JPH10116473A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a recorder to select and record a desired recording medium from among housed plural recording media when an information signal such as a desired audio signal, etc., is recorded on the plural disk-like recording media housed in a specified housing means (stocker). SOLUTION: In accordance with a control signal to record by specifying one of the disk-like recording media housed in the disk housing part 134a wherein the plural recording media are housed, a specified recording medium is transported to a recording/reproducing part 134c for mounting with a disk transporting part 134b. The inputted information signal is recorded, and the recorded recording medium is transported and housed in the housing means to successively record on the plural recording media to be housed in the housing means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plurality of recording media,
In particular, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording information signals such as audio signals on a plurality of disk-shaped recording media.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a medium for recording an information signal such as an audio signal, an optical disk which is a high-density recording medium is becoming widespread. This optical disk has a feature that it can be randomly accessed, has a small diameter and is thin, and is easily handled because it is housed in a cartridge. Such optical disks are broadly classified into those capable of repeating recording / reproducing such as magneto-optical disks and phase-change optical disks, and those dedicated to reproducing such as so-called compact disks.

[0003] Using the recordable optical disk described above,
Since an information signal such as an audio signal is recorded as a digital signal, a high-quality reproduced sound can be obtained, and editing and copying can be performed easily and without substantially degrading sound quality.

[0004]

By the way, as described above,
In a so-called compact disc reproducing apparatus, a medium exchange mechanism (changer) capable of storing a plurality of discs in a predetermined storage body (stocker), taking them out in an arbitrary order, and continuously reproducing the discs. There are various types of reproducing apparatuses provided with the above, but at present, few recording apparatuses having a changer function for recording on a recordable optical disk are known.

[0005] When assuming a recording apparatus that records information signals such as audio signals by exchanging a plurality of recordable recording media such as optical discs, recording is performed simply by manually specifying the media. Instead, it is desired that recording is performed by automatically exchanging the medium by a control signal.

[0006] When assuming reservation of a broadcast program by a tuner / timer device, a plurality of broadcast programs are reserved.
If the plurality of reserved broadcast programs can be distributed and recorded on different media, it is possible to omit editing work such as recording a plurality of types of programs on one medium and re-recording the programs on another medium later. It is.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a plurality of recording media are stored in a predetermined storage means (stocker), and when an information signal such as an audio signal is input, It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of selecting and recording a desired one of a plurality of stored recording media.

[0008]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a storage unit for storing a plurality of recording media; and a plurality of recording media stored in the storage unit. Transport means for transporting one of the recording media and mounting the recording medium, and transporting and storing the recording medium mounted on the recording means to the storage means; and recording for recording an information signal input to the mounted recording medium. Means for transporting the designated recording medium to the recording means by the transport means in response to a control signal for designating and recording one of the plurality of recording media stored in the storage means. And control means for performing recording.

According to such a configuration, an input information signal such as an audio signal can be recorded on a selected one of a plurality of recording media, and each of the plurality of input information signals is separately recorded. It can be recorded on a medium.

[0010] Here, a plurality of broadcast programs are reserved in correspondence with the plurality of recording media, respectively, and when the reserved broadcast program is received, a control signal for designating and recording the corresponding recording medium is sent to the control means. By using such a tuner / timer unit, a plurality of broadcast programs can be timer-reserved and distributed and recorded on different recording media such as disks.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a main part of a disk recording and / or reproducing system or apparatus to which an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

This disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus has:
It is composed of an amplifier / control unit 110, a tuner / timer unit 120, and a disk recording / reproducing unit 130, and the above-mentioned units mutually transmit and receive various control information via a bus line. In addition, it goes without saying that information signals such as audio signals are transmitted and received between the above units.

The amplifier / control unit 110 has means for supplying power to the entire disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus and controlling the entire apparatus. Further, it has a function of amplifying an information signal such as an audio signal output from a tuner / timer section 120 or a disk recording / reproducing section 130 to be described later and supplying the amplified signal to a speaker (not shown). The amplifier / control unit 110 includes a control circuit 111 that controls the entire apparatus while transmitting and receiving control signals to and from each unit of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus via a bus line.
An operation unit 112 including a switch, a dial, and the like for instructing the control circuit 111 to operate, a display including a liquid crystal display device for displaying an operation state of each unit of the device based on information from the control circuit 111, and the like. It comprises a unit 113.

