JPH11120052A - File management device, file managing method, recording medium, and file management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the management of directories and files and to greatly reduce the process load of the management of those. SOLUTION: A CPU checks the 'object flag' of use information on a desired directory entry to be checked as to a directory file in a parent directory (step S31) to decide whether or not the 'object flag' is '1' (step S32). When the flag is '1', the file that this 'object flag' indicates matches the use of the directory, so the CPU performs a specific process for this file (step S33). When the flag is not '1', on the other hand, the file that this 'object flag' indicates does not match the use of the directory, so the CPU excludes this file from an object of the process and ends the process (step S34).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a file management apparatus, a file management method, a recording medium, and a file management system for managing files according to a hierarchical structure of directories and files.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, files composed of data such as images and sounds are managed by a hierarchical structure of directories and files. In such a hierarchical structure, each directory or each file has its own directory name or file name, and further needs to hold information on the names of the upper and lower directories and files. Therefore, when a file stored in an external storage device is not given a name, a normal computer assigns a name to the file and manages each file.

[0003]

However, some files such as images and music can be easily handled without giving a file name. Requesting possession of a name and managing all files and the like using that name is not an efficient process and may increase the processing load. In the file management method as described above, since information for managing each file is concentrated in the directory, an area for managing the information of the directory becomes large, and furthermore, when the directory is destroyed. It was impossible to restore the above hierarchical structure.

When the number of files in a directory increases, it may be desired to divide these files into groups according to uses and types. At this time, in the conventional hierarchical structure, it is necessary to further provide a directory or change a file name of a file to be grouped. However, providing a directory for simple grouping requires a large processing load. Further, even if each file is given a unique file name for the group for file grouping, if the file name is changed again, the group cannot be divided.

[0005] Conventional directories and files are:
For example, since there is no use / type information indicating an image captured by a camera, the information is managed after it is determined how to use it in the application format, and the processing load is large.

[0006] The present invention has been proposed in view of such circumstances, and a file management apparatus capable of facilitating the management of directories and files and greatly reducing the processing load when managing these. , A file management method, a recording medium, and a file management system.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a file management apparatus according to the present invention provides a directory having a file having a file number and a directory entry including a file number and group information for each file. And storage means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of the one directory so that the file or directory is in a lower hierarchy of the one directory. It is characterized in that, based on the group information of one directory read out from the means, files having different group information are distinguished and managed.

According to the file management method of the present invention, a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry composed of a file number and group information for each file are stored, and a directory entry of one stored directory is stored. The file or directory indicated by the file number is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below one directory, the group information of one directory is read, and files having different group information are compared based on the read group information of one directory. It is characterized by being managed separately.

[0009] The recording medium according to the present invention is characterized by recording a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry being composed of a file number and group information for distinguishing and managing the files. It is assumed that.

[0010] A file management system according to the present invention is a storage medium for recording a file having a file number, a directory having a directory entry composed of a file number and group information for each file, and a storage medium read out from a storage means. A management unit having storage means for storing a file and a directory, and management means for managing a file or a directory indicated by a file number of a directory entry of one directory so as to be in a lower hierarchy of the one directory; The management means of the unit is characterized in that files having different group information are managed in a distinguished manner based on the group information of one directory read from the storage means.

A file management method according to the present invention records a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry comprising a file number and group information, on a recording medium. Is read, the read file and directory are stored, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below one directory. Based on this group information, files having different group information are distinguished and managed.

[0012] A file management apparatus according to the present invention stores a directory having a file entry having a file number and a directory entry for each file including continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. Storage means, and management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, the management means comprising:
On the basis of the continuous recording information of one directory read from the storage means, each file indicated by successive directory entries of one directory is managed as a group of continuous files.

[0013] A file management method according to the present invention stores a directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. The file or the directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory is managed so as to be in a lower hierarchy of the one directory, the continuous record information of the one directory is read, and the continuation of the read one directory is performed. On the basis of the record information, each file indicated by successive directory entries of one directory is managed as a group of successive files.

[0014] The recording medium according to the present invention records a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry comprising a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. It is characterized by the following.

[0015] The file management system according to the present invention records a directory having a file entry having a file number and a directory entry for each file including continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. A recording medium, storage means for storing files and directories read from the recording medium, and a file or directory indicated by a file number of a directory entry of one directory stored in the storage means under one directory. A management unit having management means for managing the files in a hierarchy, based on the continuous record information of one directory read from the storage means, wherein each file indicated by each successive directory entry of one directory is provided. Are managed as a group of continuous files. It is characterized in.

According to the file management method of the present invention, a recording medium includes a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. And reads the file and directory from the recording medium, stores the read file and directory, and stores the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory under one directory. , And reads the continuous record information of one directory. Based on the read continuous record information of one directory, each file indicated by each successive directory entry of one directory is Be managed as files It is an feature.

A file management apparatus according to the present invention provides a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number, and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. Storage means for storing
Management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory so that the file or directory is in a lower hierarchy of the one directory. Determines whether the type of one directory matches each file based on each target flag information, manages files with the same type so that they can be used, and manages files with different types so that they cannot be used It is characterized by doing.

According to the file management method of the present invention, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number, and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. The file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, and each target flag information of the one directory is read and read. Based on each target flag information of one directory, it is determined whether the type of one directory and each file match, and files with the same type are managed so that they can be used, and files with different types can be used. It is characterized by managing it so that it can not be done That.

A recording medium according to the present invention includes a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry comprising a file having a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. Is stored.

A file management system according to the present invention provides a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number, and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. And a storage means for storing files and directories read from the recording medium, and storing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory under one directory. And a management unit having management means for managing the files in a hierarchy. The management means of the management unit determines whether the type of one directory and each file is based on each target flag information of one directory read from the storage means. Judge whether they match, and use the file whose type matches. Possible way to manage files that type do not match and is characterized in that to manage so that it can not be used.

According to the file management method of the present invention, a directory having a file entry and a directory entry for each file including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file can be handled is stored in a directory. Is stored in a recording medium, files and directories are read from the recording medium, the read files and directories are stored, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory is stored in one directory. It is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below, and each target flag information of one directory is read, and based on each read target flag information of one directory, it is determined whether the type of one directory matches each file type. , Files of the same type can be used Manage manner, file type do not match and is characterized in that to manage so that it can not be used.

The file management apparatus according to the present invention has a storage means for storing a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order; Management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry in a hierarchy below one directory, wherein the management means is instructed to read or delete a predetermined number of files in one directory. The file indicated by the file number of the predetermined directory entry of the directory is read or deleted from the storage means.

According to the file management method of the present invention, a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order are stored, and a directory entry of one of the stored directories is stored. The file or directory indicated by the file number is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below one directory, and when reading or deleting the predetermined file in the one directory is instructed, the predetermined directory entry in the directory is specified. Is read out or deleted from the storage means.

A recording medium according to the present invention is characterized by recording a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order.

The file management system according to the present invention has a recording medium for recording a file having a file number, a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order, and a file read from the recording medium. A management unit having storage means for storing a file and a directory, and management means for managing a file or a directory indicated by a file number of a directory entry of the stored one directory so as to be in a lower hierarchy of the one directory The management unit of the management unit comprises:
When reading or deletion of a predetermined number of files in one directory is instructed, the file indicated by the file number of the predetermined number of directory entries in the directory is read out or deleted from the storage means. .

According to the file management method of the present invention, a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order are recorded on a recording medium. Is read, the read file and directory are stored, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below one directory. When reading or deletion of a predetermined file is designated, the file indicated by the file number of the predetermined directory entry of the directory is read or deleted.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The present invention is applied to the memory card system 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. The memory card system 1
It comprises a host computer 10 and a memory card 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the host computer 10 includes a hard disk 11 for storing various files such as still images and audio, a directory for collectively managing the files, and the like. RAM (Random Access) that temporarily stores files
Memory) 12 and a memory card 2 via three lines
A first serial interface (hereinafter, referred to as a “first serial I / F”) 1 for transmitting and receiving data to and from the first serial interface 1
3 and a CPU (Central Processing U) that controls each circuit.
nit) 14, and files such as images and sounds stored in the hard disk 11, for example, can be managed in a hierarchical structure using directories.

