System and method for storing multimedia data in event situation

Abstract

To provide a multimedia data storing system, a method, and a recording medium for classifying multimedia data into general data and event data to be stored, and converting the general data to the event data immediately in accordance with a command from a user.SOLUTION: A system includes a multimedia data receiving unit that receives multimedia data, a general data storing unit that stores the received multimedia data in a data area of a FAT file system, generates a directory entry structure including information about the stored file, and links the generated directory entry structure to a directory entry structure indicating a general directory, and an event data storing unit that, upon reception of a command from a user, generates, as a directory entry structure, information about a file in which a first reference number of pieces of multimedia data are stored, in the storing order in the latest time point with a time point of the reception of the command as a reference, and links the generated directory entry structure to a directory entry structure indicating an event directory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for storing multimedia data of an event situation, and more particularly to a system and method for storing multimedia data that separately manages and safely stores video of an event situation and allows easy search when necessary. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, devices that acquire and store multimedia data, such as vehicle black boxes, CCTVs, etc., have been widely used. In particular, as the performance of such devices improves, they are no longer limited to simply storing multimedia data continuously, but are increasingly used to recognize whether an abnormal situation such as an accident occurs, detect events when an abnormal situation occurs, store the data separately, and then provide the data.

[0003] An event situation may mean a shock being detected by a vehicle black box, an abnormal object being detected in a CCTV video, etc. If the video at the time of detecting such an event is stored in a separate space, it has the advantage of being easy to review when necessary.

[0004] Prior art Korean Patent No. 10-2094786, "File system and file storage method using said file system," efficiently stores multimedia data received in real time, and distinguishes between general data and event data and stores them in separate areas, thereby preventing data fragmentation and enabling efficient management.

[0005] However, even if the data on the event status is stored separately in this manner, in order to analyze the status of an event such as an accident, it may be necessary to check the data before and after the event separately. In such cases, it is inconvenient to have to search for and check the data before and after the event data among general data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-2094786 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present invention is to classify and store multimedia data into general data and event data, and to immediately convert general data into event data in response to a user's command. It is an object of the present invention to enable a user to immediately convert multimedia data before and after an event situation into event data. The present invention aims to convert multimedia data before and after an event into event data immediately according to a user's decision, without occupying additional storage space. It is an object of the present invention to enable a user to safely store multimedia data before and after an event at his / her discretion. An object of the present invention is to enable immediate conversion between general data and event data. The present invention aims to conveniently manage event data by storing only the multimedia data of an event situation detected by the system as an event video, and storing multimedia data before and after an event situation determined by a user as an event video. An object of the present invention is to enable a user to convert data before and after a specific point in time into event data through a simple selection by a user, even if the data is not saved as event data in a recording situation. The present invention aims to utilize the FAT file system to allow stored general data and event data to be easily viewed on devices such as general PCs that support the FAT file system. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to maintain and manage a predetermined number of event data without having to store general data and event data in separate storage spaces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve this object, a multimedia data storage system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a multimedia data storage system that stores multimedia data in a FAT file system including a general directory and an event directory, and includes a multimedia data receiving unit that receives multimedia data, a general data storage unit that stores the received multimedia data in a data area of ​​the FAT file system, creates a directory entry structure including information about the file in which the multimedia data is stored, and links it to the directory entry structure indicating the general directory, and an event data storage unit that, upon receiving a user command, creates a directory entry structure including information about the file in which a first reference number of multimedia data are stored in order of most recent storage based on the time when the command was received, and links it to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory.

[0009] Here, the general data storage unit can delete only multimedia data that has no activated link connected to any one of the directory entry structures indicating the general directory and the directory entry structures indicating the event directory among the multimedia data stored in the data area of ​​the FAT file system.