The tuner / timer section 120 has a function of supplying an information signal such as an audio signal obtained by receiving a broadcast program to the disk recording / reproducing section 130 and the like, and an input from the operating section 112 of the amplifier / control section 110. It has a function of storing a procedure for receiving a set broadcast program by timer reservation. The tuner / timer unit 120 controls the operation of the tuner / timer unit 120 while transmitting / receiving a control signal to / from each unit of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus via a bus line, and receives a broadcast program. Tuner section 122, a tuner section 122
RAM (random access memory) 12 for storing program reservation information for receiving a program by timer reservation
3. The clock section 124 generates time information.
Then, the control circuit 121 controls the tuner unit 122 based on the program reservation information stored in the RAM 123 and the time information from the clock unit 124 to perform channel selection and the like to obtain information such as audio signals of a desired broadcast program. Receive the signal.

The disk recording / reproducing unit 130 has a function of recording and reproducing information signals such as audio signals on a plurality of optical disks. And this disc recording /
The reproducing unit 130 controls the control circuit 131 and the control circuit 131 which are means for controlling the operation of the disk recording / reproducing unit 130 while transmitting and receiving control signals to and from each unit of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus via a bus line. An operation switch group 132 having switches, dials, and the like for instructing;
A display unit 133 provided with a liquid crystal display device or the like for displaying an operation state of each unit of the device based on information from the control circuit 131, a disc exchange for recording and reproducing information signals such as audio signals on a plurality of optical discs And record /
It is composed of a reproducing unit 134 The disc exchange and recording / reproducing section 134 further includes a storage section 134a for storing a plurality of optical discs on which information signals are recorded, and a spindle mounted on the disc stored in the storage section 134a under the control of the control circuit 131. Attached to (loading)
Transport unit 134b, which is a unit for attaching and detaching (unloading) a chucked disk, and recording, which is a unit for recording / reproducing an information signal on a disk that has been transported and chucked on a spindle. / Reproducing unit 134c.

The amplifier / control unit 110, tuner / timer unit 120, and disk recording / reproducing unit 130 may be configured as a so-called component stereo system by combining devices housed in independent housings. Alternatively, the components may be housed in one housing and integrated.

Each of the amplifier / control unit 110, tuner / timer unit 120, and disk recording / reproducing unit 130 may be configured as a so-called component stereo system by combining devices housed in independent housings. Alternatively, the components may be housed in one housing and integrated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, one of a plurality of optical disks as recording media stored in a storage section 134a which is a storage section of the disk recording / reproducing section 130 is transported to the recording section and mounted. Transport means for transporting and storing a recording medium mounted on the recording means to the storage means, recording means for recording an input information signal on the mounted recording medium, and a plurality of storage means stored in the storage means Control means for carrying out recording by carrying the designated recording medium to the recording means by the carrying means in accordance with a control signal for carrying out recording by designating one of the recording media. A description will be given of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus characterized by the following.

This disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus has:
An information source supply unit that sends a control signal for designating one of the plurality of recording media stored in the storage unit to perform recording to the control unit, the information source supply unit including: A plurality of broadcast programs are reserved corresponding to the plurality of recording media stored in the storage unit, and a control signal to be recorded on the corresponding storage medium in the storage unit when the reserved broadcast program is broadcast is output. It is characterized by a tuner / timer section.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which each unit shown in FIG. 1 is housed in an independent housing, and a tuner / timer unit 120, an amplifier / control unit 110,
The disk recording / reproducing unit 130.

As described above, the amplifier / control unit 110 includes a control circuit 111 for controlling the tuner / timer unit 120 and the disk recording / reproducing unit 130, and performs various inputs to the control circuit 111. And a display unit 113 composed of a large liquid crystal panel for displaying the operation of the entire disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus via a control circuit 111.

