Record verify and optimize system

Claim 1

A method for enabling the monitoring of recording circuit performance in a rotary head recorder having a plurality of recording heads, comprising the steps of: (a) developing a periodic calibration signal of varying phase; (b) applying said calibration signal to one of said recording heads when said recording head is positioned above an overlap area of a moving tape medium so as to cause said calibration signal to be recorded upon said overlap area; (c) subsequently detecting a component of said calibration signal recorded on said tape medium; (d) converting said component to a function of its unidirectional scalar magnitude; (e) sampling and holding the value of said function; (f) repeating steps (a)-(f) for a predetermined period of time; (g) constructing a value proportional to the amplitude of said recorded calibration signal from said sampled and held values; and (h) outputting a signal comensurate with said proportional value.

Claim 2

A method for enabling the monitoring of recording circuit performance in a rotary head recorder having a plurality of recording heads, comprising the steps of: (a) developing a periodic calibration signal of varying phase; (b) applying said calibration signal to one of said recording heads when said recording head is positioned above an overlap area of a moving tape medium so as to cause said calibration signal to be recorded upon said overlap area; (c) subsequently detecting a component of said calibration signal recorded on said tape medium; (d) converting said component to a function of its unidirectional scalar magnitude; (e) sampling and holding the value of said function; (f) repeating steps (a)-(f) for a predetermined period of time; (g) constructing a value proportional to the amplitude of said recorded calibration signal from said sampled and held values; and (h) outputting a signal comensurate with said proportional value.

Claim 7

A method for enabling optimization of a recording drive process in a rotary head recorder having a plurality of recording heads comprising the steps of: (a) developing a periodic calibration signal of varying phase; (b) applying said calibration signal to one of said recording heads when said recording head is positioned above an overlap area of a moving tape medium so as to cause said calibration signal to be recorded upon said overlap area; (c) subsequently detecting a component of said recorded calibration signal from off of said tape medium; (d) converting said component to a function of its nondirectional scalar magnitude; (e) sampling and holding the value of said function; (f) repeating steps (a)-(f) for a predetermined period of time; (g) constructing a value proportional to the amplitude of said recorded calibration signal from said sampled and held values; (h) outputting a signal commensurate with said proportional value; (i) varying the recording drive level on one of said recording heads when said recording head is positioned over said overlap area; (j) detecting the difference between the values of said outputted signals resulting from said variations in recording drive level; (k) deriving an error measurement from said detected difference; and (l) using said error measurement to control the gain of an amplifier driving said recording head.

Claim 8

A method for enabling optimization of a recording drive process in a rotary head recorder having a plurality of recording heads comprising the steps of: (a) developing a periodic calibration signal of varying phase; (b) applying said calibration signal to one of said recording heads when said recording head is positioned above an overlap area of a moving tape medium so as to cause said calibration signal to be recorded upon said overlap area; (c) subsequently detecting a component of said recorded calibration signal from off of said tape medium; (d) converting said component to a function of its nondirectional scalar magnitude; (e) sampling and holding the value of said function; (f) repeating steps (a)-(f) for a predetermined period of time; (g) constructing a value proportional to the amplitude of said recorded calibration signal from said sampled and held values; (h) outputting a signal commensurate with said proportional value; (i) varying the recording drive level on one of said recording heads when said recording head is positioned over said overlap area; (j) detecting the difference between the values of said outputted signals resulting from said variations in recording drive level; (k) deriving an error measurement from said detected difference; and (l) using said error measurement to control the gain of an amplifier driving said recording head.

Claim 25

A method of verifying recording operation in a rotating head magnetic tape recording device, wherein an information signal is recorded along transverse tracks extending substantially in perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal motion of a magnetic tape, comprising the steps of: applying a selected calibration signal to a rotating head and recording said signal thereby on a designated portion of said transverse tracks; arranging a stationary head means downstream of said rotating head and adjacent said designated portion of said transverse tracks and orienting a transducing gap thereof substantially in parallel with respect to said longitudinal tape motion to reproduce samples of said calibration signal; and providing from said samples an output signal which is indicative of a recorded calibration signal level.

Claim 26

A method of verifying recording operation in a rotating head magnetic tape recording device, wherein an information signal is recorded along transverse tracks extending substantially in perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal motion of a magnetic tape, comprising the steps of: applying a selected calibration signal to a rotating head and recording said signal thereby on a designated portion of said transverse tracks; arranging a stationary head means downstream of said rotating head and adjacent said designated portion of said transverse tracks and orienting a transducing gap thereof substantially in parallel with respect to said longitudinal tape motion to reproduce samples of said calibration signal; and providing from said samples an output signal which is indicative of a recorded calibration signal level.

