WO2005093578A1

WO2005093578A1 - File management apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2005093578A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/004867
Authority: WO
Inventors: Masayoshi Okamoto
Original assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-03-26
Filing date: 2005-03-11
Publication date: 2005-10-06
Also published as: JP2005276016A

Abstract

A digital camera includes a recording medium (34). When an operating panel (22) is used to select a desired image file from among a plurality of image files recorded in the recording medium (34), a system controller (20) accepts this selection, and a CPU (18) sets a flag in the management information of the desired image file. Thereafter, when a PC (50) issues an identifier forward request, a USB controller (36) accepts this query, and the CPU (18) forwards, to the PC (50), only the identifier of the image file corresponding to the management information in which the flag has been set.

Description

Specification

File management device Technical field

The present invention relates to a file management device, and more particularly to, for example, a file among a plurality of image files used for a digital camera and recorded on a recording medium when a file transfer request including a file identifier is received from a PC as an external device. The present invention relates to a file management device that transfers an image file specified by an identifier to a PC. Conventional technology

Conventionally, as this type of apparatus, there is known an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-312791 filed on Feb. 2, 1997. In this conventional technique, a transfer program is stored in a memory in a digital camera, and when the PC executes the transfer program, an image file recorded on a recording medium in the digital camera is transferred to the PC. This eliminates the need to install the transfer program on the PC, and allows image files to be transferred with simple operations.

However, the conventional technology does not conform to widely used communication standards such as "Pictbridge". On the other hand, with "Pictbrige", it is necessary to transfer the identifiers of all image files recorded on the recording medium in the digital camera to the PC side in advance. In addition, in order for the PC to request the transfer of a desired image file, the attribute information of all the image files must be transferred to the PC in advance. For this reason, especially when the number of image files recorded on the recording medium is large, data communication with an external device takes a long time. Summary of the Invention

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a new file management device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a file management device capable of reducing the time required for data communication with an external device. The file management device according to the invention of claim 1 externally transfers a data file specified by a file identifier among a plurality of data files recorded on a recording medium when a file transfer request including a file identifier is received from an external device. A receiving means for receiving a selection operation for selecting a desired data file from a plurality of data files in a file management device to be transferred to the device, and distinguishing a data file selected by the selection operation from unselected data files. And a transfer means for transferring the identifier of the file identified by the distinguishing means to the external device when the identifier transfer request is received from the external device. In the invention of claim 1, when a selection operation for selecting a desired data file among a plurality of data files is performed, the receiving unit receives the selection operation, and the distinguishing unit receives the data file selected by the selection operation. Distinguish from unselected data files. Thereafter, when an identifier transfer request is issued from the external device, the transfer means accepts the identifier transfer request and transfers the file identifier distinguished by the distinguishing means to the external device.

That is, a desired data file is selected from a plurality of data files recorded on the recording medium, and only the identifier of the selected file is transferred to the external device, so that the number of transferred identifiers is reduced.

The target of the file transfer request issued after this identifier transfer is limited to the image file to which the identifier has been transferred. Also, the target of the attribute information transfer request issued after the identifier transfer is limited to the image file to which the identifier was transferred.

A file management device according to the invention of claim 2 is dependent on claim 1, and the classification means assigns a marker to the data file selected by the selection operation.

In the invention of claim 2, the selected data file is distinguished from the unselected data file by the marker. This allows the selected data file to be easily and clearly distinguished from the unselected one.

A file management device according to the invention of claim 3, dependent on claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of data files are managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of directories, and the selecting operation is an operation of selecting a desired directory from the plurality of directories. The desired data file is a data file managed by a desired directory. In the invention of claim 3, a plurality of data files are managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of directories, and a data file managed by a desired directory is a desired data file. Therefore, when a desired directory is selected from a plurality of directories, identifiers of all data files managed by the desired directory are transferred to the external device. That is, if a desired directory is selected, the identifiers of all data files managed by this directory are transferred to the external device, so that the selection operation is simplified.

A file management device according to the invention of claim 4 is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 3, and the data file is an image file for storing image data.