The RAM 12 is, for example, a hard disk 11
Is temporarily stored in the first serial I / F 13 via a bus, if necessary.
To supply.

The first serial I / F 13 transmits data to the memory card 20 via three lines,
The data stored in the memory card 20 is received.
Specifically, the first serial I / F 13 transmits a serial clock SCK at the time of transmitting the control data and the file via the first line. First serial I /
F13 is a chip select signal CS indicating the state at that time in response to switching of serial data such as file or control data on the first line via the second line.
Is output. Further, the first serial I / F 13 transmits a file or control data to be written to the memory card 20 via the third line,
The file read from 0 is received.

The CPU 14 controls reading of files from the RAM 12 and the hard disk 11, writing of files to the RAM 12 and the like, and controlling transmission and reception of files and the like to and from the memory card 20. For example, the CPU 14
Issues a register command for determining whether write protection of an erroneous erasure prevention switch (not shown) of the memory card 20 is turned on, or writes a predetermined file by designating an address to the memory card 20. Issue

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the memory card 20 has a second serial I / O for serially transmitting and receiving files and control data from the host computer 10.
F21, a flash memory 22 for storing files and directories, and a controller 23 for controlling reading or writing of files and the like stored in the flash memory 22.

The flash memory 22 includes, for example, an NA
As shown in FIG. 2, a file transmitted from the host computer 10 is divided into blocks (for example, 8 kbytes or 16 kbytes) as erasing units and stored. Each block 0, 1, 2, ..., n
Is one page (= 5) composed of a data area for storing 512 bytes of files and the like and a 16-byte redundant area.
(12 bytes + 16 bytes). The redundant area stores distributed management information for managing data in the data area of the block.
When these pieces of distributed management information are collected, set management information (set management file) is configured. The collective management file is composed of several blocks and collectively manages the data recording state of all the blocks. For example, a part of the distributed management information of each block in the flash memory 22 is collectively managed. It has a bitmap table.

There are two types of files: a user file format used for images and sounds, and a system file format used for system management. Memory 22
Is stored in the data area of one or more blocks.

As shown in FIG. 3, a file in the user file format is composed of a 512-byte header part as attribute information of the file and a data part as main information. The header part has a 128-byte OS header which is information for managing the file in the memory card 20 and a general-purpose OS header which can be handled by an ordinary personal computer or the like, and has 240 bytes which is indispensable management information. And a 144-byte entry area. Further, the data section has a table data area and four entry data. In the data section shown in FIG. 3, up to four entry data are stored. That is, a file in the user file format is configured from a maximum of four entry data. Also, in FIG. 3, an index,
Although the image data and the two auxiliary data have been described as examples, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and other audio data may be used.

As shown in FIG. 4, the OS header includes a "file ID" (2 bytes), a "file version" (2 bytes), a "file size" (4 bytes), and a "number of used blocks". "(2 bytes)," Number of links "
(1 byte), "Date" (8 bytes), "Manufacturer / Model code" (4 bytes), "Initial registration directory number" (2 bytes), "Application category"
(1 byte), “File name” (11 bytes), “Keyword registration number” (1 byte), “Keyword character code” (1 byte), “Keyword character string” (32 bytes), “0 reset reserve” ( 4 bytes), "individual data" (32 bytes), and unused area "reserved"
Having.

The "file ID" indicates the type (use) of the file, and the file header has the same type. The “file version” indicates a so-called version number, and indicates the host computer 10
The memory card 20 is used to determine whether the file can be processed. “File size” indicates the overall size of the file including the header part and the data part in bytes. The “number of used blocks” indicates the number of blocks using the file in the flash memory 22. The “number of links” indicates the number of directories or files referencing the file. The "number of links" includes the directory to which the file belongs. For example, a file that is not referenced from another directory is linked only to the directory to which it belongs, so the “number of links” is one. "Date" indicates the date when the file was created or updated. The “maker / type code” indicates the name of the manufacturer of the device that wrote the file on the memory card 20 and its model. The “initial registration directory number” indicates the directory number registered first, and is not updated even when a file is moved to another directory. “Application category” indicates a category of an application in which this file is used. The “file name” is a file name used when managing files in the host computer 10, and is not particularly used in the memory card 20. The “number of registered keywords” indicates the number of registered keywords. “Keyword character code” indicates the character code of the keyword. "Keyword string"
Can specify a plurality of keywords by defining keywords and separators. "0 reset reserve" is always set to 0 at the time of rewriting. “Individual data” is used for management for each file ID, and is data used for a purpose determined by the file ID, for example, and can be used freely by the user.

As shown in FIG. 5, the file header includes "standard identification data" (8 bytes), "file standard identification data" (8 bytes), and "file ID".
(2 bytes), "File version" (2 bytes),
“Application creation date” (8 bytes), “Application update date” (8 bytes), “Creation maker /
“Model code” (4 bytes), “Update manufacturer / model code” (4 bytes), “0 reset reserve” (16 bytes), “Data entry number” (1 byte), “Table number” (1 byte), “ It has a “character code” (1 byte), a “title character string” (128 bytes), and an unused area “reserved”.

The "standard identification data" indicates that the flash memory 22 stores a file according to a predetermined standard. "File standard identification data"
Indicates that the file has been created in accordance with the predetermined standard. "File ID" indicates the type of file, and the OS header has the same type. “File version” indicates a version number. "Application Creation Date"
Indicates the date the application was created,
"Application update date" indicates the date on which the application was updated. “Creation maker / type code” indicates the maker that created the file and its model name, and “update maker / type code”
Indicates the manufacturer that updated the file and its model name. The “number of data entries” indicates the number of entry data described later. "Number of tables"
It indicates the number of data in the table data area. “Character code” indicates an input character by a predetermined code number. "Title character string" indicates a title character.

The entry area stores data (hereinafter, referred to as "entries") for managing four entry data in the data section.

Each entry in the entry area is 4
As shown in FIG. 5, a "start address" is provided for each of the four entry data.
(4 bytes), “data size” (4 bytes), “data type ID” (1 byte), “reserve” (1 byte), and “individual data” (26 bytes). For example,
The “start address” of the entry 1 indicates the leading logical address of the “entry data 1 index” shown in FIG.
The “start address” of the entry 2 indicates the head logical address of the “entry data 2 image data”.

On the other hand, as a file in the system file format, for example, a directory file corresponds, and the configuration of the header portion is different from that in the user file format.

Here, one directory is composed of one file, that is, one directory file, and has a maximum size of 8 kbytes. The directory file is composed of a header section and a data section, and each file is managed mainly by directory information of the header section and a directory entry list of the data section.

The header of the directory file is
As shown in FIG. 6, "OS header" (128 bytes),
It has a "file header" (240 bytes), a "system entry area" (48 bytes), and a "directory information" (96 bytes). The “OS header” and the “file header” are the same as those in the user file format described above.

The "system entry area" is almost the same as that in the user file format, but no individual data is provided for each entry. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, for each entry, “start address” (4 bytes), “data size” (4 bytes), and “data type I
D "(1 byte) and" reserve "(3 bytes).
For example, the “start address” of one entry indicates the start logical address of the group information described later, and the “start address” of the other entry indicates the start logical address of the directory entry described later.

"Directory information" is
The directory information is managed. As shown in FIG. 8, “directory ID” (2 bytes), “target file ID” (1 byte), “group number” (1 byte), “parent directory” ( 2 bytes), "Number of directories" (2 bytes), "Number of files (all files)"
(2 bytes), "Number of target files" (2 bytes), "Access point" (2 bytes), "Number of directory entries" (2 bytes), "Number of directory entries for system" (2 bytes), "Used system directory" It has the number of entries (2 bytes), the number of reserved blocks (2 bytes), the number of used blocks (2 bytes), and an unused area "reserve" (72 bytes).

