Patent ID: 6081398
Filing Date: 2000-06-27
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A rotary head recording/reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing digital signals onto and from helical tracks on a recording medium with a rotary head, the apparatus comprising:only one recording head section having only two recording heads in which the first and second recording heads have different azimuth angles and are closely located to each other on a rotary drum for recording digital signals on alternating adjacent helical tracks;a plurality of reproducing head sections comprised of at least first and second reproducing head sections on the rotary drum for reproducing recorded digital signals, said first reproducing head section being provided 90.degree. from the recording head section on the rotary drum and being composed of first and seconds reproducing heads closely located to each other in which the first and second reproducing heads have azimuth angles corresponding to the respective azimuth angles of the first and second recording heads of the recording head section, and said second reproducing head section being provided 180.degree. from the first reproducing head section on the rotary drum and being composed of third and fourth reproducing heads closely located to each other in which the third and fourth reproducing heads have azimuth angles corresponding to the respective azimuth angles of the first and second recording heads of the recording head section; andmeans for performing a read-after-write operation in which reproduced digital signals are obtained from the helical tracks of said recording medium, which is wrapped about the rotary drum for an angle of approximately 180 degrees, after the digital signals corresponding thereto have been recorded by the first and second recording heads of the recording head section and in which the obtained reproduced digital signals are outputted therefrom during a time period or periods in which the corresponding digital signals are not recorded and such that the digital signals recorded in the helical tracks in one rotation of the rotary drum and the reproduced digital signals obtained therefrom are acquired during a single rotation of the rotary drum.