JPH0729167A - Method and apparatus for displaying tape test result - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate judgement whether defects on a tape which are detected as the results of the test of the tape are accidental or reproducible by a method wherein forward travelling tests and reverse travelling tests on the tape are repeated a plurality of turns and the test results are displayed by graphs on individual co-ordinate systems with a common position co-ordinates. CONSTITUTION:A magnetic tape 17 which is a test object is subjected to forward travelling tests and reverse travelling tests which are alternately repeated a plurality of turns by a magnetic tape testing apparatus 1. A test circuit 16 measures the travelling length of the magnetic tape 17 and, if dropout phenomena are detected, supplies the number of tracks on which the dropout phenomena are produced to an input circuit 2. A CPU 3 makes a data memory 4 store the data from the input circuit 2 with a specific data constitution. After the tests are finished, the test data in the data memory 4 are processes into bar graphs and the test results of the respective turns are displayed on a display 8 as bar graphs on individual orthogonal co-ordinate systems with common position co-ordinates.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying a tape inspection result on a computer display or the like in a graph.

In particular, the present invention is a forward pass inspection for inspecting one tape from the first end toward the second end, and a return pass inspection for inspecting one tape from the second end toward the first end. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying an inspection result obtained by alternately performing inspection and a plurality of times.

[0003]

BACKGROUND ART Immediately after manufacturing, a tape may have a defective portion due to a scratch or the like generated in the manufacturing process. The presence of such defective parts deteriorates the quality of the product, and thus needs to be removed before the final production. For this reason,
Prior to final commercialization, the tape is inspected and defective areas are identified.

This inspection may be performed not only once but also a plurality of times for one tape. The reasons are as follows, for example, in the case of inspecting a magnetic tape.

It is considered that there are two causes of the defective portion detected in the inspection of the magnetic tape.
One is due to dust on the magnetic tape and the other is due to scratches on the magnetic tape and uneven magnetic paint. The former is temporary and can be removed by cleaning the tape or the like, so there is no problem, but the latter cannot be removed by cleaning, and the tape must be removed by cutting or the like. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the detected defective portion is due to the former or the latter, and specify and remove only the latter.

When the magnetic tape is inspected a plurality of times, since the defective portion caused by the former is temporary, it only appears suddenly without reproducibility, but the defective portion caused by the latter has reproducibility. However, it has the property of being always detected as a defective part. That is, by comparing inspection results of a plurality of times and extracting only reproducible ones, it is possible to specify a defective portion caused by the latter cause.

For this reason, the magnetic tape is inspected a plurality of times for one tape, and the inspection results are compared.

Generally, the magnetic tape is inspected while the magnetic tape wound on one reel is rewound and wound on another reel. After that, the magnetic tape is rewound from the other reel, and the inspection is performed again while winding the magnetic tape around the one reel. Since such winding and rewinding of the magnetic tape is repeated a plurality of times, it is possible to use the magnetic tape from the first end to the second end.
The outward path inspection toward the end of the first path and the return path inspection from the folded second end toward the first end are repeatedly performed.

Even if the results of the forward pass inspection and the return pass inspection are displayed as they are, it is difficult to distinguish between the above-mentioned two types of defect causes. This is because the forward inspection and the backward inspection have opposite inspection directions, and it is difficult or impossible to compare a plurality of inspection results with each other.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily compare and observe all the inspection results obtained by performing the outward inspection and the backward inspection on a single tape a plurality of times. It is to provide a method and an apparatus for displaying.