The file management program according to the invention of claim 5 excludes a data file specified by a file identifier among a plurality of data files recorded on a recording medium when receiving a file transfer request including a file identifier from an external device. A receiving step of receiving a selection operation for selecting a desired data file from a plurality of data files to a processor of the file management device to be transferred to the external device, and distinguishing the data file selected by the selection operation from unselected data files And executing a transfer step of transferring the identifier of the data file identified by the distinguishing step to the external device when the identifier transfer request is received from the external device.

The file management method according to the invention of claim 6 is characterized in that when a file transfer request including a file identifier is received from an external device, a data file specified by the file identifier among a plurality of data files recorded on the recording medium is externally transmitted. A file management method for transferring to a device, a receiving step of receiving a selection operation for selecting a desired data file from a plurality of data files, and a data file selected by the selection operation being unselected. A distinction step for distinguishing from the data file and a transfer step for transferring the identifier of the data file distinguished by the distinction step to the external device when an identifier transfer request is received from the external device.

According to the present invention, the number of transferred identifiers is reduced, and as a result, the number of transferred attribute information is also reduced, which is necessary for data communication with an external device. Time is reduced.

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital camera of this embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a directory for managing a plurality of image files recorded on a recording medium in a distributed manner;

Figure 3 (A) is an illustrative view showing the structure of management information;

Figure 3 (B) is an illustrative view showing an example of the management file;

FIG. 3 (C) is an illustrative view showing another example of the management file;

FIG. 4 (A) is an illustrative view showing one example of a “show Z not show” setting screen; FIG. 4 (B) is an illustrative view showing another example of the same setting screen;

Fig. 4 (C) is an illustrative view showing another example of the setting screen;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing one example of a handle management table;

Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing the initial communication process performed between the digital camera and the PC in Figure 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a part of the CPU operation of the digital camera of FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another part of the CPU operation of the digital camera of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another part of the CPU operation of the digital camera in FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a digital camera 10 of this embodiment includes an image sensor 12. The optical image of the object scene is applied to the imaging surface of the image sensor 12 through a focus lens (not shown). On the imaging surface, electric charges corresponding to an optical image of a subject, that is, raw image signals are generated by photoelectric conversion.

Display a real-time moving image of the subject, that is, a through image, on the LCD monitor 26 At this time, the image sensor 12 outputs a low-resolution raw image signal corresponding to the optical image of the subject. The output raw image signal is converted into digital image raw image data via an AZD conversion circuit (not shown), and the raw image data is converted into YUV format image data by a signal processing circuit 14. The converted image data is written to the SDRAM 30 by the memory control circuit 28, and then read out by the same memory control circuit 28. The video encoder 24 converts the image data read by the memory control circuit 28 into a composite video signal conforming to the NTSC format, and supplies the converted composite video signal to the LCD monitor 26. As a result, a through image of the subject is displayed on the monitor screen.

When a shirt tap button (not shown) is pressed, the following shooting / recording processing is executed. That is, the main exposure is performed by the image sensor 12 ′, and all the generated electric charges, that is, the raw image signals are output from the image sensor 12. The output raw image signal is converted into raw image data via an AZD conversion circuit or the like (not shown), and the raw image data is converted into YUV format image data by the signal processing circuit 14. The converted image data is written to the SDRAM 30 through the memory control circuit 28. When the writing is completed, the CPU 18 reads out image data from the SDRAM 30 through the memory control circuit 28 and records an image file including the read out image data on the recording medium 34 through the I / F 32.

When such photographing and recording processes are repeated, a plurality of image files are accumulated in the recording medium 34. A plurality of image files in the recording medium 34 are managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of directories as shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, the root directory “D CIM” includes 181 sub directories “100 SANYO” to “180 SANYO”.

The subdirectory "100SANYO" contains 135 image files "SA NY0001" to "SANYO 135". Similarly, 78 image files “SANYO 001” to “SA NY0078” are stored in the subdirectory “101 SANYO”, and 52 image files “SANYO 001” to “SANYO 052” are stored in the subdirectory “102 SANYO”. But… The subdirectory "1 80 SANYO" contains 120 image files "SANYO 001" ~ "S AN Y 0120 ".