FIG. 3 shows a display example of the display unit 113. Hereinafter, a setting procedure for receiving a broadcast program by timer reservation and recording the received broadcast program in the above-described disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

In order to receive a broadcast program by timer reservation, the user first turns a selector (SELECTOR) dial for selecting various menus on the operation unit 112 to select a REC TIMER mode. Then, the enter / next (ENTER / NEXT) key is pressed to confirm the selected rec timer mode. FIG. 3A is a display example showing a state in which the rec timer mode is set.

Next, the user turns the selector dial to select a bank (BANK), which is a file for storing various settings relating to timer reservation, and presses an enter / next key to confirm the selected bank. FIG. 3B is a display example showing that bank 1 is selected as the bank.

Next, turn the selector dial to select either ONCE or WEEKLY (not shown). Once is a setting for receiving a broadcast program by timer reservation only once, and weekly is a setting for receiving a broadcast program by timer reservation at the same time on the same week every week. FIG. 3C is a display example showing that once has been selected and the setting has been made such that the broadcast program is received only once by timer reservation.

Then, in the same manner, start of timer recording /
After setting the end time, the selector dial is turned to set (preset) a broadcast station to be received by timer reservation. FIG. 3D is a display example showing a setting for selecting a broadcast station that performs FM broadcast at a frequency of 81.3 MHz and receiving a broadcast program from 8:00 am on Sunday to 9:00 am on the same day.

Next, by turning the selector dial, a device (for example, a cassette tape recorder or a disk recording device) for recording is selected. FIG. 3E is a display example (D 1) showing that a disk recording device is selected as a device for recording, and the setting for recording on one disk stored in the disk device has been made. . Similarly, FIG. 3F shows a display example (D ALL) indicating that a disk recording device is selected as a device for recording, and recording is set on all disks stored in the disk device. It is.

According to the above-described procedure, in the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus, a broadcast program is received by timer reservation, and setting for recording the received broadcast program is performed. In the display example of the display unit 113 of the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus, when a menu is selected or confirmed, the menu is changed to an inverted display to indicate that the menu is confirmed.

Next, prior to a specific description of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a magneto-optical disk as an example of a recording medium used for the apparatus will be described.

FIG. 4 shows a state where the magneto-optical disk is housed in a disk cartridge. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the disk cartridge as viewed from above, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the disk cartridge as viewed from below.

That is, a magneto-optical device serving as a recording medium for information signals is provided inside a cartridge body 64 formed by joining an upper half 62 and a lower half 63 which are formed into a rectangular shape by molding a synthetic resin or the like. The disk 65 is stored.

The magneto-optical disk 65 used here is
It has a diameter of about 64 mm and a recording capacity capable of recording an audio signal of up to 74 minutes.

As shown in FIG. 4B, when the disk cartridge 61 is mounted on a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus, the magneto-optical disk 65 is rotated on the lower half 63 side of the cartridge body 64. A disk table entry opening 66 into which the disk table of the disk rotation drive mechanism enters is provided. The disk table entry opening 66 includes a metal plate 67 serving as a disk clamping magnetic plate that is mounted to cover the center hole of the magneto-optical disk 65 housed in the cartridge body 64. The disk 65 is formed so that an inner peripheral portion thereof faces outward.

The upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge body 64, that is, the upper and lower halves 62 and 63, are information on which at least a part of the signal recording area of the magneto-optical disk 65 accommodated therein is exposed outward in the radial direction. Openings 68 and 69 for signal recording and reproduction are provided. The information signal recording / reproducing openings 68 and 69 extend from the position close to the disk table entry opening 66 shown in FIG. It is formed in a square shape at substantially the center.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a shutter member 70 for opening and closing the information signal recording / reproducing openings 68 and 69 is provided on the cartridge main body 64 constructed as described above. 64 are attached so as to be fitted from the front end side.

FIG. 5 shows a more specific structure of a main part of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus having the structure shown in FIG.

