Disk apparatus capable of continuous display of data using a single recording head

• US 6,772,284 B2
• Filed: 03/18/1998
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi, Woo H.
• Application Number:
  US09/040,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20010042165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 711/4, 711/110, 711/111, 711/112, 711/113, 386/124, 386/125, 386/126, 386/4, 386/52, 386/54, 386/55, 386/56, 360/32, 360/78.07, 360/98.01, 345/328, 345/723, 345/724, 345/725, 345/726, 707/500.1, 369/47.32, 369/47.33, 369/30, 369/34
• US Class Current: 711/113
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• 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 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• 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: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A disk apparatus for reproducing in a preliminary determined order digital video data recorded in a plurality of areas of an optical disk at different positions with respect to the radial position of the optical disk in a reproduction mode by an optical head. The reproduced video data is stored in a buffer memory and encoded by an MPEG decoder. The amount of digital video data corresponding to the access time for accessing the recording areas of the optical disk are reproduced from the optical disk at a speed higher than the bit rate at which the video data is input or output and stored in the buffer memory. The digital video data are continuously read out and reproduced from the buffer memory when the optical head is in the recording areas and accesses between the recording areas.

Claims

1. A disk apparatus using a recording disk and connected to an input/output device, comprising;

a recording and reproducing head which records and reproduces digital data on and from the recording disk, the digital data being recorded on a plurality of recording areas of the recording disk at different positions with respect to a radial direction of the recording disk;

a dual port buffer memory that includes at least a first input to receive the digital data at a first bit rate, a second input to receive the digital data at a second bit rate, and a first output to provide digital data stored therein at a third hit rate, and a second output to provide digital data stored therein at a forth rate, said buffer memory configured to temporarily store the digital data reproduced by the recording and reproducing head to compensate for differences at least between the first and third bit rates, wherein the buffer memory has a memory capacity based on a bit rate of the digital data, a maximum access time required for moving the recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of the recording disk to an outermost periphery plus a time required for rotating the recording disk by one rotation, and at least one seeking retrial; and

a controller coupled to said recording and reproducing head and said buffer memory, wherein said controller operates to control said recording and reproducing head and said buffer memory to;

selectively reproduce digital data for a time more than an access time to access said plurality of recording areas of the recording disk at the second bit rate and store the digital data in said buffer memory,

selectively record digital data from said buffer memory to said plurality of recording areas at the third bit rate,

continuously reproduce digital data recorded in a plurality of areas in different position with respect to the radial direction, including reproducing uninterrupted digital data anticipated to be edited before the digital data reproduced by the recording and reproducing head is edited, and

continuously record said continuously reproduced digital data in the same area of the disk.

2. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller stores digital data reproduced from the recording disk in the buffer memory, the digital data having an amount of data corresponding to at least an access time required for accessing the plurality of areas at a rate higher that a bit rate at which the data is input to or output from the input/output device.

3. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the buffer memory to continuously output the digital data stored therein to the input/output device when the recording and reproducing head is positioned near the plurality of areas and during the accessing.

4. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording and reproducing head selectively records and reproduces digital data on and from a plurality of recording disks.

5. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer memory has a memory capacity of A*S bits, where a bit rate of the digital data is A, and a maximum access time to the recording disk which is a seeking time required for moving the recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of the recording disk to an outermost periphery plus time for rotating the recording disk by one rotation is S.

6. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer memory has a memory capacity of A*S*(N+1) bits, where a bit rate of the digital data is A, a maximum access time to the recording disk which is a seeking time for moving the recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of the recording disk to an outermost periphery plus time for rotating the recording disk by one rotation is S, and a number of the seeking retrials is N where N is greater than O.

7. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer memory has a memory capacity of A*S bits, where the sum of the maximum time for replacing the recording disk and a maximum access time to the recording disk which is a seeking time required for moving the recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of the recording disk to an outermost periphery plus a time required for rotating the recording disk by one rotation is S, and a bit rate of the digital data is A.

8. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buffer memory has a memory capacity of A*Si*(N1+1)+A*S2*(N2+1) bits, where a maximum time for replacing the recording disk is Si, the number of the retrials at the time of an unsuccessful replacement of the recording disk is Ni where Ni is greater than O, a maximum access time to the recording disk which is a seeking time required for moving the recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of the recording disk to an outermost periphery plus a time required for rotating the recording disk by one rotation is S2, a number of the retrials at the time of an unsuccessful seeking is N2 where N2 is greater than O, and a bit rate of the digital data is A.