Claim 38

A method of optimizing recording operation of a rotary head magnetic recording/reproducing device, comprising the steps of: providing a calibration signal to be recorded by a rotating head of said device on a predetermined portion of an associated recording medium; selecting a recording signal level of said calibration signal; varying periodically said level of said calibration signal by predetermined values alternatively below and above said selected level respectively, and recording said calibration signal on said predetermined portion of said medium; reproducing and storing a signal proportional to playback voltage levels of said calibration signal recorded at said respective signal levels; comparing said respective stored signals to obtain an error signal; and controlling by said error signal a recording level of an information signal to be recorded by said rotating head to obtain an optimum signal level thereof.

Claim 39

A method of optimizing recording operation of a rotary head magnetic recording/reproducing device, comprising the steps of: providing a calibration signal to be recorded by a rotating head of said device on a predetermined portion of an associated recording medium; selecting a recording signal level of said calibration signal; varying periodically said level of said calibration signal by predetermined values alternatively below and above said selected level respectively, and recording said calibration signal on said predetermined portion of said medium; reproducing and storing a signal proportional to playback voltage levels of said calibration signal recorded at said respective signal levels; comparing said respective stored signals to obtain an error signal; and controlling by said error signal a recording level of an information signal to be recorded by said rotating head to obtain an optimum signal level thereof.

Claim 40

A method of optimizing recording operation in a rotating head magnetic recording/reproducing device, comprising the steps of: alternatively increasing and decreasing periodically a recording drive level of a selected calibration signal by respective predetermined values to obtain substantially equally reduced values of a playback voltage from an optimum value thereof; phase shifting said calibration signal by a predetermined phase angle during consecutive passes of a rotating head over an associated recording medium; applying said phase-shifted calibration signal of said decreased and increased amplitude during recording operation to a rotating magnetic head when positioned adjacent to a designated portion of an associated magnetic medium which portion in unused for recording a useful information signal and recording said calibration signal on said designated portion; arranging a fixed reproduce head downstream from said rotating head and adjacent said designated portion of said magnetic medium; detecting said calibration signal by said fixed head during said recording operation; comparing respective detected signal values corresponding to said calibration signal recorded at said alternatively increased and decreased recording drive levels, and providing an error signal proportional to a difference between said respective values; and applying said error signal to control a recording drive level of both said calibration signal and information signal to be recorded by said rotating magnetic head to obtain a zero error signal corresponding to an optimum recording drive level.

Claim 41

A method of optimizing recording operation in a rotating head magnetic recording/reproducing device, comprising the steps of: alternatively increasing and decreasing periodically a recording drive level of a selected calibration signal by respective predetermined values to obtain substantially equally reduced values of a playback voltage from an optimum value thereof; phase shifting said calibration signal by a predetermined phase angle during consecutive passes of a rotating head over an associated recording medium; applying said phase-shifted calibration signal of said decreased and increased amplitude during recording operation to a rotating magnetic head when positioned adjacent to a designated portion of an associated magnetic medium which portion in unused for recording a useful information signal and recording said calibration signal on said designated portion; arranging a fixed reproduce head downstream from said rotating head and adjacent said designated portion of said magnetic medium; detecting said calibration signal by said fixed head during said recording operation; comparing respective detected signal values corresponding to said calibration signal recorded at said alternatively increased and decreased recording drive levels, and providing an error signal proportional to a difference between said respective values; and applying said error signal to control a recording drive level of both said calibration signal and information signal to be recorded by said rotating magnetic head to obtain a zero error signal corresponding to an optimum recording drive level.

Claim 42

An apparatus for verifying recording operation in a rotating head magnetic tape recording device wherein an information signal is recorded along transverse tracks extending substantially in perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal motion of a magnetic tape, comprising: a means for providing a selected calibration signal; a means for applying said calibration signal to a rotating head for recording said signal on a designated portion of said transverse tracks; and a stationary head means located downstream of said rotating head and adjacent said designated portion of said transverse tracks, said stationary head means having a transducing gap oriented substantially in parallel with respect to said longitudinal tape motion to reproduce samples of said calibration signal; and a means for providing from said reproduced sample values an output signal which is indicative of a recorded calibration signal level.

