Magnetic recording and reproducing system with tape-to-head speed control

Claim 2

In a magnetic recording and reproducing system in which rotary magnetic recording and reproducing head means records signals on a transported magnetic tape in successive tracks that are skewed relative to the lengthwise direction of the tape; means for aligning the traces of said magnetic head means with said tracks in which the signals are recorded during reproducing of said signals comprising means for producing a reference signal in accordance with the rotational position of said rotary magnetic head means, means operative during reproducing of signals for envelope-detecting the signals reproduced by said head means and producing an envelope-detected output, means for effecting a phase comparison of said envelope-detected output with said reference signal, and means responsive to said phase comparison for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and said head means so as to maintain alignment of said traces of said head means with said tracks.

Claim 3

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 1, in which said means for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and head means is operative to control the rotational speed of said head means.

Claim 4

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 1, in which said envelope-detected output corresponds to the rising portions of said reproduced signals.

Claim 5

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 1, in which said envelope-detected output corresponds to the decay portions of said reproduced signals.

Claim 6

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 1, in which said envelope-detected output corresponds to intermediate portions of said reproduced signals.

Claim 7

In a magnetic recording and reproducing system in which rotary magnetic recording and reproducing head means records signals on a transported magnetic tape in successive trAcks that are skewed relative to the lengthwise direction of the tape, and in which said signals recorded in said tracks are video signals including synchronizing signals and said head means includes two diametrically opposed magnetic heads alternately tracing across said tape in said skewed tracks during the recording of said signals therein; means for aligning the traces of said magnetic head means with said tracks in which the signals are recorded during reproducing of said signals comprising means for producing a reference signal in accordance with the rotational position of said rotary magnetic head means, means for envelope-detecting the signals reproduced by said head means and producing an envelope-detected output, means for effecting a phase comparison of said envelope-detected output with said reference signal, means responsive to said phase comparison for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and said head means so as to maintain alignment of said traces of said head means with said tracks, and means operable by said synchronizing signals and said reference signal during recording of said video signals in said successive tracks to switch said video signals to said two heads alternately.

Claim 8

In a magnetic recording and reproducing system in which rotary magnetic recording and reproducing head means records signals on a transported magnetic tape in successive trAcks that are skewed relative to the lengthwise direction of the tape, and in which said signals recorded in said tracks are video signals including synchronizing signals and said head means includes two diametrically opposed magnetic heads alternately tracing across said tape in said skewed tracks during the recording of said signals therein; means for aligning the traces of said magnetic head means with said tracks in which the signals are recorded during reproducing of said signals comprising means for producing a reference signal in accordance with the rotational position of said rotary magnetic head means, means for envelope-detecting the signals reproduced by said head means and producing an envelope-detected output, means for effecting a phase comparison of said envelope-detected output with said reference signal, means responsive to said phase comparison for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and said head means so as to maintain alignment of said traces of said head means with said tracks, and means operable by said synchronizing signals and said reference signal during recording of said video signals in said successive tracks to switch said video signals to said two heads alternately.

Claim 9

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 6, in which each field of said video signals is to be recorded in a group of said successive skewed tracks, and said means to switch said video signals to said two heads alternately includes means to separate horizontal synchronizing signals from said video signals, and switching means operable upon the horizontal synchronizing signal which immediately follows said reference signal indicating the positioning of each of said heads at the start of a skewed track so that each switching of said video signals from one of said heads to the other occurs during a horizontal blanking period.

Claim 10

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 6, in which said synchronizing signals are vertical synchronizing signals so as to record each field of said video signals in an individual one of said skewed tracks.

Claim 11

A magnetic recording and reproducing system according to claim 8, in which said means for effecting the phase comparison of said envelope-detected output with said reference signal includes differentiating circuit means producing a positive differentiated signal in response to said envelope-detected output, and gate circuit means receiving said differentiated signal and being made to sample out the latter in response to said reference signal so that the output of said gate circuit means is determined by said phase comparison, and in which said means for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and head means is controlled by said output of the gate circuit means.

Claim 12

In a magnetic recording and reproducing system in which rotary magnetic recording and reproducing head means records signals on a transported magnetic tape in successive tracks that are skewed relative to the lengthwise direction of the tape, and in which said head means includes two recording and reproducing magnetic heads to which said signals to be recorded are simultaneously applied for recording of the same signals in portions of adjacent skewed tracks; means for aligning the traces of said magnetic head means with said tracks in which the signals are recorded during reproducing of said signals comprising means for producing a reference signal in accordance with the rotational position of said rotary magnetic head means, means for envelope-detecting the signals reproduced by said head means and producing an envelope-detected output, means for effecting a phase comparison of said envelope-detected output with said reference signal, means responsive to said phase comparison for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and said head means so as to maintain alignment of said traces of said head means with said tracks, during reproducing of the recorded signals, said envelope-detecting means individually enveLope-detecting the signals from said two heads, said means for effecting said phase comparison including means receiving the envelope-detected outputs of both heads and producing an overlap signal indicating the periods during which signals are simultaneously reproduced by both heads, and means comparing said overlap signal with said reference signal.

Claim 13

In a magnetic recording and reproducing system in which rotary magnetic recording and reproducing head means records signals on a transported magnetic tape in successive tracks that are skewed relative to the lengthwise direction of the tape, and in which said head means includes two recording and reproducing magnetic heads to which said signals to be recorded are simultaneously applied for recording of the same signals in portions of adjacent skewed tracks; means for aligning the traces of said magnetic head means with said tracks in which the signals are recorded during reproducing of said signals comprising means for producing a reference signal in accordance with the rotational position of said rotary magnetic head means, means for envelope-detecting the signals reproduced by said head means and producing an envelope-detected output, means for effecting a phase comparison of said envelope-detected output with said reference signal, means responsive to said phase comparison for adjusting the relative positioning of said tape and said head means so as to maintain alignment of said traces of said head means with said tracks, during reproducing of the recorded signals, said envelope-detecting means individually enveLope-detecting the signals from said two heads, said means for effecting said phase comparison including means receiving the envelope-detected outputs of both heads and producing an overlap signal indicating the periods during which signals are simultaneously reproduced by both heads, and means comparing said overlap signal with said reference signal.