Apparatus for reproducing digital and analog audio signals

Claim 2

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium (M≧2) or an analog audio signal recorded in at least one longitudinal track on a record medium, whichever may be recorded, comprising: a plurality of heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals or for reproducing the analog audio signal, whichever are recorded; multiplexer means coupled to said plurality of heads for multiplexing the digital audio signals or the analog audio signals as are reproduced by said heads; waveshaping means coupled to said multiplexer means for shaping the multiplexed digital audio signals, said waveshaping means including digitizing means for digitizing the multiplexed analog audio signals; waveform equalizer means coupled to said digitizing means for waveform equalizing a digitized audio signal recovered from said digital audio signals; processing means for summing digitized audio signals produced by said digitizing means when said plurality of heads reproduce an analog audio signal; means coupled to said waveform equalizer means for digitally processing the waveform equalized digitized audio signal recovered from said digital audio signals; digital filter means coupled to receive the summed digitized audio signals from said processing means when said plurality of heads reproduce an analog audio signal and to receive the digitally processed audio signals from said means for digitally processing the waveform equalized digitized audio signal when said plurality of heads reproduce digital audio signals; and digital-to-analog converter means coupled to said digital filter means for producing an analog audio signal in response to digital signals supplied thereto by said digital filter means.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of heads comprise plural magnetoresistive heads.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said plural magnetoresistive heads are aligned transversely to said longitudinal track.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said processing means is included in said waveform equalizer means and comprises synchronous detecting means for detecting the digitized audio signals recovered from said analog audio signal, and means coupled to said synchronous detecting means for summing a predetermined number of successive digitized audio signals produced by said digitizing means from said analog audio signals.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising AC bias clock generator means coupled to said magnetoresistive heads for supplying an AC bias clock signal thereto when an analog audio signal is reproduced; and wherein said synchronous detecting means comprises multiplier means coupled to said digitizing means and said AC bias clock generator means for multiplying the digitized audio signals with said AC bias clock signal when analog audio signals are reproduced.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said digitizing means includes a source of timing pulses of frequency f s and said AC bias clock signal comprises clock pulses of frequency f s /M having a duty cycle of 50%.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said analog audio signal comprises a left-channel signal recorded in one track and further comprising a right-channel signal recorded in a second track, said multiplexer means multiplexing the left-channel and right-channel signals reproduced by said plural heads; and wherein said digitizing means includes a source of timing pulses of frequency f s and said AC bias clock signal comprises clock pulses of frequency f s /2M having a duty cycle of 50%.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for summing comprises an adder and an accumulator connected such that the contents of said accumulator are summed in said adder with a digitized audio signal and the summed signals are loaded into said accumulator to be summed with the digitized audio signal next produced by said ADC means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein M heads reproduce said M channels of digital audio signals and N heads (2≦N≦M) reproduce said analog audio signal.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of heads is displaced relative to the other heads in a longitudinal direction such that a relative time shift τ is imparted between the signals reproduced by the displaced heads and the signals reproduced by the other heads.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said processing means includes delay means for selectively delaying by a predetermined amount the digitized audio signals recovered from the analog audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said delay means imparts a time delay τ to the digitized audio signals.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said processing means comprises storage means for storing digitized multiplexed audio signals produced by said ADC means at plural sampling intervals k, (k-1), (k-2), . . . (k-1-n) . . . ; and accumulator means for accumulating the sum of the digitized audio signals recovered from said other heads at the (k-1) sampling interval and the digitized audio signals recovered from said displaced heads at the (k-1-n) sampling interval.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein n is a function of said delay τ and said sampling interval.

Claim 16

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium or an analog audio signal recorded in one longitudinal track on a record medium, comprising: a plurality of heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals or the analog audio signal, with at least one of said heads being displaced relative to the other heads in a longitudinal direction such that a relative time shift τ is imparted between the audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads and the audio signals reproduced by the other heads; delay means for delaying the audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads relative to the audio signals reproduced by the other heads to minimize said time shift τ; and summing means for summing the audio signals reproduced by said other heads and the delayed audio signals to recover the analog audio signal recorded in said one track.