[0039] That is, the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, for example up to five of the disk cartridge 1 _1, 1 _2, 1 _3, 1 ₄ and 1 ₅ 5 places storage position Stockers 2 stored in P ₁ , P ₂ , P _3, P ₄ and P ₅ , respectively, and storage positions P ₁ ,
A cartridge detector 3 for detecting the presence or absence of a disk cartridge at P ₂ , P _3, P ₄ and P ₅ using detectors 3 ₁ , 3 ₂ , 3 _3, 3 ₄ and 3 _{5 ,} respectively _, and a cartridge 3 stored in the stocker 2. 5 disc cartridge ₁ 1, 1 _2, 1 _3, 1 ₄
And of 1 _5, the recording and / or reproducing an information signal on the disk cartridge by the user desired (hereinafter, especially that except access if Yosu distinction.) And the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 for performing, stocker 2, the desired disk cartridge is taken out from the recording and / or reproducing unit 20.
And the transport unit 4 for taking out the desired disk cartridge from the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 and transporting the disk cartridge to the stocker 2, and the disk cartridge being accessed by the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 to the stocker 2. When returning, when the cartridge detection unit 3 outputs a detection signal indicating that the disk cartridge is present at the original storage position, the disk cartridge being accessed to the storage position in the stocker 2 where the cartridge detection unit 3 has detected the absence of a medium. And a system control circuit 40 for returning the

Each storage position P ₁ , P ₂ , P _3, P of the stocker 2
₄ and P ₅ are the five disk cartridges ₁₁ ,
1 _2, 1 _3, 1 ₄ and 1 ₅ are arranged so as stacked so suited to the same direction.

The cartridge detecting section 3 determines the presence or absence of a disk cartridge stored in each of the storage positions P ₁ , P ₂ , P _3, P ₄ and P ₅ by each of the detectors 3 ₁ , 3 ₂ , 3 _3, 3 _4. and at 3 _5, detected using a mechanical switch.

The transport section 4 has a slider 4a for pulling out the desired disk cartridge from the storage position and pulling it into the storage position, and an elevator 4b which holds the desired disk cartridge together with the slider 4a and moves up and down. ing. The slider 4a is moved in the directions of arrows L and R by a slider moving motor (M ₁ ) 5 via a gear mechanism (not shown). Also, elevator 4b
Is an elevator moving motor (M) via a gear (not shown) meshing with a rack gear formed at one end of the rack plate 7.
₂ ) Move in the directions of arrows U and D according to 6.

In the elevator 4b, a slider 4 is provided.
A slider retraction position detection switch (SW) for detecting the retraction of a into the stocker 2 is provided, and an ON signal is output to the system control circuit 40 to notify that the slider 4a is positioned on the stocker 2 side. Also,
The elevator 4b is also provided with a slider pull-out position detection SW9 for detecting pull-out of the slider 4a to the recording and / or reproducing section 20 side, and outputs an ON signal to the system control circuit 40 to perform recording and / or reproduction. Part 2
It informs that the slider 4a is located on the 0 side.

The position of the elevator 4b is detected by the elevator position detection SW10. The elevator position detection SW 10 detects the position of the elevator 4b by a change in light that passes through slits formed in the rack plate 7 and reaches, for example, two light receiving elements. The detection signal is supplied to the system control circuit 40.

The elevator 4b drives the slider 4a to record and / or reproduce data when a desired disk cartridge is being accessed by the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 or when the access to the apparatus is normally stopped. Part 20 side,
Alternatively, it moves to the stocker 2 side and is at the lowest position called the home position. The home position SW detects that the elevator 4b is at this home position.
11, and outputs a detection signal to the system control circuit 40.

The recording and / or reproducing section 20 includes a slider 4
an optical head 21 for chucking when the elevator 4b is lowered to the home position in a state where the disk cartridge is pulled out and the disk rotated by the spindle motor 25 for reproducing or recording laser light; When a laser beam for recording is irradiated from the optical head 21, a magnetic field modulation head 22 that modulates a magnetic field at the irradiation position and a detection signal obtained by a photodetector of the optical head 21 are operated to calculate the detection signal on the disk. The servo circuit 26 which performs focus servo or tracking servo by moving the position of the irradiation spot in the optical axis direction or the radial direction of the disc and performs servo processing of the spindle motor 25 and the like, and the photodetector. The information signal recorded on the disc is decoded and output using the detection signal. While derived from the terminal 28, and supplies the encoded information signal input from the input terminal 29 to the magnetic field modulation head 22 encoder & decoder 27
And recording and / or
Alternatively, a recording / reproducing control circuit 30 for controlling the entire reproducing section 20
And a RAM 31 for holding user management information of the disk and for holding audio data. Here, the magnetic field modulation head 22 is held in a state of being vertically rotated from above the disk by a rotation mechanism 23 driven by a rotation motor (M ₃ ) 24 except during recording.