[0010] In addition, the event data storage unit may generate information about a file storing all multimedia data received up to a second reference number from the time of receiving the user command as a directory entry structure, and link the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory. Also, the first reference number and the second reference number may be determined by an input from the user. In addition, when the event data storage unit detects an event situation, it generates information about a file in which the received multimedia data is stored as a directory entry structure, links it to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory, and provides an interface for receiving a confirmation from the user as to whether to input the command. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The present invention has an effect of classifying and storing multimedia data into general data and event data, and immediately converting general data into event data according to a user's command. The present invention has an effect of immediately converting multimedia data before and after the event status determined by the user into event data. The present invention has an effect of immediately converting multimedia data before and after an event situation into event data at the user's discretion without occupying additional storage space. The present invention has an effect of enabling a user to safely store multimedia data before and after an event at his / her discretion. The present invention has the advantage that it is possible to immediately convert between general data and event data. The present invention provides the effect of conveniently managing event data by storing only the multimedia data for an event situation detected by the system as an event video, and storing multimedia data before and after an event situation determined by a user in the event video. The present invention has an effect of enabling a user to convert data before and after a specific point in time into event data by a simple selection even if the data is not stored as event data in the recording state. The present invention utilizes the FAT file system, and has the effect of making it possible to easily check stored general data and event data on devices such as general PCs that support the FAT file system. Advantageous Effects of Invention The present invention provides an advantage that a predetermined number of event data can be maintained and managed without having to store general data and event data in separate storage spaces. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a part of general data is stored as event data in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where general data is deleted when general data and event data exist in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 13 is a diagram illustrating a case where general data is stored without the occurrence of an event in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram illustrating a case where multimedia data from a previous point in time is converted into event data according to a user's command in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing an example of storing multimedia data received after a user's command in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an example of storing multimedia data received after a determined number of times after a user's command in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where all files in a general directory are deleted in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where all files linked to an event file are deleted from files in a general directory in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a multimedia data storage method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, specific numerical values ​​in the description of the embodiments of the present invention are merely examples, and do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0014] The multimedia data storage system according to the present invention may be configured to have a form of a server including a central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and connectable to other terminals via a communication network such as the Internet. However, the present invention is not limited by the configuration of the central processing unit and memory. Furthermore, the multimedia data storage system according to the present invention may be included as an internal system of a video data acquisition device such as a black box or CCTV, and may operate separately from such a device. The present invention is not limited by such physical configuration.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multimedia data storage system 101 according to the present invention is a system that controls the storage of multimedia data received from a multimedia acquisition device 102 such as a camera or microphone in a FAT file system 103, and may include a multimedia data receiving unit 110, a general data storage unit 120, and an event data storage unit 130. These components may be implemented in hardware or software and run on hardware, and may be logically or physically separated, and may be configured to perform respective functions and have a logically or physically combined form.

[0016] The multimedia data storage system 101 according to the present invention is a device for storing multimedia data in a FAT file system 103 including a general directory and an event directory. As described above, the general directory is a directory for storing continuously received multimedia data, and the event directory is a directory for storing multimedia data related to an event situation such as an accident when the event situation occurs. Here, the event situation may mean a collision situation where an impact is applied in the case of a black box, and may include a case where a human movement is captured in an image or an object is captured in a dangerous area in the case of a security CCTV. This may vary depending on the characteristics of the device, and the present invention is not limited by what the event situation is as long as it is a situation that the user should easily confirm by distinguishing it from a general situation.

[0017] The FAT file system is a system that manages the storage of files in storage media such as hard disks, SSDs, and flash memory so that they can be saved and read. The FAT file system is divided into a FAT area and a data area. The FAT area is an area that can indicate which cluster among clusters, which are the storage units of the data area, is used to save a specific file. If a specific cluster is free, an initial value is saved in the FAT area corresponding to that cluster, and if data is saved, a value indicating the position of the next cluster of that cluster can be saved. The data area is the area where actual data is stored, and not only data but also information about directories (folders) and information about files are stored in a structure called a “directory entry structure” so that they can be searched.

[0018] Since the FAT file system is a standardized system, when data is recorded according to the structure of the FAT file system, the stored data can be searched and read not only in the device that recorded the data, but also in other devices that support the FAT file system, such as Windows. Since the present invention stores data according to the structure of the FAT file system, the stored data can be easily viewed in other devices. The multimedia data receiving unit 110 receives multimedia data. The multimedia data may generally include various types of data such as video data, audio data, or a combination of both. The multimedia data is received from a multimedia acquiring device 202. The multimedia acquiring device 202 may be a camera for video data, a microphone for audio data, etc., and may be a separate device including a function for combining the data or preprocessing the data so that the data can be stored, or may be a device included in the same device as the multimedia data storage system 101.

[0019] The multimedia data receiving unit 110 can process the received multimedia data, such as encoding the data into a format that can be stored, but the present invention is not limited by the presence or absence of such a function. The general data storage unit 120 stores the received multimedia data in a data area of ​​the FAT file system, generates a directory entry structure including information about the file in which the multimedia data is stored, and links it to the directory entry structure indicating the general directory.

[0020] As described above, the FAT file system 103 for storing multimedia data in the general data storage unit 120 is divided into a FAT area and a data area. The data area stores actual data in the form of a file, and can store information indicating the attributes of the file and information indicating the directory in which the file is stored as a 32-byte structure called a directory entry structure. The directory entry structure includes information on attributes such as the name of a file, the position of the starting cluster where the data of the file is stored, and the creation date of the file. In the case of a directory, a directory entry structure indicating a lower directory or file belonging to the directory is stored in the cluster indicated by the position of the starting cluster, and in the case of a file, the actual data of the file is stored.

