Communication device, method for controlling communication device, and program

Abstract

To provide a communication device that can prevent a shortage of files necessary for coupling when transferring time-series data such as a moving image file to an external device.SOLUTION: A communication device according to an embodiment comprises: communication means that communicates with an external device; control means that, when a file is generated in a first external device, controls to acquire the file from the first external device through the communication means; and transfer means that, when acquiring the file, transfers the file to a second external device through the communication means. When a first divided file is generated in the first external device as divided files sequentially generated by dividing continuing time-series data, the control means controls whether to acquire the first divided file from the first external device according to the situation of acquisition of the divided files before the first divided file from the beginning of the time-series data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method for a communication device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology is known in which an imaging device such as a digital video camera is equipped with a wireless communication function, and a video file in which a video captured by the imaging device is divided and recorded at predetermined times (hereinafter, also referred to as chunk recording) is transmitted to an external device (Patent Document 1). By using the technology of Patent Document 1, the imaging device can efficiently transmit the video to an external device.

[0003] The video files generated by chunk recording (hereinafter also referred to as chunk video files) can be treated as one video by combining them in the destination external device. For this reason, the destination external device needs to have a series of files from the first chunk video file to the last chunk video file, and if some chunk video files are missing, the external device cannot combine the files correctly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-96304 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Meanwhile, in the mass media industry, a system is known in which files of video and audio (time-series data) shot and recorded by an imaging device are transmitted to a communication device such as a smartphone, stored in the device, and then transmitted from the communication device to a server via a network. In such a system, the communication device needs to properly control the transfer of chunk video files so that chunk video files generated by the imaging device can be transferred without shortage and combined on the server side. The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 did not consider the transfer of chunk video files when a communication device is involved.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to realize a technology that can prevent a shortage of files necessary for combining when transferring time-series data such as video files to an external device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, for example, a communication device of the present invention has the following configuration: that is, the communication device includes a communication means for communicating with an external device, a control means for controlling, when a file is generated in a first external device, to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means, and a transfer means for transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired, and the control means is characterized in that, when a first split file is generated in the first external device as a split file that is generated sequentially by dividing continuous time-series data, the control means controls whether or not to acquire the first split file from the first external device depending on the acquisition status of split files preceding the first split file from the beginning of the time-series data. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, when time-series data such as a moving image file is transferred to an external device, it is possible to prevent a shortage of files necessary for merging. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imaging device according to a first embodiment, and a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the imaging device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining chunk recording in the first embodiment. [Figure 5A] Examples of screens of a transfer application controlled by a communication device in the first embodiment ((a) and (b)) [Figure 5B] Examples of screens of a transfer application controlled by a communication device in the first embodiment ((c), (d)) [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a file transfer process during proxy recording and chunk recording in the first embodiment; [Figure 7] A flowchart showing a series of operations for automatic image capture and transfer by the communication device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation when chunk recording is started after automatic shooting and transfer processing is started in the first embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation when automatic shooting transfer is started after chunk recording is started in the first embodiment; [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing a series of operations in an automatic transfer process of a communication device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation when performing an automatic transfer process in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a screen example showing a warning message when the automatic shooting transfer function is executed during chunk recording in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) <Overview of chunked video file transfer> First, an overview of the transfer of chunk video files according to this embodiment will be described. At the shooting sites of the mass media industry, such as news companies and communication companies, there is a need to quickly deliver content shot at the reporting site to the news companies, etc., and a file transfer solution via network communication is provided. Specifically, image, video, and audio files shot and recorded by an imaging device are sent to a communication device such as a smartphone and stored in the device. Then, a mobile application is provided that sends the files from the communication device to an external FTP server via a network. Such a mobile application has a function (hereinafter also referred to as an automatic shooting transfer function) that automatically executes the following series of processes. In the automatic shooting transfer function, the mobile application receives a recording completion notification of a video file from the imaging device using, for example, the PTP / IP (Picture Transfer Protocol over Internet Protocol) protocol. Then, the mobile application acquires the video file and transfers the acquired video file to an external FTP server. By enabling the automatic shooting transfer function, a user can automatically deliver the shot file to an external delivery destination without performing an operation of selecting the shot file.

[0012] However, chunk video files generated by chunk recording are generally treated as one video by combining them at the delivery destination. For this reason, at the time of delivery, it is necessary that a series of files from the first chunk video file to the last chunk video file are all present. If delivery is made with some chunk video files lost, the files cannot be combined properly at the delivery destination. When the automatic shooting and transfer function is enabled, the function transitions to a state in which a recording completion notification of a video file from the imaging device can be received. After that, when the communication device receives a recording completion notification of a video file from the imaging device, the communication device acquires the video file from the imaging device and transfers it to an external FTP server. When the processing sequence of the automatic shooting and transfer function is also applied to chunk recording, for example, a case may occur in which chunk recording has already started on the imaging device side at the timing when the function is enabled. In this case, the communication device cannot receive a recording completion notification of a chunk video file recorded before the function is enabled from the imaging device. If the video file for which the recording completion notification has been received is simply acquired and transferred to an external device, the video file will be delivered in a state in which the previous chunk video files necessary for combining at the delivery destination are missing.

[0013] In order to prevent such a shortage of chunked video files, in this embodiment, if a chunked video file before the chunked video file to be processed from the beginning of the video has not been transferred, the subsequent chunked video files are not transferred. Details are described below.

[0014] In the example described below, a case where a moving image file is transferred will be described as an example, but this embodiment is not limited to moving images, and can be applied to a case where chunk recording is applied to time-series data including moving images, audio data, etc. In this case, the chunk moving image file corresponds to a divided file that is generated sequentially by dividing continuous time-series data.

[0015] <System configuration example> An example of the configuration of a system in the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, 100 is an imaging device such as a digital video camera. As will be described later, the imaging device may be any other device as long as it has a configuration capable of acquiring time-series data such as moving images. 200 is a communication device such as a mobile terminal having a communication function, such as a smartphone. 300 is a server as an example of an image storage device, and may be installed at a connection destination via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0016] In FIG. 1, the imaging device 100 and the communication device 200 are connected via a connection means such as a wired cable or Wi-Fi, and can perform wired or wireless communication. The imaging device 100 can transfer a video file generated by the imaging device 100 to the communication device 200. The communication device 200 and the server 300 can communicate with each other via a communication means such as a wireless LAN or mobile communication. The communication device 200 can transfer information stored in the communication device 200 to the server 300 using a communication protocol such as FTP. Note that the system configuration is not limited to the above example, and for example, the imaging device 100, the communication device 200, and the server 300 may be connected to the same network via an access point without using mobile communication, and a file transfer process between the devices may be realized.

[0017] <Configuration example of imaging device 100> A configuration example of an imaging device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2(a). Note that, although a digital video camera is used as an example of an imaging device, the imaging device is not limited to this. Imaging devices include, for example, portable media players, so-called tablet devices, personal computers, and the like.

[0018] The control unit 101 includes one or more processors, and controls each unit of the imaging device 100 (the entire imaging device) in accordance with input signals and programs described below. Note that instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire device, the entire device may be controlled by multiple hardware devices sharing the processing.