The "directory ID" indicates the type of directory, and the "target file ID" indicates a target file ID. That is, they do not indicate the name of the directory or file itself,
For example, it indicates an application such as an image or audio. In the “target file ID”, the upper one byte of the “file ID” of the target file of the directory is described. As a result, a file ID for identification by the “target flag” can be specified. If only the "target file ID" is changed, the file type of the directory can be easily changed. "Number of groups"
Is the number of groups registered when grouping a plurality of files in a directory. The “parent directory” indicates the parent directory, that is, the directory number of the next higher hierarchy. “Number of directories” indicates the total number of directories included, and “number of files (all files)” indicates the number of all files included in the directory. The “number of target files” indicates the number of files that can be handled in the directory, that is, the number of target files included. The “access point” indicates a directory entry to be accessed first when access to the directory is started. The “number of directory entries” indicates the number of directory entries in the user area described later. The “number of system directory entries” indicates the number of directory entries in the system directory area. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, each directory file is provided with a system directory area and a user area. Note that these areas can be set for each directory. The system directory area is an area for handling a special file required for the system such as a management file, and the area is fixed by a directory entry. That is, the first to predetermined directory entries correspond to the system directory area, and the other directory entries correspond to the user area. Therefore, “the number of directory entries for the system” indicates the number of directory entries for the system. In addition,
The root directory has 256 system directories. On the other hand, in the user area, each directory entry is arranged without a gap from the start position of the area. "Number of used system directory entries"
Shows the number of directory entries actually used in the system directory area. The “number of reserved blocks” indicates the number of blocks of the flash memory 22 that the application wants to reserve, and the “number of used blocks” indicates the number of blocks used by the application.

The data section of the directory file has "group information" (variable length) as entry data 1 and "directory entry list" (variable length) as entry data 2 as shown in FIG. .

"Group information" is shown in FIG.
As shown in 0, “group number” (1 byte), “group information size” (1 byte), “directory ID” (2 bytes), “0 reset reserve” (1 byte), “reserve” (3 bytes) ), “Date” (8 bytes), “individual data” (8 bytes), and “title” (variable length).

The "group information" is information for grouping desired files in a directory. As will be described later in detail, a pseudo directory is provided substantially below the directory. The “group information size” indicates the size of the group information, and has a fixed length of 24 bytes plus an arbitrary number of bytes of “title”. “Directory ID” is an ID assigned to each directory type, and “0 reset reserve” is always set to 0 when it is corrected. “Reserve” is set to 0 when the file is created. "Date" indicates the creation date of the file, which can be changed by the user. "Individual data" is not particularly defined, and "Title" indicates the title of the directory file.

The "directory entry list" indicates the elements belonging to the directory, and is composed of a plurality of directory entries as shown in FIG. One directory entry is 4 bytes. Directory entries are "file number" (2 bytes), "attribute information" (1 byte), "group number"
(1 byte).

As shown in FIG. 12, the "file number" has "0" in the first bit of 2 bytes, and the remaining 15 bits indicate the head logical address of the file or directory. “0xffff”
When is shown, it means unused.

The “attribute information” is, as shown in FIG.
“Directory / file” (1 bit), “target flag” (1 bit), “mark 1” (1 bit), “mark 2” (1 bit), “continuous recording” (2 bits), “reserve” ( 2 bits) of information. "Directory / file" indicates that there is a further directory below the directory when it is 1, and that there is a file when it is 0. When the "target flag" is 1, it indicates that the file has the target file ID specified by the directory information described above, and when it is 0, it indicates that the file is any other file. For example, the file is used to determine whether the file is an image or a file other than an image. "Mark 1"
Indicates that mark 1 has been designated when it is 1, and that there is no such designation when it is 0. "Mark 2" is the same as "mark 1". “Mark 1” and “Mark 2” are marking flags that can be specified by the user. "Continuous recording" is used to indicate a continuous set of something such as continuous shooting or a simple moving image. This continuous recording requires that the directory entries be adjacent, that is, that the files be continuous. Specifically, “00” indicates a normal file, “11” indicates the head of a continuous file, and “10” indicates a continuously specified file. For example, in FIG. 14, each 2-bit number indicates the value of “continuous recording” of the file indicated by each directory entry. For example, files 2 to 5, and files 6 to 9 are continuously recorded. Note that the files grouped as a continuous record must have consecutive directory entries of the parent directory and have the same “group number”. By providing each file with 2-bit information, a group of files in the directory can be identified as being continuously recorded. The description when one of the continuously recorded files is deleted or a new file is inserted will be described later in detail.

As shown in FIG. 15, the "group number" is a group number represented by 8 bits and indicating a one-level pseudo directory. Thus, files having the same group number in the same directory are handled as one group. It should be noted that the file having the group number 0 is not classified into any group, and is handled as a file immediately below the directory.

Here, it is assumed that nine files from file 1 to file 9 exist in the same directory. Further, files 1, 5, and 7 belong to group 1,
Files 2 and 4 belong to group 2, files 3 and 6 belong to group 3, and files 8 and 9 belong to group 0.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 16, the groups 1 to 3 are located at a lower level than the directory and simulate the role of the directory. The files 8 and 9 belonging to the group 0 are handled as those immediately below the directory.

That is, by providing a "group number" of only one byte for each entry, a group function as if a directory was further provided under the parent directory can be exhibited. Further, since group information may be provided in the directory file, it is also possible to name each group, and the group function has a function comparable to a normal directory.

As shown in FIG. 17, for example, each group does not need to be handled like a pseudo directory, but may be handled simply as indicating files having a group relationship.

The grouping function shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 has compatibility between a host computer that can handle groups and a host computer that cannot handle groups. That is, a file or directory stored in a host computer having a grouping function (hereinafter, referred to as a “host computer 10A”) is transferred to a host computer without a grouping function (hereinafter, “host computer 10A”).
B ". No problem occurs even if it is sent to ()). Such compatibility will be described below with reference to a case where the application is a camera directory. Note that the host computer 10A has a function of rearranging each directory entry in the directory entry list shown in FIG. 11 and a function of not having the function.

For example, as shown in FIG. 18A, it is assumed that there are nine files 1 to 9 in the camera directory, and the files are classified into groups 0 to 3. Files 1, 5, and 7 are classified into group 1 as family photos.
4 is classified as a hobby photograph into group 2, files 3 and 6 are classified into group 3 as a company relationship, and files 8 and 9 are classified into group 0 as unclassified.
Note that group 0 is handled as that immediately below the camera directory. At this time, in the directory entry list shown in FIG. 11, the directory entries are arranged in the order of file 1, file 2, file 3, and so on. That is, in the directory entry list, directory entries of each file are arranged in the order shown in FIG.

Here, in the host computer 10 A, the CPU 14 stores the directory file for the camera directory stored in the RAM 12
Each directory entry can be rearranged as shown in FIG. That is, the CPU 14 rearranges the directory entries so that the same group is continuously arranged in the directory entries. This allows
As shown in FIG. 19, the files 1 to 9 are grouped and arranged for groups such as family photos and hobby photos.

When the host computer 10A transmits the directory file of the camera directory and each of the files 1 to 9 to the host computer 10B, the host computer 10B, as shown in FIG. Arrange each file in a hierarchy. More specifically, since the host computer 10B arranges the files according to the order of the directory entries in the directory file for the camera directory, the files can be arranged in the same order as the order of the files in the host computer 10A. Therefore, also in the host computer 10B, the files are arranged in groups.

As described above, when the host computer 10A has a grouping function and a function of rearranging the directory entry list for each group,
Host computer 1 without grouping function
OB can also be grouped and files can be arranged.

On the other hand, the host computer 10A having no function of rearranging directory entries for each group
Also, as shown in FIG. 19, each file in the camera directory can be grouped.

However, when the host computer 10A transmits the directory file for the camera directory and the files 1 to 9 to the host computer 10B, the host computer 10B arranges the files as they are, as shown in FIG. That is, the host computer 10B arranges the files according to the arrangement of the directory entries in the directory file for the camera directory, and arranges the files in the order of files 1, 2, 3,.

In the memory card system 1 configured as described above, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10
Reads a directory file of a root directory at a logical address 0 (hereinafter, referred to as a “root directory file”), other directory files, and a header part of a necessary file from the flash memory 22 of the memory card 20 to read each file. Can be managed. Specifically, when start-up is started, C
The PU 14 starts the process of step S1 shown in FIG.

