directory 2 described in FIG. 3, it may not be possible to secure an area suitable for the amount of information of the file to be written. That is, each file 101 , 102 , 103 ,
104.

. . , etc. are stored consecutively, for example, if you delete file 102 and write a new file, you will not be able to write a file that has a larger amount of information than file 102. Even if it were possible to write a file with more information than file 102, the first half of file 103 would be erased by the new file. On the other hand, when writing a new file with a smaller amount of information than file 102, it can be written without any problem, but this time an empty area will be created before file 103. In this way, if a free space is created in the file area 1, it becomes an obstacle to the effective use of the information recording medium.

Furthermore, in the case of the information recording medium described in FIG. 5, since the file is composed of a set of blocks, there is no need for a continuous area. That is, if an area for writing a block can be secured even if the blocks are distributed within the file area 20, one file has been written. However, when writing information with high continuity and a relatively large amount of information, a problem arises in that the table area 21 becomes large. In addition, if multiple users try to access one information recording medium at the same time, the table area 21
As the number of times the file is referenced increases, or as the number of files to be output increases, the table area 21 to be referenced also increases in size. For this reason, even in the playback device shown in FIG. 6, which has improved file processing capability to quickly process this reference, in order to provide a copy of the table area 21 (table area 41) in the working RAM 9, R for this work
AM9 had to have a larger capacity, which increased the burden.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above points, and is an information recorder that can efficiently store highly continuous information and that can quickly process file access even with a small hardware configuration. The purpose is to provide a reproduction method.

[Means for Solving the Invention J The information recording and reproducing method of the present invention divides continuous information,
In order to read out the divided information continuously, there is a file area including a file consisting of a plurality of blocks, each of which is assigned a storage start position address of the next block, and a storage start position of the first block of the file. Information is recorded using a block pointer pointing to an address, a directory with a file index to identify the particular file, and a map area indicating whether each block is used to store the information. An information recording and reproducing method for reproducing, the information stored in the block being sequentially reproduced using the storage start position address,
The information is sequentially recorded in the blocks in which no information is stored by referring to the usage status of the blocks shown in the map area.

[Effect]

The above method divides a file storing continuous information into multiple blocks. Each block stores the contents of the divided information file as well as a storage start position address indicating where on the information recording medium the next block is stored. The individual divided blocks can be connected based on this storage start position address, and one file can be constructed without a table area.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of a data format of an information recording medium applied to the information recording and reproducing method of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the information recording medium according to the present invention is provided with a file area 30, a directory 31, and a map area 33. A file 32 is provided in the file area 30, and this file 32 includes blocks 321, 322,
It is composed of 323, . directory 3
1 is provided with a file index 31a corresponding to the file 32 and a block pointer 31b indicating the storage start position address of the first block 321 of the file 32. A file identifier “32” that specifies the file 32 is stored in the file index 31a. Also, the block pointer 31b contains file 3.
The storage start position address “E,” of block 321 of No. 2 is stored. Block 321, 3 of file 32
22 and 323 contain the next block, that is, block 3.
In the case of 21, the storage start position address "E2" of block 322 is stored, and in the case of block 322, the storage start position address "E3" of block 323 is stored. The map area 33 is bitmap information indicating which blocks in the file area 30 are in use and which are already used to store file information, and which are unused. indicates a block in use, and a bit “O” indicates an unused block.

FIG. 2 shows a hardware block diagram of an information recording/reproducing apparatus suitable for implementing the present invention.

The figure shows an information recording medium (disk medium) 35, an interface circuit 5, a control device 7, and a working RAM 9. The interface circuit 5 outputs a digital audio output 6, and the control device 7 outputs a digital audio output 6. , the motion instruction manual force 8 is input. The configuration other than the disk medium 35 is the same as that described above in FIG. 4, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted.

When accessing the file 32 of the disk medium 35 and reproducing information using the reproducing device shown in FIG. 2, first, as shown in FIG.
Block pointer 3 corresponding to the item whose content is "32"
1b to obtain the storage start position address "El" of block 321 of file 32. This address “El”
Access block 321 of file 32 based on
Replays the information stored in the file. block 32
When one access is completed, the next block 322 is accessed based on the storage start position address "E2" of the next block provided in the block 321. Thereafter, the process moves on to accessing block 323 . . . in the same manner.