According to the tape inspection result display method of the present invention, a tape having a first end and a second end is
The outward inspection is performed from the first reference point defined at the end of the to the second end, and the outward inspection is performed from the second reference point defined at the second end to the first end. It is obtained by alternately repeating the return pass inspection a plurality of times, and the first or second
Cartesian coordinates consisting of position coordinate axes indicating the position on the tape and result value coordinate axes indicating the result values It is a method to display in a graph in the system, each inspection result of multiple times is displayed in a separate coordinate system, the origin of the position coordinate of each coordinate system is made coincident, and the origin of the result value coordinate is shifted. , Display them side by side so that they do not overlap, and for the results of the outward inspection, determine the coordinates on the position coordinates of the position data from the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point of the tape toward the second end of the tape. Thus, the inspection result is represented by a graph, and the return path inspection result is displayed on the position coordinate of the position data from the position coordinate corresponding to the second reference point of the tape toward the first end of the tape. By defining the kick coordinates is representative of the test results in a graph.

Further, the tape inspection result display device according to the present invention can be applied to the tape having the first and second ends,
The outward inspection performed from the first reference point defined on the first end toward the second end, and the second inspection defined on the second end.
Position data with reference to the first or second reference point and result value data obtained by alternately repeating the backward pass inspection performed from the reference point toward the first end It is a device that displays the inspection result data for each of a plurality of times in the form of a graph in an orthogonal coordinate system consisting of a position coordinate axis indicating the position on the tape and a result value coordinate axis indicating the result value. And a means for storing the inspection result value at the position, each of the inspection results of a plurality of times is displayed in a separate coordinate system, the origin of the position coordinate is made coincident with each coordinate system, and the origin of the result value coordinate is set. The means for determining the origin of the coordinate system so as to display them side by side so as not to overlap with each other, and for the result of the outward inspection, refer to the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point of the tape from the second end of the tape. Defines the coordinates on the position coordinate of the position data toward, the results of the backward test, first from the position coordinates corresponding to the second reference point of the tape of the tape
A means for determining the coordinates on the position coordinates of the position data toward the end of the, a means for determining the result value coordinates from the inspection result values, and a means for displaying a graph on the display screen from the position coordinates and the result value coordinates. ing.

For a tape having two ends, the outward inspection is performed from the first reference point set on the first end toward the second end, and the tape is set on the second end. The return pass inspection performed from the second reference point toward the first end is alternately repeated a plurality of times.

Then, as the inspection result, the first or second
The position data based on the reference point and the result value data indicating the inspection result are obtained. The inspection result is displayed as a graph in an orthogonal coordinate system including a position coordinate axis indicating a position on the tape and a result value coordinate axis indicating a result value.

Here, each inspection result is displayed in a separate coordinate system. In each coordinate system, the origin of the position coordinate is the same and the origin of the result value coordinate is shifted,
They are displayed side by side so that they do not overlap. Then, the result of the outward inspection is displayed by defining the coordinates on the position coordinates of the position data from the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point of the tape toward the second end of the tape. The result of the backward pass inspection is displayed by defining the coordinates on the position coordinates of the position data from the position coordinates corresponding to the second reference point of the tape toward the first end of the tape.

As described above, according to the present invention, the inspection result obtained by performing the forward pass inspection and the backward pass inspection a plurality of times on one tape is displayed as a graph represented in a separate coordinate system, and these graphs are displayed. However, since they are displayed side by side and in a form in which the position coordinates of all graphs match, comparison and observation of the inspection results become easy. This makes it easy to determine whether the defect on the tape is sudden or reproducible.

Another object of the present invention is to, in the case where the position coordinates on the tape are deviated between the coordinate systems after the inspection results of a plurality of inspections are arranged in a separate coordinate system and displayed as a graph as described above. Is to correct and align the position coordinates and display them again so that the inspection results can be accurately compared and observed.

In the tape inspection result display method according to the present invention, after displaying the inspection result in each of the above coordinate systems,
At least one coordinate is corrected among the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point in the plurality of outward inspections and the position coordinates corresponding to the second reference point in the plurality of return inspections, and each inspection is performed. The resulting position on the tape is displayed again so that it coincides with the position coordinate direction on the display screen.