In step S 1, the CPU 14 transmits a command for reading the file at the logical address 0 to the memory card 20 via the first serial I / F 13. In the memory card 20, the controller 23 operates the flash memory 2 according to the above command.
The file at logical address 0 is read out from 2 and transmitted to the host computer 10 via the second serial I / F 21. The CPU 14 stores the file received by the first serial I / F 13 in the RAM 12 and checks whether or not this is a root directory file.
Proceed to.

In step S2, it is determined whether the root directory file exists in the flash memory 22. If the root directory file exists, the process proceeds to step S3, and if not, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S3, the user checks his / her own application directory and proceeds to step S4. For example, if the host computer 10 is a camera device having an image pickup unit (not shown), it is checked whether a directory of “camera” exists at a predetermined position in the root directory. When the memory card 20 is present, it is determined that the memory card 20 is used in the camera device, and the processing of step S4 and step S5 described later is performed. That is, a directory determined for each application category is provided in the root directory. For example, in the case of a camera, a directory called “camera” is provided at a predetermined position.

In step S4, it is determined whether or not the own application directory, for example, the "camera" directory exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S5, and if not, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S5, the contents of the application directory are read, and the flow advances to step S6.

In step S6, the directory entry of the directory file in the application directory is checked to access files necessary for the application such as an album image list and a song list, and application processing is started.

On the other hand, in step S7 when it is determined in step S2 that the root directory file does not exist, it is determined whether a root directory file is to be created. If so, the process proceeds to step S8. I do. Here, the case where the root directory is not created corresponds to, for example, the case where the memory card 20 is write-protected.

In step S8, a root directory file of logical address 0 is created, and in step S9
Proceed to.

At step S9, it is determined whether or not to create an own application directory. If so, the process proceeds to step S10. If not, the process is stopped. That is, when there is no “camera” directory, it is necessary to create a “camera” directory as in the processing of step S10 described below, or to temporarily stop the processing and replace the user with another memory card 20. .

In step S10, an application directory is created in the root directory file, and the flow advances to step S5. Then, the processing of the application is started through the processing of steps S5 and S6.

As described above, for example, when the host computer 10 having the imaging unit (not shown) starts up, it first checks the existence of the root directory, and then checks the predetermined application directory, here the “camera” directory. Then, it processes the contents of that directory.

Next, the operation of the CPU 14 when performing directory creation processing will be described. When instructed to create a directory file, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10 starts the process of step S11 shown in FIG.

In step S11, the CPU 14
A free logical address is checked, and the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, it is determined whether there is a free logical address. If there is no free space, an error occurs because a directory cannot be created, and if there is a free space, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the directory information of the directory file to be created is set to an initial value. Further, when all directory entries are initialized and group information is prepared, all the areas are cleared, and the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, the memory card 2
It is checked whether or not each block in the flash memory 22 included in the “0” has free space for storing the directory file, and the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, it is determined whether there is a free space in the block. If there is no free space, an error occurs. If there is a free space, the flow advances to step S16.

In step S16, the CPU 14
A command instructing to write the contents together with the directory file is transmitted to the memory card 20,
Proceed to step S17. At this time, in the memory card 20, the controller 23 writes the directory file to the flash memory 22 according to the command.

In step S17, the bitmap table of the set management file stored in the RAM 12 is updated, and the flow advances to step S18.

In step S18, the created directory is registered in the parent directory, which is one layer above the created directory, and the flow advances to step S19. For example, in the directory file of the parent directory, the “number of directories” of the directory information is updated, or a directory entry for the created directory is created.

In step S19, the CPU 14
At a well-defined timing, such as when the predetermined arithmetic processing is completed, a command instructing the update of the collective management file is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the processing ends. At this time, in the memory card 20, the controller 23 writes the updated portion of the collective management file to the flash memory 22 according to the command.

As described above, when creating a directory, a free logical address is assigned instead of creating a directory name.

Next, the operation of the CPU 14 when a file is created and registered in its parent directory will be described. When instructed to create a file, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10 executes step S21 shown in FIG.
Start the process.

At step S21, the CPU 14
It is checked whether there is an empty directory entry in the parent directory of the newly created file, and the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, it is determined whether there is a directory entry in the parent directory.
If there is a free space, the process proceeds to step S23. If there is no free space, an error occurs and the process of registering the file in the directory is stopped.

In step S23, a header portion of the file to be created is created and stored in the RAM 12, and the flow advances to step S24.

In step S24, a command for writing the file in each block is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the flow advances to step S25. Therefore, in the memory card 20, the controller 23 writes a new file in the flash memory 22 according to this command. When writing the file in two or more blocks, a connection address indicating a connection state between the blocks is written as the distributed management information of each block.

In step S25, it is determined whether or not the writing of the file to the flash memory 22 has been completed. When the writing has been completed, the process proceeds to step S26.
If writing cannot be performed, an error occurs and registration of the file in the directory is stopped.

In step S26, the CPU 14
For the directory file of the parent directory of the file, write the leading logical address of the file to an empty directory entry. This directory entry may also include a "group number"
"Attribute information" is written, and the process proceeds to step S27.

In step S27, the directory information of the directory file is updated, and the flow advances to step S28.

In step S28, the CPU 14
A command for writing the directory file is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the process ends. At this time, in the memory card 20, the controller 2
3 writes a directory file to the flash memory 22 according to the above command.

As described above, when a file is registered in the directory, the file name is not registered in the directory, but a 4-byte directory entry consisting of a file number (first logical address), attribute information, and a group number. Is registered. As a result, it is possible to prevent a large amount of information from being concentrated in the directory, and to prevent the amount of information in the directory from becoming too large even when registering a large number of files. The recording area can be used effectively.

Next, the operation of the CPU 14 when checking whether a file is suitable for the use of the parent directory, that is, when checking the use of the file by the "target flag" shown in FIG. 13, will be described. The CPU 14 of the host computer 10 starts the process of step S31 shown in FIG. 25 when an instruction to investigate the use of a file belonging to a certain directory is issued.

At step S31, the CPU 14
"Target flag" of the usage information of the directory entry to be checked for the directory file of the parent directory
And proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, it is determined whether or not the "target flag" is "1". If it is "1", the flow advances to step S33. If it is not "1", the flow advances to step S3.
Proceed to 4.

In step S33, since the file indicated by the "target flag" matches the purpose of the directory, the CPU 14 performs a predetermined process on this file.

In step S34, since the file indicated by the "target flag" does not match the purpose of the directory, the CPU 14 regards this file as not being processed and ends the processing.

As described above, the CPU 14 can easily determine whether the usage of the file matches the purpose of the parent directory by simply looking at the 1-bit “target flag”, and quickly convert the file to a predetermined file. Can be accessed.

If there is no “target flag”, the CP
U14 starts the process of step S41 shown in FIG.

In step S41, the CPU 14
For the directory file of the above parent directory,
The "file number" of the directory entry to be checked is checked, and the process proceeds to step S42.

In step S 42, an instruction to read only the header portion of the file indicated by the “file number”, that is, the head logical address, is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the data in the header portion transmitted from the memory card 20 is stored in the RAM 12. And the process proceeds to step S43.

In step S43, the "file ID" of the read header portion is compared with the "target file ID" shown in FIG. 8 of the directory information of the parent directory, and the flow advances to step S44.

In step S44, it is determined whether the upper 1 byte of the read "file ID" matches the "target file ID".
If not, the process proceeds to step S46.

In step S45, since this file matches the purpose of the directory, the CPU 14
Performs a predetermined process on this file.

In step S46, since this file does not match the purpose of the directory,
Regards this file as not to be processed and ends the processing.

As described above, even when there is no "target flag", the CPU 14 can determine whether the file and the parent directory have the same purpose.

Next, the processing of the CPU when reading the n-th image file in the directory will be described.
When an instruction to read the n-th image file is issued, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10 starts the process of step S51 shown in FIG.

At step S51, the CPU 14
A command for reading a target directory file is transmitted to the controller 23 of the memory card 20. Specifically, a command for reading data from the block corresponding to the logical address of the designated number is transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S52.

