Disk player with variable level search time

• US 5,363,354 A
• Filed: 02/11/1993
• Issued: 11/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tabuchi, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thang V.
• Application Number:
  US08/016,197
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 369/32, 369/43, 369/44.28, 369/33, 369/34, 369/58, 369/56, 369/48, 369/59, 369/47, 369/85, 369/41, 369/30, 369/31, 360/78.05, 360/77.06, 360/77.03, 360/75
• US Class Current: 369/30.04
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/085 with track following of accessed part
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2587 Laser Discs; Optical disc using analog recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/08505 Methods for track change, selection or preliminary positioning by moving the head

Abstract

A CD player having an improved level search function is disclosed. In a level search, the judgment whether or not an optical pickup can land again on the same song is done before the jump of the pickup. When it is judged that the pickup can land on the same song, the pickup jumps a predetermined number of tracks which is determined for each of selected songs depending upon the playing time of each song. When it is judged that the pickup cannot land on the same song, the pickup jumps to the beginning of the next programmed song so that unwilling playback of non-programmed songs can be avoided. In another CD player, it is successively judged whether or not the pickup can land again on the same song in level search, based on the playing time of the song, the elapsed playing time and the playing time corresponding a predetermined number of tracks to be skipped. If the pickup can land on the same song, then the predetermined number of tracks are skipped. If the pickup cannot land on the same song, then it is skipped to the beginning of the next programmed song, whereby the pickup is prevented from landing on non-programmed songs. Therefore, level search can be accurately performed.

Claims

1. A disk player for reproducing information from a disk-like information recording medium having a plurality of tracks in which information is recorded, said recording medium comprising a Table of Contents (TOC) Area and an area wherein said information is organized in a plurality of sections, each of said sections having a respective time length, said recording medium also having time-information recorded therein which is indicative of the playing time length of each of said sections, and wherein when said recording medium is loaded in said disk player, information recorded in said Table of Contents (TOC) Area is read, information to be reproduced is selected by performing a programming operation, and a track of said information is searched based on said information recorded in said Table of Contents (TOC) Area, said disk player comprising:

a reproducing head for reading said recorded information, said recorded information containing said time-information;

detecting means for detecting said time-information recorded in said Table of Contents (TOC) Area and read by said reproducing head when said recording medium is loaded into the disk player;

judging means for receiving said detected time-information from said detecting means and for determining a degree of tracks to be track jumped corresponding to said detected time-information;

track jump means for receiving said degree of tracks from said judging means and for changing a relative location of said reproducing head; and

level search means, connected to said track jump means and said reproducing head, for alternately initiating said track jump of said reproducing head and a reproduction of said recorded information in at least one of said sections and for detecting one or more output levels of said recorded information.

2. A disk player according to claim 1, said level search means alternately initiating said track jump and said reproduction of said recorded information in two or more of said sections, said disk player further comprising:

programming means for inputting data and for programming an operation of said disk player; and

memory means for storing said input data, a portion of said input data being used to identify said two or more of said sections.

3. A disk player according to claim 2, wherein said judging means determine the degree of the track jump which is to be conducted in each of said selected sections;

and said level search means perform said track jump and said reproduction of said information sequentially in said selected sections.

4. A disk player according to claim 1, wherein said degree of tracks to be track jumped is the number of tracks to be jumped.

5. A disk player for reproducing information from a disk-like information recording medium having a plurality of tracks in which information is recorded, said recording medium comprising a Table of Contents (TOC) Area and an area wherein said information is organized in a plurality of sections, each of said sections having a respective tee length, said recording medium also having time-information recorded therein which is indicative of the playing time length of each of said sections, and wherein when said recording medium is loaded in said disk player, information recorded in said Table of Contents (TOC) Area is read, information to be reproduced is selected by performing a programming operation, and a track of said information is searched based on said information recorded in said Table of Contents (TOC) Area, said disk player comprising:

programming means for inputting data and for programming an operation of said disk player, said data containing data indicating an order of said recorded information to be reproduced;

a reproducing head for reading said recorded information, said recorded information containing said time-information;

detecting means for detecting said time-information recorded in said Table of Contents (TOC) Area and read by said reproducing head when said recording medium is loaded into said disk player;

first judging means for receiving said detected time-information from said detecting means and for determining a degree of tracks to be jumped corresponding to said detected time-information;

track jump means for receiving said degree of tracks from said first judging means and changing a relative location of said reproducing head;

level search means, connected to said track jump means and said reproducing head, for alternately initiating said track jump of said reproducing head and a reproduction of said recorded information in two or more of said sections sequentially and for detecting output levels of said recorded information;

memory means for receiving said data from said programming means and for storing said data;

second judging means for receiving said detected time-information from said detecting means and for judging whether or not a next track jump by said degree of tracks can be initiated by said level search means such that said reproducing head remains within the section where the level search is currently being conducted; and

long jump means for, when said second judging means judges that said reproducing head will not remain within said section where the level search is being conducted, causing said reproducing head to jump to a beginning of another section corresponding to said data which is stored in said memory means.

6. A disk player according to claim 5, wherein said degree of the tracks to be tracked jumped is the number of tracks to be jumped.

7. A disk player according to claim 5, wherein said first judging means determines the degree of track julep which is to he conducted in one selected section based on said time-information related to said selected section, an elapsed period of playing time in said selected section, and a period of time corresponding to said degree of the track jump.

8. A disk player for reproducing information from a disk-like information recording medium having a plurality of tracks in which information is recorded, said recording medium being organized in a plurality of sections, each section including a plurality of tracks, each of the sections having a respective playing time length, the recording medium also having recorded thereon time-information which is indicative of the playing time length of each of the respective sections, the disk player comprising:

operation means for producing indications of selected sections which are to be reproduced;

reproducing means for reading the recorded information and for producing reproduction signals indicative of the read information;

servo means upon which the reproducing means is mounted for changing the relative location of the reproducing head relative to tracks on the medium;

means for storing the indications of selected sections which are to be reproduced;

detecting means, connected to the reproducing means and the storage means, for obtaining, from the reproduction signal, the time-information for each section to be reproduced;

control means for conducting a level search to obtain, from the reproduction signals, signals indicative of output levels of sections to be reproduced and for outputting a control signal based on the reproduction signals and the indications of selected sections to the servo means, the servo means controlling said reproducing means in accordance with the control signal; and

,

means, connected to the control means and the detecting means, for determining a degree of tracks to be track jumped by which the reproducing means is moved for a section to be reproduced, said degree of tracks to be track jumped for a given section being dependent upon the time-information for that section.

9. A method of conducting a level search in a disk player which reproduces information from a disk-like information recording medium having a plurality of tracks in which information is recorded, said recording medium being organized in a plurality of sections, each section including a plurality of tracks, each of the sections having a respective playing time length, the recording medium also having recorded thereon time-information which is indicative of the playing time length of each of the respective sections, the disk player comprising:

reading the recorded information by a reproducing means and producing reproduction signals indicative of the read information;

storing indications of selected sections which are to be reproduced;

obtaining, from the reproduction signals, the time-information for each section to be reproduced;

conducting a level search to obtain, from the reproduction signals, signals indicative of output levels of sections to be reproduced;

outputting a control signal based on the reproduction signals and the indications of selected sections;

controlling the reproducing means in accordance with the control signal;

determining, for a section to be reproduced, a degree of tracks to be track jumped for that section in accordance with the time-information for that section.