Data recording apparatus and system having sustained high transfer rates

• US 7,349,623 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishijima, Hideo, Yamashita, Kazuya, Fujita, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Huy
• Application Number:
  US09/528,491
• Time in Patent Office: 2,930 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/45, 386/33, 386/38, 386/95, 386/125, 386/126, 386/117, 386/120, 358/906, 358/909.1, 348/220.1, 348/231.1, 348/231.2, 360/32, 360/39, 360/40, 360/48, 707/1, 707/204, 707/205, 369/272, 369/273, 369/275.3, 369/280, 369/281
• US Class Current: 386/329
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1251 for continuous data, e.g. digitised analog information signals, pulse code modulated [PCM] data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/001 Controlling recording characteristics of record carriers or transducing characteristics of transducers by means not being part of their structure
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10944 Real-time recording or reproducing, e.g. for ensuring seamless playback of AV data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

According to the invention, techniques for recording data onto recording media at relatively high transfer rates for relatively long periods of time. Embodiments according to the present invention include systems and apparatus capable of an improved sustained rate of data recording onto disk type-recording media, for example. Many embodiments can remove the upper limits of both recording capacity and the number of media that can be used. Select embodiments can be used with different kinds of recording media as well. In a specific embodiment, the area on a hard disk is divided into three areas. A first area can be suitable for sequential recording of continuous data. A second area can be suitable for random recording of discontinuous data. A third area can be used for recording logical sector numbers, coupling logical sector numbers, and file information that are used for marking each of the first and second areas, so that continuous data can be recorded on the hard disk at a high data rate.

Claims

1. A data recording apparatus for recording video data, audio data, or both on a disk-type recording medium, the data recording apparatus comprising:

a data recorder operative to record a first digital file including at least one of audio and video data of at least a specified file size sequentially in a first area of said recording medium, and further operative to record a second digital file including at least one of audio and video data of less than the specified file size randomly in a second area of said recording medium, by copying the at least one of audio and video data from said first area while the at least one of audio and video data is recorded in said first area, the first digital file requiring sequential storage in order to ensure a minimum sustained transfer rate;

wherein each of said first and second areas on said recording medium comprises a plurality of recording blocks; and

wherein said data recorder is operative to record said first digital file in a plurality of physically contiguous sequentially ordered recording blocks in an order of address in said first area and not permit fragmentation or partial erasure of the first digital file in the first area.

2. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said data recorder is further operative to record management information of data recorded in said first area or said second area in a third area of said recording medium.

3. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the areas on said disk type recording medium is divided in the radial direction of said medium; and

said first area is disposed at the outermost portion toward the circumference of said disk type recording medium away from said second area.

4. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said data recorder records data endlessly in said first area.

5. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said apparatus further includes a selecting circuit for arbitrarily selecting a starting position and an ending position of data recorded in said first area; and

a copying circuit for copying data between said selected starting position and said ending position from said first area to said second area.

6. A data recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said copying circuit copies data from said first area to said second area while said data recorder records data in said first area.

7. A data recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said management information comprises numbers of said recording blocks in which said data are recorded.

8. A data recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said apparatus further includes;

a detecting circuit for detecting a fault recording block from said recording medium; and

wherein said data recorder records the number of said fault recording block in said third area and skips said fault recording block when recording said data in said first area.

9. A data recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said apparatus further includes;

a detecting circuit for detecting a fault recording track from among tracks formed in a concentric circle pattern on said disk type recording medium; and

wherein said data recorder records the number of said fault recording track in said third area and skips said fault recording track when recording said data in said first area.

10. A data recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said apparatus further includes;

a buffering circuit for buffering said continuous data; and

a buffer capacity detecting circuit for detecting that data is buffered up to a predetermined capacity in said buffering circuit; and

wherein said data recorder records said data in a plurality of recording blocks disposed on a plurality of said tracks formed in a concentric circle pattern on said disk type recording medium according to a result of detection in said buffering capacity detecting circuit.

11. A data recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the capacity of said buffering circuit is set in tracks on said disk type recording medium.

12. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said apparatus further includes;

means for connecting another additional recording medium to said disk-type recording medium; and

means for setting up said first and/or said second areas on said additional recording medium.

13. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further includes:

means for setting each of said first and second areas to a given size.

14. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said data is digital data obtained by compressing at least one of video and audio signals; and

a frame of video data is recorded at least in not less than one recording block on said recording medium.

15. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said disk type recording medium is a hard disk.

16. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said disk type recording medium is an optical magnetic disk.

17. A data recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said disk type recording medium is a phase-change optical disk.

18. A data recording apparatus for recording video and/or audio data, comprising:

a first disk-type recording medium;

a second disk-type recording medium; and

a controller configured to;

record a first digital file including at least one of audio and video data of at least a specified file size sequentially in a plurality of contiguous sequentially ordered recording blocks continuously arrayed in an order of address in a first area, the first digital file requiring sequential storage in order to ensure a minimum sustained transfer rate, the first area spanning the first disk-type recording medium and the second disk-type recording medium, and

record a second digital file including at least one of audio and video data of less than the specified file size randomly in a second area, the second area included in one or more of the first disk-type recording medium and the second disk-type recording medium;

wherein said controller is configured to not permit fragmentation or partial erasure of the first digital file in the first area.

19. The data recording apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first area comprises one or more cylinders spanning the first disk-type recording medium and the second disk-type recording medium.

20. The data recording apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first disk-type recording medium and the second disk-type recording medium comprise hard disks, optical magnetic disks, or phase-change optical disks.

21. The data recording apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

said data is digital data obtained by compressing video and/or audio signals; and

a frame of video data is recorded in at least one recording block in the first area.

22. The data recording apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the data recorder is further configured to record management information of data recorded in the first area or the second area in a third area, the third area included in the first disk-type recording medium or the second disk-type recording medium.