Claim 17

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium or an analog audio signal recorded in one longitudinal track on a record medium, comprising: a plurality of heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals or the analog audio signal, with at least one of said heads being displaced relative to the other heads in a longitudinal direction such that a relative time shift τ is imparted between the audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads and the audio signals reproduced by the other heads; delay means for delaying the audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads relative to the audio signals reproduced by the other heads to minimize said time shift τ; and summing means for summing the audio signals reproduced by said other heads and the delayed audio signals to recover the analog audio signal recorded in said one track.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising multiplexer means for multiplexing analog audio signals reproduced by said displaced and other heads; and analog-to-digital converter means for digitizing the multiplexed analog audio signals to supply said delay means with successive samples of the digitized audio signals.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said delay means comprises plural delay channels, each including at least one clocked latch circuit for storing a respective sample of the digitized, multiplexed analog audio signals.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein those delay channels which store samples from the other heads further include retiming means for selectively retiming said samples from the other heads such that respective samples from said other heads are brought into time coincidence.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said summing means comprises digital adding means coupled to said plural delay channels for adding the time coincident samples produced thereby.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising digital-to-analog converter means coupled to said digital adding means for converting the added samples to analog form.

Claim 24

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium (M≧2) or left-channel (L) and right-channel (R) analog audio signals recorded in respective longitudinal tracks on a record medium, whichever may be recorded, comprising: M magnetoresistive heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals, with N of said magnetoresistive heads (N≦M) reproducing the L and R analog audio signals in the event that analog audio signals and not digital audio signals are recorded; multiplexer means coupled to said M heads for multiplexing the M channels of digital audio signals to provide digitized samples thereof or for multiplexing N channels of L and R analog audio signals; digitizing means coupled to said multiplexer means for shaping the M multiplexed channels of digitized samples recovered from the digital audio signals, said digitizing means including analog-to-digital converter (ADC) means for producing digitized samples of the N multiplexed channels of L and R analog audio signals when analog audio signals are reproduced; waveform equalizer means coupled to said digitizing means and including summing means normally operable to equalize digitized waveform samples recovered from said digital audio signals and selectively operable when analog audio signals are reproduced to sum N/2 digitized samples of L analog audio signals and to sum N/2 digitized samples of R analog audio signals; data detecting means coupled to said waveform equalizer means for producing M data channels of digital audio signals; digital signal processing means coupled to said data detecting means when said heads reproduce digital audio signals for demodulating said M data channels of digital audio signals, said digital signal processing means being coupled to said summing means when said heads reproduce analog audio signals for providing the summed L signals and the summed R signals; and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) means coupled to said digital processing means to convert to analog form the digitized signals supplied thereto.

Claim 25

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium (M≧2) or left-channel (L) and right-channel (R) analog audio signals recorded in respective longitudinal tracks on a record medium, whichever may be recorded, comprising: M magnetoresistive heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals, with N of said magnetoresistive heads (N≦M) reproducing the L and R analog audio signals in the event that analog audio signals and not digital audio signals are recorded; multiplexer means coupled to said M heads for multiplexing the M channels of digital audio signals to provide digitized samples thereof or for multiplexing N channels of L and R analog audio signals; digitizing means coupled to said multiplexer means for shaping the M multiplexed channels of digitized samples recovered from the digital audio signals, said digitizing means including analog-to-digital converter (ADC) means for producing digitized samples of the N multiplexed channels of L and R analog audio signals when analog audio signals are reproduced; waveform equalizer means coupled to said digitizing means and including summing means normally operable to equalize digitized waveform samples recovered from said digital audio signals and selectively operable when analog audio signals are reproduced to sum N/2 digitized samples of L analog audio signals and to sum N/2 digitized samples of R analog audio signals; data detecting means coupled to said waveform equalizer means for producing M data channels of digital audio signals; digital signal processing means coupled to said data detecting means when said heads reproduce digital audio signals for demodulating said M data channels of digital audio signals, said digital signal processing means being coupled to said summing means when said heads reproduce analog audio signals for providing the summed L signals and the summed R signals; and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) means coupled to said digital processing means to convert to analog form the digitized signals supplied thereto.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said waveform equalizer means further includes multiplying means normally operable to multiply the digitized samples recovered from said digital audio signals by selected predetermined coefficients and operable when analog audio signals are reproduced to detect the digitized samples recovered from said analog audio signals.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising AC bias clock generator means coupled to said magnetoresistive heads for supplying an AC bias clock signal thereto when an analog audio signal is reproduced and for supplying said AC bias clock signal to said multiplying means for detecting the digitized samples recovered from said analog audio signals.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said summing means comprises an adder coupled to receive signals produced by said multiplying means, an accumulator for receiving signals produced by said adder, and feedback means for feeding back to said adder signals accumulated in said accumulator; whereby when said heads reproduce analog audio signals, a digitized sample produced by said ADC means is summed with the signals accumulated in said accumulator means and the summed signals are loaded into said accumulator means to be summed with the next digitized sample produced by said ADC means.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising means for clearing said accumulator means after the N/2th digitized sample produced by said ADC means is summed with the signals accumulated in said accumulator means and the summed signals have been loaded into said accumulator means.