Claim 43

An apparatus for verifying recording operation in a rotating head magnetic tape recording device wherein an information signal is recorded along transverse tracks extending substantially in perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal motion of a magnetic tape, comprising: a means for providing a selected calibration signal; a means for applying said calibration signal to a rotating head for recording said signal on a designated portion of said transverse tracks; and a stationary head means located downstream of said rotating head and adjacent said designated portion of said transverse tracks, said stationary head means having a transducing gap oriented substantially in parallel with respect to said longitudinal tape motion to reproduce samples of said calibration signal; and a means for providing from said reproduced sample values an output signal which is indicative of a recorded calibration signal level.

Claim 57

A system for verifying recording operation in a transverse scan rotating head magnetic tape recorder, comprising: a means for providing a selected calibration signal; a means for disconnecting an information signal to be recorded and for applying said calibration signal to respective rotating heads of said recorder when each said head is positioned over an overlap portion of an associated magnetic tape; a stationary head means located downstream of said rotating heads and adjacent said overlap portion of said tape, said stationary head having a transducing gap oriented substantially in parallel with a longitudinal direction of movement of said magnetic tape for reproducing samples of said recorded calibration signal; and a means coupled to receive said reproduced samples and to provide an output signal proportional to an amplitude of said reproduced samples.

Claim 58

A system for verifying recording operation in a transverse scan rotating head magnetic tape recorder, comprising: a means for providing a selected calibration signal; a means for disconnecting an information signal to be recorded and for applying said calibration signal to respective rotating heads of said recorder when each said head is positioned over an overlap portion of an associated magnetic tape; a stationary head means located downstream of said rotating heads and adjacent said overlap portion of said tape, said stationary head having a transducing gap oriented substantially in parallel with a longitudinal direction of movement of said magnetic tape for reproducing samples of said recorded calibration signal; and a means coupled to receive said reproduced samples and to provide an output signal proportional to an amplitude of said reproduced samples.

Claim 60

A system for optimizing recording operation in a transverse scan rotating head magnetic recorder, comprising: a first means coupled to provide a periodic calibration signal of a known amplitude and frequency; a second means coupled to phase shift said calibration signal by a predetermined phase angle during consecutive passes of the respective rotating heads over said recording medium; a third means coupled to alternatively decrease and increase said known amplitude of said calibration signal by predetermined values periodically during succeeding passes of said rotating heads over said medium; a fourth means coupled to apply said phase-shifted calibration signal having said alternatively decreased and increased amplitude in succession to respective rotating heads, for recording in an overlap area of said magnetic medium, respectively; a stationary head means located downstream of said rotating heads and adjacent said overlap area, said stationary head having a transducing gap oriented substantially in parallel with the gaps of said rotating heads for reproducing samples of said recorded calibration signal; a fifth means coupled to receive said reproduced samples and to provide an output signal proportional to an amplitude of said reproduced samples; a sixth means coupled to store said output signal of said fifth means; a seventh means coupled to compare said respective stored output signals and to responsively provide an error signal; and an eighth means coupled to apply said error signal to control an amplitude of an information signal to be recorded by said rotating heads to obtain an optimum recorded signal amplitude.

Claim 61

A system for optimizing recording operation in a transverse scan rotating head magnetic recorder, comprising: a first means coupled to provide a periodic calibration signal of a known amplitude and frequency; a second means coupled to phase shift said calibration signal by a predetermined phase angle during consecutive passes of the respective rotating heads over said recording medium; a third means coupled to alternatively decrease and increase said known amplitude of said calibration signal by predetermined values periodically during succeeding passes of said rotating heads over said medium; a fourth means coupled to apply said phase-shifted calibration signal having said alternatively decreased and increased amplitude in succession to respective rotating heads, for recording in an overlap area of said magnetic medium, respectively; a stationary head means located downstream of said rotating heads and adjacent said overlap area, said stationary head having a transducing gap oriented substantially in parallel with the gaps of said rotating heads for reproducing samples of said recorded calibration signal; a fifth means coupled to receive said reproduced samples and to provide an output signal proportional to an amplitude of said reproduced samples; a sixth means coupled to store said output signal of said fifth means; a seventh means coupled to compare said respective stored output signals and to responsively provide an error signal; and an eighth means coupled to apply said error signal to control an amplitude of an information signal to be recorded by said rotating heads to obtain an optimum recorded signal amplitude.