Under the directory "System", a directory "ContFi1e" is provided. This directory "ContFi1e" contains management files for managing the subdirectories under the directory "DCIM". The management file contains 181 pieces of management information corresponding to the 181 subdirectories. Each of the 181 pieces of management information is composed of a “classification name”, a “directory name”, and a “flag” as shown in FIG. 3 (A).

The “flag” in the management information is used to divide the 181 subdirectories under “DC IM” into two types, those that can be seen by the PC 50 and those that cannot be seen. Set to "1" to show. The initial value is "0", and therefore, unless any setting operation is performed, the flag is set to "0" in any management information in the management file as shown in FIG. 3 (B). For this reason, if the digital camera 10 is connected to the PC 50 before performing the setting operation, none of the 181 subdirectories under the root directory “DCIM” can be seen from the PC 50.

For example, if only two subdirectories “101 SANYO” and “102 SANY O” are to be visible from the PC 50, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), the management information and the second line in the second line in the management file are displayed. The flag included in each of the management information on the third line may be changed from "0" to "1". The flags are changed through the following setting operations. That is, in the setting operation of "show / hide", first, the "Mode" key 22a is pressed. Then, the CPU 18 displays a setting screen as shown in FIG. 4 (A) on the LCD monitor based on the management information “# entrance ceremony $ 100SANY $ 0 $” on the first line of the management file in FIG. 3 (B). Display on 26. Referring to Fig. 4 (A), the setting screen initially shows the content number "1", the classification name "entrance ceremony", and the function "OFF" to be displayed to the host.

Next, the lower cursor key 22d is pressed. Then, the CPU 18 updates the content of the setting screen as shown in FIG. 4 (B) based on the management information “# athletic meet $ 101 SANY $ 0 $” on the second line of the management file. Referring to FIG. 4 (B), the setting screen includes a content number “2”, a classification name “athletic meeting” and a function “OF” displayed to the host. F "is presented.

Next, the right cursor key 22f is pressed. Then, the CPU 18 first rewrites the flag “0” in the management information on the second line of the management file to “1”. Then, the contents of the setting screen are updated as shown in FIG. 4 (C) based on the management information "# athletic meet $ 101 SANY $ 1 $" after the flag rewriting. Referring to Fig. 4 (C), the setting screen shows the content number "2", the classification name "athletic meeting", and the function "〇 N" to be shown to the host.

Next, the down cursor key 22d is pressed, and the CPU 18 updates the contents of the setting screen based on the management information "#Travel (1) $ 102 SANY $ 0 $" on the third line of the management file. Next, the right cursor key 22f is depressed, and the CPU 18 rewrites the flag “0” in the management information on the third line of the management file to “1”, and further writes the management information “#” after rewriting the flag. Travel (1) Update the contents of the setting screen based on $ 102SANY $ 1 $ ". As a result, on the setting screen, the content number “3”, the classification name “Travel (1)”, and the function “ON” to be presented to the host are presented.

Since the necessary setting operation has been completed, the "Mode" key 22a is pressed. In response, the CPU 18 performs the following handle management table creation processing. In the handle management table creation process, an eight-digit number is assigned to each of the root directory “DCIM”, the “show” subdirectory, and each of the image files belonging to the “show” subdirectory. Then, for each of the directories and image files to be assigned, an identifier and a handle number are registered in the table in pairs. Note that each of the directories and image files that have been assigned is called an "object" here. As a result, a handle management table as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.

Referring to FIG. 5, a handle number “0 × 10000000” is assigned to the root directory “DCIM”. The subdirectory "DCIM ¥ 101 SANYO" under it has a handle number "0x10020000". The handle number "0x10020001" is given to the image file "DC IM ¥ 101 SANY ¥¥ SANY0001.jpg" under it. Similarly, the image file "DC IM ¥ 101 SANYO ¥ SANYO 002.jpg" Has a handle number "0x10020002", and the image file "DC IM ¥ 101 SANYO ¥ SANYO 078.jpg" has a handle number "0x1002 004E".

