Abstract: A magneto-optic disc recording system includes an E-shaped electromagnet for providing magnetic biasing selectively for the recording and erasing processes. The middle arm of the E comprises a first pole piece and is positioned radially with respect to the disc rotation, on the opposite side of the disc from, but aligned with, the path of radial motion of the focused recording/erasing light beam. The other arms of the E, parallel to the middle arm, comprise second pole pieces opposite in polarity from the first pole piece, and are positioned adjacent the disc recording surface on the opposite side of the disc from the middle arm. Two shoes of a magnetic material, coupled to the optical translation stage, provide a magnetic circuit between the respective second pole pieces and the area surrounding the objective lens focusing light on the disc recording surface, relaying a substantially vertical magnetic field through the disc at the point of incidence of the focused light beam.

Abstract: A magneto-optic disc recording system includes a cylindrical permanent magnet for providing magnetic biasing selectively for the recording and erasing processes. The magnet is positioned radially with respect to the disc rotation, on the opposite side of the disc from, but aligned with, the path of radial motion of the focused recording/erasing light beam. The poles of the magnet are diametrically opposed, and the magnet is axially rotatable. Circular eddy currents, induced by the magnetic field of the magnet on the surface of the rotating disc, generate a second magnetic field which opposes the field of the magnet, thus impelling rotation of the magnet. A stopping mechanism stops the rotation of the magnet with one or the other of its poles adjacent the disc, such that either a recording or erasing magnetic bias is selectively provided to the recording region.

Abstract: An automatic telephone answering apparatus includes tape recorder sections for outputting a speech message through a telephone line, and for recording and reproducing a speech signal through the telephone line, a controller for setting the tape recorder sections in predetermined modes, and a decoder for decoding a remote control signal received through the telephone line and supplying a decoded remote control signal to the controller. A muting circuit between a telephone line interface and the tape recorder sections blocks remote control signals from being recorded, in response to a timing signal generated by a DTMF receiver in the decoder.

Abstract: A floppy disk drive which, together with one or more like devices, is daisy chained to host equipment comprising a central processor unit and an associated controller. Each disk drive comprises a disk motor for rotating a record disk under the control of a disk motor drive circuit, a head motor for incrementally moving a transducer head radially of the record disk under the control of a head motor drive circuit, and a read/write circuit for processing data read from, or to be written on, the record disk via the transducer head. The host equipment produces, among other control signals, a MOTOR ON signal for the on/off control of the disk motor via the disk motor drive circuit.

Abstract: An optical information recording method comprises a first step of scanning a radiation beam on a disk-like recording medium without effecting tracking control, and recording information as concentric circular or spiral information tracks for at least one round on the recording medium, and a second step of scanning the radiation beam while effecting tracking control so as to keep a predetermined interval with respect to an information track recorded one round previously, thereby recording the information on the recording medium.

Abstract: An optical disk system. Each of data blocks supplied from a higher ranked unit is divided into a plurality of code words, each of which is added with an error correction code to be subsequently recorded on an optical disk. In reproduction, each of the data blocks read out from the optical disk is subjected to error correction on the code-word basis. Information indicative of the presence or absence of data error in each code word and the presence or absence of the error incapable of being corrected is sent to the higher ranked unit together with the reproduced data. In this way, the code word suffering the uncorrectable error is excluded from data of the other code words which can be validly utilized by the high ranked unit.

Abstract: A low-frequency component of a tracking error signal is supplied to a linear motor employed as a feed motor for controlling relative movement of a disk and pickup in the radial direction of the disk. This prevents a spurious sliding movement of the pickup during a track jump, even if the disk and the player apparatus with which it cooperates are inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

Abstract: In a tape signal copying apparatus in which signals recorded on a running mother tape are copied onto a running copy tape by urging the two running tapes against a tape guide member by air blown from an air blow-off slit and by applying a magnetic field or heat to the tapes, an air pool groove is formed in a wall of an air guide member at such a position as to face the tape guide member to further increase air pressure against the running tapes within an area where signals have already been copied. The higher air pressure elminates an offset in the mutual positional relationship between two tapes due to tape extension fluctuations, and therefore prevents a harmful influence such as demagnetization or thermal disturbance of other signals recorded on the mother tape upon signals already recorded on the copy tape, so that high level signals can be reliably copied between the two tapes.

Abstract: A video signal reproducing apparatus comprises a rotary magnetic head which reproduces a video signal recorded on a magnetic tape, a rotator which rotates the rotary magnetic head to cause the same to scan the magnetic tape intermittently along a oblique path thereon, a head supporting member, such as a compound piezoelectric plate element, which supports the rotary magnetic head to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the rotator and to shift the position of the rotary magnetic head in the direction of the axis for rotation thereof in response to the level of a control signal supplied thereto, and a signal generator which produces a signal acting as the control signal in a "trick" reproducing mode and having such level variations as to cause the head supporting member to have a swinging movement in a period in which the rotary magnetic head is not in contact with the magnetic head, which affects to cancel a swinging movement of the head supporting member occuring in a period in which the rotary magnetic

Abstract: An optical disc player employs a counter preset with a preset value representative of 4 times the distance between an initial address position of an optical head block and a desired track address position. The counter decrements the absolute value of the preset value as the optical head block approaches the desired track. The counter value is converted into an analog signal and applied to a tracking driver which drives the optical head block toward the desired track. The absolute value is decremented by 4 each time the optical head is moved by one track spacing.

Abstract: Apparatus for reading a disc-shaped record carrier with a light beam. A radial positioning apparatus controls the radial position of the light beam spot on the information track of a record carrier. A lock-in system is provided for switching the radial positioning apparatus into a tracking mode when the light spot is positioned to coincide with the information track. The direction of relative radial movement between the light spot and the information track is detected and a first control signal is supplied to initiate radial tracking of the information track when the relative radial movement between the reading beam and the information track changes from an outward movement of the light spot over the track to an inward movement of the light spot over the track. At the instant the transition occurs, the radial positioning apparatus is enabled to permit the read spot to follow the information track.