[0019] The imaging unit 102 is composed of, for example, an optical system that controls an optical lens unit, an aperture, zoom, focus, etc., and an imaging element for converting light (image) introduced through the optical lens unit into an electrical image signal. As the imaging element, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or a charge coupled device (CCD) is generally used. Under the control of the control unit 101, the imaging unit 102 converts the subject light imaged by the lens included in the imaging unit 102 into an electrical signal using the imaging element, performs noise reduction processing, etc., and outputs the digital data as video data. In the imaging device 100 of this embodiment, the video data is recorded, for example, on a recording medium 110.

[0020] The non-volatile memory 103 is an electrically erasable and recordable non-volatile memory, and stores programs executed by the control unit 101, which will be described later.

[0021] The working memory 104 is used as a buffer memory for temporarily storing moving image data captured by the imaging unit 102, a memory for displaying moving images on the display unit 106, a working area for the control unit 101, etc. The working memory 104 may be a volatile memory.

[0022] The operation unit 105 is used to receive instructions from the user to the imaging device 100. The operation unit 105 includes, for example, a power button for the user to instruct ON / OFF of the power supply of the imaging device 100, a release switch for instructing start / stop of shooting, and a playback button for instructing playback of video data. It also includes operation members such as a dedicated connection button for starting communication with an external device via a communication unit 111 described later. The operation unit 105 also includes a touch panel formed on a display unit 106 described later.

[0023] The display unit 106 displays a viewfinder image during shooting, displays shot video data, displays characters for interactive operations, etc. The display unit 106 does not necessarily have to be built into the imaging device 100. The imaging device 100 can be connected to an internal or external display unit 106, and it is sufficient that the imaging device 100 has at least a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 106.

[0024] The voice input unit 107 is a device for inputting voice information, and the voice data converted from the voice information by the voice input unit 107 is recorded on the recording medium 110 in a voice file format.

[0025] The recording medium 110 can record the moving image data output from the imaging unit 102 and the audio data output from the audio input unit 107. The recording medium 110 of this embodiment has, for example, two slots. When the control unit 101 calculates the moving image data from the imaging unit 202, the control unit 101 records a high-resolution moving image file (hereinafter, a main moving image file) designated by the user, such as the resolution of an imaging sensor (not shown) (included in the imaging unit 202), in the first slot of the recording medium 110. The control unit 101 also records a low-resolution or low-bitrate moving image file (hereinafter, a proxy moving image file) and a chunk moving image file recorded in chunks, which are transmitted from the communication unit 111 to the communication device 200 via a network, in the second slot of the recording medium 110. The recording medium 110 may be configured to be detachable from the imaging device 100, or may be built into the imaging device 100. That is, it is sufficient that the imaging device 100 has at least a means for accessing the recording medium 110.

[0026] The communication unit 111 is an interface for connecting to an external device. The imaging device 100 of this embodiment can exchange data with the external device via the communication unit 111. For example, moving image data generated by the control unit 101 and audio data generated by the audio input unit 107 can be transmitted to the external device via the communication unit 111. In this embodiment, the communication unit 111 includes an interface for communicating with the external device via a so-called wireless LAN in accordance with the IEEE802.11 standard. The communication unit 111 also includes a USB interface using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable with the external device. The control unit 101 realizes wireless communication and wired communication with the external device by controlling the communication unit 311.

[0027] The communication unit 111 of the imaging device 100 in this embodiment can operate in an access point mode (hereinafter, AP mode) in which the imaging device 100 operates as an access point in infrastructure mode. Furthermore, the communication unit 111 can operate in a client mode (hereinafter, CL mode) in which the imaging device 100 operates as a client in infrastructure mode. By operating the communication unit 111 in the CL mode, the imaging device 100 in this embodiment can operate as a CL device in infrastructure mode. When the imaging device 100 operates as a CL device, it can connect to a surrounding AP device and participate in a network formed by the AP device. Furthermore, by operating the communication unit 111 in the AP mode, the imaging device 100 in this embodiment can also operate as a simple AP (hereinafter, simple AP), which is a type of AP but has more limited functions. When the imaging device 100 operates as a simple AP, the imaging device 100 forms a network by itself. Devices surrounding the imaging device 100 recognize the imaging device 100 as an AP device and can participate in the network formed by the imaging device 100. As described above, the program for operating the imaging device 100 is held in the non-volatile memory 103. Although the imaging device 100 is a type of AP, it may be a simple AP that does not have a gateway function for transferring data received from a CL device to an Internet provider, etc. In this case, even if the imaging device 100 receives data from another device participating in the network formed by the imaging device, the data cannot be transferred to a network such as the Internet.

[0028] Next, the external appearance of the imaging device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2(b). The release switch 105a, zoom lever 105b, playback button 105c, and touch panel 105d are operation members included in the above-mentioned operation unit 105. In addition, a moving image obtained as a result of imaging by the imaging unit 102 is displayed on the display unit 106.

[0029] <Configuration Example of Communication Device 200> Next, a configuration example of the communication device 200 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Note that, although a case where a mobile terminal is used as an example of the communication device 200 will be described, the communication device 200 is not limited to this. For example, the communication device 200 may be a digital video camera with a wireless function, a tablet device, a personal computer, or the like.

[0030] The control unit 201 includes one or more processors, and controls each unit of the communication device 200 (the entire communication device) in accordance with input signals and programs described below. Note that instead of the control unit 201 controlling the entire device, the entire device may be controlled by multiple hardware devices sharing the processing.

[0031] The imaging unit 202 converts the subject light imaged by the lens included in the imaging unit 202 into an electrical signal, performs noise reduction processing, etc., and outputs the digital data as video data. The captured video data is stored in a buffer memory, and then a predetermined calculation is performed by the control unit 201 and the data is recorded on the recording medium 210.

[0032] The non-volatile memory 203 is a non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased and recorded. In the non-volatile memory 203, an OS (operating system) that is basic software executed by the control unit 201 and applications that cooperate with the OS to realize applied functions are recorded. In the present embodiment, the non-volatile memory 203 also stores a transfer application (hereinafter, a transfer app) for the communication device 200 to transfer data between the imaging device 100 and the server 300. In addition, a file management application (hereinafter, a file management app) and an image management application (hereinafter, an image management app) that manage video files and audio files transmitted from the imaging device 100 are stored.

[0033] The working memory 204 is used as an image display memory for the display unit 206, a working area for the control unit 201, etc. In this embodiment, the working memory 204 temporarily stores a moving image file received from the imaging device 100 when the moving image file is transferred to the server 300. The working memory 204 may be a volatile memory.

[0034] The operation unit 205 is used to receive instructions from a user for the communication device 200. The operation unit 205 includes, for example, an operation member such as a power button for a user to instruct to turn on / off the power of the communication device 200, and a touch panel formed on the display unit 206.

[0035] The display unit 206 displays video data, characters for interactive operations, etc. The display unit 206 does not necessarily have to be included in the communication device 200. The communication device 200 only needs to be able to connect to the display unit 206 and have at least a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 206.

[0036] The recording medium 210 can record image data output from the imaging unit 202. The recording medium 210 may be configured to be detachable from the communication device 200, or may be built into the communication device 200. In other words, the communication device 200 only needs to have at least a means for accessing the recording medium 210.

