DISK RECORDING DEVICE

Abstract: A disk recording device that records data such as musical information on or in a recordable disk (1) where absolute addresses have been previously recorded is disclosed. According to the invention, address data indicating each information block area (5) where data such as musical information are recorded to in a program area (6) of said recordable disk are recorded to a lead-in section (7), and a recordable area (6) of the program area (6), such as an unrecorded part or unnecessarily recorded part, is detected on the basis of the address data of each infor­ mation block area. The length of the recordable area is inidcated. Hence the user can easily confirm the unre­ corded or unnecessarily recorded part so as to realize efficient information recording to the recordable area which is suitably long or spacious enough for the infor­ mation to be recorded.

Description: This invention relates to a disk recording device for recording data such as musical information on a disk containing previously recorded absolute addresses. In a recordable disk 1 employed in such disk system, as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, there are formed spiral pre-grooves 2 each of which is λ/8 in depth (λ indicates the wavelength of a laser beam for recording information). In each land section 3 between the pre-grooves 2, a pre-recorded area 4 on which pits of λ/4 in depth are recorded in the circumferential direction presenting uneven shapes and a data record area 5 where the opto-magnetic recording is performed are alternately provided at regular intervals. Also in the recordable disk 1, there is provided a lead-in section 7 on the inner circumference of a program area 6 where musical information is recorded, and so-called TOC (table of contents) information indicating the recorded contents on the program area 6 is recorded at the lead-in section 7. With reference to Fig. 2, one frame of a data format standardized in the compact disks adopting EFM (Eight to Fourteen Modulation) consists of 588 channel bits, with 24-bit synchronous signals, 14-bit (one symbol) subcodes, 14 x 32-bit (32 symbols) data such as musical information with parity, and 3-bit margin bits provided between the respective symbols. Among these modulation data, above-stated synchronous signals and subcodes are recorded on the prerecorded area 4 of the recordable disk 1 presenting uneven shapes produced by a so-called embossing finish, and are provided with absolute timing information (absolute address) as the subcode from a starting position on the program area 6. The disk system utilizing such recordable disk 1 controls for example rotation of the disk at Constant Linear Velocity (CLV) by using the absolute address reproduced from the pre-recorded area 4, and performs information recording and reproduction with the standardized data format for the compact disks. It is to be noted that all the tunes are not necessarily recorded in succession on the disk in such disk system retaining superior compatibility to said compact disks. That is, an unrecorded part may appear between a first tune and a second tune, for example. In such a case, if successive reproduction is performed, a silent part may be continuously reproduced during the interval after the termination of the first tune and before the start of the second tune. Also in case of a so-called superposed recording, namely, recording of a new tune on an already recorded section, if a part of the originally recorded tune remains after the newly recorded tune, such part is also reproduced during reproduction. Besides, in case further recording is performed on a recordable area including unrecorded area or unnecessarily recorded area using a disk on which several tunes have already been recorded, it is necessary to determine if Such recordable area is spacious or long enough for newly proposed recording. In such a case, complicated operations for seeking a starting part of the already recorded tune so as to calculate the recorded time is required. When said unrecorded and/or unnecessarily recorded areas are present dispersedly in the plural sections, tremendous steps should be required for determining recordable area needed for recording a new tune. Recording of a new block in a free space between already recorded blocks is much facilitated by using a device as described in EP-A-0 051 225. That device receives, in a first step, information indicating the length of a block to be newly recorded and information indicating which already recorded blocks can be deleted. Thereafter, the device sequentially checks the recorded blocks to determine which deletable block has a length which corresponds at least to the length of the block to be newly recorded. As soon as a deletable block of sufficient length is found, this block is deleted and the new block is recorded. The device can rather quickly find a suitable deletable block, as data indicating the start address and the length of the blocks are registered in a storing means. From this TOC-information, it is possible to find very fast the suitable deletable next block. It is the object of the present invention to provide a disk recording device which can use the program area of a recordable disk very effectively. The disk recording device of the present invention as defined in apended claim 1 comprises: recording means for first recording said data in block in said program area and thereafter recording in said lead-in section said TOC-information by recording address data for said block; reproducing means for reproducing said block data and said TOC-information; and data processing means comprising: - means for providing for each block data indicating its start address and its length, for recording these data as TOC-information on a disk before it is ejected from said device, and for reading said information when a disk is inserted into the device; - calculating means for calculating the free space between each pair of adjacent blocks by using said TOC-information; - selection means for selecting all free spaces exceeding a predetermined length; - and means for ordering these selected spaces by length to facilitate selection of a space for recording a new block. The fact that this device can use the program area very effectively is shown by the following example. It is assumed that a block of almost 5 minutes length has to be recorded. Sequential free (recordable) spaces have lengths of 8 minutes, a little bit more than 5 minutes