Apparatus for recording and/or reproducing an electric signal on/from a magnetic record carrier

Claim 1

An apparatus for recording an electric signal on a magnetic record carrier in tracks which are inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of said record carrier, comprising - an input terminal for receiving the electric signal, - a signal separator having an input coupled to the input terminal, for dividing the electric signal into consecutive blocks having a specific length of time and for applying the consecutive blocks to a first and a second output in such a way that blocks having odd sequence numbers are applied to the first output and blocks having even sequence number are applied to the second output, - a time-base-correction circuit which is constructed to provide time compression or time-expansion of the consecutive blocks, to delay blocks having odd sequence number relative to those having even sequence number and to supply the two signals thus processed to a first and second output respectively, - at least one pair of write heads having different azimuth angles and arranged on a rotatable head drum, one write head of a pair being arranged to be coupled to the first output of the time-base-correction circuit and the other write head of the same pair being arranged to be coupled to the second output of the time-base-correction circuit, characterized in that the write heads of one pair of write heads are arranged close to each other and have a mechanically rigid coupling to each other, and in that the time base correction circuit is adapted to provide a time expansion or time compression of the signal blocks by a factor of α.n/180.(M+1), where α is the wrapping angle of the record carrier around the head drum and differs from 180 o , n is the number of head pairs, and M is the number of times within a specific time interval that a head pair which comes in contact with the record carrier during said time interval does not record a signal in the record carrier, which time interval is defined by those instants at which two consecutive track pairs are recorded by one or two head pairs.

Claim 2

An apparatus for recording an electric signal on a magnetic record carrier in tracks which are inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of said record carrier, comprising - an input terminal for receiving the electric signal, - a signal separator having an input coupled to the input terminal, for dividing the electric signal into consecutive blocks having a specific length of time and for applying the consecutive blocks to a first and a second output in such a way that blocks having odd sequence numbers are applied to the first output and blocks having even sequence number are applied to the second output, - a time-base-correction circuit which is constructed to provide time compression or time-expansion of the consecutive blocks, to delay blocks having odd sequence number relative to those having even sequence number and to supply the two signals thus processed to a first and second output respectively, - at least one pair of write heads having different azimuth angles and arranged on a rotatable head drum, one write head of a pair being arranged to be coupled to the first output of the time-base-correction circuit and the other write head of the same pair being arranged to be coupled to the second output of the time-base-correction circuit, characterized in that the write heads of one pair of write heads are arranged close to each other and have a mechanically rigid coupling to each other, and in that the time base correction circuit is adapted to provide a time expansion or time compression of the signal blocks by a factor of α.n/180.(M+1), where α is the wrapping angle of the record carrier around the head drum and differs from 180 o , n is the number of head pairs, and M is the number of times within a specific time interval that a head pair which comes in contact with the record carrier during said time interval does not record a signal in the record carrier, which time interval is defined by those instants at which two consecutive track pairs are recorded by one or two head pairs.

Claim 6

An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that n=1 and M=0.

Claim 7

An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that n=1 and M=1.

Claim 8

An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the apparatus comprises positioning means for positioning the read or write heads of one pair of heads in a direction transverse to the track.

Claim 10

An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the rotatable head drum carries a second pair of write or read heads having different azimuth angles, arranged close to each other, and having a mechanically rigid coupling to each other.