Information-signal recording and reproducing apparatus

• US 6,728,170 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueki, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Neyzari, Ali
• Application Number:
  US10/431,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20030193847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 369/32.01, 369/30.23, 369/53.11, 369/60.01, 369/47.33, 369/124.06, 369/53.37, 369/275.1, 369/275.3, 369/47.1, 369/47.15, 369/47.16, 369/124.01, 369/94, 369/53.2
• US Class Current: 369/32.01
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10592 specifically adapted for recording or reproducing multichannel signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1062 Data buffering arrangements, e.g. recording or playback buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10703 processing rate of the buffer, e.g. by accelerating the data output
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10722 wherein the size of the buffer is variable, e.g. by adding additional memory cells for coping with input streams that have high bit rates
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10916 Seeking data on the record carrier for preparing an access to a specific address
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10953 Concurrent recording or playback of different streams or files
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10962 wherein both recording and playback take place simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• 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 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0079 Zoned data area, e.g. having different data structures or formats for the user data within data layer, Zone Constant Linear Velocity [ZCLV], Zone Constant Angular Velocity [ZCAV], carriers with RAM and ROM areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 : by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A recording medium has first and second areas on which first and second information signals are recorded respectively. The first information signal has a size Ya. The second information signal has a size Yb. A head operates for reproducing the first and second information signals from the first and second areas of the recording medium and transmitting the reproduced first and second information signals on a time sharing basis and at a predetermined constant transfer rate Rp while moving between the first and second areas of the recording medium. A buffer memory operates for receiving the first and second information signals from the head at the predetermined constant transfer rate Rp, for temporarily storing the first and second information signals, and for outputting the first and second information signals at first and second transfer rates Ra and Rb respectively. The first and second transfer rates Ra and Rb are lower than the predetermined constant transfer rate Rp. The predetermined constant transfer rate Rp, the first transfer rate Ra, the second transfer rate Rb, the size Ya of the first information signal, the size Yb of the second information signal, a seek time Tab taken by the head to move from the first area to the second area of the recording medium, and a seek time Tba taken by the head to move from the second area to the first area of the recording medium are in a relation as follows:

(Ya+Yb)≧Rp·(Ra+Rb)·(Tab+Tba)/(Rp−Ra−Rb).

Claims

1. An information-signal recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

first means for rotating an information-signal recording medium having a first area for storing a first information signal, a second area for storing a second information signal, and a management area for storing management information representing addresses in the first and second areas;

a first buffer memory for temporarily storing the first information signal inputted at a first transfer rate;

a second buffer memory for temporarily storing the second information signal inputted at a second transfer rate;

second means for reading out the first and second information signals from the first and second buffer memories on a time sharing basis;

a head movable in a radial direction of the information-signal recording medium for recording the first and second information signals, which have been read out from the first and second buffer memories by the second means, on the first and second areas of the information-signal recording medium on a time sharing basis at a constant transfer rate higher than the first and second transfer rates; and

third means for controlling the first and second buffer memories to absorb a difference between the constant transfer rate provided by the head and the first and second transfer rates of the first and second information signals inputted into the first and second buffer memories while keeping a continuity in the time-sharing-based recording between the information-signal recording medium and the first and second buffer memories via the head.

4. An information-signal recording and reproducing apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an interface provided at output sides of the first and second buffer memories for communication and connection with an external.

2. An information-signal recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

first means for rotating an information-signal recording medium having a first area for storing one of first and second information signals, a second area for storing the other of the first and second information signals, and a management area for storing management information representing addresses in the first and second areas;

second means for reproducing one of the first and second information signals from the first area of the information-signal recording medium;

a first buffer memory for temporarily storing the one of the first and second information signals, which has been reproduced from the first area of the information-signal recording medium by the second means, and for outputting the one of the first and second information signals at a first transfer rate;

a second buffer memory for temporarily storing the other of the first and second information signals which is inputted at a second transfer rate;

a head being movable in a radial direction of the information signal recording medium and including the second means, the head being for implementing first action and second action on a time sharing basis, the first action transferring the one of the first and second information signals which has been reproduced from the first area of the information-signal recording medium to the first buffer memory at a constant transfer rate higher than the first and second transfer rates, the second action recording the other of the first and second information signals which has been inputted into the second buffer memory on the second area of the information-signal recording medium at the constant transfer rate; and

third means for controlling the first and second buffer memories to absorb a difference between the constant transfer rate provided by the head and the first and second transfer rates of the first and second information signals outputted from and inputted into the first and second buffer memories while keeping a continuity in the time-sharing based recording and reproduction between the information-signal recording medium and the first and second buffer memories via the head.

5. An information-signal recording and reproducing apparatus as recited in claim 2, further comprising an interface provided at output sides of the first and second buffer memories for communication and connection with an external.

3. An information-signal reproducing apparatus comprising:

first means for rotating a read-only information-signal recording medium having a first area storing a first information signal, a second area storing a second information signal, and a management area storing management information representing addresses in the first and second areas;

second means for reproducing the first information signal from the first area of the read-only information-signal recording medium;

a first buffer memory for temporarily storing the first information signal reproduced by the second means, and for outputting the first information signal at a first transfer rate;

third means for reproducing the second information signal from the second area of the read-only information-signal recording medium;

a second buffer memory for temporarily storing the second information signal reproduced by the third means, and for outputting the second information signal at a second transfer rate;

a head being movable in a radial direction of the read-only information-signal recording medium and including the second means and the third means, the head being for reproducing the first and second information signals from the first and second areas of the read-only information-signal recording medium on a time sharing basis, for transferring the reproduced first and second information signals to the first and second buffer memories on a time sharing basis at a constant transfer rate higher than the first and second transfer rates; and

fourth means for controlling the first and second buffer memories to absorb a difference between the constant transfer rate provided by the head and the first and second transfer rates of the first and second information signals outputted from the first and second buffer memories while keeping a continuity in the time-sharing-based reproduction between the read-only information-signal recording medium and the first and second buffer memories via the head.

6. An information-signal reproducing apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising an interface provided at output sides of the first and second buffer memories for communication and connection with an external.