Claim 30

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium or left-channel (L) and right-channel (R) analog audio signals recorded in respective longitudinal tracks on a record medium, comprising: M heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals, N of said M heads (N≦M) reproducing the L and R analog audio signals and at least one of said N heads being displaced relative to the other heads in a longitudinal direction such that a relative time shift τ is imparted between the audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads and the audio signals reproduced by said other heads; multiplexer means coupled to said M heads for multiplexing the M channels of digital audio signals or N channels of L and R analog audio signals; analog-to-digital converter (ADC) means coupled to said multiplexer means for producing digitized samples of the M multiplexed channels of digitized audio signals or of the N multiplexed channels of L and R analog audio signals; data processing and detecting means coupled to said ADC means and normally operative to process the digitized samples of said M multiplexed channels for producing M data channels of digital audio signals; digital signal processing means coupled to said data processing and detecting means when said heads reproduce digital audio signals for demodulating said M data channels of digital audio signals, said digital signal processing means including delay and summing means coupled to said ADC means when said heads reproduce analog audio signals for delaying selected ones of N/2 digitized samples of the L analog audio signal reproduced by the displaced heads and for delaying selected ones of N/2 digitized samples of the R analog audio signal reproduced by the displaced heads to substantially eliminate said time shift τ, and for summing the delayed and undelayed digitized samples of the L analog audio signal and for summing the delayed and undelayed digitized samples of the R analog audio signal; and digital-to analog converter (DAC) means coupled to said digital signal processing means to convert to analog form the summed digitized samples produced by said digital signal processing means.

Claim 31

Apparatus for reproducing either M channels of digital audio signals recorded in longitudinal tracks on a record medium or left-channel (L) and right-channel (R) analog audio signals recorded in respective longitudinal tracks on a record medium, comprising: M heads for reproducing the M channels of digital audio signals, N of said M heads (N≦M) reproducing the L and R analog audio signals and at least one of said N heads being displaced relative to the other heads in a longitudinal direction such that a relative time shift τ is imparted between the audio signals reproduced by the displaced heads and the audio signals reproduced by said other heads; multiplexer means coupled to said M heads for multiplexing the M channels of digital audio signals or N channels of L and R analog audio signals; analog-to-digital converter (ADC) means coupled to said multiplexer means for producing digitized samples of the M multiplexed channels of digitized audio signals or of the N multiplexed channels of L and R analog audio signals; data processing and detecting means coupled to said ADC means and normally operative to process the digitized samples of said M multiplexed channels for producing M data channels of digital audio signals; digital signal processing means coupled to said data processing and detecting means when said heads reproduce digital audio signals for demodulating said M data channels of digital audio signals, said digital signal processing means including delay and summing means coupled to said ADC means when said heads reproduce analog audio signals for delaying selected ones of N/2 digitized samples of the L analog audio signal reproduced by the displaced heads and for delaying selected ones of N/2 digitized samples of the R analog audio signal reproduced by the displaced heads to substantially eliminate said time shift τ, and for summing the delayed and undelayed digitized samples of the L analog audio signal and for summing the delayed and undelayed digitized samples of the R analog audio signal; and digital-to analog converter (DAC) means coupled to said digital signal processing means to convert to analog form the summed digitized samples produced by said digital signal processing means.

Claim 32

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said delay and summing means comprises storage means for storing digitized samples produced from said N heads at plurality sampling intervals k, (k-1), (k-2), . . . (k-1-n), . . . ; and accumulator means for accumulating the sum of the digitized samples produced from said other heads at the (k-1) sampling interval and the digitized samples produced by said displaced heads at the (k-1-n) sampling interval; where n is a function of said delay τ and said sampling interval.