Skew controlled readback systems

Claim 2

For a magnetic readback system adapted to reproduce signals (readback signals) from a plurality of record tracks of a multitrack magnetic record media; deskewing means for realigning readback signals from a set of record tracks into bytes; counting operatively connected to said deskewing means and means indicating leading, lagging, and count skew by count differences between digit positions containing most-leading signals from said respective tracks; first threshold means responsive to a given count difference to indicate excessive skew; second threshold means responsive to a second given count difference to indicate almost-excessive skew; control means responsive to said first means excessive skew indication to abort readback and having error control means to perform a second function in response to said second means almost-excessive skew indications; and signal processing means for receiving and processing signals from said deskewing means and selectively responsive to said second means almost-excessive skew indications to perform an error control function on said readback signals.

Claim 3

The subject matter set forth in claim 1 for providing an error control function, the improvement further including: error detection and correction means in said signal processing means for detecting and correcting errors; pointer memory means responsive to said error detection and correction means to memorize that error corrections were made in signals received from a given track; said control means further including comparison means jointly responsive to said memorized error corrections and to said second means almost-excessive skew indications to initiate said control means to perform said second function; and deadtrack means in said signal processing means selectively responsive to said second function to deadtrack said given track.

Claim 4

The subject matter set forth in claim 2 wherein: said seCond threshold means supplies one of said second means almost-excessive skew indications for each of said tracks; gating means in said control means electrically interposed between said second means and said comparison means for selectively passing said second means almost-excessive skew indications; and said signal processing means indicating that data signals are being processed for actuating said gating means to pass said second means indications.

Claim 5

The subject matter set forth in claim 3 further including combining means combining said second means almost-excessive skew indications for each of said tracks into a single indication to actuate said deadtrack means for all of said tracks to respond to said pointer memory means for deadtracking all tracks yielding said memorized error corrections irrespective of whether signals from such tracks are in fact exceeding said second threshold or not.

Claim 6

The subject matter of claim 1 further including: said signal processing means supplying control signals associated with readback signals from said respective record tracks, respectively; gating means receiving all said control signals and responsive to said second means almost-excessive skew indications to selectively pass said control signals; and mode control means in said control means responsive, respectively, to said passed control signals to perform said second function with respect to readback signals only from said record tracks associated with such passed control signals.

Claim 7

The subject matter se forth in claim 5 further including error detection and correction means in said signal processing means responsive to said second function to correct readback signals derived in a given manner from said recording media.

Claim 8

The subject matter set forth in claim 5 wherein said mode control means in said control means including means indicating a readback mode change, said signal processing means being responsive to said mode change indication to alter its operation to process readback signals in accordance with said mode change.

Claim 9

A gating control for magnetic recorder digital signal readback system, said system operable with a plural track record media which yields readback signals via respective sensing transducers with time perturbations, the improvement including in combination: deskewing means for realigning said readback signals from the respective plural tracks into sets of readback signals; means associated with said deskewing means for indicating the relative time position of said readback signals from the respective tracks and means indicating time differences between receipt of said respective signals; means supplying an indication of the magnitude of the difference between the realigned readback signals and the signals currently being received from the respective tracks; means selectively responsive to said difference indication to supply an actuating signal; means supplying other signals respectively associated with and derived from readback signals from the respective tracks; gating means responsive to said actuating signal to selectively pass said other signals; and utilization means receiving said passed signals to perform a function.

Claim 10

A gating control for magnetic recorder digital signal readback system, said system operable with a plural track record media which yields readback signals via respective sensing transducers with time perturbations, the improvement including in combination: deskewing means for realigning said readback signals from the respective plural tracks into sets of readback signals; means associated with said deskewing means for indicating the relative time position of said readback signals from the respective tracks and means indicating time differences between receipt of said respective signals; means supplying an indication of the magnitude of the difference between the realigned readback signals and the signals currently being received from the respective tracks; means selectively responsive to said difference indication to supply an actuating signal; means supplying other signals respectively associated with and derived from readback signals from the respective tracks; gating means responsive to said actuating signal to selectively pass said other signals; and utilization means receiving said passed signals to perform a function.

