Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-20
2003-06-10
Neyzari, Ali (Department: 2655)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S030230
Reexamination Certificate
active
06577563
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disk apparatus such as a mini disk (MD), a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD) for converting an analog signal such as an audio signal into a digital signal to perform recording and reproducing to a disk-shaped record medium (disk).
Recently, MD players for converting an analog signal of audio into a digital signal to record it in a magneto-optical disk have rapidly become prevalent as a recording and reproducing apparatus of an audio signal substitute for analog cassette players.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram showing a basic circuit configuration of such MD players.
An output of an optical pickup
3
for detecting information from a magneto-optical disk (hereinafter called “mini disk”)
1
rotated and driven by a spindle motor
2
is introduced to an address decoder
5
, an EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
and a digital servo processor
7
through an RF amplifier
4
, and an output of the address decoder
5
is introduced to the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
. Also, an output of the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
is introduced to a magnetic head
9
for recording through a REC head driver
8
. The EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
performs processing for separating signals of 16 bits with 8 bits to convert the 8 bits into 14 bits according to an error-correcting system by EFM modulation or ACIRC.
Also, the output of the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
is introduced to the digital servo processor
7
, and an output of the digital servo processor
7
is introduced to the spindle motor
2
and a thread motor
11
through a driver
10
. The thread motor
11
is a motor for moving the whole of the optical pickup
3
or the magnetic head
9
for recording in a radial direction of the mini disk
1
.
Also, the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
is bidirectionally connected to a memory controller
12
, and the memory controller
12
is bidirectionally connected to an ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
, and the ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
is bidirectionally connected to an AD/DA converter
14
having an input terminal
15
a
and an output terminal
15
b
of analog audio.
Memory (D-RAM)
17
acting as a data buffer for preventing dropouts due to vibrations is connected to the memory controller
12
. The memory controller
12
performs processing for once storing digital signals reproduced from the mini disk
1
in the D-RAM
17
and then sequentially taking out the digital signals and outputting them to the ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
. Also, the ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
performs data compression or expanding of the compressed data by high efficient encoding processing referred to as ATRAC.
Each of these EFM-ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
, digital servo processor
7
, memory controller
12
and ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
is bidirectionally connected to an MPU
20
for performing operational control of the entire apparatus, and the MPU
20
has a configuration bidirectionally connected to a host CPU
30
which is a key controller. The MPU
20
receives various commands sent from the host CPU
30
and executes each processing according to the received commands.
Incidentally, a sampling rate converter which is connected to the ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
and directly performs digital signals or input and output terminals of the digital signals are omitted in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 2
shows a data record layout of the mini disk
1
. In a recordable MD, a Lead-in area including TOC, a UTOC area, a program area (digital signal recording area), and a Lead-out area are formed from the inner circumferential side toward the outer circumferential side of the disk, and the UTOC area and the program area are set as a recordable area. A laser power necessary in recording, a recordable area, and an address of UTOC are recorded in the TOC area. Also, part information of tracks (music) is recorded in the UTOC area, and each of the part information comprises a starting address and an ending address of the part, a track mode, and a link pointer. The link pointer indicates the starting address of the continuous part. For example, when one track (music) is divided into a part
1
, a part
3
and a part
5
, and is recorded in this order, a link pointer included in part information of the part
1
indicates a starting address of the part
3
, and a link pointer included in part information of the part
3
indicates a starting address of the part
5
.
Next, reproducing operations in the MD player constructed as shown above will be described.
When reproduction is started, the MPU
20
controls the digital servo processor
7
to control rotation of the mini disk
1
and movement of the optical pickup
3
, and reads TOC information and UTOC information (index information) from the mini disk
1
, and preserves this read UTOC information in the D-RAM
17
via the RF amplifier
4
, the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
and the memory controller
12
.
Then, in order to acquire reproducing track information, the MPU
20
controls the memory controller
12
to acquire track pointer information of the UTOC, and acquires part information (hereinafter also called “part descriptor”) of the UTOC corresponding to the acquired track pointer.
Here, when the track to be reproduced is divided into the part
1
, the part
3
and the part
5
as described above, the MPU
20
acquires contents of a part descriptor corresponding to the first part
1
via the memory controller
12
and starts reproduction according to the acquired contents (a starting address, an ending address, a track mode and a link pointer). That is, the MPU
20
controls the digital servo processor
7
to move the optical pickup
3
to a target address (a starting address) and controls the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder to start the reproduction. The reproduced digital signal is amplified by the RF amplifier
4
and decoding processing such as EFM demodulation or error correction processing is performed by the EFM.ACIRC encoder/decoder
6
and then, the signal is once stored in the D-RAM
17
via the memory controller
12
and is again read at proper timing, and expanding of compression data is performed by the ATRAC encoder/decoder
13
and thereafter, the data is converted into an analog signal by the AD/DA converter
14
and is outputted from the analog audio output terminal
15
b.
In this manner, when the reproduction of the part
1
nears the end, the MPU
20
acquires part information to be next reproduced from information of the link pointer included in part information of the part
1
(the link pointer in this case indicates a starting address of the part
3
), and acquires contents of a part descriptor corresponding to the next part
3
from the D-RAM
17
via the memory controller
12
. Then, reproduction is continued according to the acquired contents (a starting address, an ending address, a track mode and a link pointer). In like manner, when the reproduction of the part
3
nears the end, the MPU
20
acquires part information to be next reproduced from information of the link pointer included in part information of the part
3
(the link pointer in this case indicates a starting address of the part
5
), and acquires contents of a part descriptor corresponding to the next part
5
from the D-RAM
17
via the memory controller
12
. Then, reproduction is continued according to the acquired contents (a starting address, an ending address, a track mode and a link pointer). Subsequently, when reproduction is performed to the ending address included in the part information of the part
5
, the reproduction of the track (music) is completed.
In the conventional MD player thus, when operating the reproduction, it is constructed so that the MPU
20
acquires the part information in the UTOC information stored in the D-RAM
17
via the memory controller
12
and controls reproduction operations according to the acquired part information. Also, it is constructed so that the memory controller
12
reproduces the digital signal while continuously repeating the processing for sequentially buffering the digital signal read from the mi
Funai Electric Co. Ltd.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Neyzari Ali
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