Further, in the tape inspection result display device according to the present invention, after displaying the inspection result in each of the coordinate systems, the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point in the plurality of outward inspections, and the plurality of times. Further comprises means for inputting a value obtained by correcting at least one coordinate of the position coordinates corresponding to the second reference point in the backward path inspection, and means for again determining the position coordinate of the graph based on the input correction value. ing.

Therefore, according to the present invention, after the inspection results of a plurality of times are arranged in a separate coordinate system and displayed as a graph as described above, when the position coordinates on the tape are deviated between the coordinate systems, , It can be displayed again after the position coordinates are corrected and aligned. As a result, the inspection results can be accurately compared and observed.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to an embodiment in which a dropout inspection result of a magnetic tape is displayed.

FIG. 1 shows a system for displaying the inspection result of a magnetic tape as a bar graph. This system consists of a magnetic tape inspection device 1, an input circuit 2 and a CPU.
3, data memory 4, program memory 5, VRA
M6, display control circuit 7, display device 8, and input device 9
It consists of The magnetic tape inspection device 1 includes a first reel 11, a second reel 12, an erasing head 13 and a recording head.
14, a reproducing head 15, and an inspection circuit 16.

The magnetic tape inspecting device 1 rewinds the magnetic tape 17 to be inspected from the first reel 11 to the second reel.
The second reel, which is the reverse of the forward inspection, in which the reel is wound around 12
The backward pass inspection, in which the inspection is performed while sending from 12 to the first reel 11, is alternately repeated a plurality of times.

In the forward pass inspection, the erasing head 13 erases the signal on the magnetic tape 17, the recording head 14 writes the signal, and the reproducing head 15 reads the signal. In the return pass inspection, the positions of the head 13 and the head 15 are exchanged, or the functions of the head 13 and the head 15 are exchanged,
The erasing, writing, and reading of signals are performed in the same way as the outward inspection.

The inspection circuit 16 measures the running amount of the magnetic tape 17 and checks whether the signal written by the head 14 can be normally read by the head 15. When the dropout phenomenon in which the written signal cannot be read normally is detected, the inspection circuit 16 sends the position on the tape and the number of tracks in which the dropout occurred at the position to the input circuit 2.

FIG. 2 shows a method of measuring the position on the tape and the structure of the magnetic tape. The inspection of the magnetic tape is started after the tape is accelerated from the stopped state and reaches a predetermined constant speed. No inspection is done during the acceleration time. Further, at the end of the inspection, the inspection is not performed even during the deceleration time from deceleration from a predetermined constant speed to stop.

Therefore, in the outward inspection, the first tape
From the end to the start point of the outward inspection, and from the end point of the outward inspection to the second
To the edges, there are areas that are not inspected. In the return trip inspection,
There are uninspected areas from the second end of the tape to the start point of the backward pass inspection and from the end point of the backward pass inspection to the first end. Further, since the acceleration time and the deceleration time are slightly different for each inspection, the length of the non-inspection area is also generally different for each inspection.

The position data x in the tape inspection is measured from the outward inspection starting point in the outward inspection and from the backward inspection starting point in the backward inspection.

Further, in this embodiment, the magnetic tape has 12 tracks. A dropout inspection is performed for each track. When the dropout is detected, the number of the tracks in which the dropout has occurred among the tracks 1 to 12 is counted by the inspection circuit 16 and sent to the input circuit 2.

The CPU 3 stores the data input through the input circuit 2 in the data memory 4 in the data structure shown in FIG.
Remember.

In FIG. 3, the tape identification data is data for identifying the magnetic tape to be inspected. The direction flag is information indicating whether the data is a forward pass inspection data or a backward pass inspection data. Prior to the inspection, the inspection circuit 16 notifies the input circuit 2 and the CPU 3 writes them in the data memory 4.

The number of defective parts is data indicating the number of defective parts detected in one inspection. This data is counted by the inspection circuit 16 and sent to the input circuit 2 at the end of one inspection. FIG. 3 shows that a defective portions were detected in the first outward inspection and b defective portions were detected in the second backward inspection.