[0021] When the general data storage unit 120 stores multimedia data as a file in the FAT file system, it creates a directory entry structure indicating the file and stores it at a position below the directory entry structure indicating the general directory, and the actual multimedia data is stored at the starting cluster position indicated by the created directory entry structure. If the data of the file to be stored exceeds one cluster, it is stored in another available cluster. In this way, the FAT area of ​​the FAT file system is used to indicate which cluster the data of a certain file is stored in. When the general data storage unit 120 stores multimedia data as a file in the FAT system, if the storage space of the FAT file system is insufficient, the directory entry structure with the oldest creation date and time among the directory entry structures linked to the directory entry structure indicating the general data is selected as the directory entry structure to be deleted.

[0022] The general data storage unit 120 can maintain the latest data by deleting the earliest input data and storing new data, like a data structure queue. When a file is deleted from a FAT file system, the part of the FAT area of ​​the FAT file system that indicates the cluster where the data of that file is stored is initialized. This initialization ensures that the cluster is free, so when new data is saved, the data can be written to that cluster. The general data storage unit 120 deletes only multimedia data that is not connected to an activated link in either the directory entry structure indicating the general directory or the directory entry structure indicating the event directory among the multimedia data stored in the data area of ​​the FAT file system. In the case where only a directory entry structure indicating a general directory exists as in the general case, when a file is deleted from the directory, the data of the file that no longer has a link is also deleted and the cluster is initialized. However, in the present invention, if a directory entry structure linking the multimedia data exists in the event directory, even if the directory entry structure of the general directory is deleted, the link to the data exists, and the multimedia data remains without being deleted.

[0023] Therefore, data stored as event data is safely maintained even if the data is deleted from the general directory according to a user's command or due to lack of storage space. When the event data storage unit 130 receives a user command, it generates information on a file storing a first reference number of multimedia data in the order of most recent storage based on the time point when the command was received as a directory entry structure, and links the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory. The user command can be input through various interfaces such as a physical button, a touch button on a screen, a voice, or a gesture, and the command input method is not limited. The event data storage unit 130 does not create the multimedia data as a separate file and store it so as to occupy storage space, but creates a directory entry structure to include start cluster information in which the file stored in the general data storage unit 120 is stored, and links this to a directory entry structure indicating an event directory. In this manner, only one piece of multimedia data received by the multimedia data receiving unit 110 is stored, and in the case of a general situation, it is stored so that it can be searched in the general directory, and in the case of an event situation, it is stored so that it can be searched in both the general directory and the event directory.

[0024] That is, the user can easily search only the multimedia data of the event situation without storing the same multimedia data in duplicate or storing them separately in separate partitions. Conventionally, since the event data is stored separately in the event partition, the space cannot be used efficiently, and since the multimedia data of the event situation is implemented in a leaky manner in the general directory, it is difficult to check the multimedia data obtained sequentially. However, according to the present invention, the general data can be checked sequentially without leaks, and only the multimedia data of the event situation can be easily searched even without a separate storage space. In the event data storage unit 130, the multimedia data for the event status additionally generates a directory entry structure belonging to the event directory, so when past data is deleted due to lack of storage space in the general data storage unit 120, it is necessary to check whether the data is multimedia data for the event status. If the data is deleted without checking this, a situation may occur in which the contents of the actual file are deleted but the contents are only viewed in the file list of the event directory because the directory entry structure generated by the event data storage unit 130 still exists.

[0025] Therefore, in the general data storage unit 120, when the storage space of the FAT file system is insufficient, it is necessary to check whether a directory entry structure indicating a file indicated by the directory entry structure to be deleted among the directory entry structures belonging to the event directory exists before converting the entry structure to be deleted into a deleted state and initializing the FAT area indicating the actual file, and only if the directory entry structure does not exist, the FAT area is initialized and the actual file is deleted. If a directory entry structure linked to the event directory exists, the actual file is not deleted and storage space is not secured, so it is necessary to select the next oldest directory entry structure as the directory entry structure to be deleted and secure the actual data storage space by additional deletion.

[0026] The event data storage unit 130 checks that the multimedia data is data indicating an event status while storing the threshold indicating the limit of the number of files in the event directory, and when generating a directory entry structure linked to the event directory, checks the number of files in the event directory, and when the threshold is exceeded, converts the directory entry structure indicating the file with the oldest creation date and time into a deleted state. Here, since the file cannot be found in the general directory when the FAT area is initialized, it is necessary to check whether a directory entry structure for the file exists in the general directory.