In step S52, the controller 2
3 reads data from the block in which the target directory file is stored from the flash memory 22 and transmits the data to the host computer 10. In the host computer 10, the CPU 14 stores the transmitted data in the RAM 12, stores directory information, group information, a directory entry list, etc. shown in FIG. 6, and proceeds to step S53.

In step S53, the process goes to the first directory entry of the user area in the directory entry list of the directory file shown in FIG. 9, and then proceeds to step S54.

In step S54, the "target flag" shown in FIG. 13 of the directory entry is checked, and the flow advances to step S55.

At step S55, the CPU 14
Based on the "target flag", it is determined whether the file indicated by the first directory entry is an image or not an image. If it is an image, the process proceeds to step S56, and if it is not an image, the process proceeds to step S61.

In step S56, it is determined whether or not the file number indicated by the directory entry is the specified file number n. If the file number is the specified file number, the process proceeds to step S57, and if not, the process proceeds to step S60. .

In step S57, the CPU 14
The process of acquiring the file number is performed, and step S5
Proceed to 8.

In step S58, the CPU 14
Based on the acquired file number (head logical address), a command to read the 512-byte header of the file is transmitted to the memory card 20. And CP
U14 is based on the entry list of the header section transmitted from the memory card 20, and is based on the “start address” and “data size” of each entry data such as an index and an image.
Is checked, and the process proceeds to step S59.

In step S59, the CPU 14
Based on the above “start address” and “data size”,
A command for reading each entry data such as an index and an image is transmitted to the memory card 20. Memory card 2
At 0, the controller 23 reads out each entry data according to the command and transmits it to the host computer 10. When the entry data is stored in a plurality of blocks, the entry data is read from each block based on the “link address”.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S56 that the file number indicated by the directory entry is not the target file number n, then in step S60 the CPU 14
Increments the number of directory entries by one and proceeds to step S61.

In step S61, the CPU 14
Move to the processing of the next directory entry,
Proceed to step S62.

At step S62, the CPU 14
It is determined whether or not the processing of the last directory entry has been completed. If it is determined that the processing has been completed, it is determined that there is no corresponding file, and a series of processing is completed. Of directory entry.

As described above, in the memory card system 1, the host computer 10 can read a desired file from the flash memory 22 even if each file does not have a file name. Specifically, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10
The directory entry list provided for each directory is checked in order. When a directory entry indicating a desired file is found, a command for reading the desired file is transmitted to the memory card 20 in accordance with the logical address indicated by the directory entry, and the file is read. This eliminates the need for character string processing based on file names and directory names, so that an area for storing character strings does not need to be provided in each directory.
Allows more data to be stored.

Next, the processing of the CPU when deleting the n-th image file in the directory will be described.
When an instruction to delete the n-th image file is issued, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10 starts the process of step S71 shown in FIG.

At step S71, the CPU 14
A command for reading a target directory file is transmitted to the controller 23 of the memory card 20. Specifically, a command for reading a block corresponding to the logical address of the designated number is transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S72.

At step S72, the controller 2
3 reads data from the block in which the target directory file is stored from the flash memory 22 and transmits the data to the host computer 10. In the host computer 10, the CPU 14 stores the transmitted data in the RAM 12, and proceeds to step S73. Therefore, the RAM 12 stores directory information, group information, a directory entry list, and the like shown in FIG.

In step S73, the process proceeds to the first directory entry of the user area in the directory entry list of the directory file shown in FIG. 9 and proceeds to step S74.

In step S74, the "target flag" shown in FIG. 13 of the directory entry is checked, and the flow advances to step S75.

At step S75, the CPU 14
Based on the "target flag", it is determined whether the file indicated by the first directory entry is an image or not an image. If it is an image, the process proceeds to step S76, and if it is not an image, the process proceeds to step S83.

In step S76, it is determined whether or not the file number indicated by the directory entry is the specified file number n. If the file number is the specified file number, the process proceeds to step S77. If not, the process proceeds to step S82. move on.

At the step S77, the CPU 14
The process of acquiring the file number is performed, and step S7 is performed.
Proceed to 8.

At step S78, the CPU 14
A command indicating the file deletion processing of the designated file number is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the process proceeds to step S79. On the other hand, in the memory card 20, the controller 23
Clears the block in which the file specified according to the above command is stored.

At the step S79, the CPU 14
Delete the directory entry for the deleted file from the directory entry list of the target directory. At this time, the CPU 14 updates the directory entry list by filling in the deleted directory entries, and proceeds to step S80.

In step S80, the CPU 14
The directory information is updated in accordance with the deletion of the directory entry. For example, the “number of files (all files)”, “number of target files”, “number of directory entries” and the like are updated, and the process proceeds to step S81.

In step S81, the directory entry list and the directory information constituting the header of the directory file have been changed as described above. Therefore, the CPU 14 stores in the memory a command indicating that a new header of the directory file is to be written. Send to card 20. In the memory card 20,
The controller 23 updates the directory file header of the flash memory 22 according to the command.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S76 that the file number indicated by the directory entry is not the target file number n, the CPU 14
Increments the number of directory entries by one, and proceeds to step S83.

At the step S83, the CPU 14
Move to the processing of the next directory entry,
Proceed to step S84.

At the step S84, the CPU 14
It is determined whether the processing of the last directory entry has been completed. If it is determined that the processing has been completed, it is determined that there is no corresponding file, and a series of processing is completed. The process for the next directory entry in step S83 is performed.

As described above, in the memory card system 1, the host computer 10 can delete a desired file stored in the flash memory 22 even if a file name is not provided for each file. it can. That is, the CP of the host computer 10
The U 14 sequentially searches the directory entry list provided in each directory to find a directory entry indicating a desired file, and transmits a command for deleting the desired file to the memory card 20 according to the logical address. Thereby, the flash memory 2
2 is being deleted.
This eliminates the need for character string processing based on file names and directory names, so that an area for storing character strings does not need to be provided in each directory, the directory management area is reduced, and more data is stored in the flash memory 22. Can be done.

Next, C when deleting a directory
The processing of the PU will be described. Host computer 10
When the directory to be deleted is specified, the CPU 14 starts the process of step S91 shown in FIG.

At step S91, the CPU 14
A command for instructing the directory file in the directory designated for deletion to be read from the flash memory 22 is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the process proceeds to step S92. In the memory card 20, the controller 23
Based on the command, a directory file is read from the flash memory 22 and transmitted to the host computer 10 via the second serial I / F 21.

At step S92, the CPU 14
Copy directory file from memory card 20 to RAM
12 and examines each directory entry in the directory entry list, and proceeds to step S93.

[0147] In step S93, the CPU 14
It is determined whether there is a directory entry that specifies a file or a directory, that is, whether a file or another directory exists in a lower hierarchy. If there is a directory entry designating a file or the like, it is determined that an error has occurred, and this directory deletion processing is terminated. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S94, and in step S94, the CPU 14 deletes the directory to be deleted. Is transmitted to the memory card 20, and the process proceeds to step S95.

In the step S95, the memory card 2
The controller 23 of 0 erases the data in the block of the flash memory 22 storing the directory file to be deleted, and proceeds to step S96. Note that a flag of “erased” may be set in the distribution management information of the block, and data in the block may be erased after predetermined processing is completed.

In step S96, it is determined whether the erasure has been completed normally. If the erasure has been completed normally, the process proceeds to step S9.
If the processing has not been completed normally, it is determined that an error has occurred, and the directory deletion process is stopped.

At the step S97, the CPU 14
By updating a portion of the collective management file stored in the RAM 12 that has been changed by deleting the directory,
Proceed to step S98.

In step S98, the CPU 14
At the time of a good cut, for example, after the completion of the predetermined arithmetic processing, the collective management file is transmitted to the memory card 20 and a command for writing this file is transmitted. Therefore, in the memory card 20, the controller 23 performs a process of writing the collective management file to the flash memory according to the command.

As described above, in the memory card system 1, the host computer 10 can delete a desired directory file stored in the flash memory 22 even if a file name is not provided for each file. it can. That is, even if the directory to be deleted does not have information such as the file names of the files under the directory, the CPU 14 of the host computer 10 can use the directory entry list provided in the directory to delete the directory under the directory to be deleted. You can check if there are any files etc. This eliminates the need for character string processing based on file names and directory names, so that an area for storing character strings does not need to be provided in each directory, the directory management area is reduced, and more data is stored in the flash memory 22. Can be memorized.

