DISK APPARATUS CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUS DISPLAY OF DATA USING A SINGLE RECORDING HEAD

• US 20010042165A1
• Filed: 03/18/1998
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IKEDA, KENICHI
• Granted Patent: US 6,772,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/112
• 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 preliminarily 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 comprising:

a data input and output section for inputting and outputting data at a first bit rate;

a recording and reproducing section for selectively recording and reproducing the data in and from a disk-like recording medium at a second bit rate higher than the first bit rate;

a buffer memory coupled between the data input and output section and said recording and reproducing section for temporarily storing said data for compensating the bit rate difference between said data input and output section and said recording and reproduction section; and

a control section for controlling said recording and reproducing section to successively reproduce in a predetermined order data stored in a plurality of areas in said recording medium at different positions with respect to a radial direction of said recording medium, said control section controlling said recording and reproducing section and said buffer memory to reproduce digital data for a time more than an access time to access said plurality of areas from said recording medium at the second bit rate in said data input and output section and store such data in said buffer memory, and continuously read out the data stored in said buffer memory to said input and output section during the reproduction operation and said access time of said recording and reproducing section.

2. The disk apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said control section controls said recording and reproducing section and said buffer memory to stop the reproduction of the data at said recording and reproducing section when the data are stored in the buffer memory to the memory capacity, but continuously reads out the data from said buffer memory to said input and output section.

3. The disk apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said continuous data input and output section comprises an analog input section for inputting analog data, an encoder for analog-to-digital converting and data-compressing the analog data to obtain compressed digital data, and a decoder for decoding the data read out from said buffer memory.

4. The disk apparatus according to

claim 3

, further comprising a monitor for indicating the continuous data decoded by the decoder.

5. The disk apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said recording and reproducing section has an optical head for recording the data read out from said buffer memory in the recording medium and reproducing the data recorded in said recording medium.

6. A disk apparatus comprising:

a recording and reproducing head for selectively recording and reproducing digital data in a disk-like recording medium;

a buffer memory for temporarily storing said digital data reproduced by said recording and reproducing head; and

a controller coupled to the recording and reproducing head and to the buffer memory for controlling said recording and reproducing head to successively reproduce in a predetermined order the digital data recorded in a plurality of areas of said recording medium at different positions with respect to a radial direction of said recording medium,

wherein said controller controls said recording and reproducing head so that an amount of digital data corresponding to at least an access time for accessing said plurality of areas are reproduced at a speed higher than a bit rate at which the data is input to or output from an external input/output section and stored in said buffer memory, and the digital data stored in said buffer memory are continuously read out to said external input/output section when said recording and reproducing head is within said areas and during said access time.

7. The disk apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said buffer memory has a memory capacity of A * S bits or more, where the bit rate of said digital data is A and the maximum access time to said recording medium which is seeking time for moving said recording and reproducing head from the innermost periphery of said recording medium to the outermost periphery plus time for rotating said recording medium by one rotation is S.

8. The disk apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said buffer memory has a memory capacity of A * S * (N+1) bits or more, where the bit rate of said digital data is A (bps), the maximum access time to the recording medium which is a seeking time for moving said recording and reproducing head from the innermost periphery of said recording medium to the outermost periphery plus time for rotating said recording medium by one rotation is S second, and the number of the seeking retrials is N.

9. The disk apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said buffer memory has a function of automatically changing said recording medium, and a memory capacity of A * S bits or more, where the sum of the maximum time for replacing said recording medium and said maximum access time to said recording medium which is a seeking time for moving a recording and reproducing head from the innermost periphery of said recording medium to the outermost periphery plus time for rotating said recording medium by one rotation is S second, and the bit rate of said digital data is A (bps).

10. The disk apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said buffer memory has a function of automatically changing said recording medium, and a memory capacity of A * S1 * (N1+1)+A * S2 * (N2+1) bits or more, where the maximum time for replacing said recording medium is S1 second, the number of the retrials at the time of an unsuccessful replacement of said recording medium is N1, the maximum access time to said recording medium which is seeking time for moving said recording and reproducing head from the innermost periphery of said recording medium to the outermost periphery plus time for rotating the recording medium by one rotation is S2 second, the number of the retrials at the time of an unsuccessful seeking is N2, and the bit rate of said digital data is A (bps).

11. The disk apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said control section controls said recording and reproducing head and said buffer memory to record at the time of editing in an optional area among the plurality of areas in different radius positions of the recording medium data that is representative of digital data anticipated to be the reproduced data after editing, the anticipated digital data being continuously reproduced before editing.

12. The disk apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said recording and reproducing head records and reproduces video data as the continuous data in and from said recording medium.

13. A disk apparatus comprising:

a buffer memory having a first input for receiving data at a first bit rate, having a second input for receiving data at a second bit rate, having a first output for providing data stored therein at a third bit rate and having a second output for providing data stored therein at a fourth data rate, the buffer memory temporarily storing data therein to compensate both for the difference of the first and third bit rates and for the difference of the second and fourth bit rates;

a recording and reproducing head coupled to said second input and said first output of said buffer memory and selectively movable relative to a disk-shaped recording medium to different positions in a radial direction of said recording medium for accessing said recording medium and for selectively recording data at the third bit rate on said recording medium and reproducing data at the second bit rate from said recording medium;

a controller coupled to the buffer memory and the recording and reproducing head for controlling said recording and reproducing head to successively move to selected ones of a plurality of areas in said recording medium at said different positions of said recording medium, said controller controlling said recording and reproducing head to record data from said buffer memory on said recording medium and apply data reproduced from the recording medium to the buffer memory, and controlling said buffer memory to continuously read out the data stored therein during the reproduction and accessing operation of the recording and reproducing head.

