Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – General processing of a digital signal – Data in specific format
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-18
2003-03-11
Holder, Regina N. (Department: 2651)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
General processing of a digital signal
Data in specific format
Reexamination Certificate
active
06532124
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus and a method thereof suitable for recording instrumental so that a series of data is successively supplied, for example, measured data.
2. Description of the Related Art
A driving device having a detachable cassette tape on which digital data is recorded is connected to a host computer through an interface and is used as an external storing device of a magnetic tape recording/reproducing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as data recorder). As an example of the data recorder, a helical scan type recorder of which digital data is recorded to a cassette tape with a rotating head is known. Such a data recorder is connected to a host computer through an interface unit corresponding to for example SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) standard.
In addition to conventional data exchanged with a computer, such a data recorder handles instrumental data that is obtained by observing and instrumentation devices. Examples of instrumental data are data transmitted from a satellite and distortion data measured at a tunnel with an ultrasonic wave. In devices connected to respective data recorders disposed at several positions, vibrations of an explosion at a particular position are measured by the instrumental devices. Thus, a plurality of sequences of data are obtained. Such data is referred to as instrumental data. The data contains a large amount of noise. Thus, any parts of the data are discarded. In addition, the data is sequentially supplied to each data recorder.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a recording/reproducing system using a data recorder that records and/or reproduces instrumental data. In this example, data is received from a satellite and recorded to the data recorder. A radio wave transmitted from a satellite is received by an antenna
100
. The received signal is supplied to a receiving system
101
and converted into digital data. The received data, which is instrumental data, is supplied from the receiving system
101
to a recording system
102
. The recording system
102
adds particular additional information to the received data. The resultant data is supplied to a data recorder
103
and then recorded on a record tape
104
.
When data is reproduced, the record tape
104
is attached to a data recorder
103
. Instrumental data reproduced by the data recorder
103
′ is supplied to a processing system
105
. The data recorder
103
′ may be the same as the data recorder
103
that is used for recording data. The processing system
105
converts the reproduced instrumental data in a predetermined format. The formatted data is stored as measured data to a storing system
106
that is for example a hard disk. The stored data is analyzed by for example a computer.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the recording system
102
and the data recorder
103
according to a related art reference. The received data supplied from the receiving system
101
to the recording system
102
is temporarily stored to a data buffer
110
. A CPU
111
generates additional information corresponding to the instrumental data, controls the data buffer
110
, controls the recording system
102
, and generates a control command for the data recorder
103
(that will be described later).
After a predetermined amount of data is stored in the data buffer
110
, data is swept out and supplied to an adding device
112
. Likewise, the additional information is supplied from the CPU
111
to the adding device
112
. The adding device
112
functions as a switching mechanism for selecting instrumental data received from the data buffer
110
or additional information received from the CPU
111
and outputs the instrumental data and the additional data with one line. The adding device
112
outputs the instrumental data and the header information as record data. The record data is output from a data connector
113
of the recording system
102
and supplies the record data to a data connector of the data receiver
103
.
On the other hand, the CPU
111
generates a command for controlling the data recorder
103
and outputs the command from a command connector
114
. This command is supplied to a relevant connector (command connector) of the data recorder
103
. The data recorder
103
records the record data of which the instrumental data and the additional information have been combined to the record tape
104
.
FIG. 3
is a schematic diagram showing an example of a record format in which instrumental data is recorded to the record tape
104
. At the beginning of the tape
104
, a lead area is formed for a predetermined length. Instrumental data starts from a point A that is the end of the lead area. The instrumental data is successively recorded to the record tape
104
until the data recorder
103
receives a stop command. The rest of the record tape
104
after the end of the instrumental data (this area is referred to as point B) is an unused area.
FIG. 4
is a flow chart showing an example of the process of the data recorder
103
that records instrumental data according to the related art reference. When the record tape
104
is attached to the data recorder
103
(at step S
100
), the tape
104
is moved to a write point (a point A shown in
FIG. 3
) (at step S
101
). When data is written to the tape
104
on which data has been written, the tape
104
is moved to the point B shown in FIG.
3
.
When the data recorder
103
receives data, the data recorder
103
records the data from the write point (at step S
102
). After the recorder
103
has recorded the data to the tape
104
(at step S
103
), the tape
104
is moved to a header information write point. The tape
104
is manually moved by the user. For example, the header information write point is set adjacent to the data write end point. At step S
105
, the header information is written after the header information write point.
After the header information has been written to the tape
104
, if there is next data (at step S
107
), the flow returns to step S
101
. At step S
101
, the tape
104
is manually moved. Thereafter, the next data and header information thereof are written to the tape
104
. In such a manner, instrumental data and header information are paired. After data has been measured and all data has been written, the tape
104
is rewound to the top thereof (at step S
108
). Thereafter, the tape
104
is detached (at step S
109
).
FIG. 5
is a schematic diagram showing the format of the tape
104
in which instrumental data and additional information have been recorded in the above-described manner. Conventionally, pairs of additional information (header information) and instrumental data are successively recorded on the tape
104
.
Header information is for example time information and position information corresponding to measured data. Thus, the header information varies time by time. For example, when data is received from a satellite, the data is measured when the satellite comes to a receivable range. After data is recorded for a predetermined time period (for example 10 minutes), the satellite leaves the receivable range. Thus, the measuring operation and the recording operation are stopped. Thereafter, header information of measured date and time is recorded. When the satellite comes to the receivable range next day, data is measured and recorded. Header information corresponding to the data is recorded in the same manner. The data write point and the header information write point of each session (for example, tape position information) should be recorded in a proper means like memo.
FIG. 6
is a flow chart showing an example of the process of the data recorder
103
′ (or
103
) that reproduces the above-described data from the record tape
104
. When the record tape
104
is attached to the data recorder
103
′ (at step S
200
), the tape
104
is moved to the header information read-out point (at step S
201
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Holder Regina N.
Savit Glenn F.
Sony Corporation
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