JPH0737210A - Data recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To record the information of setting, etc., which can be personally decided by a user. CONSTITUTION:A control signal is supplied from an I/O circuit 11 to a system control circuit 12, and setting information is supplied from the system control circuit 12 to a modem circuit 14, and is then converted into an optional recording signal (annotation signal). Moreover, the annotation signal is supplied from the modem circuit 14 to a recording/reproducing processing circuit 27, and a signal is supplied from this recording/reproducing processing circuit 27 to a fixed head 28. The recording/reproducing processing circuit 27 is changed of recording/reproducing by a signal from a system control circuit 21, and at the time of reproducing, the annotation signal is taken out by following reversely the above-mentioned course.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data recorder for recording / reproducing data by utilizing a rotary head type digital VTR mechanism called D1 format.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetic tape recording / reproducing apparatus using a fixed head has been generally used as a magnetic tape apparatus as a computer peripheral device. However, in recent years
Focusing on the feature of high speed / large capacity, the helical scan type magnetic tape recording / reproducing device used in VTRs has begun to be applied to data archiving / backup as a computer peripheral device.

That is, for example, an 8 mm data streamer device based on an 8 mm VTR mechanism and a DA for consumer use.
T-based DDS, DATA-DAT, etc. have already been commercialized by many manufacturers. Also, broadcast /
Commercialization of commercial-use D1, D2-VTR, etc. is underway.

When used as a computer peripheral, a magnetic tape recording / reproducing apparatus is generally called a sequential access-device, in contrast to a randomly accessible apparatus (direct access-device) such as a disk. There is also. In the sequential access device of such a computer system, file formatting is performed on the tape.

That is, as the file formatting, for example, tape marks, end marks, etc. are recorded on the tape. Usually, a tape mark (TM) is recorded to separate the files from each other, and an end mark (TM is continuously recorded) is recorded after the final file.

As such file formatting, a directory information table (hereinafter referred to as address data indicating the position of the tape mark on the tape, volume management information of the tape medium itself (reel, cassette, etc.), update information, etc. , DIT) is recorded.

In the data recorder format (DD-1 format) using the D1-VTR, for example, whether or not a gap is provided before a tape mark, whether or not a gap is provided between blocks, a recording rate, There are settings that can be uniquely defined by the user, such as an arbitrary ID.

That is, in the above-mentioned data recorder using the D1-VTR, there is a risk of disturbing the recorded track one before when recording. Therefore, when recording a file from a tape mark, it is necessary to provide a gap (one or two dummy tracks) before the tape mark. Further, when recording is performed in block units, it is necessary to provide a gap between blocks.

However, such a gap is unnecessary when the above-mentioned recording is not performed, and is not preferable because a wasteful track is provided. Therefore, the setting for providing such a gap is set so that the user can independently set it.

That is, such information is often not used for the purpose of being uniquely determined by the user. Therefore, defining such information space in a part of the DIT described above has a problem in terms of recording efficiency and the like. Is not preferable. Therefore, conventionally, such information is not specially recorded, but the portion corresponding to the setting in the recorded data is reproduced to determine the presence or absence of the setting. For this reason, there is a risk of waste of time and an accident due to misjudgment. This application is made in view of such a point.

[0011]

The problem to be solved is that the conventional DIT cannot record information such as settings that can be uniquely defined by the user, and therefore, it is difficult to operate the data recorder. It is said that there was a risk of trouble.

[0012]

A first means of the present invention is a data recorder for recording / reproducing data by using a rotary head 25, and a fixed head 28 is used for a recording medium (magnetic tape 24) in a longitudinal direction. It is a data recorder in which a recording / reproducing means (processing circuit 27) is provided in the recording medium to record arbitrary setting information in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the data recorder according to the first aspect, the recording of the arbitrary setting information in the longitudinal direction is performed during the run-up period from the physical start end to the logical start end of the recording medium. It is a data recorder that is provided.