[0037] The communication unit 211 is an interface for communicating with an external device. The communication device 200 of this embodiment can exchange data with the imaging device 100 and the server 300 via the communication unit 211. In this embodiment, the communication unit 211 is, for example, an antenna, and the control unit 101 can connect to the imaging device 100 via the antenna. Note that the imaging device 100 and the server 300 may be connected directly or via an access point. As a protocol for communicating data, for example, a PTP / IP protocol via a wireless LAN may be used.

[0038] The communication unit 211 also includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface via a USB cable to connect to an external device. Note that communication with an external device is not limited to this. For example, the communication unit 211 can include a wireless communication module such as an infrared communication module, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication module, or a Wireless USB.

[0039] The public network connection unit 213 is an interface used when performing public wireless communication. The communication device 200 can make a call with another device via the public network connection unit 213. At this time, the control unit 201 inputs and outputs an audio signal via the microphone 214 and the speaker 215 to realize the call.

[0040] The communication device 200 of this embodiment can also exchange data with the server 300 via the public network connection unit 213. The public network connection unit 213 is, for example, an antenna, and the control unit 101 can connect to the public network via the antenna. Note that a single antenna can be used as both the communication unit 211 and the public network connection unit 213. Generally, communication via the communication unit 211 has a faster communication speed than communication via a public network. Therefore, in the communication device 200 of this embodiment, communication via the communication unit 211 is prioritized when no call is being made.

[0041] <Chunk record file description> 4, two recording modes will be described when the imaging device 100 of this embodiment records a low-resolution and low-bitrate moving image file in the MP4 file format on the recording medium 110. When the imaging device 100 receives a user's press of the release switch 105a, it starts recording the moving image, and when the imaging device 100 receives a user's press of the release switch 105a again, it stops recording.

[0042] The first mode for recording a moving image file is proxy recording. In proxy recording, the imaging device 100 records a proxy moving image file that is recorded with the same recording time as the main moving image file. 401 indicates a proxy moving image file whose moving image recording time is from the start of recording to the end of recording. In other words, proxy recording is a recording mode that generates one proxy moving image file from the start of recording to the end of recording.

[0043] In this embodiment, when generating a file name of the proxy video file 401, the imaging device 100 sets the fourth character following "MVI" to "P", followed by a file number and an extension. The imaging device 100 sets the file name of the proxy video file to, for example, "MVIP0001.MP4".

[0044] Next, the second mode of recording a moving image file is chunk recording. In chunk recording, the imaging device 100 records proxy moving image files divided into small pieces at the timing when a predetermined time has passed during recording. The imaging device 100 generates a new chunk moving image file when a predetermined time has passed since the start of recording or the timing when the previous chunk moving image file was generated. For example, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file 402a when 30 seconds have passed since the start of recording. Furthermore, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file 402b when 30 seconds have passed since the generation of the chunk moving image file 402a. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the imaging device 100 records chunk moving image files up to 402b at 30-second intervals. When the user presses the release switch 105a to end recording, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file 402c from the timing when the previous chunk moving image file 402b was generated to the time when recording ended.

[0045] In this embodiment, for example, the imaging device 100 can assign file names to chunk moving images according to a predetermined naming rule. The naming rule for chunk moving image file names can be, for example, as follows. The chunk moving image file 402a generated first is assigned characters indicating that it is the first (recording start) moving image file. The imaging device 100 assigns, for example, the fourth character following "MVI" to "B". In this case, the file name of the chunk moving image generated first is "MVIB0001.MP4".

[0046] The chunk moving image file 402b generated next is assigned a character indicating that it is an intermediate moving image file. For example, the imaging device 100 assigns "D" as the fourth character following "MVI". In this case, the file name of the chunk moving image generated next is "MVID0002.MP4".

[0047] The chunk moving image file 402c generated last is assigned a character indicating that it is the last (recording completed) moving image file. For example, the imaging device 100 assigns "E" as the fourth character following "MVI". In this case, the file name of the chunk moving image file generated last is "MVIE0003.MP4".

[0048] By adopting a naming rule that assigns a predetermined specific character to the file name (for example, a naming rule that assigns the fourth character), a communication device or the like that acquires the file can determine whether the recording mode is chunk recording or proxy recording (described later). Also, the fourth character makes it easy to identify whether the target video file is the beginning, middle, or end.

[0049] Next, with reference to Fig. 4(b), advantages of chunk recording will be described taking as an example a case where a video file is transferred from the imaging device 100 to the server 300 via the communication device 200. When proxy recording is performed, the imaging device 100 cannot transmit a video file that is currently being recorded, and therefore starts transmitting the proxy video after recording is completed. In this case, the time required to transmit the proxy video file 401 is added to the time required to record the proxy video file 401. 405 in Fig. 4(b) indicates the time required from the start of recording the proxy video to the completion of transfer of the proxy video file 401.

[0050] When chunk recording is performed, the imaging device 100 can sequentially transmit chunk moving image files that have already been generated even while recording a moving image. For example, once the chunk moving image file 402a is generated (when recording to the file is completed), the chunk moving image file 402a can be transferred even while the imaging device 100 is recording. In the example of FIG. 4(b), the imaging device 100 can start transferring the moving image file earlier than the recording time of the proxy moving image file 401 by a difference time 406. When transferring a moving image file by chunk recording, the time from the start of recording to the completion of transmission of the moving image file is 407. In this way, there is an advantage that the transfer time 407 of chunk recording can be completed earlier than the transfer time 405 of proxy recording by a difference time 408.

[0051] <Example of transfer application screen> Next, an example of an operation screen of a transfer application (also simply referred to as a transfer app) displayed on the display unit 206 of the communication device 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B. Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B show a schematic display state of the operation screen of the transfer app. The transfer app displays, for example, a function selection screen 501, a list screen of contents in the camera, and an automatic shooting transfer screen 504 in response to a user operation.

[0052] The function selection screen 501 shown in FIG. 5A(a) is a screen displayed in a state where the image capturing device 100 is connected after the transfer application is started. The function selection screen 501 includes, for example, a camera internal content list display button 502 and an automatic shooting and transfer button 503. The camera internal content list display button 502 is a button for acquiring content (e.g., a video file) recorded in the image capturing device 100 and transitioning to a camera internal content list screen described later. The automatic shooting and transfer button 503 is a button for transitioning to an automatic shooting and transfer screen 504 for transferring content received from the image capturing device 100 to another device (e.g., the server 300). When the camera internal content list display button 502 is pressed, the communication device 200 transitions to a camera internal content list screen (not shown). The camera internal content list screen is a screen that displays a list of files recorded in the image capturing device 100. The communication device 200 can display a list of acquired content using, for example, a known method. Furthermore, when the capture and automatic transfer button 503 is pressed, the communication device 200 transitions to a capture and automatic transfer screen 504 .

[0053] 5A(b), the communication device 200 displays the files transferred from the imaging device 100 to the server 300 via the communication device 200. In this embodiment, when the communication device 200 transitions to the imaging device 100 automatic transfer screen 504, it becomes capable of receiving a video file generation notification from the imaging device 100. 505 is a button for returning to the previous screen. 506 is the initial screen of the imaging device automatic transfer screen 504, and is displayed while no content has been transferred (when no transferred content exists).