Next, the operation of the CPU 14 when performing a change process when continuous recording and editing are performed will be described. The CPU 14 of the host computer 10 starts the process of step S101 shown in FIG. 30 when the instruction to change the “continuous recording” of the attribute information of the directory entry is given.

At the step S101, the CPU 14
Determines whether or not an instruction has been issued to delete continuously recorded files.
The process proceeds to step S102, and if it is not a file deletion process, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S102, a command for a designated file deletion process is transmitted to the memory card 20 to execute the file deletion process.
Proceed to step S103.

In step S103, the “continuous record” of the directory entry of the deleted file is set to “1” from the directory entry list of the parent directory.
1 ". When the “continuous recording” is “11”, the process proceeds to step S104, and when it is not “11”, the process ends.

In step S104, it is determined whether the “continuous record” of the directory entry next to the directory entry of the deleted file is “10”,
If it is “10”, the process proceeds to step S105, and “1”
If it is not "0", the process ends.

In step S105, the "continuous recording" of the next directory entry is changed to "11", the file indicated by the next directory entry is set as the head of the continuous recording, and the process is terminated.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
When files 2 to 5 are continuously recorded,
When the file 2 is deleted, the continuous record of the directory entry indicating the file 3 becomes “11” as shown in FIG. 31 by the processing of steps S102 to S105.
Is changed to That is, only when deleting the first file of the continuous recording and when the file next to the file to be deleted is in the middle of the continuous recording, the “continuous recording” of the next file is changed to “11”. change. As a result, even when deleting a file of continuous recording,
The continuous recording state of each file that has not been deleted can be maintained.

On the other hand, in step S106 when it is determined in step S101 that the process is not a delete process, it is determined whether or not a process of inserting a new file is instructed between continuously recorded files. The process advances to step S110, and if it is not a file insertion process, the process advances to step S107.

In step S107, the above-described FIG.
It is determined whether or not the group change processing shown in etc. is instructed,
In the case of a group change process, the process proceeds to step S108.
If it is not a group change process, the process ends.

In step S108, the "group number" of the directory entry list indicating the file whose group is to be changed is changed from the directory entry list of the parent directory, and the flow advances to step S109.

In step S109, it is determined whether or not "continuous recording" of the directory entry is "00". If it is "00", the process ends. If it is not "00", the process proceeds to step S104. Then, the processing of steps S104 and S105 described above is performed.

Therefore, a file whose group has been changed is out of the state of continuous recording except for a normal file whose “continuous recording” is “00”, and the “continuous recording” of the file immediately after that is “10”. Then, "continuous record" of the directory entry of the file immediately after that is set to "11".
To As a result, the file immediately after the file whose group has been changed can be set as the head of continuous recording, and the state of continuous recording of each file without group change can be maintained.

On the other hand, in step S110 when it is determined in step S106 that insertion processing is to be performed, a file to be inserted is actually inserted, and step S111
Proceed to.

In step S111, it is determined whether or not “continuous record” of the directory entry corresponding to the file next to the inserted file is “10”.
If it is, the process proceeds to step S112, and if it is not "10", the process proceeds to step S113.

In step S112, the "continuous recording" of the inserted file is set to "10", and the process ends.

In step S113, the “continuous recording” of the inserted file is set to “00”, and the processing is terminated.

For example, if the file 5.5 is inserted between the file 5 and the file 6 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, since the “continuous recording” of the next file 6 is “11”, the “continuous recording” of the inserted file becomes “0” by the processing of steps S111 and S113.
0 ". When the file 7.5 is inserted between the file 7 and the file 8, the "continuous recording" of the next file 8 is "10".
"Continuous recording" of the inserted file by the process 2
Becomes “10”.

Therefore, when a file is inserted immediately before continuous recording of each file, the file is set to a normal state. When a file is inserted during continuous recording, the file is set to a state of continuous recording. I have to.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a file can be read, written, erased, etc. without using a file name or a directory name, and a directory or a file can be managed with a smaller amount of data. This is suitable for recording a file or the like on a recording medium having a relatively small storage capacity, such as the flash memory 22, for example.

In this embodiment, a memory card provided with a flash memory has been described as an example of a recording medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a medium.

[0173]

According to the file management apparatus and the file management method of the present invention, each file can be grouped without providing a new directory.
Therefore, it is possible to perform the grouping of each file equivalent to the function of the directory while avoiding an increase in the processing load and the data amount due to the provision of the new directory.

According to the recording medium of the present invention, each file can be grouped without recording the data in the directory, so that the amount of data to be recorded can be reduced.

According to the file management system and the file management method of the present invention, each file can be grouped without providing a new directory on the recording medium. Therefore, it is possible to execute grouping of each file which is equivalent to the function of the directory, while avoiding a processing load on the management unit and an increase in the amount of data in the recording medium due to the provision of a new directory.

According to the file management device and the file management method of the present invention, by providing continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is the beginning of a continuous file, a group of continuously recorded files can be obtained without newly providing a directory. File can be recognized. Therefore, it is possible to easily recognize whether or not a file is a group of files while avoiding a processing load on the management unit and an increase in the amount of data in the recording medium due to the provision of a new directory.

According to the recording medium of the present invention, by recording only the continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is the beginning of each file, it is possible to determine whether or not the file is a group of files recorded continuously with a smaller data amount. Can be recognized.

According to the file management system and the file management method according to the present invention, by providing continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is the first consecutive one without providing a new directory, a group of continuously recorded files is provided. File can be recognized. Therefore, it is possible to easily recognize whether or not a file is a group of files with a smaller data amount while avoiding a processing load on the management unit and an increase in the data amount on the recording medium due to the provision of a new directory.

According to the file management apparatus and the file management method of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the type of each directory matches each file based on the read target flag information of each directory. , A predetermined file can be accessed at a high speed.

According to the recording medium of the present invention, by storing a directory having a directory entry for each file including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number is to be handled, Easily recognize if each file is available,
A predetermined file can be accessed at high speed.

According to the file management system and the file management method of the present invention, it is determined whether the type of the one directory matches the type of each file based on the read target flag information of the one directory. , A predetermined file can be accessed at a high speed.

According to the file management apparatus and the file management method of the present invention, it is possible to manage reading and deletion of a file by a file number, and it becomes unnecessary to manage by a file name or a directory name. Is unnecessary, and more data can be stored.

According to the recording medium of the present invention, by reading a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number in a predetermined order for each file, the file and the directory are read out. In this case, the file can be managed by using only the file number.

According to the file management system and the file management method of the present invention, it is possible to manage reading and deletion of a file by a file number, and it becomes unnecessary to manage by a file name or a directory name. Is unnecessary, and more data can be recorded on the recording medium.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a memory card system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of data stored in a flash memory in a memory card of the memory card system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a user format file stored in the flash memory.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an OS header of the file.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a file header and an entry area of the file.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a directory file.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a system entry area of the directory file.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the structure of directory information of the directory file.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a system directory area and a user area determined by the directory information.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a structure of group information of the directory file.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a directory entry list of the directory file.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a file number of each directory entry.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining attribute information of each directory entry.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a state of continuous recording of each file.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a group number of each directory entry.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining handling of groups in a directory.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining handling of groups in a directory.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a relationship between each file and a group.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a hierarchical structure when a group is supported.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of a hierarchical structure when a group is not supported.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a hierarchical structure when a group is not supported.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating processing when starting an application.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing processing when a directory is created.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing processing when registering a file.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating processing when there is a target flag.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing processing when there is no target flag.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing processing when reading an image file.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating processing when deleting an image file.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a process when deleting a directory.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a process for changing the state of continuous recording.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a state of continuous recording when one file is deleted.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing a state of continuous recording when a file is inserted.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 memory card system, 10 host computer, 11 hard disk, 12 RAM, 13 first
Serial I / F, 14 CPU, 20 memory card, 21 second serial I / F, 22 flash memory, 23 controller

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] February 5, 1998

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 26

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 27

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 28

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 29

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 32

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 33

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 34

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 35

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

A file management apparatus according to the present invention provides a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number, and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. Storage means for storing
Management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory so that the file or directory is in a lower hierarchy of the one directory. It is characterized in that it is determined whether the type of one directory matches each file type based on each target flag information.