According to a third means of the present invention, in the data recorder according to the first means, the setting information recorded in the longitudinal direction is a time code generator (modem circuit 14).
Is a data recorder that is provided in the user's bit using.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the data recorder according to the first aspect, in the setting information recorded in the longitudinal direction, whether or not a gap is provided before a tape mark or a gap between blocks is provided. Is a data recorder in which one or more information of whether or not to provide, recording rate, or arbitrary ID is included.

[0016]

According to this, by providing a means for recording arbitrary setting information in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium, it is possible to record information such as settings that can be uniquely determined by the user, and the data recorder can be used. The operation can be performed smoothly.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, a host computer 100 is connected to peripheral devices such as a magnetic disk device 300 via a peripheral bus 200 from the host computer 100. Further, a data recorder 500 is connected from the host computer 100 through the peripheral bus 400.

In this data recorder 500, this device has an interface section 501 and a recording / reproducing section 50.
The recording / playback unit 502 in this is roughly divided into, for example, D1-
It has substantially the same configuration as the VTR. Further, the interface section 501 is provided with an I / O circuit 11, and
The control bus 401 and the data bus 402 of the peripheral bus 400 are connected to the / O circuit 11.

A control signal from the I / O circuit 11 is supplied to the system control circuit 12 to form a control signal for controlling the recording / reproducing unit 502 and other units.
Further, the data signal from the I / O circuit 11 is supplied to the data processing circuit 13 and, in accordance with the signal from the system control circuit 12, a signal of a format defined in, for example, the DD-1 format is formed.

Further, the signal from the system control circuit 12 is supplied to the modem circuit 14. Here, in the control signal supplied from the host computer 100 to the system control circuit 12, whether or not a gap is provided before the tape mark, whether or not a gap is provided between blocks, a recording rate, an arbitrary ID, and the like are used. Includes settings that can be uniquely defined by the person.

Then, the information of these settings is supplied from the system control circuit 12 to the modem circuit 14 and converted into an arbitrary recording signal (annotation signal). Address data indicating the position of the tape mark on the tape,
Information such as volume management information and update information of the tape medium itself is supplied from the system control circuit 12 to the data processing circuit 13 and converted into the above-mentioned DIT-forming signals.

The control signal from the system control circuit 12 of the interface section 501 is supplied to the system control circuit 21 of the recording / reproducing section 502. This control signal is composed of, for example, a signal corresponding to a normal D1-VTR remote control signal. Further, the system control circuit 21 drives the motor 22, the capstan 23 transfers the magnetic tape 24, and the rotary head 25.
Is driven to rotate.

Further, the data signal from the data processing circuit 13 is supplied to the recording / reprocessing circuit 26, and the recording / reprocessing circuit 26.
Is supplied to the rotary head 26. Further, the annotation signal from the modem circuit 14 is recorded and reproduced by the recording / reprocessing circuit 2.
7, and the signal from the recording / reprocessing circuit 27 is supplied to the fixed head 28. The recording / reprocessing circuits 26 and 27
The recording / playback is switched by a signal from the system control circuit 21, and the data signal and the annotation signal are taken out by reversing the above-mentioned path during reproduction.

In this apparatus, address data indicating the position of the tape mark on the tape, volume management information of the tape medium itself, and update information are recorded in the DIT. Further, setting information that can be uniquely determined by the user, such as whether or not a gap is provided before the tape mark, whether or not a gap is provided between blocks, a recording rate, an arbitrary ID, etc., is the length of the magnetic tape 24. Recorded in the direction.

That is, in this device, the magnetic tape 2
The recording pattern on 4 is, for example, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, a helical track 30 formed by the rotary head 26, two annotation tracks 31, 32 formed by the fixed head 28 and a control track 33 are provided along the edge of the magnetic tape 24. The fixed head 28 is actually composed of three heads.

The original data signal is recorded on the helical track 30, and DIT is recorded on the portion of the magnetic tape 24 on the starting end side. A tape mark (TM) is recorded between each file, and an end mark (TM is continuously recorded) is recorded after the final file. Further, in this example, a dummy track (DT = 2) as a gap is recorded before the tape mark. Also, a dummy track (one) as a gap is recorded between each block.