[0027] As described above, when the event data storage unit 130 receives a user command, it classifies a first reference number of multimedia data as event data in the order of most recently stored data based on the time point when the command was received. In this process, since it is only a matter of generating and linking a directory entry structure, it is possible to convert general data into event data in real time without the time required for copying actual multimedia data to another area as in the prior art.

[0028] In addition, the event data storage unit 130 can convert general data into event data by changing the file attributes of the stored multimedia data to read-only, system-only, or hidden, etc., and process the data to be safely stored. The event data storage unit 130 converts the multimedia data stored within a fixed time period, such as 30 minutes or 1 hour, before receiving a user command into event data according to the user's settings. In the conventional technology, real-time conversion is difficult because it takes a long time to copy the data stored in the general directory to the event directory, and the storage space for such long-term images is consumed by duplication, resulting in a problem of limiting the amount of multimedia data that can be stored. Therefore, according to the present invention, data stored as general data can be immediately converted to event data without the need for additional copying time or storage space, and the converted event data is safely stored and can be conveniently used as the data actually exists twice in a separate directory (folder) when viewed through a viewer.

[0029] The event data storage unit 130 generates information about a file storing all multimedia data received up to a second reference number from the time of receiving the user command as a directory entry structure, and links the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory. Just as the first reference number of multimedia data items before receiving a user command are converted into event data in the event data storage unit 130, the second reference number of multimedia data items are converted into event data every time the second reference number of multimedia data items are received after the user command is input. In this way, the multimedia data converted into event data can be confirmed in the general directory and the event directory, and can be used in the event directory even if it is deleted from the general directory.

[0030] In this way, the first reference number of multimedia data before the user command is received and the second reference number of multimedia data after the user command is received are converted into event data, but no additional file copy or other operations are performed and no additional storage space is required. In this manner, when a user inputs a user command in a situation such as an accident, the situation before and after the input is automatically converted into event data, allowing the user to quickly and easily analyze the time points before and after the input. Here, the first reference number and the second reference number are determined based on the user's input. For example, if the multimedia data is video data of 5-minute intervals, and the user selects to save 30 minutes of video before the user command input as event data and 20 minutes of video after the input as event data, the first reference number is 6 and the second reference number is 4.

[0031] When set in this way, when a user inputs a user command in the event of an accident, a total of 10 pieces of multimedia data corresponding to 30 minutes before the accident and 20 minutes after the accident are stored in the event directory, making it easy to check and analyze the situation before and after the accident. When the event data storage unit 130 detects an event situation, it generates information on a file in which the received multimedia data is stored as a directory entry structure, links the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory, and provides an interface for the user to confirm whether to input the command. The user can input a user command at a desired time, but when an impact or an abnormal situation in an image is detected and recognized as an event situation, an interface is provided that asks the user whether to input a user command so that the user can recognize the event situation and more easily store the situation as event data, and the user command can be received accordingly. In this way, the event data storage unit 130 can be controlled to store one multimedia data at a time point as event data when directly detecting an event, and can be controlled to store a first reference number of multimedia data before the time point and a second reference number of multimedia data after the time point as event data when a user command is input. If all images before and after each directly detected event are stored as event data, the event data will be too large and it may be difficult to find a desired image among the event images. Therefore, for a directly detected event, only the multimedia data at that time is stored as event data, and when the user inputs a user command, the multimedia data before and after the event is stored as event data, thereby enabling effective management.

[0032] When one of the multimedia data stored by the user is selected and an event data conversion command is received, the event data storage unit 130 generates information about a file storing a first reference number of multimedia data at a previous point in time based on the multimedia data and a second reference number of multimedia data at a subsequent point in time based on the multimedia data as a directory entry structure, and links it to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory. With this operation, even if the multimedia data is not determined to be event data at the time of receiving it, if it is determined to be event data later and a command is input, the multimedia data before and after that time is also stored as event data, and the situation before and after the time an event such as an accident occurred can be conveniently analyzed in the event directory.

[0033] In particular, the event data storage unit 130 does not copy the multimedia data itself, but rather creates only a directory entry structure as described above and links it to the event directory, so that the file can be immediately converted into event data without the time it takes to copy the file, and when searching for the data, it appears as if the file has actually been copied to the event directory. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a part of general data is stored as event data in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, when a multimedia data storage system 101 according to the present invention receives multimedia data, it stores the data using a FAT file system. The drawing shows the case where two pieces of multimedia data are input into an empty FAT file system, and the general data storage unit 120 stores the two received multimedia data in the data area of ​​the FAT file system, generates two directory entry structures ("general file 1" and "general file 2") containing information about the files in which the multimedia data is stored, and links them to the directory entry structures indicating the general directory.

