Abstract: A write circuit includes a waveform correction circuit for changing a waveform of leading and trailing portions of a write current so that a read circuit of the magnetic recording apparatus for magnetically recording at a recording density lower than the predetermined recording density can read the recorded signal. The waveform correction circuit is inserted between a coil of a magnetic head of the magnetic recording apparatus and a binary signal generator circuit when it receives a selection signal for selecting a recording state corresponding to the magnetic recording apparatus with the low recording density.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus data is recorded in the trailing portion of an area erased by an erase magnetic head, thereby surely extracting a regenerative clock at the reproducing time so that the operation of a regenerative clock system can be stabilized.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically controlling adjustment of a head switching point in a VCR allows for automatic adjustment of the head switching point instead of the conventional manual adjustment thereof. The adjustment can be performed during every tape playback routine, thereby providing stable image quality. According to the present invention, a drum pulse signal is amplified by an amplifier, delayed by a time constant of a delay monostable multivibrator and output as a head switching signal by a frequency generator. The microcomputer outputs control data to adjust a head switching point by adjusting the constant of the monostable multivibrator such that a desired head switching point is obtained. The control data from the microcomputer is converted by a digital/analog converter into an analog voltage signal for adjustment of the time constant of the delay monostable multivibrator, thereby enabling the desired adjustment of the head switching point.

Abstract: A data reproducing apparatus by which data vertically magnetically recorded on a single layer film medium can be detected readily and accurately with a simple construction by means of a ring head. Upon recording, input data are NRZI converted into a recording sequence, which is vertically magnetically recorded onto a single layer film medium. The data are reproduced from the single layer film medium by means of the ring head, and the reproduction signal is differentiated. The differentiation signal is three-value detected to restore the original data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which first calculates track to track skew in a tape device and then uses the results of that calculation to adjust the windows for detection of sync and resync characters. The system makes use of global circuitry which adjusts the sync and resync windows for all tracks based upon the skew calculation. In the case of the windows used for detecting resyncs, when skew is determined to be large, the global resync window must span a larger time period to account for the skew in detecting resync marks. Conversely, when there is little or no skew present, the windows for resync detection can be narrowed. Normally, the track logic utilizes its own local windows to detect resyncs. If a track misses a resync, however, it must use the global resync window to determined the next resync location. Once the tracks are resynchronized, control can return to local track circuitry to maintain synchronization.

Abstract: The optical scanning head for scanning one- and two-dimensional bar codes includes at least one combination of light emitting diodes arranged so the LEDs emit light at different angles to create a fan of light. The combination and arrangement of the LEDs depends on whether one- or two-dimensional bar codes are to be read. A cylindrical lens optimizes the light impinging upon the bar code. An optical module includes a light shield or "dark room" and a lens/filter assembly which focusses reflected light on the detector, made up of a CCD module for detecting the light intensity in the reflected beam over a field of view across a bar code symbol. One or more combinations of linear CCD arrays in the CCD module generate an electrical signal indicative of the detected light intensity. A trigger mechanism allows selection of the number of LEDs or linear CCD arrays to efficiently scan one- or two-dimensional bar codes, where two-dimensional bar codes require more illumination for accurate scanning.

Abstract: An optical recording system having a DC restored read signal for qualifying pulses in the read channel. The equalized and filtered read signal is input to a differentiator and a DC restore circuit. The zero crossings of the differentiated signal which represent the peaks of the pulses are detected. The DC restore circuit inverts the read signal, generates a reference voltage, and compares the negative pulses peaks of the read signal to the reference voltage. The charge of a capacitor is adjusted according to the difference in voltages of the pulse peaks to that of the reference voltage in order to maintain a constant DC level. The DC restored signal is qualified according to a threshold. Only those pulses which have zero crossings and which have been qualified are considered to be valid.

Abstract: In a magnetic storage system including a data conversion unit for performing reading or writing of data from or to a magnetic tape medium, and a system control unit, the data conversion unit has a plurality of electromagnetic transducers which are arranged so as not to overlap with one another in a travel direction of each of a plurality of recording tracks provided on the magnetic tape medium, and performs the reproduction of the data from each reproducing track using one of the electromagnetic transducers a plurality of which are assigned every recording track. In the system control unit, an error included in the regenerative data is detected. When an error is detected, the one electromagnetic transducer which performed the reproduction when detecting an error of the data is switched to another electromagnetic transducer assigned every recording track, thereby to perform the reproduction properly.

Abstract: For a digital television including an analog/digital converter for converting interlaced scanning video signals into digital video signals, a motion compensating system comprises a color/brightness signal separator for separating the signal and the brightness signal of said digital video signal from each other; a picture transition sensing stage for detecting the amount of the horizontal and time motion of the picture by said brightness signal and the amount of the vertical transistion of the picture by said digital video signal to compare and compensate the two amounts, obtaining the signal of sensing the amount of the motion of the picture; and a mixer for interpolating the color signal, the brightness signal of the color/brightness separator and compensating the interpolated color signal and the brightness signal and the present color signal and the present brightness signal with the signal of the sensed amount of motion of the picture generated by the picture transition sensing stage.

Abstract: The method and apparatus of this invention facilitate operation of a bar code reader over a wider range of working angle and for a wider range of bar code densities. The invention includes improved optics and sensing elements. The optics and sensing elements and/or the associated circuitry are arranged to provide two channels of data derived form the scanned bar code. The two channels have differing resolutions. Analysis of the data from the two channels provides a single decoded result. As the working angle and density vary at least one of the resolutions will be appropriate for sensing all or most of the bar coded data. The data from the channel producing a valid result can be used, or if neither channel produces a valid result by itself, data from each channel can be analyzed and valid portions of the data from both channels combined to produce the single decoded result.

