Optical card recording/reproducing apparatus wherein a data process is made during an access operation

Claim 2

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and ID portions in which identifying information is recorded; an optical head provided with a light beam generating means for generating light beams, an optical system for condensing said light beams and radiating them to said card-like recording medium and a photodetector for receiving a light reflected by said card-like recording medium through said optical system; a first moving means for moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing said tracks; a second moving means for moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with said tracks; an encoding/correcting process means for performing at least either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to information to be recorded in said card-like recording medium or an error correcting process for detecting and correcting errors on information reproduced from said card-like recording medium; and a seek control means for moving said light beam to a target track by controlling said first moving means and said second moving means, said seek control means having a target track judging means for judging, during the moving operation by said second moving means, whether or not a track illuminated by said light beam is said target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of said photo-detector which indicates that the light reflected by said ID portion is received, wherein said encoding process/error correcting process is performed by said encoding/correcting process means during a period of time which begins with the start of the moving operation of said light beam to said target track by said seek control means and ends before the moving operation by said second moving means reaches a constant speed.

Claim 3

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, during the moving operation in said track crossing direction by said first moving means, the operation of said encoding/correcting process means is made.

Claim 4

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein, in the case of recording information, during the moving operation in said track crossing direction by said first moving means, said encoding process by said encoding/correcting process means is made on the information amount to be recorded in said target track.

Claim 5

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said encoding/correcting process means performs said encoding process/error correcting process on each piece of information to be recorded/reproduced in said data portion.

Claim 6

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said encoding process/error correcting process means performs said encoding process before it is judged by said target track judging means that the track illuminated by said light beam is said target track.

Claim 7

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory means for temporarily storing information which is to be recorded in said target track or reproduced from said target track, wherein said error correcting process is completed on the information in said memory means reproduced from said target track before the relative movement of said optical head or said card-like recording medium in a direction in parallel with said target track is completed.

Claim 8

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and ID portions in which identifying information is recorded; an optical head provided with a light beam generating means for generating light beams, an optical system for condensing said light beams and radiating them to said card-like recording medium and a photodetector for receiving a light reflected by said card-like recording medium through said optical system; a first moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing said tracks; a second moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with said tracks; an encoding/correcting process means for performing at least either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to information to be recorded in said card-like recording medium or an error correcting process for detecting and correcting errors on information reproduced from said card-like recording medium; and a seek control means for moving said light beam to a target track by controlling said first moving means and said second moving means, said control means having a target track judging means for judging, during the moving operation by said second moving means, whether or not a track illuminated by said light beam is said target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of said photo-detector which indicates that the light reflected by said ID portion is received, wherein, after the moving operation in said direction parallel with said track by said second moving means is started and before a constant speed of said second moving means is established, the operation of said encoding/correcting process means is performed.

Claim 9

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and ID portions in which identifying information is recorded; an optical head provided with a light beam generating means for generating light beams, an optical system for condensing said light beams and radiating them to said card-like recording medium and a photodetector for receiving a light reflected by said card-like recording medium through said optical system; a first moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing said tracks; a second moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with said tracks; an encoding/correcting process means for performing at least either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to information to be recorded in said card-like recording medium or an error correcting process for detecting and correcting errors on information reproduced from said card-like recording medium; and a seek control means for moving said light beam to a target track by controlling said first moving means and said second moving means, said control means having a target track judging means for judging, during the moving operation by said second moving means, whether or not a track illuminated by said light beam is said target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of said photo-detector which indicates that the light reflected by said ID portion is received, wherein, after the moving operation in said direction parallel with said track by said second moving means is started and before a constant speed of said second moving means is established, the operation of said encoding/correcting process means is performed.

Claim 10

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7 wherein, in the case of recording information, the operation of said encoding/correcting process means is said encoding process.

Claim 11

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and ID portions in which identifying information is recorded; an optical head provided with a light beam generating means for generating light beams, an optical system for condensing said light beams and radiating them to said card-like recording medium and a photodetector for receiving a light reflected by said card-like recording medium through said optical system; a first moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing said tracks; a second moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with said tracks; an encoding/correcting process means for performing at least either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to information to be recorded in said card-like recording medium or an error correcting process for detecting and correcting errors on information reproduced from said card-like recording medium; a target track judging means for judging if a track illuminated by said light beam is a target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of said photodetector which indicates that the light reflected by said ID portion is received; and a memory means for temporarily storing information, which is to be recorded in said target track or reproduced from said target track; wherein, after relative movement between said optical head and said card-like recording medium is begun by either said first or said second moving means, in the case of recording information, before it is first judged that the track is said target track, during at leftist either of the moving operation in said direction crossing said tracks by said first moving means or a portion of the moving operation in said direction parallel with said tracks by said second moving means when the speed of said second moving means is either increasing or decreasing, said encoding/correcting process means performs said encoding process on the information stored in said memory means.