Abstract: An optical information recording-reproducing apparatus in which a primary beam is applied to a recording medium and information is recorded and reproduced by the same primary beam while, at the same time, at least two secondary beams are applied to the recording medium and the lights of the secondary beams from the recording medium are detected to thereby obtain the position information of the primary beam on the recording medium has a device for varying the relative position of the primary beam and the secondary beams on the recording medium during recording of information and during reproduction of information.

Abstract: A color video printer having a color viewer for viewing a color video image before printing to permit evaluation of the image and if necessary, preprinting adjustments to the characteristics of the image. The color video printer includes a monochrome display device (CRT) for displaying an image of a color video signal to be copied and an exposure station which is located along a first optical path from the display device and at which is positioned a self-processing photographic element. An optical assembly is movable between a position out of the first optical path and a position intercepting the first optical path to establish a second optical path between the display device and a color image viewing station. First and second rotatable filters have respective red, green and blue filters which are sequentially moved into the first and second optical paths in synchronism with the field frequency of the video signal.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus is disclosed, which comprises an optical head for obtaining an information signal from an optical disc through photoelectric conversion and an accessing section for moving the optical head to a position corresponding to a desired track of the optical disc. When the optical optical head is moved in a radial direction of the optical disc, the signal obtained therefrom is binarized by a binarization coder to obtain a binary pulse signal. Noise components contained in the binary pulse signal that are introduced from scars or scratches of the optical disc or dust particles attached thereto are removed from the binary pulse signal. Signal components corresponding to the innermost track of the optical disc are detected as a signal representing a reference position of the optical disc. A correction scale value is obtained from the difference between the reference position and an initial position of a scale of a position detector.

Abstract: A color video printer for producing a color photographic copy from a color video signal. A self-processing color photographic element is exposed to a sequence of six color field images constituting a full frame of a color video image. The printer includes a monochrome cathode-ray-tube (CRT) and a rotatable color filter having red (R), green (G) and blue (B) filters which are sequentially moved into an optical path between the CRT and the self-processing photographic element positioned at an exposure station. A video signal circuit provides a color video signal to be copied. The color video signal includes luminance and chrominance signals which are demodulated to concurrent R, G, and B component signals. The luminance signal is amplified by a variable gain amplifier which reduces the level of the luminance signal in response to detection of the level of one of the color component signals exceeding a predetermined limit. A gate is selectively actuated to apply one of the color component signals to the CRT.

Abstract: A color video printer for producing a color photographic copy from a color video signal. A self-processing color photographic element is exposed to a sequence of six color field images constituting a full frame of a color video image. The printer includes a monochrome cathode-ray-tube (CRT) and a rotatable color filter have red (R), green (G) and blue (B) filters which are sequentially moved into an optical path between the CRT and the photographic element positioned at an exposure station. A video signal circuit provides a color video signal including concurrent R,G,B component signals which are modified with additional gain in the near white region to compensate for the drop off in white sensitivity of the photographic element in this region. A gate is selectively actuated to apply one of the white compensated color component signals to the CRT to effect exposure of the photographic element.

Abstract: A digital data transmitting system comprises a first circuit for transmitting digital data related to an information signal data in terms of sectors each having k words with respect to each channel, where k is a natural number. The transmission of the digital data is performed within a predetermined transmission time period once or a plurality of times according to a tolerance of data error rate for an information content of the digital data. The information signal data are among digital data related to a plurality of channels of information signals which are subjected to a digital modulation, and the plurality of channels of information signals are made up of a combination at least including the information signal data among three kinds of information signals. The three kinds of information signals are a non-compressed audio signal, a video signal, and the information signal data other than the non-compressed audio signal and the video signal.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus using a pilot signal control system is adapted such that a cue signal (51) is recorded in a cue track (50) provided besides a video signal track (52) when a magnetic tape (7) is temporarily stopped during the recording operation and is moved in the backward direction by a predetermined amount, and when the temporary stop is cancelled and the magnetic tape is moved in the forward direction, the cue signal (51) is reproduced and the recording operation is restarted responsive to the reproduced cue signal. Preferably, after cancellation of the temporary stop until restart of the recording operation, control is made such that coincidence of the frequency and phase of the reproduced pilot signal and those of a pilot signal to be recorded is established.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for the processing of color video signals in which the two fields of a color video frame are compressed into a single field without appreciable loss of picture resolution and without image disturbance and degradation. The compressed signal may be recorded on a single track of a VCR and played back in a still-frame mode without picture jitter, color loss, or image degradation. According to the invention, first and second color video signals of a predetermined time period (such as a field period) are compressed into a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) signal of a single time period. The luminance components of the first and second signals are summed to produce a sum luminance signal and subtracted to produce a difference luminance signal, the sum signal having a greater bandwidth than the difference signal. A chrominance signal is produced which is a function of the chrominance components of the first and second signals.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive is disclosed which has a disk drive motor for imparting rotation to a magnetic disk, and a head transport motor for transporting a transducer head or heads radially of the magnetic disk for track to track accessing. The disk drive motor and the head transport motor are fed from a common direct current supply terminal via first and second switching transistors, respectively, which independently control power delivery to the two motors for effectively saving power. A voltage regulating capacitor is connected only between ground and the output line of the first switching transistor for the disk drive motor. In order to prevent the flow of a surge current due to the voltage regulating capacitor upon conduction of the first switching transistor, a conduction retarder is provided which causes a gradual conduction through the first switching transistor in response to an actuating signal from host equipment controlling the disk drive.