Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Storage accessing and control – Specific memory composition
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-26
2001-08-14
Nguyen, Than (Department: 2187)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Storage accessing and control
Specific memory composition
C711S111000, C711S154000, C711S156000, C710S052000, C710S057000, C710S060000, C709S232000, C709S233000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06275896
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data transfer apparatus for performing fast data transfer between a first storage medium such as a hard disk and a second storage medium and a method of the same and to a data input and output controlling apparatus and a method of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, hard disks, which are non-linear access storage media, have spread in use in place of magnetic tape as the media for storing audio and/or video signals etc. This is because hard disk drives enable fast access and fast transfer of data.
In “jog-shuttling” and other fast reproduction modes of video tape recorders etc., since data is reproduced only at certain intervals, the amount of the data transferred is the same as that during standard speed reproduction. “Fast transfer”, on the other hand, is a function for transferring the same data as that of the standard speed reproduction at a faster rate. In the case of double speed transfer, twice the amount of data compared with that of the standard speed transfer is transferred per unit time. In this fast transfer, it is important to be able to copy the data at a high speed.
With hard disks, however, the access speed differs according to where on the disk the data is stored. Further, with hard disks, there are two types of error: recoverable error, where the stored data can be read by accessing the same location several times, and unrecoverable error, where the stored data cannot be read even by accessing the location several times. Further the time for transferring the data sometimes changes due to rotation waiting time, temperature compensation, etc.
Therefore in the related art, when for example transferring audio and/or video data between hard disks, the data transfer rate was set to the slowest expected transfer rate so as to enable fluctuations in the data transfer rate of the hard disk drive to be suitably absorbed by a limited storage capacity buffer memory. That is, the fluctuations of the transfer rate were only temporarily absorbed by the buffer memory based on the storage capacity of the buffer memory, so that it was necessary to set the rate of transfer to the hard disks somewhat slower than the actual performance of the hard disk drive so as not to overload the buffer memory.
Since, as described above, the data transfer rate between hard disks was set slower than the actual performance of the hard disk drive, it was necessary to use a hard disk drive offering a higher transfer rate than required in order to achieve the required transfer rate. This complicated the apparatus and made it more expensive.
A similar problem occurs when transferring data between magnetic tape and a hard disk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a data transfer apparatus and a method of the same and a data input and output controlling apparatus and a method of the same which enable fast data transfer to or from a hard disk, for example, fast data transfer between two hard disks or between a magnetic tape and a hard disk, by an inexpensive and simple configuration.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transfer apparatus for transferring data between a first storage medium and a second storage medium capable of non-linear access, comprising a temporary storing means for temporarily storing at least one of data reproduced from the first storage medium and data reproduced from the second storage medium; a storage state monitoring means for monitoring the state of storage of the temporary storing means; and a transfer rate controlling means for controlling a transfer rate of at least one of the data reproduced from the first storage medium and the data reproduced from the second storage medium based on a signal indicating the state of storage input from the storage state monitoring means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transfer method for transferring data between a first storage medium and a second storage medium capable of non-linear access, comprising a first step of temporarily storing in a temporary storing means at least one of data reproduced from the first storage medium and data reproduced from the second storage medium; a second step of monitoring the state of storage of the data stored in the first step; and a third step of controlling a transfer rate of at least one of the data reproduced from the first storage medium and the data reproduced from the second storage medium according to the state of storage of the temporary storing means monitored in the second step.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data input and output controlling apparatus for controlling the output and input of a temporary storing means which temporarily stores at least one of data reproduced from a first storage medium and data reproduced from a second storage medium, comprising a storage state monitoring means for monitoring the state of storage of the temporary storing means and a data input and output controlling means for controlling the output and input of at least one of the data reproduced from the first storage medium and the data reproduced from the second storage medium with respect to the temporary storing means based on a signal indicating the state of storage input from the storage state monitoring means.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data input and output controlling method for controlling the output and input of a temporary storing means which temporarily stores at least one of data reproduced from a first storage medium and data reproduced from a second storage medium, comprising a first step of monitoring the state of storage of the temporary storing means and a second step of controlling the output and input of at least one of the data reproduced from the first storage medium and the data reproduced from the second storage medium with respect to the temporary storing means based on the state of storage of the temporary storing means of the first step.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5301351 (1994-04-01), Jippo
patent: 5513326 (1996-04-01), Nute
patent: 5771356 (1998-06-01), Leger et al.
patent: 5905711 (1999-05-01), Chiussi et al.
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Nguyen Than
Savit Glenn F.
Sony Corporation
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