Apparatus for reproducing a digital signal without employing tracking signals

Claim 2

A digital signal reproducing apparatus for a recording medium on which a plurality of signal blocks are recorded on a plurality of recording tracks and reproduced using a rotary head, said rotary head being rotated at a speed which allows said head to scan each recorded track at least twice, comprising: error detection means for performing error detection of a reproduced signal for each signal block; memory means for storing a detection signal from said error detection means and the reproduced signal from the signal block corresponding to the detection signal; and means for checking the content of said detection signal in said memory means, and when the detection signal represents no error, preventing the reproduced signal of the same signal block corresponding to the detection signal from being again written in said memory means.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said error detection means includes means for calculating a syndrome for each pair of EVEN and ODD blocks.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1, including first signal blocks records with a track address signal and a block address signal at predetermined positions, and second signal blocks recorded with a block address signal at a predetermined position, said blocks being alternately arranged on the recording track of said recording medium, and said apparatus further comprises: a memory for storing the reproduced signal; error check means for checking an error of each signal block; detection means for detecting that the reproduced signal is generated from said first signal block; window signal generating means responsive to said detection means for outputting a window signal corresponding to the time during which the second signal block following immediately after the first signal block on the recording track is reproduced; timing signal generating means for generating a timing signal when said window signal is generated and said error check means generates a signal indicating that no error is detected; and address signal generating means for generating an address signal for causing the reproduced signal from the second signal block to be stored in said memory means based on the block address signal of the second signal block and the trace address signal of the first signal block when said timing signal is detected.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said error check means includes a parity check circuit for checking the parity of each signal block.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: extraction means for extracting a track address signal and a block address signal included in the reproduced signal obtained from said rotary head; pulse signal generating means for generating a pulse signal having a predetermined time interval at a predetermined timing based on the block address signal; detection means for detecting the track address signal included in the predetermined time interval from the track address signal based on the pulse signal; comparison means for comparing the detected track address signal and a reference track address signal; and control means for controlling travel of said recording medium in accordance with said comparison means.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said pulse signal generating means comprises means for shifting the type of generating timing of the timing signal when the track address signal included in the predetermined time interval is not detected within a predetermined number of times or for said predetermined time interval.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said rotary head comprises a plurality of heads, and said apparatus further comprises head selection means for detecting a track address signal reproduced by only one head and when no track address signal reproduced by said one head is detected, for switching to a track address signal reproduced by another of said heads.