[0054] On the automatic shooting and transfer screen 504 shown in FIG. 5B(c), the communication device 200 displays the state when a proxy video file recorded by the imaging device 100 is transferred to an external device (e.g., the server 300). Specifically, the communication device 200 displays information about the video file being transferred in the display area of ​​the current transfer content status 507. The information about the video file being transferred includes, for example, a thumbnail image and a file name. Information related to these video files is included in, for example, the data of the video file generation notification from the imaging device 100, and the communication device 200 can display this information by referring to the data of the video file generation notification.

[0055] Furthermore, the communication device 200 displays a character string and a progress bar indicating the progress of the content transfer. The progress is updated depending on, for example, whether the video file from the imaging device 100 is being acquired or is being transmitted to the server 300. The length of the progress bar is updated depending on the acquired data size of the video file from the imaging device 100 and the transmitted data size to the server 300.

[0056] The communication device 200 displays a list of information about the video files that were transferred after transitioning to the automatic capture and transfer screen 504, in the display area of ​​the transfer content list 508. The display of information about each video file includes a thumbnail image, file name, and a status icon indicating the progress of the transfer. The status icon indicates, for example, whether the transfer is in progress or has been completed. For example, the communication device 200 displays information about "MVIP0001.MP4" in the transfer content list 508 together with an icon indicating that the transfer has been completed, and information about "MVIP0002.MP4" together with an icon indicating that the transfer is in progress.

[0057] On the automatic shooting and transfer screen 504 shown in Fig. 5B(d), the communication device 200 displays the state when the chunk moving image file recorded by the imaging device 100 is transferred to an external device. The contents displayed in the current transfer content status 507 and the transfer content list 508 are the same as those in Fig. 5B(c). As shown in Fig. 5B(d), the chunk moving image files generated by the chunk recording are transferred sequentially.

[0058] <Automatic transfer process sequence> Next, a process sequence of a process (automatic transfer process) in which a transfer application of the communication device 200 automatically transfers a video file recorded by the imaging device 100 to the server 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The sequence of the automatic transfer process shown in FIG. 6 shows a process after the automatic shooting transfer screen 504 is displayed on the communication device 200 and the communication device 200 is in a state in which it is possible to receive a video file generation notification from the imaging device 100. In the following process sequence, unless otherwise specified, the process described with the imaging device 100 as the processing subject is realized by the control unit 101 expanding a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 into the working memory 104, executing the program, and controlling each unit of the imaging device 100. In addition, the process described with the communication device 100 as the processing subject is realized by the control unit 201 expanding a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 203 into the working memory 204, executing the program, and controlling each unit of the communication device 200.

[0059] <When video recording is proxy recording during automatic transfer processing> First, a case where the moving image recording is proxy recording in the automatic transfer process will be described. In T601, when the imaging device 100 receives a recording start operation from the user in a state where the proxy recording setting is enabled, the imaging device 100 starts proxy recording. In T602, when the imaging device 100 receives a recording stop operation from the user, the imaging device 100 generates a proxy moving image file in T603. In T604, the imaging device 100 transmits a moving image file generation notification for the proxy moving image to the communication device 200. The moving image file generation notification is a message notifying the communication device 200 that a moving image file has been generated. In T605, when the communication device 200 receives the moving image file generation notification, the communication device 200 transmits a moving image file acquisition request to the imaging device 100. Thereafter, the communication device 200 acquires the moving image file in response to the moving image file acquisition request transmitted from the imaging device 100.

[0060] In T606, the communication device 200 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300. Through this series of processes, the proxy moving image file recorded by the imaging device 100 is transferred to the server 300 via the communication device 200.

[0061] <When video recording is chunk recording during automatic transfer processing> Next, a case where moving image recording is chunk recording in the automatic transfer process will be described. In T607, when the imaging device 100 receives a recording start operation from the user in a state where the chunk recording setting is enabled, the imaging device 100 starts chunk recording.

[0062] In T608, the imaging device 100 starts a periodic timer for chunk recording that fires periodically when a specified predetermined time has elapsed in order to generate a moving image file divided at each specified time period specified by the user. In T609, the imaging device 100 detects that the periodic timer for chunk recording has fired.

[0063] At T610, the imaging device 100 generates a chunked moving image file (including a moving image of a predetermined length of time). At T611, the imaging device 100 transmits a moving image file generation notification for the chunked moving image to the communication device 200. This moving image file generation notification is a message notifying that each chunked moving image file has been generated. At the time of T610 shown in FIG. 6, the generated moving image file is the first chunked moving image file. Therefore, the imaging device 100 sets the file name of the chunked moving image file to "MVIB0001.MP4". At T612, the communication device 200 receives the moving image file generation notification. Upon receiving the moving image file generation notification, the communication device 200 transmits a moving image file acquisition request to the imaging device 100. The communication device 200 acquires the chunked moving image file in response to the moving image file acquisition request from the imaging device 100. At T613, the communication device 200 transmits the chunked moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300.

[0064] When the imaging device 100 detects firing of the chunk recording period timer again in T614, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file (including a moving image of a predetermined length of time) in T615. Then, in T616, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated chunk moving image file to the communication device 200. At the time of T615, the generated moving image file is an intermediate chunk moving image file (not a first chunk moving image file). Therefore, the imaging device 100 sets the file name of the chunk moving image to "MVID0002.MP4". When the communication device 200 receives the generation notification of the moving image file in T617, the communication device 200 transmits a request to acquire the moving image file to the imaging device 100. The communication device 200 acquires the chunk moving image file in response to the moving image file acquisition request from the imaging device 100. In T618, the communication device 200 transmits the chunk moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300.

[0065] In T619, when the imaging device 100 accepts a recording stop operation from the user, in T620, the imaging device 100 stops the periodic timer for chunk recording. In T621, the imaging device 100 generates a proxy moving image file. In T622, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated proxy moving image file to the communication device 200.

[0066] At the time of T621 in FIG. 6, since the chunked movie file to be generated is the last chunked movie file, the imaging device 100 sets the file name of the chunked movie file to "MVIE0003.MP4". At T623, the communication device 200 receives a notification of generation of the movie file. Thereafter, the communication device 100 transmits a request to acquire the movie file to the imaging device 100, and acquires the chunked movie file in response to the request to acquire the movie file from the imaging device 100. At T624, the communication device 200 transmits the movie file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300. Through such a series of processes, a series of chunked movie files generated by the imaging device 100 can be transferred to the server 300 via the communication device 200.

[0067] <Automatic Transfer Processing Operation in Communication Device 200> Next, a description will be given of the operation of the automatic transfer process in the communication device 200, which transfers a moving image file recorded by the imaging device 100 to the server 300. The operation of the automatic transfer process described below includes the process when the user tries to start automatic transfer in the communication device 200 after chunk recording has started in the imaging device 100.

[0068] Specifically, there may be a case where chunk recording has already been started in the imaging device 100 (for example, by some operation or process in the imaging device 100), and thus the first chunk movie file has already been generated. At this time, if the communication device 200 is able to start the automatic transfer process, the communication device 200 will sequentially receive the generation notifications of the intermediate chunk movie files from the imaging device 100 without receiving the generation notification of the first chunk movie file. When the communication device 200 sequentially acquires the corresponding chunk movie files based on the received generation notification and transfers them to the server 300, the intermediate and subsequent chunk movie files are transferred to the server 300. That is, the previous chunk movie files to be combined are not transferred to the server 300. In order to prevent such a situation, the automatic transfer process of this embodiment includes an operation of preventing the intermediate and subsequent chunk movie files from being transferred if the previous chunk movie files to be combined have not been transferred. In the following description, a process of determining whether a movie file should be transferred based on the type of the generated chunk movie file and a flag indicating whether the chunks are consecutive will be described as an example.

