Double-deck videocassette recorder

• US 5,623,572 A
• Filed: 04/24/1996
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sang-ook
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boccio, Vincent F.
• Application Number:
  US08/639,112
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 358/310, 358/335, 360/33.1, 360/13, 360/15, 348/705, 348/706, 386/1, 386/4, 386/94
• US Class Current: 386/235
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/00 Driving, starting or stopping record carriers of filamentary or web form; Driving both such record carriers and heads; Guiding such record carriers or containers therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function driving or guiding heads G11B3/00 - G11B7/00, G11B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/125 conditioned by the operating function of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/91 Helical scan format, wherein tracks are slightly tilted with respect to tape direction, e.g. VHS, DAT, DVC, AIT or exabyte
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/0086 using cyclically driven heads providing segmented tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/86 Re-recording, i.e. transcribing information from one magnetisable record carrier on to one or more similar or dissimilar record carriers by varying the order of the information G11B27/029, G11B27/036
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A double-deck videocassette recorder (VCR) requires only one luminance/chrominance signal processor, rather than the two which are conventionally necessary for a double-deck VCR. The first deck has only a pickup head, whereas the second deck has both pickup and record heads. A first switching unit selects playback mode control signals from either the first deck servo or the second deck servo, to be provided to the single to the luminance/chrominance signal processor. The first switching unit also selects playback control signals from either the first deck system controller or the second deck system controller, to be provided to the single to the luminance/chrominance signal processor. A second switching unit selects either the luminance and color signals which are being played back from the first deck pickup head, or the luminance and color signals provided from the single luminance/chrominance processor, to be supplied to the second deck recording signal processor for recording on a tape using the second deck record head. A third switching unit selects between playback luminance and color signals supplied from the pickup heads of each deck for provision to the single luminance/chrominance signal processor. Each of the first, second and third switching units are under control of the first deck system controller. The first and second deck system controllers also control the servo systems for their respective decks.

Claims

1. A double-deck videocassette tape recorder with a first deck and a second deck, said double-deck videocassette tape recorder comprising:

first deck system controller for outputting a first playback mode signal for controlling said first deck, a first control signal and a second control signal;

second deck system controller for outputting a second playback mode signal for controlling said second decks, respectively;

first servo for outputting first playback mode control signals for determining a tape playback mode of said first deck in accordance with said first playback mode signal output from said first deck system controller;

second servo for outputting second playback mode control signals for determining a tape playback mode of said second deck in accordance with said second playback mode signal output from said second deck system controller;

a first deck playback head;

a second deck playback head;

a second deck recording head;

a luminance/chrominance signal processing unit for demodulating playback luminance and color signals to output a composite video signal, and for, alternatively, modulating an input composite video signal, to output luminance and color signals for recording;

a first switching unit for selecting either said first playback mode control signals or said second playback mode control signals as selected playback mode control signals, and for selecting either said first playback mode signal or said second playback mode signal as a selected playback mode signal, to then supply the selected playback mode control signals and the selected playback mode signal to said luminance/chrominance signal processing unit, wherein the selecting by said first switching unit is done according to said second control signal output from said first deck system controller;

a second switching unit for selecting either playback luminance and color signals produced by said first deck playback head, or said luminance and color signals for recording, output from said luminance/chrominance signal processing unit, as a second switch unit selected signal, to then supply the second switch unit selected signal to said second deck recording head, wherein the selecting by the second switching unit is done according to said first control signal output from said first deck system controller; and

a third switching unit for selecting either said playback luminance and color signals produced by said first deck playback head, or playback and color signals produced by said second deck playback head, as a third switching unit selected signal, to then supply the third switching unit selected signal to said luminance/chrominance signal processing unit, wherein the selecting by the third switching unit is done according to said second control signal output from said first deck system controller.

2. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 1, wherein said first control signal is a copy control signal.

3. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 1, wherein said second control signal is a deck select signal.

4. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first deck pickup signal processing unit for processing a pickup signal supplied from said first deck playback head, to output playback luminance and color signals to said second switching unit and to said third switching unit.

5. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second deck pickup signal processing unit for processing a pickup signal supplied from said second deck playback head, to output playback luminance and color signals to said third switching unit.

6. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second deck recording signal processing unit for processing the second switch unit selected signal, to supply the processed signal to said second deck recording head.

7. A double-deck videocassette tape recorder with a first deck for playback and a second deck for playback and recording, comprising:

first and second deck system controllers connected via a data bus for outputting playback mode signals for controlling said first and second decks, respectively;

first and second servos for outputting playback mode control signals for determining a tape playback mode, according to said playback mode signals respectively output from said first and second deck system controllers;

a first deck pickup signal processing unit for processing a pickup signal supplied from a playback head of said first deck, to output playback luminance and color signals;

a second deck pickup signal processing unit for processing a pickup signal supplied from a playback head of said second deck, to output playback luminance and color signals;

a second deck recording signal processing unit for processing recording luminance and color signals, to supply the processed signals to a recording head of said second deck;

a luminance/chrominance signal processing unit for demodulating playback luminance and color signals, to output a composite video signal, and for alternatively modulating an input composite video signal, to output recording luminance and color signals;

a second switching unit for selecting one of said playback luminance and color signals output from said first deck pickup signal processing unit and said recording luminance and color signals output from said luminance/chrominance signal processing unit, to then supply the selected signal to said second deck recording signal processing unit, according to a first control signal output from said first deck system controller;

a third switching unit for selecting one of said playback luminance and color signals each output from said first and second deck pickup signal processing units, to then supply the selected signal to said luminance/chrominance signal processing unit, according to a second control signal output from said first deck system controller; and

a first switching unit for selecting one of said playback mode control signals each output from said first and second servos and for selecting one of said playback mode signals each output from said first and second deck system controllers, according to said second control signal output from said first deck system controller, to then supply the selected signal to said luminance/chrominance signal processing unit.

8. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 7, wherein said first control signal is a copy control signal.

9. The double-deck videocassette tape recorder according to claim 7, wherein said second control signal is a deck select signal.