Claim 12

An optical card recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and ID portions in which identifying information is recorded; an optical head provided with a light beam generating means for generating light beams, an optical system for condensing said light beams and radiating them to said card-like recording medium and a photodetector for receiving a light reflected by said card-like recording medium through said optical system; a first moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing said tracks; a second moving means moving either said optical head or said card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with said tracks; an encoding/correcting process means for performing at least either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to information to be recorded in said card-like recording medium or an error correcting process for detecting and correcting errors on information reproduced from said card-like recording medium; a target track judging means for judging if a track illuminated by said light beam is a target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of said photodetector which indicates that the light reflected by said ID portion is received; and a memory means for temporarily storing information, which is to be recorded in said target track or reproduced from said target track; wherein, after relative movement between said optical head and said card-like recording medium is begun by either said first or said second moving means, in the case of recording information, before it is first judged that the track is said target track, during at leftist either of the moving operation in said direction crossing said tracks by said first moving means or a portion of the moving operation in said direction parallel with said tracks by said second moving means when the speed of said second moving means is either increasing or decreasing, said encoding/correcting process means performs said encoding process on the information stored in said memory means.

Claim 13

An optical card recording/reproducing method including an optical head, a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and an ID portion, in which identifying information is recorded, and a photodetector, comprising the steps of: reproducing of information by generating a light beam from the optical head to the tracks of the card-like recording medium and reflecting the light beam to the photodetector; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing the tracks; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with the tracks; performing either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to the information to be recorded in the card-like recording medium or an error correcting process of detecting and correcting errors in the information reproduced from the card-like recording medium; moving the light beam to a target track by controlling the moving operation in the direction crossing the tracks or the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, by judging, during the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, whether or not a track illuminated by the light beam is the target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of the photodetector which indicates that the light reflected by the ID portion is received; performing the encoding process/error correcting process during a portion of the moving operation in the direction parallel to the tracks when the moving speed is either increasing or decreasing.

Claim 14

An optical card recording/reproducing method including an optical head, a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and an ID portion, in which identifying information is recorded, and a photodetector, comprising the steps of: reproducing of information by generating a light beam from the optical head to the tracks of the card-like recording medium and reflecting the light beam to the photodetector; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing the tracks; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with the tracks; performing either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to the information to be recorded in the card-like recording medium or an error correcting process of detecting and correcting errors in the information reproduced from the card-like recording medium; moving the light beam to a target track by controlling the moving operation in the direction crossing the tracks or the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, by judging, during the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, whether or not a track illuminated by the light beam is the target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of the photodetector which indicates that the light reflected by the ID portion is received; performing the encoding process/error correcting process during a portion of the moving operation in the direction parallel to the tracks when the moving speed is either increasing or decreasing.

Claim 15

An optical card recording/reproducing method including an optical head, a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and an ID portion, in which identifying information is recorded, and a photodetector, comprising the steps of: reproducing of information by generating a light beam from the optical head to the tracks of the card-like recording medium and reflecting the light beam to the photodetector; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing the tracks; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with the tracks; performing either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to the information to be recorded in the card-like recording medium or an error correcting process of detecting and correcting errors in the information reproduced from the card-like recording medium; moving the light beam to a target track with a seek control means by controlling the moving operation in the direction crossing the tracks or the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, by judging, during the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, whether or not a track illuminated by the light beam is the target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of the photodetector which indicates that the light reflected by the ID portion is received; performing the encoding process/error correcting process during a period of time which begins with the start of the moving operation of said light beam to said target track by said seek control means and ends before the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks reaches a constant speed.

Claim 16

An optical card recording/reproducing method including an optical head, a card-like recording medium having a plurality of linear tracks each containing a data portion, in which information can be recorded/reproduced, and an ID portion, in which identifying information is recorded, and a photodetector, comprising the steps of: reproducing of information by generating a light beam from the optical head to the tracks of the card-like recording medium and reflecting the light beam to the photodetector; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction crossing the tracks; moving either the optical head or the card-like recording medium relative to one another in a direction parallel with the tracks; performing either an encoding process of adding information for detecting and correcting errors to the information to be recorded in the card-like recording medium or an error correcting process of detecting and correcting errors in the information reproduced from the card-like recording medium; moving the light beam to a target track with a seek control means by controlling the moving operation in the direction crossing the tracks or the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, by judging, during the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks, whether or not a track illuminated by the light beam is the target track to be recorded/reproduced according to an output signal of the photodetector which indicates that the light reflected by the ID portion is received; performing the encoding process/error correcting process during a period of time which begins with the start of the moving operation of said light beam to said target track by said seek control means and ends before the moving operation in the direction parallel with the tracks reaches a constant speed.

Claim 17

An optical card recording/reproducing method according to claim 11, wherein said processing step further comprises the step of performing the encoding process before it is judged that the track illuminated by the light beam is the target track.