[0069] Fig. 7 shows a series of operations of the automatic transfer process executed in communication device 200. Unless otherwise specified, the automatic transfer process according to this embodiment is realized by control unit 201 expanding a program stored in non-volatile memory 203 into working memory 204, executing it, and controlling each unit of communication device 200. Also, the operations shown in Fig. 7 are started in response to, for example, pressing capture automatic transfer button 503 on function selection screen 501.

[0070] In S701, the control unit 201 displays the automatic capture and transfer screen 504 on the display unit 206 (in response to pressing the automatic capture and transfer button 503). The control unit 201 may initialize a chunk consecutive flag, which will be described later, to an invalid state. In S702, the control unit 201 waits to receive a video file generation notification from the imaging device 100, and determines whether the video file generation notification has been received from the imaging device 100. If the control unit 201 determines that the video file generation notification has been received, it advances the process to S703, and if it determines that the notification has not been received, it advances the process to S711.

[0071] In S703, the control unit 201 determines whether the video file indicated in the received generation notification is a proxy video file. The control unit 201 determines the type of the video file based on the file name of the video file included in the received generation notification. If the type of video file included in the file name indicates a proxy video file, the control unit 201 determines that the video file is a proxy video file. If the control unit 201 determines that the video file is a proxy video file, the process proceeds to S709, and if not, the process proceeds to S704. More specifically, the control unit 201 determines whether the video file is a proxy video file based on, for example, whether the fourth character following "MVI" in the video file name is "P".

[0072] In S704, the control unit 201 determines whether the video file indicated in the received generation notification is the first chunk video file. The control unit 201 determines the type of chunk video file based on the file name of the video file included in the received generation notification. If the type of chunk video file included in the file name indicates the first chunk video file, the control unit 201 advances the process to S705. On the other hand, if the video file for which the control unit 201 has received the generation notification is other than the first chunk video file, the control unit 201 advances the process to S706. More specifically, the control unit 201 determines whether the video file is the first chunk video file based on whether the fourth character following "MVI" in the video file name is "B".

[0073] In S705, if the video file related to the video file generation notification is the first chunk video file, the control unit 201 enables a chunk succession flag. The chunk succession flag is a flag indicating whether the series of chunk video files to be combined have been transferred normally from the first chunk video file. Depending on whether this flag is enabled, it is determined whether the received chunk video files after the middle one should be transferred.

[0074] It should be noted that once a file is acquired from the imaging device 100 (by S709 and S710), the file is transferred to the server. Therefore, the chunk succession flag also indicates whether or not acquisition has been successful from the first chunk movie file. Therefore, the communication device 100 can determine whether or not to acquire chunk movie files from the middle onwards, depending on whether or not this flag is valid.

[0075] In S706, the control unit 201 determines whether the chunk succession flag is valid, and if it is valid (because the chunked video file should be transferred), the process proceeds to S707. On the other hand, if the chunk succession flag is not valid (because the chunked video file should not be transferred), the control unit 201 proceeds to S711.

[0076] In S707, the control unit 201 determines whether the video file indicated by the generation notification is the last chunk video file. For example, the control unit 201 determines the type of chunk video file based on the file name included in the received generation notification. If the type of chunk video file indicates the last chunk video file, the control unit 201 advances the process to S708. On the other hand, if the video file for which the generation notification has been received is not the last chunk video file, the control unit 201 advances the process to S709. More specifically, the control unit 201 determines whether the video file is the last chunk video file based on whether the fourth character following "MVI" in the video file name is "E". In S708, the control unit 201 disables the chunk succession flag (if the file name indicates the last chunk video file) and advances the process to S709.

[0077] In S709, the control unit 201 transmits a request to acquire the moving image file to the imaging device 100 in order to acquire the moving image file corresponding to the received generation notification, and acquires the moving image file in response to the request to acquire the moving image file from the imaging device 100. In S710, the control unit 201 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300.

[0078] In S711, the control unit 201 determines whether an operation to end the automatic shooting transfer has been received (by pressing the back button 505 arranged on the automatic shooting transfer screen 504). If the control unit 201 determines that the operation to end has been received, the process proceeds to S712, and if not, the process returns to S702. In S712, the control unit 210 disables the chunk contact flag, and in S713, the control unit 201 ends the automatic shooting transfer function by displaying the function selection screen 501. As described above, by using the type of the chunk movie file and the chunk succession flag to determine whether previous chunk movie files to be combined have been transferred, it is possible to prevent intermediate or subsequent chunk movie files from being transferred.

[0079] <Processing sequence when the first chunk video file is received> With reference to FIG. 8, a process sequence between devices will be described in which, after the communication device 200 starts the automatic shooting and transfer function, the imaging device 100 starts chunk recording, thereby successfully transferring all chunk moving image files.

[0080] In T801, the communication device 200 accepts a user's press of the capture-and-automatic-transfer button 503 on the function selection screen 501. In T802, the communication device 200 displays the capture-and-automatic-transfer screen 504 (as shown in S701). In T803, the communication device 200 transitions to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 until a user's operation to end the capture-and-automatic-transfer is accepted (by the determination process in S711). Note that, although the example shown in FIG. 8 shows an example in which the communication device 200 simply enters a standby state in T803, the communication device 200 may notify the imaging device 100 that it has entered a standby state due to the capture-and-automatic-transfer function.

[0081] In T804, the imaging device 100, in a state in which chunk recording is set to be executed, accepts a recording start operation from the user and starts chunk recording. In T805, the imaging device 100 starts a periodic timer for chunk recording that fires periodically when a predetermined time specified by the user has elapsed in order to generate a moving image file divided at each predetermined time specified by the user.

[0082] When the chunk recording period timer fires in T806, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file in T807. In T808, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated moving image file to the communication device 200. At this time, since the generated moving image file is the first chunk moving image file, the imaging device 100 generates a generation notification of the moving image file indicating that the file name is "MVIB0001.MP4".

[0083] In T809, when the communication device 200 receives a generation notification of a moving image file from the imaging device 100, the communication device 200 refers to the moving image file name and determines that the moving image file is a first chunk moving image file (by the determination processes of S703 and S704). In T810, the communication device 200 enables the chunk succession flag (as shown in S705).

[0084] In T811, the communication device 200 transmits a request to acquire a moving image file to the imaging device 100 (as shown in S709), and acquires the moving image file in response to the request to acquire a moving image file from the imaging device. In T812, the communication device 200 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300 (as shown in S710), and returns to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 again (by the determination process shown in S711).

[0085] When the (next) chunk recording period timer fires in the imaging device 100 at T813, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file at T814. At T815, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated chunk moving image file to the communication device 200. At this time, since the generated moving image file is an intermediate chunk moving image file, the imaging device 100 generates a generation notification of the moving image file indicating that the file name is "MVID0002.MP4".

[0086] In T816, when communication device 200 receives the generation notification of the moving image file, communication device 200 refers to the moving image file name and determines that it is not the first chunk moving image file (by the determination processes of S703 and S704). Next, communication device 200 determines whether the chunk succession flag is valid (as shown in S706), and determines that the chunk succession flag is valid from the processing result of T810. Furthermore, communication device 200 refers to the moving image file name and determines that it is not the last chunk moving image file (as shown in S707).