The reproduction process of the information signal by the recording and / or reproducing section 20 will be described. First, when the desired disk is chucked on the disk table and the objective lens of the optical head 21 is moved to a position close to the disk by a sled motor (not shown), the spindle motor 25 starts driving, and the disk is Rotate.

At this time, the optical head 21 irradiates the target track of the disk with laser light via the objective lens, and obtains an output signal from the reflected light by the detector. The output signal of the optical head 21 is supplied to a servo circuit 26 and an encoder & decoder 27.

The servo circuit 26 comprises, for example, a focus servo control circuit, a tracking servo control circuit, a spindle motor control circuit, a thread servo control circuit and the like. The encoder & decoder 27 calculates a detection signal from the optical head 21, obtains a reproduced output signal, and performs a deinterleaving process, a decoding process for error correction, and the like. The data subjected to the decoding process is transmitted to the recording / reproducing unit control circuit 30.
31 serving as a buffer memory controlled by the RAM
Is written once, read out, and derived from the output terminal 28.

The recording process of the information signal on the disc by the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 will be described. First, the information signal input from the input terminal 29 is subjected to encoding processing such as encoding processing and error correction processing by the encoder & decoder 27, and is supplied to the magnetic field modulation head 22. The magnetic field modulation head 22 modulates a magnetic field according to the encoded output signal. At this time, the optical head 21
Since the disk is irradiated with a recording laser beam, the signal recording surface of the disk has a reduced coercive force and the magnetic field modulation head 22
Thus, the direction of magnetization can be easily changed according to the information signal.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the appearance of the disk recording / reproducing section 130 having the configuration shown in FIG.

Next, when the user operates each operation switch on the operation panel 42 as shown in FIG. 2, the system control circuit 40 takes out a desired disk cartridge from the stocker 2 using the transport unit 4 and The recording and / or reproducing unit 20 is chucked, and the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 is accessed via the recording / reproducing control circuit 30.

The operation panel 42 is used for release (RELEASE).
A key 43, an EJECT key 44, a disc select key 52, a record select key 53, a play key 54, a stop key 55, and the like as shown in FIG.

The release key 43 is a key for returning the disk cartridge being accessed by the recording and / or reproducing unit 20 to a predetermined storage position in the stocker 2. In particular, when the user wants to take out the disk cartridge from a predetermined storage position of the stocker 2, the user operates the eject key 44 provided near each of the storage positions.

The operation panel 42 displays the sampling frequency of the disk cartridge being accessed at, for example, 3
Sampling frequency display (SAMPLING FREQUENCY) that displays like 2KHz, 44.1KHz, 48KHz
And a repeat key (REPEAT) for repeating access by the recording and / or reproducing unit 20, and a display unit 45 for displaying the name of the disk cartridge being accessed, the track name, and the like.
Display key (DISPLAY), and a skip key (DISC SKI) used when accessing a disk cartridge other than the disk cartridge currently being accessed.
P), a continuation key (CONTINUE) for continuing access, and a shuffle key (SHUFFL) for performing shuffle playback.
E), a program key (PROGRAM) for performing program recording and reproduction, and the like are provided.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A transparent window 5 for stocker is provided in the center of the
A lid portion 51 in which 0 is formed is provided. For this reason,
The user also remain closed the lid portion 51, can be viewed, for example five disc cartridge 1 _1, 1 _2, 1 _3, 1 ₄ and 1 ₅ of the head label album name described surface or the like. A display unit 45 is provided below the transparent part 50 for stockers.
A transparent window is also formed. To insert or eject a disk cartridge into the stocker 2, the lid 51 may be opened as shown in FIG.