[0034] Here, when the multimedia data linked to general file 2 is saved as event data, a directory entry structure called "Event File 1" linked to the event directory is configured to link the second multimedia data, as shown on the right side of the drawing. Therefore, when viewed with a viewer compatible with the FAT file system, it appears that there are two files ("General File 1" and "General File 2") stored in the general directory, and one file ("Event File 1") stored in the event directory.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a case where general data is deleted when general data and event data exist in the multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, if a file in the general directory is deleted, both of the two directory entry structures linked to the general directory are deleted and the links to the multimedia data are removed. Here, the first multimedia data is deleted because it is not linked to the directory entry structure linked to the event directory, and the second multimedia data is maintained because it is still linked to the directory entry structure linked to the event directory. Therefore, even if the event data recorded in the event directory is deleted from the general directory, it remains in the event directory and can be safely maintained. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a case where general data is stored without the occurrence of an event in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The example shown in the drawing is a case where eight pieces of multimedia data are received without the occurrence of a separate event. For example, if one piece of multimedia data is a five-minute video, no separate events occur for a total of 40 minutes, and the video is stored only in the general directory.

[0036] In this situation, you can see 8 files in the general directory, but there are no files in the event directory. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a case where multimedia data at a previous point in time is converted into event data according to a user's command in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the situation of FIG. 4, when the user inputs a command for event conversion, the multimedia data storage system according to the present invention converts a first reference number of recent multimedia data before the time point into event data. As in the above example, if one piece of multimedia data is a 5-minute video and the user sets the multimedia data of the 30 minutes prior to the command input to be converted into event data, a directory entry structure is created for the most recent six pieces of multimedia data and linked to the event directory, as shown on the right side of the drawing. In this manner, in the situation of Figure 4, six pieces of multimedia data corresponding to 30 minutes are instantly copied to the event directory and safely managed, without the time required for copying the multimedia data and without the multimedia data taking up additional space.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of storing multimedia data received after a user's command in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. If the user sets the multimedia data for 20 minutes after the user command is input to be saved as event data, four 5-minute videos will be saved as event data. Therefore, for the multimedia data corresponding to "general file 9" to "general file 12" input after the user command is input, directory entry structures from "event file 7" to "event file 10" are generated and linked to the event directory. In this process, the effect of storing the received multimedia data in both the general directory and the event directory can be obtained without having to separately copy the data to both directories.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of storing multimedia data received after a predetermined number of times following a user command in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, after a user command is input, multimedia data up to a second reference number is stored as event data, and data input thereafter is also stored only as general data. Therefore, in the case of multimedia data linked to the "general file 13", the event directory will not have a directory entry structure linked to it.

[0039] As a result, 10 pieces of multimedia data (from "Event File 1" to "Event File 10") including 6 pieces of multimedia data before the user inputs the command and 4 pieces of multimedia data after the command are confirmed in the event directory, so that the user can easily analyze the situation before and after the command is input.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which all files in a general directory are deleted in the multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the situation of FIG. 7, if all the files in the general directory are deleted, all the directory entry structures linked to the general directory are deleted, and there is no link to the actual multimedia data. Here, the ten pieces of multimedia data, from "Event File 1" to "Event File 10", that were previously saved as event data, are linked to the directory entry structure linked to the event directory, so they will remain without being deleted. Therefore, even if the multimedia data before and after the user inputs the user command is deleted from the general directory, it remains in the event directory, allowing for safe storage.

[0041] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a case where all files linked to an event file are deleted from files in a general directory in a multimedia data storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the situation of FIG. 7, if multimedia data is continuously input, the available space is filled with multimedia data, and then the oldest multimedia data is deleted from the general directory. 7 are deleted, and general files 101 to 104 are recorded in the vacant space. Here, in the case of multimedia data linked to the event directory by event files 1 to 10, the data remains and is maintained even when the link is deleted from the general directory, since the multimedia data is linked to the event directory. Therefore, even if data is deleted from the general directory due to lack of storage space caused by continuous recording, the data can be safely stored in the event directory.