[0087] In T817, the communication device 200 transmits a request to acquire the moving image file to the imaging device 100 (as shown in S709), and acquires the moving image file in response to the request to acquire the moving image file from the imaging device. In T818, the communication device 200 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300 (as shown in S710), and returns to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 again (by the determination process shown in S711).

[0088] When the imaging device 100 receives a recording stop operation from the user in T819, the imaging device 100 stops the chunk recording period timer in T820. In T821, the imaging device 100 generates a proxy movie file, and in T822 transmits a generation notification of the generated proxy movie file to the communication device 200. At this time, since the generated movie file is the last chunk movie file, the imaging device 100 generates a generation notification of the movie file indicating that the file name is "MVIE0003.MP4".

[0089] In T823, when the communication device 200 receives the generation notification of the moving image file, the communication device 200 refers to the moving image file name and determines that the moving image file is not the first chunk moving image file (by the determination processing of S703 and S704). Next, the communication device 200 determines whether the chunk succession flag is enabled (as shown in S706), and determines that the chunk succession flag is enabled based on the processing result in T810. Furthermore, the communication device 200 refers to the moving image file name and determines that the moving image file is the last chunk moving image file (as shown in S707). In T824, the communication device 200 disables the chunk succession flag (as shown in S708). In T825, the communication device 200 transmits a request to acquire the moving image file to the imaging device 100 (as shown in S709), and acquires the moving image file in response to the request to acquire the moving image file from the imaging device. In T826, the communication device 200 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300 (as shown in S710). In this way, if chunk recording is started after the automatic shooting and transfer function is started, a series of chunk moving image files can be transferred normally.

[0090] <Processing sequence when the first chunk video file cannot be received> With reference to FIG. 9, a process sequence between devices when the communication device 200 starts the automatic shooting and transfer function after the imaging device 100 starts chunk recording and generates the first chunk moving image file will be described.

[0091] In T901, the imaging device 100, in a state in which chunk recording is set to be executed, receives a recording start operation from a user and starts chunk recording. In T902, the imaging device 100 starts a periodic timer for chunk recording that fires periodically when a predetermined time specified by the user has elapsed in order to generate a moving image file divided at each predetermined time specified by the user.

[0092] When the chunk recording period timer fires at T903, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file at T904. At T904, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated moving image file to the communication device 200. At this time, since the generated moving image file is the first chunk moving image file, the imaging device 100 generates a generation notification of the moving image file indicating that the file name is "MVIB0001.MP4". At this time, the communication device 200 does nothing because it has not received the generation notification of the moving image file from the imaging device 100.

[0093] In T906, the communication device 200 accepts a user's press of the capture and automatic transfer button 503 on the function selection screen 501. In T907, the communication device 200 displays the capture and automatic transfer screen 504 on the display unit 206 (as shown in S701). In T908, the communication device 200 transitions to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 until a user's operation to end the capture and automatic transfer is accepted (by the determination process in S711).

[0094] When the chunk recording period timer fires at T909, at T910, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk movie file. At T911, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated movie file to the communication device 200. At this time, since the generated movie file is an intermediate chunk movie file, the imaging device 100 generates a generation notification of the movie file indicating that the file name is "MVID0002.MP4".

[0095] At T912, when the communication device 200 receives the generation notification of the moving image file, it refers to the moving image file name and determines (by the determination processes of S703 and S704) that the moving image file is not the first chunk moving image file. (As shown in S706), the communication device 200 determines whether the chunk continuation flag is enabled and determines that the chunk continuation flag is not enabled. Because the chunk continuation flag is disabled, the communication device 200 determines that the moving image file related to the received generation notification should not be transferred. Then, the communication device 200 transitions to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 again (by the determination process shown in S711).

[0096] When the imaging device 100 accepts a recording stop operation from the user at T913, the imaging device 100 stops the chunk recording period timer at T914. At T915, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file. At T916, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated chunk moving image file to the communication device 200. At this time, since the generated moving image file is the last chunk moving image file, the imaging device 100 generates a generation notification of the moving image file indicating that the file name is "MVIE0003.MP4".

[0097] At T917, when the communication device 200 receives the generation notification of the moving image file, it refers to the moving image file name and determines (by the determination process of S703 and S704) that it is not the first chunk moving image file. Next, the communication device 200 determines whether the chunk continuation flag is enabled (as shown in S706) and determines that the chunk continuation flag is not enabled. Since the chunk continuation flag is disabled, the communication device 200 determines that the moving image file related to the received generation notification should not be transferred. Then, the communication device 200 transitions to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 again (by the determination process shown in S711).

[0098] As described above, after enabling the automatic shooting and transfer function, if communication device 200 receives a middle or end chunk video file even though it has not acquired the first chunk video file, it can be configured not to transfer the chunk video file.

[0099] On the other hand, if (new) chunk recording is started again in the imaging device 100 while the automatic shooting and transfer function is enabled, the chunks can be acquired from the head moving image file. Therefore, the communication device 200 executes the transfer of the chunk moving image file (to the server 300).

[0100] In T918, the imaging device 100 starts chunk recording by receiving a recording start operation from the user in a state in which chunk recording is set. In T919, the imaging device 100 starts a periodic timer for chunk recording that fires periodically when a predetermined time specified by the user has elapsed in order to generate a video file divided for each predetermined time specified by the user.

[0101] When the chunk recording periodic timer fires at T920, the imaging device 100 generates a chunk moving image file at T921. At T922, the imaging device 100 transmits a generation notification of the generated proxy moving image file to the communication device 200.

[0102] At this time, since the generated moving image file is the first chunk moving image file, the imaging device 100 generates a moving image file generation notification indicating that the file name is "MVIB0004.MP4". Although the file name is different from the chunk moving image file "MVIB0001.MP4" generated in T904, the imaging device 100 sets the type of the chunk moving image file (i.e., the fourth character) to "B".

[0103] In T923, when the communication device 200 receives a generation notification of the moving image file, it refers to the moving image file name and determines (by the determination processing of S703 and S704) that the moving image file is a first chunk moving image file. In T924, the communication device 200 enables the chunk consecutive flag (as shown in S705). In T925, the communication device 200 transmits a request to acquire the moving image file to the imaging device 100 (as shown in S709), and acquires the moving image file in response to the request to acquire the moving image file from the imaging device. In T926, the communication device 200 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300 (as shown in S710), and transitions to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 again (by the determination processing shown in S711). Note that the subsequent processing when generating the intermediate chunk moving image file and the end chunk moving image file is omitted because it is the same as the description in FIG. 8.

[0104] As described above, when a file is generated in the imaging device 100, the communication device 200 controls to acquire the file from the imaging device, and when the file is acquired, transfers the file to the server. At this time, when a chunked moving image file (split file) is generated in the imaging device 100, the communication device 200 determines the transfer status of the chunked moving image file before the chunked moving image file from the beginning of the moving image. Then, according to the transfer status, the communication device 200 controls whether to acquire the generated chunked moving image file (split file) from the imaging device 100. For example, the communication device 200 determines whether the first chunked moving image file of a series of chunked moving image files to be combined has been transferred. If the first chunked moving image file has not been transferred, such as when the automatic shooting transfer function is started after chunk recording is started in the imaging device 100, the middle and last chunked moving image transfer files are not transferred. However, even in such a case, if chunk recording is started thereafter and a series of chunked moving image files can be normally transferred (from the first chunked moving image file), the subsequent chunked moving image files are transferred.