Claim 11

The subject matter set forth in claim 8 further including mode control means in said utilization means responsive to said passed signals to supply desired mode change indicating signal; and signal processing means for processing said readback signals as received from said deskewing means and being responsive to said mode change indicating signal to alter operation thereof for processing said readback signals in a different manner.

Claim 12

The subject matter set forth in claim 9 wherein said signal processing means includes error detection and correction means and having facilities for correcting plural tracks in error; and said other signal means including pointer memory means operatively associated with said error correction means for Pointing to tracks in error and including monitor means for monitoring the quality of said readback signals and supplying pointer signals in connection therewith.

Claim 15

The method set forth in claim 11 further including the steps of: detecting and correcting errors in the deskewed signals; generating said control signals corresponding to plural successive corrections in a readback signal from given tracks; and changing the deskewing by inhibiting transfer of any readback signals from tracks corresponding to parallel control signals even though maximum skew has not been reached.

Claim 16

Error control apparatus for a digital signal readback portion of a multitrack recorder which supplies signals from each of several tracks and deskews same up to a maximum allowable skew and performs error corrections on signals from the respective tracks, the improved apparatus including the combination of: means for memorizing that successive error corrections were made in signals from the respective tracks; means for indicating that skew between signals from the several tracks are approaching said maximum allowable skew; and means jointly responsive to said means both indicating successive error corrections and approach of said maximum allowable skew to inhibit transfer of said readback signals from those tracks having said successive error corrections for preventing said maximum skew from being exceeded.

Claim 17

Error control apparatus for a digital signal readback portion of a multitrack recorder which supplies signals from each of several tracks and deskews same up to a maximum allowable skew and performs error corrections on signals from the respective tracks, the improved apparatus including the combination of: means for memorizing that successive error corrections were made in signals from the respective tracks; means for indicating that skew between signals from the several tracks are approaching said maximum allowable skew; and means jointly responsive to said means both indicating successive error corrections and approach of said maximum allowable skew to inhibit transfer of said readback signals from those tracks having said successive error corrections for preventing said maximum skew from being exceeded.

Claim 18

A control circuit for a digital signal readback portion of a multitrack digital signal recorder having deskewing means capable of deskewing readback signals from several tracks up to an error skew condition, the improved control circuit including the combination: means detecting and indicating that said error skew condition may be imminent; means detecting and indicating quality of operation of the readback portion; and means jointly responsive to said indications to supply an actuating signal for effecting a control function over said readback portion.

Claim 19

A control circuit for a digital signal readback portion of a multitrack digital signal recorder having deskewing means capable of deskewing readback signals from several tracks up to an error skew condition, the improved control circuit including the combination: means detecting and indicating that said error skew condition may be imminent; means detecting and indicating quality of operation of the readback portion; and means jointly responsive to said indications to supply an actuating signal for effecting a control function over said readback portion.

Claim 20

A control circuit for a multichannel digital signal transfer apparatus having deskewing means capable of deskewing digital signals from several channels up to an error skew condition, the improved control circuit including in combination: means for detecting a given skew less than said error skew between said digital signals and indicating said given skew; means indicating that a given signal transfer operation is being performed; means jointly responsive to said given skew and signal transfer indications to perform a control function other than a deskewing operation for adjusting operation of said signal transfer apparatus to eliminate said given skew indication; and means for detecting and indicating said error skew condition.

Claim 21

A control circuit for a multichannel digital signal transfer apparatus having deskewing means capable of deskewing digital signals from several channels up to an error skew condition, the improved control circuit including in combination: means for detecting a given skew less than said error skew between said digital signals and indicating said given skew; means indicating that a given signal transfer operation is being performed; means jointly responsive to said given skew and signal transfer indications to perform a control function other than a deskewing operation for adjusting operation of said signal transfer apparatus to eliminate said given skew indication; and means for detecting and indicating said error skew condition.