The defective portion data is composed of a set of a distance x from the inspection start point on the tape and a track number (defective track number) y at which the dropout occurred.

The end flag is data indicating the end of all inspections for one tape.

The CPU 3 executes a process for displaying the inspection data in the data memory 4 as a bar graph according to the program in the program memory 5. In the displayed graph, the horizontal axis (X axis) is the position x on the magnetic tape.
The vertical axis (Y axis) indicates the number of defective tracks y.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the outline of the bar graph display processing. First, the inspection result is displayed as a bar graph (step 41). Next, the user is asked whether or not to correct the display position (step 42). If the correction is performed and the data is displayed again, the correction value is input by the user (step 43) and the graph is displayed again (step 41). If no correction is made, the process ends.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flow charts showing details of the graph display in step 41 of FIG. In the following, steps 42 and 43 will be described in detail after the graph display has been described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

First, according to the tape identification data input by the user, the inspection data of the magnetic tape to be displayed is retrieved in the data memory 4 (step 5).
1). Next, the coordinate origin (X ₀ , Y ₀ ) of the graph of the first inspection result on the display screen of the display device 8 is determined (step 52). For example, horizontal is 640 dots, vertical is 400
On the dot display screen, the coordinates of the upper left corner are (0,
0) and the coordinates of the lower right corner are (640, 400), so if the origin of coordinates is 100 dots from the left end and 50 dots from the upper end, X ₀ will be 100 and Y ₀ will be 50. .

The loop processing control variables i and j are initialized to 1 (steps 53 and 54). This variables i and j
Is a variable for controlling loop processing, and is also a variable for specifying the defective part data (x _ij , y _ij ) in FIG.

Next, the direction flag is referenced (step 5).
5) If this is not the end flag but the direction flag, it is determined whether the number of defective parts is 0 (step 56). If this value is 0, it means that no defective part was detected in one inspection, and the bar graph display for that inspection is unnecessary. Therefore, the value of the control variable i is incremented by 1 in order to proceed to the next inspection data display processing (step 57). Further, Y ₀ indicating the origin coordinate of the graph is shifted by α (step 58). This is for moving the coordinates of the graph of the next inspection result in the vertical direction. That is, on the display screen, the graph of the return route inspection result is displayed at a certain interval α below the graph of the outward route inspection result. Then, the process is repeated from step 54.

If the number of defective parts is not 0, the process proceeds to step 59 in order to display the graph. In step 59, the position data x _ij indicating the length from the inspection start point of the tape to the defective portion is the length (dot number) on the display screen.
Converted to X _ij .

Next, it is judged whether or not the direction flag is forward (step 60). If the direction flag indicates the outward path, the bar graph display position X on the horizontal axis is calculated as a value obtained by adding F _i and X _ij to the origin coordinate value X ₀ (step 61). If the direction flag indicates the return path, the display position X is calculated as a value obtained by subtracting the position data X _ij from the origin coordinate value X ₀ plus R _i (step 62).

Here, F _i or R _i is a variable for correcting the display position of the i-th inspection result in the outward inspection or the return inspection, and the above-described correction processing (step of FIG. 4).
Used in 43). Details will be described later. The initial values of F _i and R _i are preset to appropriate values. For example, F
The initial value of _i is set to 0 or a value corresponding to the average distance from the first end to the outward inspection start point, and the initial value of R _i is the total length of the magnetic tape or from the first end to the backward inspection start point. It is set to a value corresponding to the average distance.

Next, in order to obtain the bar height of the bar graph, the defective track number y _ij is converted into the length (dot number) Y _ij on the display screen (step 63). Then, the tip position Y of the bar in the bar graph is calculated as a value obtained by subtracting Y _ij from the origin coordinate value Y ₀ (step 64). The subtraction is performed because the coordinate value of the vertical axis (Y axis) on the display screen is calculated from the upper end of the display screen as described above.