[0105] In this way, it is possible to prevent the transfer of chunked moving image files that make it impossible to reconstruct the entire moving image.

[0106] In the above embodiment, the chunk succession flag has been described as a flag indicating whether or not the chunk movie file at the beginning has been successfully "transferred". However, the communication device 200 may also use this flag as a flag indicating whether or not the chunk movie file at the beginning has been successfully "acquired". Furthermore, the communication device 200 may determine whether or not to acquire chunk movie files at the middle or later stages depending on whether or not this flag is valid. That is, when a chunk movie file (split file) is generated by the imaging device 100, the communication device 200 can determine the acquisition status of chunk movie files before the chunk movie file from the beginning of the movie. Then, when the communication device 200 has not acquired a chunk movie file before the chunk movie file to be processed from the beginning of the movie, the communication device 200 controls not to acquire the chunk movie file to be processed from the imaging device 100. Conversely, when the communication device 200 has acquired a chunk movie file before the chunk movie file to be processed from the beginning of the movie, the communication device 200 controls to acquire the chunk movie file to be processed from the imaging device 100.

[0107] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which it is determined whether or not the middle and end chunk movie files should be transferred based on a chunk continuity flag indicating whether or not the first chunk movie file has been transferred, but the method of determination is not limited to this. For example, if a file name includes an expression indicating the order of generation, this order may be used. Specifically, the communication device 200 may store the previously transferred file name, and determine whether or not the file name for which a generation notification is received next has continuity with the transferred file name. In this case, the communication device 200 may not transfer the chunk movie file if there is no continuity from the previous chunk movie file.

[0108] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example of determining the type of a moving image file or a chunk moving image file based on a file name has been described, but the determination method is not limited thereto. For example, information indicating the type may be input to a metadata area of ​​a moving image file, and the communication device 200 may determine the type of a moving image file or a chunk moving image file by referring to the metadata area. In this case, the communication device 200 may acquire a moving image file from the imaging device 100, and then refer to the metadata area, and control whether or not to transfer the moving image file to the server 300 according to the type of the chunk moving image file, etc. Alternatively, the communication device 200 may acquire information on the metadata area of ​​a moving image file from the imaging device 100, and perform processing by referring to the metadata information (without receiving the file itself).

[0109] Alternatively, the video file generation notification may include the generation time of the first video file and the generation time of the video file related to the generation notification. In the first video file generation notification, the generation time of the first video file and the generation time of the video file related to the generation notification match. Even in this way, the communication device can determine whether the video file is the first or other depending on whether these times match, and can make the determination using the type of chunk video file.

[0110] Furthermore, the communication device 200 may acquire the type of the acquired chunked moving image file from the imaging device 100 by inquiring of the imaging device 100 about the type of the chunked moving image file using, for example, the file name or identifier of the moving image file. In this manner, the determination can be made using the type of the chunked moving image file.

[0111] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment described above, regardless of whether chunk recording has started, the notification standby state can be entered. Then, the communication device 200 controls the transfer of the middle and end chunk video files depending on whether the first chunk video file of the series of chunk video files to be combined has been transferred first. In the second embodiment, the automatic shooting transfer function cannot be started unless chunk recording of the imaging device 100 is stopped. In the second embodiment, although some operations of the automatic transfer process in the communication device 200 are different from those in the first embodiment, the configurations of the imaging device 100 and the communication device 200 are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same reference numbers are used for the same or substantially the same configurations, and their description is omitted.

[0112] <Automatic Transfer Processing Operation in Communication Device 200> A series of operations in the automatic transfer process in communication device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Unless otherwise specified, this process is realized by control unit 201 expanding a program stored in non-volatile memory 203 into working memory 204, executing it, and controlling each unit of communication device 200. In addition, a series of operations in the automatic transfer process is started in response to pressing of automatic capture transfer button 503 on function selection screen 501.

[0113] In S1001, the control unit 201 transmits a request to obtain a recording status to the imaging device 100. The recording status includes information on whether the imaging device 100 is recording or not, and on what type of recording is being performed. In other words, the recording status indicates that a moving image is being recorded, and whether the moving image related to the recording is a proxy moving image or a chunk moving image. For example, the imaging device 100 responds to the communication device 100 with one of the following states as the recording status: "not recording," "proxy recording in progress," or "chunk recording in progress."

[0114] In S1002, the control unit 201 determines whether the image capture device 100 is recording based on the acquired recording status. If the recording status of the image capture device 100 is "proxy recording" or "chunk recording", the control unit 201 determines that the image capture device 100 is recording, and proceeds to S1003. On the other hand, if the recording status is "not recording", the control unit 201 proceeds to S1004.

[0115] In S1003, the control unit 201 determines the recording type from the acquired recording status. If the recording status is "proxy recording", the control unit 201 advances the process to S1004, and if the recording status is "chunk recording", the control unit 201 advances the process to S1010. In S1004, the control unit 201 displays the capture automatic transfer screen 504.

[0116] In S1005, if the control unit 201 receives a moving image file generation notification from the imaging device 100, the process proceeds to S1006, and if the control unit 201 does not receive a moving image file generation notification, the process proceeds to S1008.

[0117] In S1006, the control unit 201 transmits a request to acquire the moving image file for which the generation notification of the moving image file has been received to the imaging device 100, and acquires the moving image file in response to the request to acquire the moving image file from the imaging device. In S1007, the control unit 201 transmits the moving image file acquired from the imaging device 100 to the server 300.

[0118] In S1008, the control unit 201 determines whether or not an end operation for the automatic image capture transfer has been received by the user pressing the back button 505 arranged on the automatic image capture transfer screen 504. In S1008, if the control unit 201 determines that the end operation has been received, the control unit 201 ends the automatic image capture transfer function by displaying the function selection screen 501. If the end operation has not been received, the process returns to S1005, and the control unit 201 receives a notification from the imaging device 100 again.

[0119] In S1010, the control unit 201 displays a warning message 1201 indicating that the automatic shooting and transfer function cannot be executed because chunk recording is in progress, as shown in Fig. 12. In this way, by making it impossible to execute the automatic shooting and transfer function during chunk recording, it is possible to prevent intermediate and subsequent chunk movie files from being transferred when previous chunk movie files to be combined have not been transferred.

[0120] <Processing sequence when the process in Figure 10 is applied> Furthermore, the processing sequence between the devices after the user selects the capture automatic transfer function will be described with reference to FIG.

[0121] In T1101, the communication apparatus 200 accepts a user's press of the capture and automatic transfer button 503 on the function selection screen 501. In T1102, the communication apparatus 200 transmits a recording status acquisition request to the imaging apparatus 100 (as shown in S1001) and acquires the recording status from the imaging apparatus 100. In T1103, if the recording status is "not recording" or "proxy recording", the communication apparatus 200 displays the capture and automatic transfer screen 504 (by the process of S1004 in accordance with the determination shown in S1002 to S1003).

