Method and apparatus for transporting a recording medium with an adaptive velocity change profile

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1 further including monitoring the ballistics parameter as the tape is transported along the path, the velocity change profile being selected according to the monitored ballistics parameter.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 2 which further includes the steps of providing a first velocity change profile corresponding to a first value of a ballistics parameter and providing a second velocity change profile corresponding to a second value of a ballistics parameter; wherein the selected velocity change profile is selected according to differences between said first and second. velocity change profiles and between said first/and second values of the ballistics parameter, the relationship of the selected velocity change profile to the difference between said first and second velocity change profiles corresponding to the relationship of the monitored ballistics parameter to said difference between the first and second values of the ballistics parameter.

Claim 5

A method as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the monitoring of the ballistics parameter includes monitoring a ballistics parameter whose variances change the inertial loading of the transport mechanism.

Claim 6

S. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tape is transported between two reels, and the monitoring includes monitoring the size of at least one of the reels of tape.

Claim 7

A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the monitoring includes independently monitoring the size of each of the said reels of tape.

Claim 8

A method as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the monitoring includes monitoring the distribution of tape between the reels of tape, the velocity change profile being selected according to the monitored size of at least one reel of tape and the distribution of tape as between the reels of tape.

Claim 9

A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tape is transported between two reels of tape, and the step of monitoring the ballistics parameter includes monitoring the distribution of tape between the reels.

Claim 11

A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the frictional drag varies with direction of transport of the tape along the path, and the monitoring includes monitoring the direction of transport of the tape.

Claim 14

A method as claimed in claim 11 which further includes determining the said ballistic characteristic of the tape transport while the tape is transported by the transport mechanism, and automatically selecting a velocity change profile corresponding to said determination.

Claim 15

A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the ballistic characteristic of tape transport is determined by the actual inertial loading on the transport mechanism, and the selection of the velocity change profile includes providing a first velocity change profile representative of a maximum inertial loading of the transport mechanism; providing a second velocity change profile representative of another inertial loading of the transport mechanism different from the maximum inertial loading; and determining the selected velocity change profile from the first and second velocity change profiles according to the relationship of the actual inertial loading to the maximum and other inertial loadings.

Claim 16

A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the determination of the ballistic characteristic of tape transport includes measuring the actual inertial loading of the tape transport.

Claim 17

A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the tape is transported between a pair of reels of tape, and the step of measuring the actual inertial loading of the tape transport includes the step of measuring the size of reel of transported tape.

Claim 19

A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein a different velocity change profile is selected upon variance of either the size of reel of the transported tape or the direction of tape movement along the path or both.

Claim 20

A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the selection of the velocity change profile varies according to variance of distribution of tape between two reels of the transported tape.

Claim 21

A control apparatus of a transport mechanism for moving a record medium relative to a reference point along the path of transport of the medium and for stopping a selected location of the medium at the reference point, said transport mechanism moving the medium according to a ballistics velocity change profile determined by the ballistics of transport of the medium along the path, said control apparatus comprising means for determining the distance along the path separating the selected location of the medium from the reference point; means for determining the ballistics of transport of the medium; means for generating a speed reference signal as a function of the determined distance according to the determined ballistics of transport of the medium; and means, responsive to said speed reference signal, for controlling the actual speed of the transport of said record medium.

Claim 22

A control apparatus of a transport mechanism for moving a record medium relative to a reference point along the path of transport of the medium and for stopping a selected location of the medium at the reference point, said transport mechanism moving the medium according to a ballistics velocity change profile determined by the ballistics of transport of the medium along the path, said control apparatus comprising means for determining the distance along the path separating the selected location of the medium from the reference point; means for determining the ballistics of transport of the medium; means for generating a speed reference signal as a function of the determined distance according to the determined ballistics of transport of the medium; and means, responsive to said speed reference signal, for controlling the actual speed of the transport of said record medium.

Claim 23

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the ballistics of transport of the medium is determined by the actual inertial loading on the transport, and said speed reference signal generating means includes means for generating minimum speed reference signal values for a determined distance corresponding to a maximum inertial loading on the transport mechanism; means for generating maximum speed reference signal values for a determined distance corresponding to another inertial loading on the transport mechanism less than the maximum inertial loading; and means for generating a speed reference signal in response to the generated maximum and the other speed reference signal values in accordance with the actual inertial loading on the transport.

Claim 24

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein said speed reference signal generating means generates a speed reference signal corresponding to the sum of the minimum speed reference signal and the product of the difference between the maximum and other speed reference signal values for the same determined distance, multiplied by the ratio of the difference between the maximum and actual inertial loadings to the minimum inertial loading.

Claim 25

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein said speed reference signal ― generating means includes means for generating minimum speed reference signal values according to the determined distance corresponding to a maximum inertial loading on the transport mechanism; means for generating incremental speed reference signal values corresponding to the difference between maximum speed reference signal and minimum speed reference signal values, said maximum speed reference signal values corresponding to a minimum inertial loading on the transport mechanism; and means for generating said speed reference signal corresponding to said minimum speed reference signal values augmented by a fraction of said incremental speed reference signal values determined by the actual inertial loading on the transport mechanism.

Claim 26

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein said speed reference signal generating means generates said incremental speed reference signal values in accordance with the sum of the minimum speed reference speed values and the product of the difference between the maximum and other speed reference signal values for the same determined distance multiplied by the ratio of the difference between the maximum and actual inertial loadings to the minimum inertial loading.