In this device, the setting information that can be uniquely determined by the user is recorded in the annotation track 31 on the lower side of the drawing. Note that, in the above-mentioned DD-1 format data recorder, the use of the annotation tracks 31 and 32 is not defined.

In the recording pattern described above, the length from the physical start end (PBOT) to the logical start end (LBOT) of the magnetic tape 24 is 10 meters or more, and during this period, the logical start end (LBOT) of the magnetic tape 24. It is a run-up period to get a stable transfer. Therefore, the setting information that can be uniquely determined by the user is recorded on the annotation track 31 during the run-up period.

Further, as a form of a recording signal for recording this information formed by the modem circuit 14, it is effective that the recording / reproducing is possible even if the transfer speed of the magnetic tape 24 is changed. Therefore, a signal that can be recorded / reproduced even at a variable rate by a modulation method in which a clock can be separated from data, such as a time code signal (LTC signal) of a long track of SMPTE, can be used. That is, when the SMPTE LTC signal modulation / demodulation circuit is used, good information can be recorded / reproduced by inserting information into the user's bits, for example.

Thus, according to the above-mentioned apparatus, by providing a means for recording arbitrary setting information in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium, it is possible to record the information such as the setting which can be uniquely determined by the user. The data recorder can be operated smoothly.

In the above apparatus, the setting information recorded on the annotation track 31 is accessed as follows.

At the time of initial formatting, the command created by the first DIT is the host computer 10.
When it comes from 0, the interface unit 501 rewinds the magnetic tape 24 to the physical start end (PBOT), and from there, information such as settings that can be uniquely determined by the user specified by the host computer 100 in advance is LTC.
The signal is set in the signal modulation / demodulation circuit (modem circuit 14), and the recording / reproducing unit 502 is operated so as to continuously record up to the logical beginning (LBOT) portion of the magnetic tape 24.

When the magnetic tape 24 is applied to the recording / reproducing unit 502, the interface unit 501 rewinds the magnetic tape 24 once to the physical start end (PBOT) and starts a loading operation to read the DIT. At that time, while going to reproduce the DIT, the data from the annotation track 31 is read by the LTC signal modulation / demodulation circuit (modem circuit 14), and the condition setting table of the interface unit 501 is initialized according to the read table. Also, the host computer 100
Report the initialized contents to the side.

When the table is changed: During the unloading operation for taking out the magnetic tape 24 from the recording / reproducing unit 502, after rewinding the magnetic tape 24 to the physical start end (PBOT) in order to change the contents of the DIT,
The annotation track 31 is overwritten with the changed table data until it reaches a predetermined location in the DIT.

When the data of the annotation track cannot be read, the setting of the host computer 100 is given priority and the condition setting table is initialized. After that, the setting conditions at that time are written in the annotation track 31 at the time of unloading. The invention of the present application can be realized as described above.

[0036]

According to the present invention, by providing means for recording arbitrary setting information in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium, it is possible to record information such as settings that can be uniquely determined by the user. The data recorder can now be operated smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of a data recorder according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the explanation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 host computer 200, 400 peripheral bus 300 magnetic disk unit 401 control bus 402 data bus 500 data recorder 501 interface section 502 recording / reproducing section 11 I / O circuit 12, 21 system control circuit 13 data processing circuit 14 modem circuit 22 motor 23 cap Stan 24 Magnetic tape 25 Rotating head 26, 27 Recording / reprocessing circuit 28 Fixed head

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location G11B 27/28 A 8224-5D

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A data recorder for recording / reproducing data using a rotary head, comprising means for recording / reproducing in the longitudinal direction of a recording medium using a fixed head, and setting information in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium. A data recorder that records. 2. The data recorder according to claim 1, wherein the recording of the arbitrary setting information in the longitudinal direction is provided in a run-up period from a physical start end to a logical start end of the recording medium. 3. The data recorder according to claim 1, wherein the setting information recorded in the longitudinal direction is provided in a user's bit by using a time code generator. 4. The data recorder according to claim 1, wherein in the setting information recorded in the longitudinal direction, a gap is provided before a tape mark, a gap is provided between blocks, or a recording is performed. A data recorder adapted to include one or more pieces of information of a rate or arbitrary ID.