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0018

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the file management method of the present invention, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number and target flag information indicating whether or not the file indicated by the file number can be handled. The file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, and the target flag information of the one directory is read and read. It is characterized in that it is determined whether the type of one directory matches the type of each file based on each target flag information of one directory.

[Procedure amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0020

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

A file management system according to the present invention provides a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file having a file number, and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. And a storage means for storing files and directories read from the recording medium, and storing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory under one directory. And a management unit having management means for managing the files in a hierarchy. The management means of the management unit determines whether the type of one directory and each file is based on each target flag information of one directory read from the storage means. Determining whether they match

[Procedure amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0021

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the file management method of the present invention, a directory having a file entry and a directory entry for each file including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file can be handled is stored in a directory. Is stored in a recording medium, files and directories are read from the recording medium, the read files and directories are stored, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the stored directory entry of one directory is stored in one directory. Is managed so as to be in a lower hierarchy, and each target flag information of one directory is read, and it is determined whether the type of one directory matches each file type based on the read target flag information of one directory. It is characterized by the following.

Claims (45)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a file having a file number, and a directory having a directory entry made up of a file number and group information for each file, and the file number of a directory entry of one stored directory indicates Management means for managing a file or directory so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, wherein the management means stores the group information of the one directory based on the group information of the one directory read from the storage means. A file management device for distinguishing and managing different files. 2. The storage means stores, as the directory, a directory having a directory entry including a file number and group information for each file and having group information including a group name for each group information. The means is characterized in that, based on the group information of the one directory read from the storage means and the group information information corresponding thereto, files having different group information are managed by giving names corresponding to the group information. 2. The file management device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A file or directory which stores a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry made up of a file number and group information for each file, wherein the file number indicated by the directory entry of the stored one directory is stored. Are managed in a hierarchy below the one directory, the group information of the one directory is read, and based on the read group information of the one directory, the files having different group information are distinguished and managed. File management method. 4. A directory having a directory entry having a file number and group information for each file and storing group information including a group name for each group information as the directory, wherein the group information of the one directory is stored. And the corresponding group information information is read, and based on the read group information of the one directory and the corresponding group information information, the files having different group information are managed by assigning names corresponding to the group information. 4. The file management method according to claim 3, wherein: 5. A recording medium for recording a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file including a file number and group information for distinguishing and managing the files. 6. A directory having a directory entry including a file number and group information for each file and recording a directory having group information including a group name for each group information as the directory. The recording medium according to the above. 7. A recording medium for recording a file having a file number, a directory having a directory entry comprising a file number and group information for each file, and storing the file and the directory read from the storage means. And a management unit for managing a file or a directory indicated by a file number of a directory entry of one directory so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, and a management unit of the management unit. A file management system for distinguishing and managing files having different group information based on group information of the one directory read from the storage means. 8. The recording medium, as the directory, records a directory having a directory entry consisting of a file number and group information for each file, and having group information including a group name for each group information. The storage unit of the management unit stores the file and the directory read from the recording medium, and the management unit stores the file and the directory based on the group information of the one directory read from the storage unit and the corresponding group information. 8. The file management system according to claim 7, wherein the files having different group information are managed by giving names corresponding to the group information. 9. A file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry made up of a file number and group information for each file are recorded on a recording medium, and the file and the directory are read from the recording medium. The stored files and directories are stored, and the files or directories indicated by the file numbers of the directory entries of the stored one directory are managed so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, and the one directory group is stored. A file management method characterized in that files having different group information are managed separately based on information. 10. The recording medium records, as the directory, a directory having a directory entry including a file number and group information and a group having group information including a group name for each group information. The file and the directory are read, the read file and the directory are stored, and based on the read group information of the one directory and the corresponding group information information, the files having different group information are grouped with each other. 10. The file management method according to claim 9, wherein a name corresponding to the file is managed. 11. A storage means for storing a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory having a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. Management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the one directory so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, wherein the management means reads the one directory read from the storage means A file management device that manages each file indicated by each successive directory entry of the one directory as a group of continuous files based on the continuous record information of the above. 12. The storage means stores, as the directory, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry composed of a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the start of the continuation. On the basis of the continuous record information of the one directory read from the storage means, the file number of the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the start of the sequence is obtained immediately before the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the start of the next sequence. 12. The file management apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the file indicated by the file number up to the directory entry is managed as a continuous file. 13. The storage means stores, as the directory, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file number and continuous record information indicating the beginning of a continuation, the middle of a continuation, or irrelevance to the continuation. The management means, based on the continuous recording information of the one directory read from the storage means, from the file number of the directory entry having the continuous recording information indicating the beginning of the continuous, the continuous recording information indicating the unrelated to the continuous 12. The file management apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a file indicated by a file number up to a directory entry immediately before a directory entry having continuous record information indicating the beginning of the next sequence is managed as a continuous file. 14. A directory having, for each file, a directory entry comprising a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. The file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, the continuous recording information of the one directory is read, and the continuous recording information of the one directory is read out. A file management method for managing each file indicated by each successive directory entry of the one directory as a group of successive files. 15. A directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the beginning of a sequence is stored as the directory, and reads and reads the continuous recording information of the one directory. Based on the continuous record information of the one directory, from the file number of the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the beginning of the sequence to the directory entry immediately before the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the start of the next sequence. The file management method according to claim 14, wherein the file indicated by the file number is managed as a continuous file. 16. A directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file number and continuous record information indicating whether the start of a continuation, the middle of a continuation, or unrelated to the continuation, is stored as the directory. Read the continuous record information of the directory, and, based on the read continuous record information of the one directory, from the file number of the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the start of the sequence, read the continuous record information indicating the unrelated to the sequence or the next 15. The file management method according to claim 14, wherein a file indicated by a file number up to a directory entry immediately before a directory entry having continuous record information indicating the start of a sequence is managed as a continuous file. 17. A recording medium for recording a directory having, for each file, a directory entry comprising a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. . 18. The recording medium according to claim 17, wherein a directory having, for each file, a directory entry comprising a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the beginning of the sequence is recorded as the directory. . 19. A directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuous, in the middle of the sequence, or in the middle of the sequence or unrelated to the sequence. 18. The recording medium according to claim 17, wherein 20. A recording medium for recording a directory having, for each file, a directory entry comprising a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is continuously recorded as a group of files; Storage means for storing the file and directory read from the storage means, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the one directory stored in the storage means so that the file or directory is located at a level below the one directory. A management unit having management means for managing the file, based on the continuous recording information of the one directory read from the storage means, each file indicated by a continuous directory entry of the one directory Can be managed as a group of continuous files. File management system according to claim. 21. The recording medium, as the directory, records a directory having, for each file, a directory entry composed of a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the file is the first one in a sequence. Storing the file and the directory read from the recording medium, wherein the management means has continuous record information indicating the beginning of a sequence based on the continuous record information of the one directory read from the storage means. 21. A file indicated by a file number from a file number of a directory entry to a directory entry immediately before a directory entry having continuous record information indicating the beginning of the next consecutive file is managed as a continuous file. File management system. 22. The recording medium, as the directory, records a directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuous, in the middle of the sequence, or unrelated to the sequence. The storage unit of the management unit stores the file and the directory read from the recording medium, and the management unit continuously stores the file and the directory based on the continuous recording information of the one directory read from the storage unit. From the file number of the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the beginning of the file to the directory entry immediately before the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the unrelated to the continuous record or the continuous record information indicating the start of the next consecutive file. The file is managed as a continuous file. 0 file management system described. 