and 4 minutes. The device as known from EP-A-0 051 225 will select the next recordable space, i.e. the space of 8 minutes length to record the new block of a little bit less than 5 minutes. However, the device of the present invention determines that the second free space of just above 5 minutes length is the first free space of sufficient length to store the new block. By storing the new block there, the second free space is filled very effectively, whereby the first free space is kept in full length. Now let's assume that a block of 7 minutes has to be recorded as a next block. This block can be stored in the example when using the device of the present invention. However, it cannot be stored in the device according to EP-A-0 051 225, as the first free space now only will have a length of 3 minutes, after the block of just below 5 minutes was stored in the free space having 8 minutes before. Now only free spaces of 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 4 minutes are available. These free spaces are evidently not long enough to store the new block. It is of especial advantage to provide a display means for displaying the selected and ordered free spaces. Then, an operator can recognize very fast which is the free space best suited for recording a new block. When key means are provided for switching from one space to the next, in increasing or decreasing direction, a desired free space can be selected very easily. The invention will now be described by an embodiment which is illustrated by Fig. 3 - 9. Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an known record format of a recordable disk as it is also used in a device as explained by Fig. 3 - 9. Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a data format of information to be recorded to the recordable disk. Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an outlined structure of a disk recording/reproducing device to which the present invention is applied. Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the recorded contents of a program area of a recordable disk employed to the disk recording/reproducing device of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing a set-up mode operation of said disk recording/reproducing device. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing a space mode operation of the disk recording/reproducing device. Fig. 7 schematically illustrates contents of a display at said space mode. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing a recording mode operation of the disk recording/reproducing device. Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing an ejecting mode operation of the disk recording/reproducing device. DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen from an embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 to 9, the present invention is applied to a disk recording/reproducing for recording and reproducing musical information of a data format in conformity with a CD standard as seen from Fig. 2, using an opto-magnetic disk wherein a vertical magnetizing membrane with a magnetooptical effect serves as a record medium as a recordable disk 1 for recording a record format of Fig. 1 thereon. In this device, data recording/reproducing is performed at an optical head 12 while said recordable disk 1 rotates at Constant Linear Velocity (CLV). As seen from a block diagram of Fig. 3, the disk recording/reproducing device of the present embodiment has the optical head 12 and a magnet 13 oppositely mounted with the recordable disk 1 which is rotated by a disk motor 11 being placed between them. The optical head 12 is connected to a prerecorded signal reproduction amplifier 14, an opto-magnetic signal reproduction amplifier 15, and a recording amplifier 27. The optical head 12 consists of several optical parts such as a laser diode, a photodetector, a lens and a beam splitter and performs information recording and reproduction by irradiating a laser beam to the recordable disk. 1. The magnet 13 applies the recordable disk 1 with a magnetic field for information recording or erasure using the magneto-optical effect, and is controlled such that its polarity reverses at the recording mode and the erasing mode. Among the reproduced RF signals read from the recordable disk 1 by the optical head 12, reproduced signals from the prerecorded area 4 are supplied to a decoder 16 through the prerecorded signal reproduction amplifier 14, and the absolute address data decoded by the decoder 16 are supplied to a microcomputer 17. Also, reproducing signals reproduced from a data record area 5 of the recordable disk 1 are supplied to a reproduced signal processing circuit 18 through the opto-magnetic signal reproduction amplifier 15 to be treated with the prescribed signal processing. The musical information reproduced from a program area 6 of the recordable type disk 1 are supplied from the reproduced signal processing circuit 18 to a digital to analog (D/A) converter 20, where they are converted into analog signals to be outputted from a signal output terminal 22 through a buffer amplifier 21 as reproduced audio signals S o . The TOC information reproduced from the lead-in section 7 of the recordable type disk 1 are supplied from the reproduced signal processing circuit 18 to a TOC buffer memory 19 to be stored therein. In the disk recording/reproducing device, audio signals S₁ recorded to the program area 6 of the recordable disk 1 are supplied from a signal input terminal 23 through a buffer amplifier 24 to an analog to digital (A/D) converter 25 to be digitized therein. These musical information digitized by the A/D converter 25 are supplied to the optical head 12 through the recording amplifier 27 after being treated with the prescribed signal procession at a recorded signal processing circuit 26 so as to recorded to the program area 6 of the recordable disk 1. To the microcomputer 17 there are connected an operational key 28 for inputting control data, a display 29 for displaying various data, and a space buffer memory 30 where information indicating a recordable area in the program area 6 of the recordable disk 1 are stored. Outputs from the A/D converter are also supplied to the microcomputer 17 as detection signals of silent parts. With this recordable disk 1, it is possible to record musical information of for example 60 minutes to the program area 6. For example, a first tune starts from 00'00" and ends at 05'00", a second tune starts from 08'00" and ends at 13'00", a