[0122] In T1104, the communication device 200 transitions to a state of waiting for a notification from the imaging device 100 until receiving an operation to end the automatic shooting and transfer by the user (by carrying out the determination processes shown in S1005 and S1008). After this, the automatic transfer process is executed. For example, if the recording status is "not recording", if it is proxy recording, the processes shown in T601 to T606 above are executed, and if it is chunk recording, the processes shown in T607 to T624 above are executed. Also, if the recording status is "proxy recording", since recording has already started, the processes shown in T602 to T606 above are executed.

[0123] On the other hand, if the recording status acquired in T1102 is "chunk recording", in T1105, the communication apparatus 200 displays a warning message 1201 on the display unit 206 (as shown in S1010).

[0124] In the present embodiment, the recording type is acquired from the imaging device 100 at the timing of starting the automatic image capture transfer function, but this is not limiting. For example, the imaging device 100 may notify the communication device 200 of the recording type at the timing of connecting to the communication device 200 or at the timing of changing the recording type, and the communication device 200 may enable or disable the automatic image capture transfer function when it receives the recording type.

[0125] As described above, in this embodiment, the communication device 200 acquires the video recording status (recording status of continuous time-series data in a file) in the imaging device 100. Then, if the acquired recording status is during chunk recording (a state in which divided files are being generated), the communication device 100 disables the automatic shooting and transmission function and controls so that the file cannot be acquired from the imaging device 100. On the other hand, if the recording status is not during chunk recording (a state in which divided files are not being generated), the communication device 100 enables the automatic shooting and transmission function and controls so that the file can be acquired from the imaging device 100.

[0126] By doing so, when the communication device 200 has not transferred previous chunked moving image files to be combined, it is possible to prevent transfer of intermediate and subsequent chunked moving image files (to a server, etc.).

[0127] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0128] (Disclosure of the present specification) The disclosure of this specification includes the following communication device, a control method for a communication device, and a program. (Item 1) A communication means for communicating with an external device; a control means for controlling, when a file is generated in a first external device, to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer means for transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; The control means controls whether or not to acquire the first split file from the first external device when a first split file is generated in the first external device as a split file that is generated sequentially by dividing continuous time series data, depending on the acquisition status of split files before the first split file from the beginning of the time series data. (Item 2) The communication device according to item 1, characterized in that the control means does not acquire the first split file from the first external device if a split file prior to the first split file from the beginning of the time series data has not been acquired. (Item 3) The communication device according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means, when acquiring a split file that precedes the first split file from the beginning of the time series data, acquires the first split file from the first external device. (Item 4) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that, when a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data is generated in the first external device, the control means acquires the second split file from the first external device. (Item 5) 5. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means, when a file including the entire time series data is generated in the first external device, acquires a file including the entire time series data from the first external device. (Item 6) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the control means receives a generation notification from the first external device notifying that a file has been generated, and identifies, based on information included in the generation notification, whether the generated file is the first split file or a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data. (Item 7) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that, when a file is generated in the first external device, the control means identifies whether the generated file is the first split file or a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data according to the file name of the file obtained from the first external device. (Item 8) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that when a file is generated in the first external device, the control means acquires metadata of the file and identifies, according to the acquired metadata, whether the generated file is the first split file or a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data. (Item 9) A communication means for communicating with an external device; an acquisition means for acquiring a recording state of continuous time series data in a file in a first external device via the communication means; a control means for controlling, when a file is generated in a first external device, to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer means for transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; The control means controls the file so that it cannot be acquired from the first external device when the recording state acquired by the acquisition means is a state in which split files are generated by dividing and recording continuous time series data, and controls the file so that it can be acquired from the first external device when the recording state is not a state in which the split files are generated. (Item 10) A method for controlling a communication device having a communication means for communicating with an external device, comprising: a control step of, when a file is generated in a first external device, performing control so as to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer step of transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; A control method characterized in that, in the control step, when a first split file is generated in the first external device as a split file that is generated sequentially by dividing continuous time series data, whether or not to acquire the first split file from the first external device is controlled depending on the acquisition status of split files before the first split file from the beginning of the time series data. (Item 11) A method for controlling a communication device having a communication means for communicating with an external device, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring, via the communication means, a recording state of continuous time series data in a file in a first external device; a control step of, when a file is generated in a first external device, performing control so as to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer step of transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; A control method characterized in that, in the control step, if the recording state acquired in the acquisition step is a state in which split files are generated by dividing and recording continuous time series data, the control is performed so that the file cannot be acquired from the first external device, and if the recording state is not a state in which the split files are generated, the control is performed so that the file can be acquired from the first external device. (Item 12) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the communication device according to any one of items 1 to 9.

[0129] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 100: imaging device, 200: communication device, 201: control unit, 211: communication unit, 206: display unit

Claims

1. A communication means for communicating with an external device; a control means for controlling, when a file is generated in a first external device, to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer means for transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; The control means controls whether or not to acquire the first split file from the first external device when a first split file is generated in the first external device as a split file that is generated sequentially by dividing continuous time series data, depending on the acquisition status of split files before the first split file from the beginning of the time series data.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means does not acquire the first split file from the first external device if a split file prior to the first split file from the beginning of the time series data has not been acquired.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means, when acquiring a split file that precedes the first split file from the beginning of the time series data, acquires the first split file from the first external device.

4. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data is generated in the first external device, acquires the second split file from the first external device.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a file containing all of the time series data is generated in the first external device, the control means acquires a file containing all of the time series data from the first external device.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means receives a generation notification from the first external device notifying that a file has been generated, and identifies whether the generated file is the first split file or a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data based on information contained in the generation notification.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a file is generated in the first external device, the control means identifies whether the generated file is the first split file or a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data according to the file name of the file obtained from the first external device.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when a file is generated in the first external device, the control means acquires metadata of the file, and identifies, according to the acquired metadata, whether the generated file is the first split file or a second split file corresponding to the beginning of the time series data.

9. A communication means for communicating with an external device; an acquisition means for acquiring a recording state of continuous time series data in a file in a first external device via the communication means; a control means for controlling, when a file is generated in a first external device, to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer means for transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; The control means controls the file so that it cannot be acquired from the first external device when the recording state acquired by the acquisition means is a state in which split files are generated by dividing and recording continuous time series data, and controls the file so that it can be acquired from the first external device when the recording state is not a state in which the split files are generated.

10. A method for controlling a communication device having a communication means for communicating with an external device, comprising: a control step of, when a file is generated in a first external device, performing control so as to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer step of transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; A control method characterized in that, in the control step, when a first split file is generated in the first external device as a split file that is generated sequentially by dividing continuous time series data, whether or not to acquire the first split file from the first external device is controlled depending on the acquisition status of split files before the first split file from the beginning of the time series data.

11. A method for controlling a communication device having a communication means for communicating with an external device, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring, via the communication means, a recording state of continuous time series data in a file in a first external device; a control step of, when a file is generated in a first external device, performing control so as to acquire the file from the first external device via the communication means; a transfer step of transferring the file to a second external device via the communication means when the file is acquired; A control method characterized in that, in the control step, if the recording state acquired in the acquisition step is a state in which split files are generated by dividing and recording continuous time series data, the control is performed so that the file cannot be acquired from the first external device, and if the recording state is not a state in which the split files are generated, the control is performed so that the file can be acquired from the first external device.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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