Power saving method and apparatus for intermittently reading reproduction apparatus

• US 5,822,288 A
• Filed: 09/22/1995
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shinada, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thang V.
• Application Number:
  US08/534,096
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 369/47, 369/48, 369/51, 369/54, 369/124, 369/50, 369/53, 369/60, 358/342, 360/27, 360/32, 360/36.2, 360/69, 360/61, 360/62, 395/750, 395/550, 395/250
• US Class Current: 369/47.33
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/20 Driving; Starting; Stopping; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10685 input interface, i.e. the way data enter the buffer, e.g. by informing the sender that the buffer is busy
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10731 wherein the buffer I/O can be temporarily suspended, e.g. by refusing to accept further data to be buffered
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1074 involving a specific threshold value
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/913 Digital audio tape [DAT] format
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

A reproducing or recording/reproducing apparatus having a constitution in which reproduced data read from a recording medium is stored in memory at a first transfer rate in a unit time and the stored data is read at a second transfer rate lower than the first transfer rate in the unit time. An operation of means for reading the reproduced data from the recording medium is stopped when an mount of the data accumulated in the storage means gets larger than a predetermined amount, allowing to save the power for driving the apparatus.

Claims

1. A control method for any one of a reproducing apparatus and a recording/reproducing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

a) starting an operation of a decoder of a data reading means responsive to an instruction for reproduction;

b) controlling the operation of the decoder of the data reading means;

c) storing data read by the data reading means into a buffer memory means and reading the data therefrom;

d) comparing an amount of the data accumulated in the buffer memory means with a first predetermined amount;

e) stopping the operation of the decoder of the data reading means if, in step d), the amount of the accumulated data is determined to be greater than the first predetermined amount;

f) comparing the amount of the data accumulated in the storage means with a second predetermined amount, the second predetermined amount being smaller than the first predetermined amount; and

g) returning to step a) if, in step f), the amount of the accumulated data is determined to be smaller than the second predetermined amount,

wherein step a) comprises enabling reception of a clock signal by the decoder of the data reading means and turning on a laser power and wherein step e) comprises disabling reception of the clock signal by the decoder of the data reading means and turning off the laser power.

2. A control method for any one of a reproducing apparatus and a recording/reproducing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

a) starting an operation of a data reading means responsive to an instruction for reproduction;

b) controlling the operation of the data reading means;

c) storing data read by the data reading means into a buffer memory means and reading the data therefrom;

d) comparing an amount of the data accumulated in the buffer memory means with a first predetermined amount;

e) stopping the operation of the data reading means if, in step d), the amount of the accumulated data is determined to be greater than the first predetermined amount;

f) comparing the amount of the data accumulated in the storage means with a second predetermined amount, the second predetermined amount being smaller than the first predetermined amount; and

g) returning to step a) if, in step f), the amount of the accumulated data is determined to be smaller than the second predetermined amount, wherein step a) comprises

providing power to a driver, the driver for driving driven means, and turning on power to a laser of the data reading means,

and wherein step e) comprises

turning off power to the driver and turning off power to the laser.

3. A control method for any one of a reproducing apparatus and a recording/reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the driven means comprises at least any one or more of a focus coil, a tracking coil, a spindle motor, and a feed motor.