[0042] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method for storing multimedia data according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multimedia data storage system 101 described above can be embodied and realized as a multimedia data storage method, and the technical ideas of the multimedia data storage system 101 can be directly applied. Therefore, even if it is not the content described below, the technical ideas described in the multimedia data storage system 101 can be directly applied to the multimedia data storage method. The multimedia data storage method is an operating method of the multimedia data storage system 101, which has a central processing unit and a memory, for storing multimedia data in a FAT file system including a general directory and an event directory. In the multimedia data receiving step (S1001), multimedia data is received. The multimedia data may generally include various types of data such as video data, audio data, or a combination of both. The multimedia data is received from a multimedia acquisition device 202. The multimedia acquisition device 202 may be a camera for video data, a microphone for audio data, etc., and may be a separate device that combines the data or includes a function for preprocessing the data so that the data can be stored, or may be a device included in the same device as the multimedia data storage system 101.

[0043] In the multimedia data receiving step (S1001), the received multimedia data may be processed, such as encoded, into a form that can be stored, and the present invention is not limited by the presence or absence of such a function. In the general data storage step (S1002), the received multimedia data is stored in the data area of ​​the FAT file system, a directory entry structure including information about the file in which the multimedia data is stored is generated, and linked to the directory entry structure indicating the general directory. In the general data storage step (S1002), the FAT file system 103 for storing multimedia data is divided into a FAT area and a data area as described above. The data area stores actual data in the form of a file, and can store information indicating the attributes of the file and information indicating the directory in which the file is stored as a 32-byte structure called a directory entry structure. The directory entry structure includes information about attributes such as the name of the file, the position of the starting cluster where the data of the file is stored, the creation date of the file, etc. In the case of a directory, the cluster indicated by the position of the starting cluster stores a directory entry structure indicating a lower directory or file belonging to the directory, and in the case of a file, the actual data of the file is stored.

[0044] In the general data storage step (S1002), when multimedia data is stored as a file in the FAT file system, a directory entry structure indicating the file is generated and stored at a position below the directory entry structure indicating the general directory, and the actual multimedia data is stored at the starting cluster position indicated by the generated directory entry structure. If the data of the file to be stored exceeds one cluster, it is stored in another available cluster. In this way, the FAT area of ​​the FAT file system is used to indicate which file data is stored in which cluster. In the general data storage step (S1002), when multimedia data is stored as a file in the FAT system, if the storage space of the FAT file system is insufficient, the directory entry structure with the oldest creation date and time among the directory entry structures linked to the directory entry structure indicating the general data is selected as the directory entry structure to be deleted.

[0045] In the general data storage step (S1002), the most recently input data is deleted and new data is stored, as in a data structure queue, thereby maintaining the latest data. When a file is deleted from a FAT file system, the part of the FAT area of ​​the FAT file system that indicates the cluster where the data of that file is stored is initialized. When this initialization is performed, it is confirmed that the cluster is free, so when new data is saved, the data can be written to that cluster. In the general data saving step (S1002), only multimedia data that is not connected to an active link in either the directory entry structure indicating the general directory or the directory entry structure indicating the event directory is deleted from among the multimedia data stored in the data area of ​​the FAT file system. In the case where only a directory entry structure indicating a general directory exists as in the general case, when a file is deleted from the directory, the data of the file that no longer has a link is also deleted and the cluster is initialized. However, in the present invention, if a directory entry structure that links the multimedia data exists in the event directory, even if the directory entry structure of the general directory is deleted, a link to the data exists, and the multimedia data remains without being deleted.

[0046] Therefore, data stored as event data is safely maintained even when the data is deleted from the general directory due to a user command or lack of storage space. In the event data storage step (S1003), when a user command is received, information about a file storing a first reference number of multimedia data in order of most recent storage based on the time when the command was received is generated as a directory entry structure, and linked to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory. In the event data storage step (S1003), the multimedia data is not generated as a separate file and stored so as to occupy storage space, but a directory entry structure is generated to include start cluster information in which the file stored in the general data storage unit 120 is stored, and this is linked to a directory entry structure indicating the event directory. In this manner, while only one piece of multimedia data received in the multimedia data receiving step (S1001) is stored, it is stored so that it can be found in the general directory in the general situation, and it is stored so that it can be found in both the general directory and the event directory in the event situation.

[0047] That is, the user can easily find only the multimedia data of the event situation without storing the same multimedia data in duplicate or separately in a separate partition. Conventionally, since the event data is stored separately in the event partition, the space cannot be used efficiently, and since the multimedia data of the event situation is omitted when the general directory is viewed, it is difficult to check the sequentially acquired multimedia data. However, according to the present invention, the user can easily find only the multimedia data of the event situation while sequentially checking the general data without omission, without a separate storage space. In the event data storage step (S1003), the multimedia data for the event situation further generates a directory entry structure belonging to the event directory, so when past data is deleted due to lack of storage space in the general data storage step (S1002), it is necessary to check whether the data is multimedia data for the event situation. If the data is deleted without checking this, even though the actual file contents have been deleted, the directory entry structure generated in the event data storage step (S1003) still exists, so it may be possible that the contents cannot be viewed and can only be viewed in the file list of the event directory.