Note that if there is no next consecutive block, a file end code is stored instead of the storage start position address. By selecting an address indicating an area other than the file area 3o as the file end code, it is possible to easily identify whether the storage start position address of the block constituting the file is the file end code.

The information of the directory 31 recorded on the disk medium 35 in FIG.
By referring to the information in the directory 51 copied to the AM 9, it is possible to eliminate the mechanical operation time of the disk medium 35 and speed up the response from the manual operation instruction 8 to obtaining the digital audio output 6. is the same as before.

Next, a case in which the file 32 is written to the file area 30 will be described.

When writing, map area 3 that was not used during playback
Use 3. That is, as explained above, this map area 33 is bit map information indicating whether each block in the file area 30 is being used or unused for recording a file. Therefore, for example, 0 in the file area 30
Whether or not the 1st, 1st, 2nd, . . . , i-th, .
th.

Is the bit of the second, ..., i-th, ... "1"?
All you have to do is check whether it is "O" or not.

When writing the contents of a file, you can search for bit “0”, obtain a writable block from that bit address, and set the found bit to “1”.
Exclusive control is performed so that other files are not used to write the block.

For example, if a 16-bit microprocessor is used as the control device 7, the map area 33 is
By copying the data into the working RAM 9 as the map area 53, 16 bits can be accessed at a time, so searches for unused blocks can be processed relatively quickly.

In a playback-only device, this map area 33 does not need to be accessed, and the area for this purpose is used as a work RAM
Needless to say, there is no need to put it on top.

When writing the file 32, first divide the file 32 into blocks 321, 322, 323, etc., first search the map area 33, and find the storage start position address of the block where block 321 can be stored. 'E 1'' is found. As a result of this search, file 3 is found.
21 is secured, the file identifier "32" is stored in the file index 31a of the directory 31, and the corresponding block pointer 3 is stored in the file index 31a of the directory 31.
1b is the storage start position address “El” of block 321
and stores the contents of the information file in block 321.

If there are still information files to record, map area 3
3, the storage start position address "E2" where block 322 can be stored is found. And block 3
21 and then block 3 stored in the file area 30.
The storage start position address "E2" of No. 22 is also stored. Block 322 is stored at the storage position indicated by this storage start position address "E2". Thereafter, similar processing is performed for block 323, and the file end code is stored in the field where the storage start position address of the final block of file 32 is stored.

In this way, the block pointer 31 of the directory 31
If the storage start position address "El" of the first block 321 of the file 32 is stored in "b", the blocks 322, 323, . . . can be stored without referring to the table area 21 in the example of FIG. You can continue printing and writing. In addition, blocks 321, 322,
323, ... do not need to be stored consecutively in the file area 30, and even if they are distributed appropriately within the file area 30, each block stores the storage start position address of the next block. , successively block 321 ,
322, 323, . . . can be accessed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

When using the information recording and reproducing method of the present invention, when writing a file to an information recording medium, it is not necessarily necessary to secure a continuous area, as long as an area for storing in blocks can be secured. Therefore, the area can be used efficiently. Further, since information other than the file area is referenced only when determining the storage start position address of the first block of the file, the burden on the hardware can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of the data format of an information recording medium applied to the information recording and reproducing method of the present invention;
The figure is a hardware block diagram of an embodiment of an information recording and reproducing apparatus suitable for implementing the present invention, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the data format of a conventional digital audio disc, and FIG. ·audio·
A hardware block diagram showing an example of an information recording and reproducing device for a disc. Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a data format of a disc medium used in a conventional computer. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information reproducing of a conventional disc medium. FIG. 2 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of a playback device. 30...File area, 31...Directory, 3
1a...File index, 31b...Block pointer, 32...File, 321, 322
, 323...block. Figure 1 Figure 4 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] In order to divide continuous information and read out the divided information continuously, a file area including a file consisting of a plurality of blocks to which storage start position addresses of the next blocks are respectively assigned, and a file area of the files. A block pointer pointing to the storage start position address of the first block, a directory having a file index for identifying the specific file, and a map area indicating whether each block is used to store the information. An information recording and reproducing method for recording and reproducing information using the storage start position address, the information recording and reproducing method sequentially reproducing information stored in the block using the storage start position address, and checking the usage state of the block shown in the map area. An information recording and reproducing method characterized in that information is sequentially recorded in the blocks in which no information is stored.