Next, a storage means for storing a plurality of recording media, and one of the recording media stored in the storage means is transported to the recording means for mounting, and the recording medium mounted on the recording means is transferred to the storage means. Designating one of transport means for transporting and storing in the storage means, recording means for recording an information signal inputted to the mounted recording medium, and one of a plurality of recording media stored in the storage means. According to the control signal for recording
Control means for transporting the designated recording medium to the recording means by the transport means to perform recording, and comprising: a disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention. Before describing the detailed operation, first, an information signal such as an audio signal of one broadcast program received by the tuner / timer section 120 is transmitted to five magneto-optical disks (hereinafter, referred to as “fiber”) stored in the disk recording / reproducing section 130.
The operation in the case of continuously recording data over a disc (also referred to as a disc) will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus shown in FIG.

Here, it is assumed that the power supply of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus is turned off,
It is assumed that the power is not manually turned on before the power of the apparatus is turned on by the timer unit 120. In the tuner / timer section 120, only the clock section 124 is turned on (ever-on) by a very small current.

In step S1, the clock unit 124 monitors whether or not the time set to turn on the power (timer on time) has been reached for the reserved broadcast program. When the set timer ON time comes, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the tuner / timer unit 1
A control signal is transmitted from the clock unit 124 of the control unit 20 to the control circuit 111 of the amplifier / control unit 110 via the control circuit 121,
The power of the entire disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus (system) is turned on.

In step S3, the tuner unit 122 whose power has been turned on reads out the program reservation information or channel selection setting information stored in the RAM 123, and selects a reserved program based on the setting information. Also, the control circuit 1
21 is a control circuit 131 of the disk recording / reproducing unit 130
To transmit a recording start signal. The transmission of the recording start signal may be performed by the control circuit 111 of the amplifier / control unit 110.

Control circuit 1 of disk recording / reproducing section 130
31 receives the recording start signal and performs recording start control. At this time, first, in step S4, it is checked whether the first disk is stored in the stocker of the disk storage unit 134a. . This confirmation is performed by the cartridge detection unit 3 shown in FIG. If the first disk is stored in the stocker, step S5
Proceed to. On the other hand, when the first disk is not stored in the stocker, the process proceeds to step S11 described later.

In step S5, the disk transport unit 134
b performs so-called loading in which the first disk is taken out of the stocker, and the disk of the recording / reproducing unit 134c is mounted on a spindle that drives the rotation to make it recordable.

In step S6, it is confirmed whether or not there is a recorded information signal on the first disk mounted and chucked. If there is no recorded information signal, the process proceeds to step S7, and recording is started from the beginning of the recording area of the disc. On the other hand, when there is a recorded information signal, the process proceeds to step S8 to search for an empty area (unrecorded area) of the disk, and recording is performed in the empty area. The detection of this free area is a so-called TO which is information (recording content related information) related to the recording content of the information signal on the disk.
This is performed by referring to C (table of contents) information. This TOC information is recorded in a predetermined area such as the innermost or outermost circumference of the disk, and is normally read when the disk is mounted and written to a RAM or the like. Although the contents of the TOC information vary depending on the standards and specifications, in general, the song number (file number), song name (file name),
Start / end addresses (track and sector addresses) on the disk, performance time (file size), addresses and sizes of free areas on the medium, and the like are adopted as necessary. Then, in both cases of steps S7 and S8, the process proceeds to step S9.

The process from step S6 to step S9, that is, the process for confirming whether or not there is a recorded information signal on the disc, is a process that is used again, and will be denoted as [process A] below.

In step S9, it is monitored whether or not recording on the first disk has been completed. When the recording on the first disk is completed, the process proceeds to step S10.

In step S10, the disk transport unit 14
3b performs so-called unloading such that the first disc on which recording has been completed is returned to the stocker.

In step S11, it is checked whether the next disk (here, the second disk) for recording the information signal is stored in the stocker. When the next disk is stored in the stocker, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when the next disk is not stored in the stocker, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, it is confirmed whether loading to the fifth disk has been performed and recording on all five disks has been completed. If the fifth disk has not been loaded yet, the process returns to step S11 to check again whether the next disk (here, the third disk) is stored in the stocker. On the other hand, when the loading to the fifth disk has already been completed and the recording on each disk has been completed, the recording operation is completed.

If it is determined in step S11 that the next disk is in the stocker, the process proceeds to step S13,
In this step S11, the disk is loaded, that is, the disk transport unit 134b takes out the next disk from the stocker, and mounts the disk of the recording / reproducing unit 134c on the rotating spindle to make it recordable.