[0048] Therefore, in the general data storage step (S1002), if the storage space of the FAT file system is insufficient, it is necessary to check whether a directory entry structure indicating the file indicated by the directory entry structure to be deleted among the directory entry structures belonging to the event directory exists before initializing the FAT area indicating the actual file, and only if the directory entry structure does not exist, the FAT area is initialized and the actual file is deleted. If a directory entry structure linked to the event directory exists, the actual file is not deleted and storage space is not secured, so the next oldest directory entry structure is selected as the directory entry structure to be deleted, and actual data storage space is secured by additional deletion.

[0049] In the event data saving step (S1003), while saving a threshold value indicating a limit on the number of files in the event directory, if it is determined that the multimedia data is data indicating an event situation and a directory entry structure linked to the event directory is to be generated, the number of files in the event directory is checked, and if the threshold value is exceeded, the directory entry structure indicating the file with the oldest creation date and time is converted to a deleted state. Here, since the file cannot be searched for in the general directory when the FAT area is initialized, it is necessary to check whether a directory entry structure for the file exists in the general directory.

[0050] In the event data saving step (S1003), while saving the threshold indicating the limit of the number of files in the event directory, it is confirmed that the multimedia data is data indicating the event status, and when creating a directory entry structure linked to the event directory, the number of files in the event directory is confirmed, and if the threshold is exceeded, the directory entry structure indicating the file with the oldest creation date and time is converted to a deleted state. Here, since the file cannot be found in the general directory when the FAT area is initialized, it is necessary to check whether a directory entry structure for the file exists in the general directory.

[0051] As described above, in the event data storage step (S1003), when a user's command is received, a first reference number of multimedia data is classified as event data in the order of most recently stored data based on the time point when the command was received. In this process, a directory entry structure is simply generated and linked, so that general data can be converted into event data in real time without the time required for copying actual multimedia data to another area as in the prior art.

[0052] In the event data saving step (S1003), the multimedia data stored within a fixed time period, such as 30 minutes or 1 hour, before receiving a user command according to the user's settings is converted into event data. In the conventional technology, it takes a long time to copy this data stored in a general directory to an event directory, making real-time conversion difficult, and the amount of multimedia data that can be saved is limited because the storage space for long-term images is consumed by duplication.

[0053] Therefore, according to the present invention, data stored as general data can be immediately converted to event data without the need for additional copying time or storage space, and the converted event data can be safely stored and conveniently used so that the actual data exists twice in a separate directory (folder) when viewed through a viewer. In the event data storage step (S1003), information on a file storing all multimedia data received up to a second reference number from the time the user command is received is generated as a directory entry structure and linked to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory. Just as the first reference number of multimedia data items before receiving a user command in the event data storage step (S1003) are converted to event data, after the user command is input, the second reference number of multimedia data items are converted to event data every time they are received. The multimedia data converted to event data in this manner can be confirmed in the general directory and the event directory, and can be used in the event directory even if it is deleted from the general directory.

[0054] In this way, the first reference number of multimedia data before the user command is received and the second reference number of multimedia data after the user command is received are converted into event data without performing additional file copy operations or requiring additional storage space. In this manner, when the user inputs a user command in a situation such as an accident, the situation before and after the input is automatically converted into event data, allowing the user to quickly and easily analyze the time points before and after the input.

[0055] Here, the first reference number and the second reference number are determined based on the user's input. For example, if the multimedia data is video data in 5-minute units and the user selects to save 30 minutes of video before the user command input as event data and 20 minutes of video after the input as event data, the first reference number is 6 and the second reference number is 4.

[0056] When set in this way, when a user inputs a user command in the event of an accident, a total of 10 pieces of multimedia data corresponding to 30 minutes before the accident and 20 minutes after the accident are stored in the event directory, making it easy to check and analyze the situation before and after the accident. In the event data storage step (S1003), when an event situation is detected, information on a file in which the received multimedia data is stored is generated as a directory entry structure, and linked to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory, and an interface for confirming whether the user should input the command can be provided. The user can input a user command at a desired time, but when an impact or an abnormal situation in an image is detected and recognized as an event situation, an interface for asking the user whether to input a user command is provided so that the user can recognize it and more easily store the situation before and after as event data, and the user command can be received accordingly.

