Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Addressing combined with specific memory configuration or... – Dynamic-type storage device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-03
2001-11-27
Nguyen, Than (Department: 2187)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Addressing combined with specific memory configuration or...
Dynamic-type storage device
C711S001000, C711S004000, C711S112000, C711S154000, C360S048000, C360S032000, C360S071000, C360S039000, C360S072100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324618
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to digital signal recording methods and disk reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to such method and device for recording a digital signal in the form of a data block on a disk and adapted to be accessed by a host computer and for reproducing the digital signal from the disk.
Conventionally, a CD-ROM (CD-Read Only Memory) is named as a disk on which digital signals are recorded in units of a data block of this type. Like the techniques described in “Nikkei Byte” September 1994, p. 146, in the CD-ROM, data blocks composed of effective data and its block address are recorded outward in order from the innermost track on the recording surface of the disk. When such disk on which such data is recorded, using the above technique, is accessed and reproduced in accordance with a command from the host computer, a start block address and a transfer block length are designated along with the access command, and a desired data block is accessed and reproduced in accordance with such command and data.
Recently, disks each composed of two subdisks stuck to each other whose recording surfaces are readable from one side, disks having an upper and a lower recording surface whose recording surfaces are readable from one side, and disks each composed of two stuck sets of upper and lower recording surfaces which are readable from one side have been standardized. Refer to for example, the headline “Confidence in Unique Standards of DVDS”,
Nikkei Sangyo Shinbun,
Feb. 24, 1995, and the headline “Second Stage of Struggle for DVD Standards”,
Nihon Keizai Shinbun,
Apr. 20, 1995.
When a digital signal is recorded, using the above-mentioned technique, on any of those disks having a plurality of recording surfaces, the host computer is only recognized as disks independent for the respective recording surfaces. In order to enable all the recording surfaces to be accessed, the interface via which data is sent/received to/from the host computer is required to be changed, and hence the conventional interface as it is cannot be used.
The above-mentioned techniques have the problem that each time a recording surface to be reproduced is changed to read the innermost lead-in area before access and reproduction, it takes much time to resume the access.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a digital signal recording method and a disk reproducing apparatus which are capable of accessing at high speed all the recording surfaces present in the disk and reproducing a digital signal, using the existing interface as it is.
In order to solve the above problem, in the digital signal recording method according to the present invention, a data frame is constructed which includes n (which is a natural number) data blocks (or data block each containing a synchronization signal) recordable on a first and a second digital signal recording surface present on a disk and readable from one side of the disk, each data block being composed of a synchronization (sync) signal indicative of the boundary between the two data blocks, a block address indicative of the address of a data block on the recording medium, and data.
Further provided to the head of the data frame is a lead-in block of the same type as the data block and including information composed of the range of block addresses recorded on each of the recording surfaces of the disk, the configuration of the data frame, and a flag to identify the method of reproducing those data. The lead-in block and the data blocks of block addresses 1 to m (where m is smaller than a natural number n) of the data frame are recorded on the first recording surfaces of the disk and data blocks of block addresses (m+1) to n are recorded on the second recording surface. The disk has a multilayered structure with the corresponding recording surfaces. The first to m-th data blocks are arranged outward from the innermost track on the first recording surface and the (m+1)th to n-th data blocks are arranged inward from the outermost track on the second recording surface so as to enable data blocks to be traced continuously.
The reproducing apparatus comprises means for processing a digital signal in a predetermined format recorded on the disk, means for sending/receiving commands and data to/from a host computer, means for controlling the whole device in accordance with a command obtained by the sending/receiving means, means for moving a signal pickup to a desired position on the disk, means for controlling the focus of the pickup and for accessing the recording surfaces selectively, means for controlling the rotational speed of a disk motor, means for detecting and recognizing the range of block addresses recorded on a respective one of the recording surfaces of the disk contained in the information in the lead-in block, the configuration of a data frame to be recorded and a flag to identify a method of reproducing such data, means for detecting the block address of a reproduced data block, means for calculating a block address in which the reproduction ends in accordance with a command from the host computer, and means for generating a command which controls the access to the disk and reproduction of a signal from the disk in accordance with the information obtained by the detection and recognition of the flag, the detected block address and the result of the calculation.
According to such structure, since consecutive block addresses are allocated to the respective data blocks recorded on all the recording surfaces of the disk, all the recording surfaces of the disk are accessed and reproduced at high speed by using the conventional interface.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Hirabayashi Masayuki
Hirayama Hiroshi
Kawamae Osamu
Nagai Yutaka
Takeuchi Toshifumi
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Hitachi , Ltd.
Nguyen Than
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