14. The disk apparatus according to

claim 13

, wherein the third bit rate is faster than the first bit rate, and the second bit rate is faster than the fourth bit rate.

15. The disk apparatus of

claim 14

, wherein the third and second bit rates are at least twice as fast as the first and second bit rates, respectively.

16. The disk apparatus according to

claim 13

, wherein said controller controls said recording and reproducing head and said buffer memory to stop reproducing the data by said recording and reproducing head when the continuous data are stored in the buffer memory to a portion of the memory capacity of the buffer memory, and to continuously read out the continuous data from said buffer memory.

17. A disk apparatus for recording and reproducing data on a recording medium, the recording medium having a plurality of areas thereon at different positions in a radial direction of the recording medium, the disk apparatus comprising:

a recording and reproducing head for selectively recording and reproducing digital data in the recording medium and selectively moveable to access for recording and reproducing data from the plurality of areas of the recording medium;

a buffer memory coupled to the recording and reproducing head for temporarily storing said digital data reproduced by said recording and reproducing head or received from an external source; and

a controller coupled to the recording and reproducing head and to the buffer memory for controlling said recording and reproducing head to selectively move for successively reproducing in a predetermined order the digital data recorded in the plurality of areas of said recording medium having an amount of digital data corresponding to at least an access time for accessing said plurality of areas at a speed higher than a bit rate at which the data is input to or output from an external device and stored in said buffer memory, and for controlling the buffer memory to continuously output the digital data stored therein to the external device when said recording and reproducing head is positioned near said areas and during said accessing.

18. The disk apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein said buffer memory has a memory capacity determined by the bit rate of said digital data and the access time of moving the recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of said recording medium to an outermost periphery plus the time for rotating said recording medium by one rotation.

19. The disk apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein said buffer memory has a memory capacity determined by the bit rate of said digital data, the maximum access time for moving said recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of said recording medium to an outermost periphery plus a time for rotating said recording medium by one rotation, and the number of the seeking retrials.

20. The disk apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein the disk apparatus is capable of automatically changing said recording medium, and the buffer memory has a memory capacity of at least A * S bits, where the sum of the maximum time for replacing said recording medium and said maximum access time to said recording medium which is a seeking time for moving a recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of said recording medium to an outermost periphery plus time for rotating said recording medium by one rotation is S second, and the bit rate of said digital data is A (bps).

21. The disk apparatus according to

claim 20

, wherein said buffer memory has a memory capacity of A * S1 * (N1+1)+A * S2 * (N2+1) bits or more, where the maximum time for replacing said recording medium is S1 second, the number of the retrials at the time of an unsuccessful replacement of said recording medium is N1, the maximum access time to said recording medium which is seeking time for moving said recording and reproducing head from an innermost periphery of said recording medium to an outermost periphery plus a time for rotating the recording medium by one rotation is S2 second, the number of the retrials at the time of an unsuccessful seeking is N2, and the bit rate of said digital data is A (bps).

22. The disk apparatus according to

claim 17

, wherein said control section controls said recording and reproducing head and said buffer memory so that selected digital data that is anticipated to be post-edited reproduced continuous data are continuously reproduced before editing and, at the time of editing, the selected digital data is recorded in a selected area among the plurality of areas in different radius positions of the recording medium as one digital data.

23. A disk apparatus for reproducing data from a storage medium, the storage medium having a plurality of areas thereon at different positions in a radial direction of the storage medium, the disk apparatus comprising:

a reproducing head for selectively reproducing digital data from the storage medium and selectively moveable for accessing the plurality of areas of the storage medium for reproducing the digital data from the accessed area;

a buffer memory coupled to the reproducing head for temporarily storing said digital data reproduced by said reproducing head; and

a controller coupled to the reproducing head and to the buffer memory for controlling said reproducing head to selectively move for successively reproducing in a selected order the digital data recorded in the plurality of areas of said storage medium having an amount of digital data corresponding to at least an access time for accessing said plurality of areas at a speed higher than a bit rate at which the continuous data is provided to an external device and stored in said buffer memory, and for controlling the buffer memory to continuously output the digital data stored therein to the external device when said reproducing head is positioned near said areas and during said accessing.

24. An apparatus for recording data on a recording medium, the recording medium having a plurality of areas thereon at different positions in a radial direction of the recording medium, the disk apparatus comprising:

a buffer memory for temporarily storing data received from an external source for recording on the recording medium; and

a recording head coupled to the buffer memory for selectively recording the data in the recording medium and selectively moveable to access the plurality of areas of the recording medium for recording the data;

a controller coupled to the recording head and to the buffer memory for controlling said recording head to selectively move for successively recording in a selected order the data in the plurality of areas of said recording medium having an amount of data corresponding to at least an access time for accessing said plurality of areas at a speed higher than a bit rate at which the data is received from the external source and stored in said buffer memory, and for controlling the buffer memory to output the data stored therein to the recording head when said recording head is positioned near said areas.

25. A disk apparatus comprising:

a buffer memory having a first input for receiving data at a first bit rate, having a second input for receiving data at a second bit rate from an external recording and reproducing head, having a first output for providing data stored therein at a third bit rate to the external recording and reproducing head and having a second output for providing data stored therein at a fourth data rate, the buffer memory temporarily storing data therein to compensate between the difference of the first and third bit rates and the difference of the second and fourth bit rates; and

a controller coupled to the buffer memory and having an output for providing a control signal to said external recording and reproducing head to successively move said external recording and reproducing head to selected ones of a plurality of areas in a recording medium at different positions in a radial direction of said recording medium for accessing said recording medium and for selectively recording data from the buffer memory at the third bit rate on said recording medium and reproducing data at the second bit rate from said recording medium for application to the buffer memory, and controlling said buffer memory to continuously read out the data stored therein during the reproduction and accessing operation of the recording and reproducing head.