The CPU 3 calculates VR from these X and Y values.
Write data to the corresponding area of AM5 (Step 6
Five). Under the control of the display control circuit 7, the data written in the VRAM 5 is displayed on the display device 8 as a bar graph.

Thereafter, in order to display the next defective portion data, the value of the variable j is incremented by 1 (step 66) and compared with the number of defective portions (step 67). If the value of the variable j is smaller than or equal to the number of defective parts, it indicates that there is data to be displayed, and the process is repeated from step 59.

In this way, for each defective portion in the outward inspection result, the processing proceeds from the outward inspection starting point toward the second end, and for each defective portion in the return inspection result, the first inspection from the returning inspection start point. The process progresses toward the edge. In addition, regardless of whether the inspection is a forward inspection or a backward inspection, the graph of each inspection result is displayed by unifying the first end at the left end of the position coordinate axis (X axis) and the second end at the right end of the position coordinate axis (X axis). To be done.

When the value of the variable j is larger than the number of defective parts, the process moves to step 57 and the above-described process is repeated in order to move to the display of the inspection result of the next outbound path or the inbound path.

When the processing is repeated in this manner and the display processing of all the inspection results is completed, in step 55,
The direction flag is determined to be the end flag, and the process ends.

In the flow charts of FIGS. 5 and 6, the head data (x ₁₁ , y ₁₁ ) is obtained in each inspection.
Or (x ₂₁ , y ₂₁ ) are sequentially processed, but the final data (x _1a , x _1a ) or (x _2b , y _2b ) may be processed.

The graph thus displayed is shown in FIG.
Shown in. The graph of each inspection result shows the origin X on the horizontal axis (X axis).
₀ matches, the origin Y ₀ of the vertical axis (Y-axis) is drawn shifted in the vertical direction of the display screen at regular intervals α so as not to overlap each coordinate system. Further, as described above, the first end is displayed uniformly on the left end on the position coordinate axis (X-axis) and the second end is displayed on the right end on the position coordinate axis (X-axis) regardless of whether it is the outward inspection or the return inspection. To be done.

By displaying in this way, the defective portions A ₁ , A ₂ , A ₃ , and A ₄ and the defective portion B are displayed.
_{Since 1} , B ₂ , B ₃ , and B ₄ appear near the same X coordinate value in all the graphs, they are considered to be the same defective site having reproducibility. On the other hand, C and D appear in only one or a few graphs and do not appear in all graphs, and their positions are different, so that there is a non-reproducible sudden defective portion (for example, dust or dust mentioned above). Attributed to)).

Next, the correction in steps 42 and 43 of FIG. 4 will be described. In the inspection of the magnetic tape, as described above, even in the same outward inspection, the outward inspection starting point is generally slightly different for each inspection. Further, such a difference also occurs due to an error in the accuracy of the device that measures the defective portion of the tape, and also occurs because the magnetic tape is cut during the inspection.

Therefore, even for the same defective portion, the position of the defective portion, which is measured on the basis of the outward inspection start point or the backward inspection start point, is often slightly different for each inspection. For example, in FIG. 7 described above, A ₁ , A
_{Although 2} , A ₃ , and A ₄ are considered to be the same defective portion, their positions on the graph are slightly shifted.

Therefore, after the inspection result is displayed, if the defective portion which seems to have reproducibility is deviated between the graphs,
The display position of the graph is corrected so that the position of the defective portion on the graph matches. Whether or not the defective portion has reproducibility is determined by the user by looking at the displayed graph.

At step 42 in FIG. 4, it is judged by the user whether or not the display position needs to be corrected. If it is determined to be necessary, the process proceeds to step 43, and the user uses the input device 9 to input the values of F _i and R _i described above for each graph. CPU3, according to these values,
The processing for displaying the bar graph is executed again (step 41).

The graph thus displayed again is shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows A ₁ , A ₂ , and A of FIG.
_This is corrected so that ₃ and A ₄ are in the same position. With this correction, B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₃ , and B ₄
It can be seen that is also in the same position. As a result, it is possible to accurately perform comparative observation between the graphs, and it is possible to accurately confirm that A and B are reproducible defective portions.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a magnetic tape inspection result display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a method of measuring a position on a tape and a structure of a magnetic tape.