Then, again from step S6 to step S
The process proceeds to [Step A] up to 8 to check whether or not there is a recorded information signal on the next mounted disc. When there is no recorded information signal, recording starts from the beginning of the recording area of the disc. When there is a recorded information signal,
An empty area of the disc is searched for, and recording is performed in the empty area. In any case, step S described later
Proceed to 14.

In step S14, it is monitored whether or not recording on the second and subsequent disks has been completed. When the recording on the monitored disk is completed, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the disc is unloaded. That is, the disk transport unit 143b
Return the recorded disk to the stocker.

In step S16, it is confirmed whether or not the loading has been completed up to the fifth disk, that is, whether or not recording on all five disks has been completed. Still 5
If the disc has not been loaded yet, the process returns to step S11 to check again whether the next disc (for example, the third disc) is stored in the stocker. On the other hand, when the loading to the fifth disk has already been completed and the recording on each disk has been completed, the recording operation is completed.

According to the above procedure, information signals such as audio signals can be recorded substantially continuously over five discs.

It takes about 10 seconds, for example, for the disk carrying unit 134b to chuck the disk stored in the stocker to the spindle and start recording. For this reason, the input information signal cannot be recorded while the disc is being changed. However, this is achieved by increasing the capacity of the RAM 31 (shock proof memory) in FIG. This problem can be solved by storing the input information signal of the degree) and writing the stored information signal to the next disk.

If five unused blank disks are used, recording is sequentially performed from the beginning to the end of the recording area of each disk. For example, if five disks have a maximum recording time of 74 minutes, the recording time is as long as 370 minutes. Continuous recording over time can be performed. Further, even in the case of using an in-use disc in which an information signal is partially recorded, continuous recording over a plurality of discs can be performed by searching for an empty area of each disc. Without erroneously erasing the disk space, recording can be performed in which the free areas of each disk are successively continued, which leads to effective use of the free area of the disk being used.

Next, another operation of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention will be specifically described. FIG. 9 shows another example of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of FIG.

Here, information signals of a plurality of (for example, five) broadcast programs received by the tuner / timer section 120 are transmitted to the 5
The operation of the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 9 by taking as an example a case where recording is performed in correspondence with one magneto-optical disc (hereinafter, also referred to as a disc).

Here, it is assumed that the power of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus is turned off,
It is assumed that the power is not manually turned on before the power of the apparatus is turned on by the timer unit 120.

In step S21, the clock section 124 monitors whether or not the time set to turn on the power (timer on time) has been reached for the reserved broadcast program. When the set timer ON time comes, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, a control signal is transmitted from the clock section 124 of the tuner / timer section 120 to the control circuit 111 of the amplifier / control section 110 via the control circuit 121, and the entire disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus (system) is controlled. Turn on the power.

In step S23, the tuner unit 122 whose power has been turned on reads out the program reservation information and the channel selection setting information stored in the RAM 123, and selects a reserved program based on the setting information. Also, the control circuit 121
Transmits a recording start signal to the control circuit 131 of the disk recording / reproducing unit 130. The transmission of the recording start signal may be performed by the control circuit 111 of the amplifier / control unit 110.

In step S24, the control circuit 131 of the disk recording / reproducing section 130 sets the tuner / timer section 12
Receiving a recording start signal including a disk number from 0,
It is checked whether the specified disk is stored in the stocker of the disk storage unit 134a, or more precisely, whether the disk is stored in the specified storage position of the stocker. This confirmation is performed by the cartridge detection unit 3 shown in FIG. If the specified disk is stored in the stocker, the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, when the specified disk is not stored in the stocker, the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, processing for canceling the recording operation is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S30 described later.

In step S26, the disk transport unit 13
4b takes out the specified disk from the stocker and mounts the disk of the recording / reproducing unit 134c on a spindle which is driven to rotate, so as to be in a recordable state.