23. A recording medium for recording, on a recording medium, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry comprising a file having a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether the file is continuously recorded as a group of files. Read the file and the directory from the above, store the read file and the directory, and store the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory in the hierarchy below the one directory. Read out the continuous record information of the one directory, and, based on the read continuous record information of the one directory, store each file indicated by the successive directory entries of the one directory as a group of continuous records. File File management method according to claim. 24. As the directory, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file number and continuous recording information indicating whether or not the beginning of the sequence is recorded on the recording medium, and is read from the recording medium. A file and a directory are stored, the continuous record information of the one directory is read, and based on the read continuous record information of the one directory, a file number of a directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the beginning of the sequence is obtained. 24. The file management method according to claim 23, wherein the file indicated by the file number up to the directory entry immediately before the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the start of the next continuous file is managed as a continuous file. 25. As the directory, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file number and continuous recording information indicating the beginning of a continuation, the middle of a continuation, or irrelevant to the continuation is recorded on the recording medium, The file and the directory read from the recording medium are stored, and the continuous recording information of the one directory is read. Based on the read continuous recording information of the one directory, the continuous recording information indicating the beginning of the sequence is stored. The file indicated by the file number of the directory entry having the file number up to the directory entry immediately before the directory entry having the continuous record information indicating the unrelated to the continuous or the continuous record information indicating the start of the next continuous is managed as the continuous file. The file according to claim 23, wherein File management method. 26. A storage means for storing a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry comprising a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. Management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory so that the file or directory is in a hierarchy below the one directory, wherein the management means reads out from the storage means Determine whether the type of the one directory and each file match based on each target flag information of the one directory,
A file management device which manages files whose types match each other so that they can be used, and manages files whose types do not match so that they cannot be used. 27. The storage means stores, as the file, a file having a file number and file identification information indicating a type, and as the directory, determines whether a file number and a file indicated by the file can be handled. A directory entry having the target flag information for each file, and a directory having target file identification information indicating the type is stored, and the management unit cannot read the target flag information in the one directory from the storage unit For a file, it is determined whether or not the file identification information of this file matches the target file identification information of the one directory. If they match, the file is managed so that it can be used. Manage files so that they cannot be used Claim, characterized in Rukoto 26
File management device as described. 28. A file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry comprising a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. The file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the other directory is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, the target flag information of the one directory is read, and each of the read one directory is read. Based on the target flag information, determine whether the type of the above-mentioned directory and each file match, manage files that match the type so that they can be used, and manage files that do not match the type so that they cannot be used File management method. 29. As the file, a file having a file number and file identification information indicating a type is stored, and as the directory, a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. And a directory having target file identification information indicating the type of each file. For a file in which the target flag information in one directory cannot be read, the file identification information of this file and It is determined whether or not the target file identification information of one directory matches, and if it matches, the file is managed so that it can be used; if it does not match, the file is managed so that it cannot be used. The file management according to claim 28, wherein Method. 30. A storage device storing a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. Recording medium. 31. Whether the recording medium stores a file having a file number and file identification information indicating a type as the file, and can handle a file number and a file indicated by the file number as the directory 31. The recording medium according to claim 30, further comprising: a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including target flag information indicating target file identification information indicating target file identification information indicating a type. 32. A recording medium for storing a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry for each file, the directory entry comprising a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. A storage unit for storing files and directories read from the recording medium, and a file or directory indicated by a file number of a directory entry of the stored one directory so that the file or directory is in a hierarchy below the one directory. A managing unit having a managing unit that manages the one directory and the type of each file based on the target flag information of the one directory read from the storage unit. File to be used, and files with the same type can be used. File management system, characterized in that sea urchin manage, file type does not match that managed so that it can not be used. 33. Whether the recording medium stores a file having a file number and file identification information indicating a type as the file, and can handle a file number and a file indicated by the file number as the directory. And a directory having target file identification information indicating a type and having a directory entry consisting of target flag information indicating the type, and storing the directory having the file identification information indicating the type. For a file from which the target flag information in the one directory cannot be read from the storage means, the management unit stores the file identification information of the file and the target file identification information of the one directory. Determine whether they match, and if they match, Yl manages to be used, the file management system of claim 32, wherein when not match, characterized in that the management so that the file can not be used. 34. A storage medium storing a file having a file number and a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file can be handled, The file and the directory are read from the recording medium, the read file and the directory are stored, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory is stored under the one directory. It manages to be in a hierarchy, reads each target flag information of one directory, determines whether the type of the one directory matches each file type based on the read target flag information of the one directory, Files with the same type can be used File management method for managing files that do not match in type so that they cannot be used. 35. Whether the recording medium stores a file having a file number and file identification information indicating a type as the file, and can handle a file number and a file indicated by the file number as the directory A directory entry having target file identification information indicating a type and storing a directory having target file identification information indicating a type, reading the file and the directory from the recording medium, and reading the read file and directory. For a file from which the target flag information in one directory cannot be read, it is determined whether the file identification information of this file matches the target file identification information of the one directory, and File identification information and the above 35. The file management according to claim 34, wherein when the target file identification information of the directory matches, the file is managed so as to be usable, and when the information does not match, the file is managed so as not to be used. Method. 36. A storage means for storing a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order, and the file number of the directory entry of one stored directory indicates Management means for managing the file or directory so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory, wherein the management means, when instructed to read or delete a predetermined number of files in the one directory, A file management device for reading or deleting a file indicated by a file number of a predetermined directory entry of the directory from the storage means. 37. The storage means, as the directory, a directory having, for each file, a directory entry including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. The management means determines whether or not each file is to be handled based on the target flag when reading or deleting a predetermined number of files in the one directory is instructed. 37. A file which is read out and deleted from the storage means, the file being indicated by the file number of a predetermined directory entry of the directory.
File management device as described. 38. A file or directory storing a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order, wherein the file number indicated by the directory entry of the stored one directory is stored. Is managed in a hierarchy below the one directory, and when an instruction to read or delete a predetermined file in the one directory is issued, the file number of the predetermined directory entry in the directory is changed to A file management method, comprising reading or deleting a file indicated from the storage means. 39. A directory having, for each file, a directory entry consisting of a file number and target flag information indicating whether or not the file indicated by the file number can be handled, as the directory, When it is instructed to read or delete a predetermined number of files in the directory of, it is determined whether each file is to be handled based on the target flag, and the file is a file to be handled, and The file management method according to claim 38, wherein a file indicated by a file number of a predetermined directory entry of the directory is read. 40. A recording medium for recording a file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order. 41. A directory having a directory entry consisting of a file number and target flag information indicating whether or not the file indicated by the file number can be handled for each file in the predetermined order. 41. The recording medium according to claim 40, wherein: 42. A recording medium for recording a file having a file number, a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order, and a file and a directory read from the recording medium. And a management unit having management means for managing the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory so that the file or directory is in a hierarchy below the one directory. The management unit of the unit reads or deletes the file indicated by the file number of the predetermined directory entry of the directory from the storage unit when reading or deletion of the predetermined file of the one directory is instructed. A file management system characterized by: 43. The storage medium, as the directory, a directory having a directory entry for each file in a predetermined order, the directory entry including a file number and target flag information indicating whether the file indicated by the file number can be handled. The storage means of the management unit stores the file and the directory read from the recording medium, and the management means reads or deletes a predetermined file of the one directory in the one directory. Then, it is determined whether each file is a target of handling based on the target flag, and the file which is a target of handling and which is indicated by the file number of a predetermined directory entry of the directory described above is determined. 43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the data is read out or deleted from the storage means. Airu management systems. 44. A file having a file number and a directory having a directory entry including the file number for each file in a predetermined order, are recorded on a recording medium, and the file and the directory are read from the recording medium. The stored file and directory are stored, and the file or directory indicated by the file number of the directory entry of the stored one directory is managed so as to be in a hierarchy below the one directory. A file management method comprising: reading or deleting a file indicated by a file number of a predetermined directory entry in the directory when reading or deleting of a second file is instructed. 45. A directory having a directory entry for each file in a predetermined order, the directory entry including a file number and target flag information indicating whether or not the file indicated by the file number can be handled, as the directory. Reading the file and the directory from the recording medium, storing the read file and the directory, and, when instructing to read or delete a predetermined file in the one directory, Determine whether each file is the target of handling based on the flag, and read or delete the file that is the target of handling and that is indicated by the file number of the nth directory entry of the directory described above. The file management method according to claim 44, characterized by: .