The subdirectory "DC IM ¥ 102 SANYO" has a handle number "Ox 10030000". The handle number “0 1002 0001” is assigned to the image file “DC IM ¥ 102 S ANYO ¥ SANY0001. Jpg” thereunder. Similarly, the handle number "0x10030002" is assigned to the image file "DC IM ¥ 102SAN Y〇 ¥ SANYO 002.jpg", and the handle number "0x10020334" is assigned to the image file "DC IM ¥ 101 SANYO ¥ SANYO 052.jpg". Is given. Thus, 133 handles are registered in the handle management table.

After the handle management table is created, when the digital camera 10 is connected to the PC 50, an initial communication process as shown in FIG. 6 is performed between the digital camera 10 and the PC 50. Referring to FIG. 6, in the initial communication process, first, PC 50 inquires of digital camera 10 about the number of handles, and digital camera 10 responds to PC 50 with the number of handles, ie, "133". Next, the PC 50 inquires about all handle numbers, and the digital camera 10 returns all handle numbers, that is, "0x1 0000000", "0x10020000" to "0x1002004 E", and "0x10030000" to "0x10020334".

Next, the PC 50 inquires the attribute of the handle "0x10000000", and the digital camera 10 responds with the handle "Ox 10000000", that is, the attribute information of the object "DCIM". The attribute information includes information on the directory file name, size, creation date and time, protection setting, and the like. Next, the PC 50 inquires the attribute of the handle "0x10020000", and the digital camera 10 returns the handle "0x10020000", that is, the attribute information of the object "DCIM \ l01 SANYO". Thereafter, the same exchange is repeated, and when the attribute information of the last handle “0X10030334” is transmitted to the PC 50, the initial communication processing is ended.

As a result, from the PC 50, two services under the root directory "DCIM" The subdirectories "101 SANYO" and "102 SANYO" and the image files belonging to each subdirectory become visible. After that, the PC 50 captures the desired image file in the recording medium 34, edits the captured image file, performs Z processing, records the captured image file on an optical disc such as a CD, or captures the captured image file. Is output to a printer.

When performing the setting process of “show Z, do not show”, the CPU 18 specifically processes the flowchart of FIG. The program corresponding to this flowchart is stored in the ROM 16. Referring to FIG. 7, first, in step S1, "ContFi1e"

(Refer to Fig. 3 (B).) Set the number of management information registered, that is, "181" to the variable "CNT". In step S3, the variable "SetNo" is set to "1". In step S5, classification is performed from the management information registered in the "SetNo" line of "ContFi1e". Read names and flags.

In step S7, the read classification name is set in a variable "Name" and the read flag is set in a variable "Visible". In step S9, a setting screen is displayed on the LCD monitor 26, and "Name" is presented in the setting screen. In step S11, it is determined whether or not the variable "Visib1e" is "1". If this determination result is affirmative, "ON" is presented in the setting screen in step S13, and if it is negative, "OFF" is presented in step S15. Initially, "Set No" is "1", so "Name" is "entrance ceremony" and "Vis i ble" is

“0” is set, and as a result, a setting screen as shown in FIG. 4A is displayed on the LCD monitor 26.

When the setting screen is displayed in this way, the process enters a loop of steps S17 to S23, that is, a key operation waiting state. If the right cursor key 22f is pressed, YES is determined in the step S17, and the process goes to the step S25 to change the value of "Visib 1 e". Then, in step S27, the flag in the management information registered in the “SetNo” line of “ContFi1e” is rewritten. Then, the process returns to step S11. When the up cursor key 22c is pressed, "YES" is determined in the step S19, and the process goes to a step S29 to decrement "SetNo". Then, the process returns to step S5. If "SetNo" becomes smaller than 1 due to decrement In this case, "CNT" is set in "Set No". When the down cursor key 22d is pressed, "YES" is determined in the step S21, and the process exits the step S31 to increment "Set No". Then, the process returns to step S5. If "S et No" becomes larger than "CNT" due to the increment, "1" is set to "S et No". When the "Mode" key 22a is pressed, "YES" is determined in the step S23, and the process is ended.