Abstract: A magnetic head driving device with two inductors sharing a common magnetic core is disclosed. The device includes an inductor for generating a magnetic field, the inductor having a pair of terminals. The device has a first auxiliary coil for storing electromagnetic energy, the first auxiliary coil being connected to one of the terminals of the inductor at a first node, second auxiliary coil for storing electromagnetic energy, the second auxiliary coil being connected to the other terminal of the inductor at a second node, first main switch connected to the first node, second main switch connected to the second node, and control circuit for receiving a first signal indicating generation of a magnetic field by the inductor and a second signal indicating the direction of a magnetic field generated by the inductor and for outputting the second signal for a predetermined period of time in accordance with the first signal to alternately turn on or off the first main switch and the second main switch.

Abstract: A method and system detect and remove particles from a tape. Debris on a tape can cause errors. Location of the tape is continuously monitored, and when an error is detected during a data transfer operation, the tape is moved and re-positioned to rewrite a data block where the error was detected. If the error is not corrected, a minimum threshold requirement is decreased so the system detects the data block as corrected thereby avoiding system hang-ups or the like.

Abstract: A recording medium in the form of a disc in which locations on said disc other than a predetermined location set as a zero-address are represented by (+) side addresses and (-) side addresses with respect to the zero address, and in which the information concerning these addresses are at least recorded as address data constituted by N bits. With the disc-shaped recording medium the fact that the number of addresses necessary for the radially inner region of the disc is smaller than the number of addresses necessary for the radially outer region of the disc is utilized in such a manner that the upper four bits of 16 bits are used in the manner of sign bits for representing the addresses on the radially inner side of the disc, with the remaining bits being used for representing the addresses, with the 16 bits inclusive of the upper four bits being used for representing the addresses for the radially outer region of the disc.

Abstract: An interface selection and configuration system for a computer peripheral in which configuration for the peripheral and/or the host interface is at least in part accomplished by the interface connector cable. In a preferred embodiment, the computer peripheral is equipped with one or more hardware interfaces. The interface connector cable has a first end connector for attaching to the computer peripheral. The first end connector of the interface connector cable is typically a multiple pin connector constructed and arranged to be properly physically and electrically connectable only to a specific computer peripheral or class of computer peripherals, the first end connector including at least one electrical connection between two pins for completing a circuit within the computer peripheral thereby enabling the computer peripheral.

Abstract: A read preamplifier for use in reading data in a magnetic storage system uses positive feedback to reduce the preamplifier's input capacitance. The read preamplifier includes first and second voltage supply terminals. An input is coupled to the second voltage supply terminal and receives input signals from a connected magnetic head. An output is coupled to the first voltage supply terminal and to the input for producing output signals based upon the input signals. A positive feedback circuit, coupled to the input reduces the input capacitance of the read preamplifier.

Abstract: A check-out device includes an input section having a customer operating panel, for sequentially inputting article codes of articles to be purchased, upon request from the customer operating panel, and a settlement section spaced away from the input section, for performing registration and settlement of the purchased articles according to the article codes input by the input section. The check-out device further includes a control section for causing the input section to terminate inputting of the articles in the case where a blank period during which no article code is input exceeds a preset time length.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are provided for servo signal demodulation using a servo processor and a partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) data channel in a disk file. A servo burst timing window is identified. Then a plurality of digital samples are detected with the PRML data channel responsive to identifying the servo burst timing window. Sequential sets of the detected digital samples are accumulated by the PRML data channel and transmitted to the servo processor. The digital samples are processed by the servo processor for providing servo phase information that is used to provide servo position information.

Abstract: A hands-free bar code scanner unit is mounted on the back of the hand or wrist of an operator to free the hands and arms of the operator to perform normal manual tasks. The bar code scanner is selectively actuated by the operator by positionally moving one or more fingers, preferably by pointing an index finger. The bar code scanner unit comprises a housing secured to the back of the hand or wrist of an operator. The housing mounts therein an active or passive photosensor for detecting a predetermined positional movement of one or more fingers by the operator. The housing also mounts therein a bar code scanner which scans in the direction in which the scanner is aimed, as in the direction of a pointing finger, and is responsive to the photosensor detecting a predetermined positional movement of one or more fingers to actuate the bar code scanner. In a preferred embodiment, a first photosensor detects the position of the index finger, and a second photosensor detects the position of the middle finger.

Abstract: A system of the so-called "operator-unassisted" type, for processing articles selected for purchase and bearing an identification code, includes a code reader generating output signals indicative of the article identification codes, a sensor generating output signals indicative of measurable characteristics of the articles, a memory for storage, for each of the articles, of a signal indicative of the measurable characteristic thereof correlated with the article identification code, an article rejector for rejecting the selection of an article for purchase on failure of correspondence of the sensor output signal and the corresponding stored measurable characteristic signal and a control unit operable selectively on such rejection of the article purchase selection for substituting the output signal generated by the sensor for the stored measurable characteristic signal. The control unit effectively introduces an "override capacity" to heretofore known systems.

Abstract: An enhanced card security system wherein an optically readable portion is incorporated into the magnetic machine readable stripe on the card. The optically readable portion can include a holographic representation of a bar code or other conventionally known optical digit generator.The optical stripe has a partial string of an identification number and, the magnetic stripe has the remaining string of the identification number. A check digit derived by combining the two partial strings and preforming a check digit calculation on the complete string is also recorded on the magnetic stripe. Transactions are approved if during reading of the card the calculated check digit from combining the two strings matches the recorded check digit.