In the step S27, it is checked whether or not there is an information signal recorded on the loaded disk. If there is no recorded information signal, the process proceeds to step S28, and recording is started from the beginning of the recording area of the disc. on the other hand,
If there is a recorded information signal, the flow advances to step S29 to search for an empty area of the disk, and recording is performed in the empty area. The detection of this free area is performed by TOC (TaC) which is information (information related to recorded contents) relating to an information signal on the disk.
ble Of Contents) is performed by referring to the information. Then, in both cases of steps S27 and S28, the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, it is monitored whether or not the broadcast program currently being received has reached the time set to turn off the power. When the set time (timer off time) comes, the process proceeds to step S31. In addition,
Although not shown here, when the disk becomes full before the timer-off time, the disk recording / reproducing unit 130
May end the recording.

In the step S31, it is checked whether or not recording on the disc has already been completed. If the recording on the disc has already been completed, the process proceeds to step S33. If the recording is still being performed, the recording on the disc is stopped (stopped) in step S32, and the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S33, a control signal is transmitted from the clock section 124 of the tuner / timer section 120 to the control circuit 111 of the amplifier / control section 110 via the control circuit 121, and the power of the entire disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus is turned on. Turn off. At this time, in the disc recording / reproducing section 130, the disc exchanging section 43a performs unloading of the disc such that the disc is returned to the stocker.

Then, the flow returns to step S21 to monitor whether or not the next time set to turn on the power has come.

By the above procedure, different information signals such as audio signals of different broadcast programs can be recorded on the five disks.

In addition to this, the information recording / reproducing section 130 continuously exchanges information signals for a plurality of recording media stored in the stocker, or independently for each of the media. And various types of recording can be performed in combination with, for example, a so-called CD changer.

Further, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a magneto-optical disk has been described as an example of a rewritable disk-shaped recording medium. However, for example, a phase-change optical disk or a magnetic disk may be used. Further, the present invention provides
It is not only applicable when using a disk-shaped recording medium, but also applicable when using a recording medium that can be stored in a stocker and exchanged the medium by a medium exchange mechanism, for example, a digital audio tape or the like. It is.

[0096]

As described above, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, an input information signal is sequentially recorded on a plurality of discs while exchanging a plurality of recording media, so that a substantially long time can be obtained. Can be continuously performed.

At this time, a recordable disc-shaped recording medium is used as a medium, and unrecorded empty areas of each recording medium are searched for based on information related to recording contents such as TOC information, and recording is sequentially performed on these empty areas. Thus, continuous recording over a plurality of recording media can be performed without erasing a recorded information signal, even when using a recording medium in use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an external appearance and an operation unit of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a disk recording / reproducing unit and an operation unit of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge used in a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, as viewed from above and below.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a main part of a disk recording / reproducing unit to which the present invention is applied. It is.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation unit of a disk recording / reproducing unit of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a disk storage unit of a disk recording / reproducing unit of a disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

110 amplifier / control unit, 111, 121, 131
Control circuit, 112 operation unit, 113, 133 display unit, 120 tuner / timer unit, 122 tuner unit, 123 RAM, 124 clock unit, 130
Disc recording / playback unit, 132 operation switches,
134 disk exchange and recording / reproducing unit, 134a
Disk storage unit, 134b Disk transport unit, 1
34c recording / playback unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takahiro Yamaguchi 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Yozo Tanaka 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. Sony Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a plurality of recording media, and one of the recording media stored in the storage means is transported to and mounted on the recording means, and the recording medium mounted on the recording means is stored in the storage means. Transport means for transporting and storing the recording medium, recording means for recording an information signal input to the mounted recording medium, and specifying one of a plurality of recording media stored in the storage means A recording apparatus, comprising: control means for conveying the designated recording medium to the recording means by the conveying means in accordance with a control signal for performing recording, and for performing recording. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a disk cartridge containing a recordable optical disk in a cartridge body. 3. A plurality of information sources are selected, an information signal from the selected information source is sent to the recording means, and one of a plurality of recording media stored in the storage means is designated. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information source supply unit that sends a control signal for performing recording to the control unit. 4. The information source supply section reserves a plurality of broadcast programs in correspondence with the plurality of recording media stored in the storage means, respectively, and performs a reservation in the storage means at the time of broadcasting the reserved broadcast program. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording apparatus is a tuner / timer section that outputs a control signal to be recorded on a recording medium to be recorded.