Therefore, when the lower force sol key 22 d is pressed while the setting screen as shown in FIG. 4 (A) is displayed, “Set No” is incremented from “1” to “2” in step S31. Then, in step S5, the classification name "athletic meet" and the flag "0" are read from the management information registered in the second line of "Cont Fi 1 e". As a result, the setting screen is updated as shown in Fig. 4 (B).

Furthermore, when the right force sol key 22 f is pressed while the setting screen as shown in FIG. 4 (B) is displayed, the “Visib 1 e” force S is changed from “0” to “1” in step S 25. In step S27, the flag in the management information on the second line of “Cont P i 1 e” is changed from “0” to “1”. As a result, the setting screen is changed as shown in FIG. It is updated as follows.

When performing the process of creating the handle management container, the CPU 18 specifically processes the flowchart of FIG. Note that the program corresponding to this flowchart is stored in the ROM 16. Referring to Fig. 8, first, in step S51, a handle for the root directory "DCIM" is generated, and the generated handle is registered in the table (see Fig. 5 first handle in the table). In step S53, it is determined whether there is a subdirectory under “DC IM”. If no subdirectory exists, the process ends. If there is a subdirectory, the variable "SbDir" is set to "1" in step S55.

In step S57, "directory name" and "flag" are read from the management information on the "SbDir" line of "ContFi1e" (see FIG. 3 (C)). In step S59, the read directory name is set in a variable "DirName" and the read flag is set in a variable "Visib 1e". In step S61, it is determined whether or not the variable “Visib 1 e” is “1”. If the result is negative, the process proceeds to step S75.

If the decision result in the step S61 is affirmative, a handle of the subdirectory "Dir Name" is generated in a step S63, and the generated handle is registered in the table (see the second table in FIG. 5). See handle). Then, in a step S65, it is determined whether or not there is an image file belonging to the subdirectory "DirName", and if there is no belonging file, the process proceeds to a step S75.

If it is determined that the file belongs, the variable "File" is set to "1" in step S67. In the next step S69, a handle for the image file "Fi1e" is generated, and the generated handle is registered in the table (see the third handle in the table in FIG. 5). In step S71, it is determined whether or not the file registered in step S69 is the last file in the subdirectory "DirName". If the file is the last file, the process proceeds to step S75.

If it is not the last file, the variable “Fi 1 e” is incremented in step S73, and the process returns to step S69. Then, by repeating steps S69 to S73, the handles of all the image files belonging to the subdirectory "Dir Name" are generated and registered in the table (Fig. 5, table 3 to 80). Handle).

In step S75, it is determined whether or not the subdirectory registered in step S63 is the last directory under "DCIM", and if it is the last directory, the process ends.

If it is not the last subdirectory, the variable "SbDir" is incremented in step S77, and thereafter, the process returns to step S57. In step S57, the "directory name" and "flag" are read from the management information on the "SbDir" line of "ContFi1e", and in step S59, the read directory name is stored in a variable The read flag is set to "DiRName" and the variable "Visib 1 e" is set. Thereafter, in step S63, a handle for the subdirectory "Dir Name" is generated, and the generated handle is registered in the table (see the 81st handle in the table in FIG. 5). Then, by entering the loop of steps S69 to S73, all the images belonging to the subdirectory "DirName" are obtained. A handle for the file is created and registered in the table (see Figure 82, handle 82-I 33rd handle).

When performing the initial communication process, the CPU 18 specifically processes the flowchart in FIG. The program corresponding to this flowchart is stored in the ROM 16. Referring to FIG. 9, first, in step S91, it is determined whether or not there is an inquiry about the number of handles. If there is an inquiry, the number of handles is returned to PC 50 in step S93. In the following step S95, it is determined whether or not all the handle numbers are inquired. If there is an inquiry, all the handle numbers are returned to the PC 50 in step S97.