Claim 27

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein said speed reference signal generating means includes means for generating minimum speed reference signal values according to the determined distance corresponding to the maximum inertial loading on the transport mechanism; means for generating incremental speed reference signal values according to the determined distance corresponding to the difference between maximum speed reference signal values and said minimum speed reference signal values divided by m, where m is any integer including 0, said maximum speed reference signal values generated according to the determined distance corresponding to the minimum inertial loading on the transport mechanism; and means for generating said speed reference signal in accordance with said minimum speed reference signal values augmented by an integral number of said incremental speed reference signal values.

Claim 28

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein said speed reference signal generating means generates said speed reference signal as the sum of said minimum speed reference signal values and said incremental speed reference signal values multiplied by an integer, where said integer divided by m is representative of the actual inertial loading on the transport mechanism expressed as a fraction of the maximum inertial loading on the transport mechanism.

Claim 29

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein said minimum speed reference signal values are stored in first memory means at addresses representative of the distances separating the selected location from the reference point; and said minimum speed reference signal values are generated by addressing said first memory means in response to the determined distance.

Claim 30

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 26 wherein said maximum speed reference signal values are stored in second memory means at addresses representative of the distances separating the selected location from the reference point; and said maximum speed reference signal values are generated by addressing said second memory means in response to the determined distance.

Claim 31

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 27 wherein said first memory means is partitioned into ranges of storage locations where at least one of the ranges contains less speed reference signal values than values for said determined distance; and wherein said determined distance is converted into increments equal to the number of speed reference signal values when within said at least one range.

Claim 32

A control apparatus as claimed in claim 28 wherein said second memory means is partitioned into ranges of storage locations where at least one of the ranges contains less speed reference signal values than values for said determined distance; and wherein said determined distance is converted into increments equal to the number of speed reference signal values when within said at least one range.

Claim 33

A control apparatus as claimed in any of claims 19 to 29 wherein said means for determining the ballistics of transport of the medium comprises means for determining the actual inertial loading on the transport mechanism according to the size of the record medium.

Claim 34

A control apparatus as claimed in any of claims 19 to 30 wherein said means for determining the ballistics of transport of the medium comprises means for determining the actual inertial loading on the transport mechanism according to the direction of transport of the medium along the path.

Claim 35

A control apparatus as claimed in any of claims 19 to 31 wherein said means for determining the ballistics of transport of the medium comprises means for determining the actual inertial loading on the transport mechanism according to the location selected with respect to the recording medium size.

Claim 36

An adaptive cue profile control for a video tape transport having a velocity servo for controlling the transport of the video tape from one of a supply reel and a takeup reel to the other; the transport having means to determine a location on the video tape to be transported to a cue point, and means for determining the distance separating the selected location from the cue point in units of video frames, said cue profile control comprising means for detecting the actual reel size of the tape pack and assigning an integer n of a value between 0-m to the detected actual reel size according to the proportion that the actual reel size is in relation to the maximum and minimum reel sizes, the integers between 0-m thereby dividing this range into equal segments where the integer 0 is representative of a maximum tape reel size and m is equal to a minimum tape reel size; first read only memory means for storing a table of reference velocity values, said stored reference values describing a velocity change profile for the transport of the video tape according to the distance separating the selected location from the cue point for a maximum tape reel size; second read only memory means for storing a table of delta velocity values according to the distance separating the selected location from the cue point, said stored delta values describing the difference in velocity values between the velocity change profile for the maximum tape reel size and a velocity change profile for a minimum tape reel size divided by the integer m; means for periodically addressing said first and said second read only memories according to the distance separating the selected storage location from the cue point to obtain corresponding velocity values from the reference table and the delta table; and means for generating an adaptive velocity change profile value by adding the reference velocity value to n times the delta velocity value.

Claim 37

An adaptive cue profile control for a video tape transport having a velocity servo for controlling the transport of the video tape from one of a supply reel and a takeup reel to the other; the transport having means to determine a location on the video tape to be transported to a cue point, and means for determining the distance separating the selected location from the cue point in units of video frames, said cue profile control comprising means for detecting the actual reel size of the tape pack and assigning an integer n of a value between 0-m to the detected actual reel size according to the proportion that the actual reel size is in relation to the maximum and minimum reel sizes, the integers between 0-m thereby dividing this range into equal segments where the integer 0 is representative of a maximum tape reel size and m is equal to a minimum tape reel size; first read only memory means for storing a table of reference velocity values, said stored reference values describing a velocity change profile for the transport of the video tape according to the distance separating the selected location from the cue point for a maximum tape reel size; second read only memory means for storing a table of delta velocity values according to the distance separating the selected location from the cue point, said stored delta values describing the difference in velocity values between the velocity change profile for the maximum tape reel size and a velocity change profile for a minimum tape reel size divided by the integer m; means for periodically addressing said first and said second read only memories according to the distance separating the selected storage location from the cue point to obtain corresponding velocity values from the reference table and the delta table; and means for generating an adaptive velocity change profile value by adding the reference velocity value to n times the delta velocity value.

Claim 38

An adaptive cue profile control as claimed in claim 33 which further includes a third read only memory means for storing a second table of reference velocity values, said second reference velocity values describing a velocity change profile for the transport of the video tape according to the distance separating the selected location from the cue point for a maximum tape reel size and for a direction of tape transport opposite that corresponding to that for said first reference table velocity values; and a means, responsive to a signal indicative of the direction of tape transport, for causing said addressing means to address one of said first and third read only memory means according to the direction of transport of the tape.