Image capture device that can playback and output a selected file from an external storage device

• US 8,319,849 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xacti Corporation (Office Support KK)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shioji, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Usman
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, QUANG V
• Application Number:
  US12/593,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20100073509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/231.99, 348/231.1, 348/231.2, 348/231.3, 348/231.5, 348/231.6, 348/231.8, 348/231.9, 386/46
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An image capture device is provided that can playback and output a desirable file of multiple files accumulated in an external storage device. The image capture device of the present invention has a camera body including: a memory controller for writing an image file obtained by image shooting to an external memory card, or for reading a file from the external memory card; a USB interface for making connection to an external hard disk drive; a USB host controller for controlling transmission and receipt of data through the interface; and a CPU for controlling the operations of the memory controller and the USB host controller in order to transmit data between the external memory card and the external hard disk drive.

Claims

1. An image capture device which has an image capture function and in which a memory is provided, the image capture device comprising:

a first signal processing unit creating an image file by encoding image data obtained by image shooting;

a second signal processing unit creating image data by decoding the image file created by the first signal processing unit;

a memory controller writing the image file obtained from the first signal processing unit into said memory, or to read an image file from said memory;

an output unit outputting the image data obtained from the second signal processing unit;

an interface making connection to an external storage device, the external storage device having a capacity larger than that of said memory;

a host controller controlling transmission and receipt of data through the interface; and

a main control unit controlling operations of said memory controller and the host controller in order to transmit data between said memory and the external storage device,

wherein a directory structure in said external storage device contains a directory structure that is the same as in said memory as a directory section in its lowest level, and

wherein, with the directory structure in said memory arranged as a directory section in the lowest level, the directory structure in said external storage device contains a roll management directory which is arranged in a level higher than that of the directory section, and which manages the directory section as a unit roll, and a date management directory which is arranged in a level higher than that of the roll management directory, and which manages the date of each roll.

2. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein said memory is an external memory that can be attached to and detached from a main body of said image capture device.

3. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein said main control unit includes a directory structure scaling up unit scaling a directory structure in said memory up to a directory structure in said external storage device when a file written in the memory is transmitted to the external storage device.

4. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein said main control unit includes a directory structure scaling down unit scaling a directory structure in said external storage device down to a directory structure in said memory when a file stored in the external storage device is written back to the memory.

5. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein said main control unit has an image playback function for reading an image file from said external storage device, and supplying the image file through said interface to said second signal processing unit.

6. An image capture device which has an image capture function and in which a memory is provided, the image capture device comprising:

a first signal processing unit creating an image file by encoding image data obtained by image shooting;

a second signal processing unit creating image data by decoding the image file created by the first signal processing unit;

a memory controller writing the image file obtained from the first signal processing unit into said memory, or to read an image file from said memory;

an output unit outputting the image data obtained from the second signal processing unit;

an interface making connection to an external storage device, the external storage device having a capacity larger than that of said memory;

a host controller controlling transmission and receipt of data through the interface; and

a main control unit controlling operations of said memory controller and the host controller in order to transmit data between said memory and the external storage device,

wherein, in a playback mode for reading one image file from said external storage device and playing back the image file, said main control unit displays a selection screen for urging a user to perform a selecting operation at each intermediate level while sequentially making transitions from a higher level to a lower level of the directory structure in the external storage device, thereby allowing a particular image file selected by the user to be ultimately played back, the main control unit also making a direct transition from the higher level to the lower level without displaying a selection screen of an intermediate level, thereby allowing a predetermined image file to be played back.

7. An image capture device which has an image capture function and in which a memory is provided, the image capture device comprising:

a first signal processing unit creating an image file by encoding image by image shooting;

a second signal processing unit creating image data by decoding the image file created by the first signal processing unit;

a memory controller writing the image file obtained from the first signal processing unit into said memory, or to read an image file from said memory;

an output unit outputting the image data obtained from the second signal processing unit;

an interface making connection to an external storage device, the external storage device having a capacity larger than that of said memory;

a host controller controlling transmission and receipt of data through the interface; and

a main control unit controlling operations of said memory controller and the host controller in order to transmit data between said memory and the external storage device,

wherein, in an album mode for playing back a plurality of images in a predetermined order, said main control unit displays, when a new file is added to an already existing sequence of files, an insert pointer indicating the insertion position of the new file on a screen, the main control unit also displaying, when a file belonging to an already existing sequence of files is moved to another position, a file pointer indicating the file to be moved on a screen while displaying an insert pointer indicating the destination of the file on the screen.

8. An image capture system comprising:

a main body which has an image capture function and in which a memory is provided, and an external storage device connected to the main body, the external storage device having a capacity larger than that of said memory, said main body including;

a first signal processing unit creating an image file by encoding image data obtained by image shooting;

a second signal processing unit creating image data by decoding the image file created by the first signal processing unit;

a memory controller writing the image file obtained from the first signal processing unit into said memory, or to read an image file from said memory;

an output unit outputting the image data obtained from the second signal processing unit;

an interface making connection to said external storage device;

a host controller controlling transmission and receipt of data through the interface; and

a main control unit having an image transmission function for transmitting an image file written in said memory to said external storage device by controlling the operations of said memory controller and the host controller,

wherein a directory structure in said external storage device contains a directory structure that is the same as in said memory as a directory section in its lowest level, and

wherein, with the directory structure in said memory arranged as a directory section in the lowest level, the directory structure in said external storage device contains a roll management directory which is arranged in a level higher than that of the directory section, and which manages the directory section as a unit roll, and a date management directory which is arranged in a level higher than that of the roll management directory, and which manages the date of each roll.