third tune starts from 15'03" and ends at 20'00", a fourth tune starts from 28'00" and ends at 36'00", and a fifth tune starts from 36'20" and ends at 41'00" such that musical information including five tunes have been already recorded thereto, as seen from Fig. 4. In the lead-in section 7, TOC information shown in Table 1 indicating the respective record areas of the musical information from said first and fifth tunes by absolute addresses are recorded so as to indicate the recorded contents of the program area 6. In addition, the respective already recorded areas are not always required to be indicated by the absolute address from a starting point of the program area but may be indicated in combination with relative addresses such as a start playing time and a playing time. With reference to the flow chart of Fig. 5 where an operation at set-up mode is shown, when the recordable disk 1 is mounted at the time of start operating in step 101, the disk recording/reproducing device of the present embodiment at first reads out the TOC information recorded to the lead-in section 7 of the recordable disk 1 at the optical head 12 and reproduced them to be stored in the TOC buffer memory 19 in step 102. On the basis of the TOC information stored in the TOC buffer memory 19, an address difference of a start playing time of (N+1)th tune and an end playing time of (N)th tune which acts as a space time indicating a recordable area of the program area 6 of the recordable disk 1 is calculated in step 103. In step 104, there is a check to determine whether said difference, namely, the space time is longer or larger than the prescribed address difference of for example, 30 seconds. If the result of the check in step 104 is N=1, i.e., there is a difference of more than 30 seconds between the start playing time of said second tune and the end playing time of said first tune, it is determined in step 105 that the interval between theses first and second tunes are a recordable area. At the same time, the recordable time indicated by the difference data of the start playing time of the second tune (start address data) and the end playing time of the first tune (end address data) is stored in the space buffer memory 30 as space information together with space numbers and so on. When the operation in step 105 is over, or as the result of the check in 104 it is checked that the difference of more than 30 seconds does not exist during the start playing time of the second tune and the end playing time of the first tune, control returns to step 103 through step 106 where there is a check to determine whether the detection of the recordable area in respect with the TOC information of all the tunes stored in the TOC buffer memory 19 is performed. In step 103, the difference between the start playing time of the third time (start address data) and the end playing time of the second tune (end address data) is calculated and the space information is stored in the space buffer memory 30 through step 104 and 105. In such manner, the address difference detection with respect to all the tunes included is in turn executed so as to detect the recordable area having the recordable time of more than 30 seconds. If the result of the check in step 106 is YES, namely, the detecting procedure of the recordable area is over, the space information stored in the space buffer memory 30 are rearranged in order from a short recordable time in step 107 so as to be a waiting state. It is to be noted that during detection of the recordable area in the program area 6 of the recordable disk 1 by calculation on the basis of the TOC information shown in Table 1, there are substantially retained 3-second time in reserve to the respective sections of start recording and end recording. Such space information as given in Table 2 is detected by the microcomputer 17 to be stored in the space buffer memory 30. The microcomputer 17 performs a space mode control operation and a recording mode control operation as shown by the flow charts of Figs. 6 and 8, respectively, at the waiting state where the TOC information is stored in the TOC buffer memory 19 and the space information is stored in the space buffer memory 30 by accepting control inputs due to the operational key 28. More particularly with reference to the flow chart of Fig. 6, when the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of TIME key as the operational key 28 in step 201, the display mode of the display 29 is changed in step 202. Then there is a check to determine whether the operation mode to be set is a space mode or not in step 203. In case it is YES, space number (No.) is set '1' in step 204 so as to read out the space information the space number (No.) or which is '1' from the space buffer memory 30 in step 205. The space display is indicated on a display screen of the display 29 in step 206. When the space mode is set, there is indicated on the display screen of the display 29 a literature 'SPACE', and the particular space number (No.) together with its recordable time (minute, second) as seen from Fig. 7. When the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of FF key as the operational key 28 at the space mode in step 207, space number (No.) is incremented in step 208 and control returns to step 205 for space information reading operation to display the space information of the particular space number (No.) on the display screen of the display 29. When the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of FR key as the operational key 28 in step 209, space number (No.) is decremented in step 210 and control returns to step 205 for space information reading operation to display the space information of the particular space number (No.) on the display screen of the display 29. Further, when the microcomputer 17 accepts a simultaneous operation of REC key and the PLAY key as the operational key 28 at the space mode in step 211, recording operation in respect to the recordable area of the space number (No.) indicated on the display screen of the display 29 is started in step 212. The recording operation takes place until the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of STOP key in step 213. When the operation of STOP key is accepted in step 213, the recording operation is terminated in step 214, contents of the TOC buffer memory 19, namely, TOC information are changed in step 215. In addition, contents of the space buffer memory 30, that is, space information are changed in step 