Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – General processing of a digital signal – Data verification
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2001-05-08
Kim, W. Chris (Department: 2753)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
General processing of a digital signal
Data verification
C360S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06229661
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a digital data recording and reproducing apparatus and digital data reproducing apparatus for recording digital data that is supplied continuously in the time axis and includes many noises to a magnetic tape and reproducing the digital data from the magnetic tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a data recorder) including as one element a driving apparatus in which a cassette tape on which digital data is recorded can be loaded and being connected to a host computer via an interface, so that the driving apparatus is used as an external storing device of computer. One of the data recorders, a data recorder of a helical scan type for recording digital data onto a cassette tape by rotary heads has been known.
Such a data recorder is connected to a host computer via an interface unit by an interface of, for example, the SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) standard. Since the interface unit is recognized as a data recorder by the host computer, it has a function (called a formatter) for making file format onto the tape and performing a transmission and a reception of the data thereon. A buffer memory to temporarily hold data that is transferred between the host computer and the data recorder is provided in the interface unit.
When signal processes such as recording and reproduction of data are performed and errors which cannot be corrected (uncorrected error) are generated, by using the data temporarily stored in the buffer memory, a re-recording/re-reproduction (write retry/read retry) can be performed to the magnetic tape. As such a method, for example, when the data is read out from the buffer memory and is recorded onto the tape on a buffer unit basis, the write retry is performed in a portion (including a unrecorded area) that has been progressed from an area which could not be recorded toward an end direction of the tape and corresponds to a portion other than a data area to be recorded. Upon reproduction, the read retry is performed from an area which could not be reproduced.
In such a data recorder, besides the ordinary data that is transferred between the data recorder and the computer as mentioned above, data which is obtained by an observation, a measurement, and the like is handled. For example, there are data that is transmitted from a satellite, distortion measurement data which is obtained by measuring by using an ultrasonic wave in a tunnel, and the like. Such data is called instrumental data. The instrumental data includes much noises and at the time of actual use, a large amount of data to be abandoned is generated. The instrumental data is continuously supplied to the data recorder because of a nature of the data.
In the data recorder, to certainly write data onto a magnetic tape, upon recording, the data written on the magnetic tape is read just after the recording and an error check is performed. If the data is not correctly written as a result of the error check, the write retrying process is performed as mentioned above.
However, in case of handling the instrumental data, even if a large amount of data which contains a lot of noise and is actually abandoned is generated, since each data is essential, it is necessary to write the data continuously in the time axis in association with supplying the data in the time axis. As the result, there is a problem such that the execution of the write retrying process is unpreferable.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a digital data recording and reproducing apparatus and digital data reproducing apparatus suitable for handling instrumental data.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a digital data recording and reproducing apparatus for recording or reproducing inputted digital data, comprising:
a memory to temporarily store said inputted digital data;
recording processing means for performing an encoding for error correction to the digital data read out from said memory and recording the encoded digital data onto a recording medium;
reproduction processing means for reproducing said encoded signal recorded on said recording medium and performing a decoding of said error correction;
confirming means for, when recording a signal onto said recording medium, instantaneously reproducing the recorded signal and confirming an error state of the signal recorded on said recording medium;
drive control means for controlling a driving of said recording medium; and
a system controller for controlling said memory, said recording processing means, said reproduction processing means, said confirming means, and said drive control means so that the signal is recorded onto or reproduced from said recording medium in response to a control signal that is selected,
wherein said apparatus further comprises:
retry means for controlling said memory, said recording processing means, and said drive control means when the signal is recorded onto said recording medium in a manner such that the digital data which had been stored in said memory and has already been read out for recording from said memory is again read out and is again recorded onto said recording medium by said recording processing means in accordance with a confirmation result of said confirming means and for controlling said reproduction processing means and said drive control means when the signal is reproduced from said recording medium in a manner such that an area on said recording medium which has already been reproduced is again reproduced in accordance with a result of said error correction by said reproduction processing means;
mode selecting means for selecting a first processing mode and a second processing mode in accordance with a kind of said inputted digital data or said digital data which is reproduced from said recording medium; and
retry processing control means for controlling on the basis of a selection result of said mode selecting means in a manner such that a retrying process by said retry means is executed in case of said first processing mode and the retrying process by said retry means is not performed in case of the second processing mode.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a digital data reproducing apparatus for reproducing a signal recorded on a recording medium, comprising:
reproduction processing means for reproducing an error correction encoded signal recorded on said recording medium and performing a decoding of said error correction;
drive control means for controlling a driving of said recording medium; and
a system controller for controlling said reproduction processing means and said drive control means so as to reproduce the signal from said recording medium in response to a control signal that is selected,
wherein said apparatus further comprises:
retry means for controlling said reproduction processing means and said drive control means when the signal is reproduced from said recording medium in a manner such that an area on said recording medium which has already been reproduced is again reproduced in accordance with a result of said error correction of said reproduction processing means;
mode selecting means for selecting either a first processing mode or a second processing mode in accordance with a kind of digital data that is reproduced from said recording medium; and
retrying process control means for controlling on the basis of a selection result of said mode selecting means in a manner such that a retrying process by said retry means is executed in case of said first processing mode and the retrying process by said retry means is not performed in case of said second processing mode.
As mentioned above, according to the invention, whether the mode is the mode in which the instrumental data is handled or the mode in which the ordinary data is handled is selected by the mode selecting means. When it is decided that the ordinary data is handled on
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Kim W. Chris
Neal Regina Y.
Sony Corporation
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