JP2718020B2 - Information sending device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information transmitting apparatus that reproduces continuous information by reproducing a large amount of stored recording media such as tapes or disks according to an information reproduction request. Conventional configuration and its problems Conventionally, a digital data storage device MSS (mass storage system) developed by IBM Corporation in the United States is known as a device for reproducing a large amount of stored information in response to an information reproduction request and reproducing the information. Had been. However, since this system has a structure in which a recording medium is transported from a storage shelf to a playback device, it takes several seconds to several tens of seconds until playback. The time of several seconds to several tens of seconds is a very long waiting time in some cases, and was also a major factor affecting the evaluation of the system. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an information transmitting apparatus capable of transmitting information to an information requester as quickly as possible and reducing a waiting time. Configuration of the Invention The information transmitting apparatus of the present invention can be used as a stocker or the like in which a robot autochanger selects a recording medium desired by a service requester from a group of recording media such as disks or tapes stored in advance. The remaining information is stored in a storage device having a long access time, and the remaining information excluding the divided information at the beginning obtained by dividing a plurality of pieces of information or each of these pieces of information in advance is stored. The division information of the unit is stored in a single disk device or the like having a short access time among the storage devices, and a reproduction output is taken out from the storage device or the like such as a single disk having a short access time to control the plurality of information. A signal switching device for switching the reproduction output of a group of storage devices, which is obtained by dividing a plurality of continuous program (program) information in advance, The unit is stored in one of the storage devices having a short access time. When there is a service request for one of the information stored at this time, the storage device control means and the signal switching device first request a program (program) from a storage device having a short access time.
After the beginning of the information is reproduced, after the beginning of the information is reproduced, the information is transmitted in a procedure of reproducing the next part of the program (program) information from the storage device having the next largest access time. According to such a configuration, the retrieval and transport time of the recording medium that occurs from the time when the recording medium desired by the service requester is taken out from a large amount of recording media stored in advance in the storage device having a long access time, mounted, and reproduced. Alternatively, a head of information corresponding to a recording medium requested during a waiting time such as a startup time of a storage device having a long access time is transmitted from a storage device having a short access time, and a storage device having a long access time is transmitted. Since the reproduction signal is switched after the preparation for transmitting the information is completed, the substantial waiting time can be reduced. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
Is a storage rack for the optical video disk, and 2 is a robot for taking out the optical video disk in the storage rack 1. The optical video disk taken out by the robot 2 is mounted on the disk reproducing devices 3 and 4. This storage shelf 1 holds 128 video discs, and each video disc has 15
Suppose there are two movies for a minute. Reference numerals 5 and 6 denote other disk reproducing devices, which wait for a request while constantly rotating a disk in which the first 5 seconds of all movies on the disk in the storage shelf 1 have been edited into one. 7, 8 are video terminal display devices. When the service requester inputs a number from the keyboard, the control computer 9 controls each of the devices 2 to 8 via the control lines 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 according to this request. A video playback signal of a 15-minute movie is input to the switch box 20 via output cables 18 and 19, and a video playback signal at the beginning of the movie is similarly input to the switch box 20 via cables 21 and 22. This output is input to video terminal display devices 7, 8 via cables 23, 24. In such a system, when the service requester first inputs the number of the movie to be viewed from the keyboard attached to the terminal display devices 7, 8, the control computer 9 gives an instruction to the robot 2, and the playback devices 3, 4 Transports a perfect disk. Meanwhile, the playback devices 5 and 6, simultaneously instructed by the control computer 9, access the requested movie and access the terminal display device 7,
Display starts at 8. Thereafter, after the preparation of the playback devices 3 and 4 is completed, the signal is switched by the switch box 20 according to the instruction of the control computer 9, and the requester can continue watching the movie without being aware of unnaturalness. Therefore,
In this embodiment, the waiting time can be basically reduced. When the number of stored media becomes very large, it takes a long time to add just the beginning, so in that case, prepare a number of disc playback devices and prepare a disc with the beginning divided This can greatly extend the waiting time that a single disc can service by presenting and servicing still images in a sliding manner. For example, if a still image is presented together with characters every five seconds, one minute can be held by 12 images. This translates to more than 4,000 programs at the beginning of a single 30cm optical disc. Similarly, a digital audio signal in which the amount of information has been compressed is also recorded on the disk at every other track, and while this is read out, the disk data is stored in the memory, demodulated, and presented during the next track. Can be presented. The playback device can also be used for both recording and playback. In this case, it is possible to increase the number of programs by adding additional information to the disk containing the information such as the number of programs. These controls can all be controlled simultaneously by the computer 9 for the reproducing devices 5 and 6.
Further, in order to prevent the above-mentioned simultaneous recording of a large number of video signals simultaneously or to prevent synchronization disturbance at the time of switching between the beginning and the second half of the video signal, a video parallel synchronous operation device is added to each video playback device or recording / playback device. Is also considered,
In this case, especially under the control of the computer 9, it is possible to completely prevent the discontinuity or disturbance of the image or the sound. In addition, by providing the disk playback devices 5 and 6 with their own control search devices, it is possible to add a function of requesting a title or viewing only an outline, in addition to the control of the computer 9. The present invention can be applied to general continuous information, for example, statistical values. However, the switching time is not always fixed, and an address signal detector of a disk is added and sent to the computer 9 to be used. (For example, a delay in a service operation due to a simultaneous service request from a large number of requesters), the switching time point or the service content can be changed. At the time of this switching, in addition to the address signal detector by the computer 9, an identification signal is previously input to one or more addresses of another disk such as a dedicated disk or a magnetic disk built in the computer 9, for example. These data may be sequentially read out and set as the time when the addresses match the addresses of the optical discs of the disc reproducing devices 5 and 6 under control. According to the present invention, the information access time after a request from an information requester can be greatly reduced, and the information can be provided to the requester without any unnaturalness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a program transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Storage shelf, 2 ... Robot, 3,4,5,6 ... Disc playback device, 7,8 ... Terminal display device, 9 ... Computer, 20 ... Switch.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A man-machine interface unit for receiving a reproduction request, a storage device (main information reproducing device) for selecting and taking out a requested medium from a plurality of recording media in response to a request from the man-machine interface unit, and loading and reproducing the medium afterwards; Storage device (sub-information reproducing device) with a short access time for reproducing the shape recording medium; storage device control means for controlling the storage devices; A divided signal (program) information at the beginning of the program (program) information obtained by dividing the continuous program (program) information recorded on the plurality of recording media, respectively. A plurality of data stored in the storage device (sub-information reproducing device) having a short access time and recorded in the plurality of recording media are also stored. When there service requests to the one of the program (program) information, along with the storage device control unit for driving the plurality of storage devices,
The signal switching device first outputs a reproduction signal from the storage device having the short access time, and after reproducing the beginning of the program (program) information, continuously outputs a request to the storage device (main information reproduction device). An information transmitting apparatus characterized in that the information is transmitted by switching to a signal reproduced by loading a medium. 2. 2. The program (program) information at the beginning of program (program) information stored in a storage device having a short access time includes still image information or audio information. Information transmission device. 3. 2. The information transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage device having a short access time is equipped with a search device, and stores search information or summary information. 4. 2. The information transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing a reproduction time or a content of a head of the program (program) information according to the frequency of the information service request.