FIG. 3 shows a structure of inspection result data of a magnetic tape.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing for displaying a magnetic tape inspection result as a bar graph.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of a process of displaying a bar graph on a display screen.

FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart of a process of displaying a bar graph on a display screen.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the inspection result of a magnetic tape is displayed by a bar graph.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a bar graph display after correction of position coordinates.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 magnetic tape inspection device 2 input circuit 3 CPU 4 data memory 5 program memory 6 VRAM 7 display control circuit 8 display device 9 input device 11 first reel 12 second reel 13 erasing head 14 recording head 15 reproducing head 16 Inspection circuit 17 Magnetic tape

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. For a tape having a first end and a second end, a forward inspection is performed from a first reference point defined at the first end toward the second end, and a second end. It is obtained by alternately repeating the return path inspection performed from the second reference point defined in the section toward the first end portion a plurality of times, and
Alternatively, the inspection result data for a plurality of times, each of which is composed of position data with the second reference point as a reference and result value data representing the inspection result, is obtained from the position coordinate axis indicating the position on the tape and the result value coordinate axis indicating the result value. It is a method to display in a graph in the Cartesian coordinate system, where each of the inspection results of multiple times is displayed in a separate coordinate system, and each coordinate system is made to coincide with the origin of its position coordinate
In addition, the origins of the result value coordinates are shifted and displayed side by side so that they do not overlap. Regarding the result of the outward inspection, the position data from the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point of the tape toward the second end of the tape are displayed. By determining the coordinates on the position coordinate of
The inspection result is represented by a graph, and the result of the backward pass inspection is determined by determining the coordinates on the position coordinates of the position data from the position coordinates corresponding to the second reference point of the tape toward the first end of the tape.
A tape inspection result display method that displays the inspection results in a graph. 2. After displaying the inspection result in each of the coordinate systems, the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point in the plurality of outward inspections and the second reference point in the plurality of return inspections are displayed. The tape inspection according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the corresponding position coordinates is corrected, and the result of each inspection is displayed again so that the position on the tape matches the position coordinate direction on the display screen. Result display method. 3. For a tape having first and second ends, a forward inspection performed from a first reference point defined at the first end toward the second end, and a second end. It is obtained by alternately repeating the return path inspection performed from the second reference point defined in the section toward the first end portion a plurality of times, and
Alternatively, the inspection result data for a plurality of times, each of which is composed of position data with the second reference point as a reference and result value data representing the inspection result, is obtained from the position coordinate axis indicating the position on the tape and the result value coordinate axis indicating the result value. It is a device for displaying in a graph in the orthogonal coordinate system, which is a means for storing the position on the tape in each inspection and the inspection result value at the position, and displaying the inspection results of a plurality of times in separate coordinate systems,
Match each coordinate system with the origin of its position coordinates,
And the means for determining the origin of the coordinate system so that the origins of the result value coordinates are shifted so that they are displayed side by side so that they do not overlap. For the results of the outward inspection, the tapes are moved from the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point of the tape The coordinates on the position coordinate of the position data are determined toward the second end, and the result of the backward pass inspection is from the position coordinate corresponding to the second reference point of the tape toward the first end of the tape. Tape inspection result display provided with means for determining coordinates on data position coordinates, means for determining result value coordinates from inspection result values, and means for displaying a graph on the display screen from the position coordinates and result value coordinates apparatus. 4. After the inspection result is displayed in each of the coordinate systems, the position coordinates corresponding to the first reference point in the plurality of outward inspections and the second reference point in the plurality of return inspections are displayed. The tape according to claim 3, further comprising means for inputting a value obtained by correcting at least one of the corresponding position coordinates, and means for re-determining the position coordinate of the graph based on the input correction value. Inspection result display device.