[0057] In this way, in the event data storage step (S1003), when an event is directly detected, one piece of multimedia data at the corresponding time point can be controlled to be stored as event data, and when a user command is input, a first reference number of pieces of multimedia data before the corresponding time point and a second reference number of pieces of multimedia data after the corresponding time point can be stored as event data. If all images before and after each directly detected event were stored as event data, the event data would become too large, making it difficult to find a desired image among the event images. Therefore, for a directly detected event, only the multimedia data at that time is stored as event data, and when the user inputs a user command, the multimedia data before and after the input is stored as event data, thereby enabling effect management. In the event data storage step (S1003), when a user selects one of the stored multimedia data and receives an event data conversion command, information about a file storing a first reference number of multimedia data at a previous point in time based on the multimedia data and a second reference number of multimedia data at a subsequent point in time based on the multimedia data is generated as a directory entry structure and linked to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory.

[0058] With this operation, even if the multimedia data is not determined to be event data at the time of receiving the multimedia data, if it is determined to be event data later and a command is input, the multimedia data before and after that time is also stored as event data, and the situation before and after the time when an event such as an accident occurred can be conveniently analyzed in the event directory. In particular, in the event data saving step (S1003), the multimedia data itself is not copied, but rather, as described above, only a directory entry structure is generated and linked to the event directory, so that the file can be immediately converted into event data without the time it would take to copy the file, and when searching for the data, it appears as if the file has actually been copied to the event directory. The method for storing multimedia data according to the present invention may be implemented as an application or as program instructions executable by various computer components and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either alone or in combination.

[0059] The program instructions recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be well known and available to those skilled in the computer software art. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code, such as produced by a compiler, but also high level language code that can be executed by the computer using an interpreter or the like.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art may modify and change the present invention in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 101 Multimedia Data Storage System 102 Multimedia Acquisition Device 103 FAT File System 110 Multimedia data receiving unit 120 General Data Storage Department 130 Event Data Storage Unit

Claims

1. A multimedia data storage system for storing multimedia data in a FAT file system including a general directory and an event directory, a multimedia data receiving unit for receiving multimedia data; a general data storage unit that stores the received multimedia data in a data area of ​​the FAT file system, generates a directory entry structure including information about a file in which the multimedia data is stored, and links the directory entry structure to the general directory; an event data storage unit that, when receiving a command from a user, generates information on a file storing a first reference number of multimedia data in order of most recent storage based on a time point when the command was received as a directory entry structure and links the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory; A multimedia data storage system comprising:

2. The multimedia data storage system of claim 1, characterized in that the general data storage unit deletes only multimedia data that does not have an activated link connected to any one of the directory entry structures indicating the general directory and the directory entry structures indicating the event directory among the multimedia data stored in the data area of ​​the FAT file system.

3. The multimedia data storage system of claim 2, wherein the event data storage unit generates information about a file storing all multimedia data received up to a second reference number from the time the user command is received as a directory entry structure and links the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory.

4. 4. The multimedia data storage system of claim 3, wherein the first reference number and the second reference number are determined by an input from the user.

5. The multimedia data storage system of claim 1, wherein when the event data storage unit detects an event situation, it generates information about a file in which the received multimedia data is stored as a directory entry structure, links it to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory, and provides an interface to receive confirmation from the user whether to input the command.

6. A method for operating a multimedia data storage system having a central processing unit and a memory, the system storing multimedia data in a FAT file system including a general directory and an event directory, comprising: a multimedia data receiving step of receiving multimedia data; a general data storage step of storing the received multimedia data in a data area of ​​a FAT file system, generating a directory entry structure including information about a file in which the multimedia data is stored, and linking the directory entry structure to the general directory; an event data storing step of generating, when receiving a user command, information on a file storing a first reference number of multimedia data in order of most recent storage based on a time point when the command was received as a directory entry structure and linking the information to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory; A multimedia data storage method comprising:

7. The method for storing multimedia data as described in claim 6, characterized in that the general data storing step deletes only multimedia data that has no activated link connected to any one of the directory entry structures indicating the general directory and the directory entry structures indicating the event directory among the multimedia data stored in the data area of ​​the FAT file system.

8. The multimedia data storage method of claim 7, characterized in that the event data storage step generates information about a file storing all multimedia data received up to a second reference number from the time the user command is received as a directory entry structure and links it to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first reference number and the second reference number are determined based on an input from the user.

10. The multimedia data storage method of claim 6, wherein the event data storage step, when detecting an event situation, generates information about a file in which the received multimedia data is stored as a directory entry structure, links it to the directory entry structure indicating the event directory, and provides an interface to receive confirmation from the user as to whether to input the command.

11. A recording medium having a program recorded thereon for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

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