When the responses of all the handle numbers are completed, it is determined in step S99 whether or not there is an attribute inquiry, and in step S101 whether or not there is a completion notification. If there is an attribute inquiry, the process moves to step S103, and responds to the PC 50 with the attribute information corresponding to the handle number attached to the inquiry, and then returns to steps S99 and S101. If there is an attribute inquiry again, it responds with the attribute information corresponding to the attached handle number. If there is a notice of completion, YES is determined in step S101, and the process ends.

As is apparent from the above, in this embodiment, when a selection operation for selecting a desired image file from a plurality of image files recorded on the recording medium 34 is performed via the operation panel 22, the system controller 20 Receives this selection operation, and the CPU 18 sets a flag “1” in the management information of the desired image file. Thereafter, when the PC 50, which is an external device, issues an "all handle number inquiry", the USB controller 36 accepts the inquiry, and the CPU 18 sets the handle number of the image file for which the flag "1" is set in the management information. To the PC 50. Next, when the PC 50 issues an "attribute inquiry" including the handle number, the USB controller 36 accepts the request, and the CPU 18 responds to the PC 50 with the attribute information of the image file specified by the handle number.

That is, when the digital camera 10 receives a selection operation of selecting a desired image file from among the plurality of image files recorded on the recording medium 34, the digital camera 10 assigns a marker to the desired image file, and receives the identifier transfer request. At this time, only the identifier of the file to which the marker is assigned is transferred to the PC 50. The number of offspring is reduced, and as a result, the time required for data communication with the PC 50 can be reduced. Also, since the attribute information transfer request issued after the identifier transfer request is limited to the image file to which the identifier has been transferred, the time required for data communication with the PC 50 can be significantly reduced. .

Although the digital camera 10 of this embodiment transfers image files to and from the PC 50, the digital camera 10 can also transfer image files to and from external devices such as a printer and a DVD recorder. In addition, the time required for data communication can be reduced. In the above, a digital camera 10 for transferring an image file to an external device has been described as an embodiment. However, the present invention provides, for example, a hard disk recorder for transferring an audio file to an external device, and a program file for an external device. It can be applied to various devices such as a personal computer that has a function to transfer a data file specified by a file identifier to an external device, such as a personal computer, which can reduce the time required for data communication.

While this invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is obvious that it is used by way of example and example only and should not be construed as limiting, the spirit and scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims. Limited only by the language of the claim.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. When a file transfer request including a file identifier is received from an external device, a file management device that transfers, to the external device, a data file specified by the file identifier among a plurality of data files recorded on a recording medium. An accepting unit that accepts a selection operation for selecting a desired data file from the plurality of data files,

Means for distinguishing a data file selected by the selection operation from an unselected data file; and

A file management device, comprising: a transfer unit that transfers an identifier of a data file distinguished by the distinguishing unit to the external device when an identifier transfer request is received from the external device.

2. The file management device according to claim 1, wherein the distinguishing unit assigns a marker to the data file selected by the selection operation.

3. The plurality of files are managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of directories,

The selection operation is an operation of selecting a desired directory from the plurality of directories,

3. The file management device according to claim 1, wherein the desired data file is a data file managed by the desired directory.

4. The file management device according to claim 1, wherein the data file is an image file for storing image data.

5. When a file transfer request including a file identifier is received from an external device, a file management device that transfers a data file specified by the file identifier to the external device among a plurality of data files recorded on a recording medium. Processor

A receiving step of receiving a selection operation for selecting a desired data file from the plurality of data files;

A distinguishing step of distinguishing the data file selected by the selecting operation from the unselected data file; and A file management program for executing a transfer step of transferring an identifier of a data file distinguished by the distinguishing step to the external device when an identifier transfer request is received from the external device.

6. When receiving a file transfer request including a file identifier from an external device, a file management for transferring a data file specified by the file identifier to the external device among a plurality of data files recorded on a recording medium. The method

A distinguishing step of distinguishing a data file selected by the selection operation from an unselected data file; and

A file management method, comprising: when an identifier transfer request is received from the external device, transferring the identifier of the data file identified by the identifying step to the external device.