216 to be a waiting state. In case the musical information of 2'40" are recorded to the recordable area with space number (No.) '2' having the recordable time of 2'54", due to the procedure in step 215 and step 216, contents of the TOC buffer memory 19 are changed to the new TOC information as indicated in Table 3. The contents of the space buffer memory 30 are changed to the new space information as shown in Table 4. Also, when the microcomputer 17 accepts a single operation of PLAY key as the operational key 28 at the space mode in step 217, reproducing operation with respect to the recordable area of a space number (No.) indicated on the display screen of the display 29 is started in step 219. The reproducing operation takes place until an operation of STOP key is accepted in step 220. When the microcomputer accepts the operation of STOP key in step 219, the reproducing operation is terminated in step 220 to be a waiting state. According to this reproducing operation, recorded contents of the remained recordable area after the superposed recording can be confirmed. As seen from the flow chart of Fig. 8, when the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of REC key as the operational key 28 in step 301, the recording operation mode is set in step 302. Them, a space number (No.) is set '1' in step 303 such that the space information the space number (No.) of which is '1' is read out in step 304 to be indicated on the display screen of the display 29 in step 305. When the recording operation mode is set on the display screen of the display 29, a literature 'SPACE' together with the particular space number (No.) and its recordable time (minute, second) are indicated thereon as in the abovementioned space mode. When the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of FF key as the operational key 28 at the setting state of recording operation mode in step 306, space number (No.) is incremented in step 307 and control returns to step 204 for space information reading operation, where the space information of the space number (No.) is indicated on the display screen of the display 29. Or when the microcomputer 17 accepts an operation of FR key as the operational key 28 in step 308, a space number (No.) is decremented in step 308 and control returns to step 305 for space information reading operation, where the space information of the space number (No.) is indicated on the display screen of the display 29. In addition when the microcomputer again accepts the operation of REC key as the operational key 28 at the setting state of the recording operation mode in step 310, recording operation with respect to the recordable area of the space number (No.) indicated on the display screen of the display 29 is started in step 311. The recording operation takes place until the operation of STOP key is accepted in step 312. When the microcomputer 17 accepts the operation of STOP key, the recording operation is terminated in step 313 and the contents of the TOC buffer memory 19, that is, TOC information, are changed in step 314. Besides, the contents of the space buffer memory 30, namely, the space information, are changed in step 315 to be the state of waiting. For example, in case the musical information of 1'45" is recorded to the recordable area with a space number (No.) '1' including recordable time of 1'57", the contents of the TOC buffer memory 19 are changed to the new TOC information as shown in Table 5 in accordance with procedures taken in step 314 and step 315. The contents of the space buffer memory 30 are changed to the new space information as indicated in Table 6. As stated above, the disk recording/reproducing device of the present embodiment performs successive reproduction of each tune in the spontaneous order to be selectively designated by the microcomputer 17 on the basis of the TOC information recorded to the TOC buffer memory 19 by operating the operational key 28 during reproduction of each musical information recorded to the program area 6 of the recordable disk 1. Further, with reference to the flow chart of Fig. 9 when an ejecting mode is designated by an operation of the operational key 28, the TOC information stored in the TOC buffer memory 19 is recorded to the lead-in section 7 of the recordable disk 1 at the optical head 12 in step 401. Soon after this procedure the microcomputer 17 performs ejecting operation in step 402 so as to terminate the control operation.

Claims: A disk recording device for recording data such as musical information on a recordable disk (1) having a program area (6) in which absolute addresses are recorded and a circumferential area (7) with a lead-in section for storing table of contents -information, hereinafter referred to as TOC-information, said device comprising: recording means (12, 22 - 27) for first recording said data in block in said program area and there after recording in said lead-in section said TOC-information by recording address data for said block; reproducing means (12, 22) for reproducing said block data and said TOC-information; and data processing means (17) for processing said TOC-information to provide, interalia, information enabling selection of a free space for recording a new block; characterized in that said data processing means (17) comprises: - means for providing for each block data indicating its start address and its length, for recording these data as TOC-information on a disk (1) before it is ejected from said device, and for reading said information when a disk is inserted into the device; - calculating means for calculating the free space between each pair of adjacent blocks by using said TOC-information; - selection means for selecting all free spaces exceeding a predetermined length; - and means for ordering these selected spaces by length to facilitate selection of a space for recording a new block. A device according to claim 1, characterized by a display means (29) for displaying said selected and ordered free spaces. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by key means (28) for switching, by operating specified keys, from one of said selected and ordered free spaces to the next in increasing or decreasing direction, to select one of these free spaces as space for recording a new block of data.

Inventors: ANDO, RYO, FUJIIE, KAZUHIKO, YOSHIDA, TADAO, YOSHIDA, TOSHIO
Applicants: SONY CORPORATION
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G11B7
IPC codes: G11B20, G11B7, G11B27, G11B19, G11B11