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Method of avoiding medium defects in record/reproduce apparatus

  • US 5,285,436 A
  • Filed: 06/26/1992
  • Issued: 02/08/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A record and reproduce apparatus comprising a plurality of disk type record media, rotation means for rotating said plurality of disk type record media in synchronism with one another, and a plurality of heads which are respectively disposed in correspondence with record surfaces of said plurality of disk type record media and which are simultaneously accessible to said record surfaces, wherein said record surfaces of said plurality of disk type record media include k (being a natural number) ordinary record surfaces and n (being a natural number) spare record surfaces to be substituted for said k ordinary record surfaces, each of said record surfaces has a plurality of record areas which are respectively specified by predetermined area numbers and the same area number is assigned to each of those record areas of said record surfaces which can be simultaneously accessed in parallel by said plurality of heads;

  • said record and reproduce apparatus including selection means, record and reproduce means, and control means for appointing k record surfaces for either of record or reproduce modes to said selection means and for appointing an area number of the record areas for the either mode in said k appointed record surfaces to said record and reproduce means;

    said selection means connecting said record and reproduce means with k heads which correspond respectively to said k record surfaces appointed by said control means;

    said record and reproduce means operating in said record mode to write data into those k record areas of said k record surfaces which have said area number appointed by said control means, in parallel by the use of said k heads connected thereto, and operating in said reproduce mode to read data from those k record areas of said k record surfaces which have said area number appointed by said control means, in parallel by the use of said k heads connectedsaid control means operating in said either mode to judge said area number of said record areas to-be-accessed, record areas having medium defects among those k record areas to-be-accessed of said k ordinary record surfaces which have said area number, and the number of the defective record areas;

    whereupon on condition that none of said k record area is defective, said control means appoints said k ordinary record surfaces to said selection means, and it appoints the judged area number to said record and reproduce means;

    on condition that m (being a natural number which satisfies m>

    n) record areas among said k record areas are defective, said control means appoints said k ordinary record surfaces to said selection means, and it alters said record areas to-be-accessed and then appoints area number of new record areas after the alteration to said record and reproduce means; and

    on condition that j (being a natural number which satisfies j≦

    n) record areas among said k record areas are defective, said control means appoints the nondefective ordinary record areas and j record areas among said n spare record areas to said selection means, and it appoints the judged area number to said record and reproduce means.

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