Apparatus for editing data in a selected area on a track of a tape recording medium

An editing apparatus for editing a tape recording medium which has formed thereon a plurality of recording tracks each being divided into a plurality of recording areas including a first recording area counted from a beginning end of each recording track, the first recording area on a specific recording track of the plurality of recording tracks having recorded therein a plurality of synchronizing blocks each containing a synchronizing signal and a recording mode data indicative of a recording mode in which said specific recording track has been recorded, and adjacent recording tracks adjacent to said specific recording track at opposite sides of said specific recording track having recorded therein a pilot signal used for tracking control, said apparatus comprising:

• recording information signal generating means for generating a recording information signal to be recorded for editing;
• recording and reproducing means including a recording and reproducing head and operable in a first mode in which said head scans the first recording area of said specific recording track for reproducing the synchronizing blocks from the first recording area of said specific recording track and the pilot signal detected due to crosstalk from said adjacent tracks to thereby obtain a reproduced signal and in a second mode in which said head records the recording information signal in a given editing area on the recording medium;
• editing control means for operating said recording and reproducing means in said first mode to obtain said reproduced signal, said editing control means further generating an editing area signal indicative of said given editing area and an edit recording mode data indicative of a recording mode in which the recording information signal is to be recorded;
• synchronizing block detecting and decoding means for detecting from said reproduced signal the synchronizing signal and decoding the recording mode data, said synchronizing block detecting and decoding means outputting the synchronizing signal and the recording mode data;
• tracking error detecting means responsive to the synchronizing signal from said synchronizing block detecting and decoding means for sampling the reproduced pilot signal to obtain a tracking error signal indicative of a tracking error of said head;
• tracking control means responsive to said tracking error signal for controlling a transfer of said recording medium to eliminate the tracking error;
• editing timing generating means responsive to the synchronizing signal from said synchronizing block detecting and decoding means and said editing area signal from said editing control means for generating an editing timing signal;
• and
• editing stopping means for comparing the reproduced recording mode data with the edit recording mode data and stopping editing when the reproduced recording mode data is different from the edit recording mode data,
• said recording and reproducing means being responsive to said editing timing signal for operating in said second mode to record with said head the recording information signal in said editing area.

A tracking control apparatus for controlling tracking of a recording and reproducing head on a recording track on a tape recording medium which has formed thereon a plurality of recording tracks each being divided into a plurality of recording areas including a first recording area counted from a beginning end of each recording track, the first recording area on a specific recording track of the plurality of recording tracks having recorded therein a plurality of synchronizing blocks each containing a synchronizing signal and a synchronizing signal number which indicates a sequential order of each synchronizing block in the first recording area, and adjacent recording tracks adjacent to said specific recording track at opposite sides of said specific recording track having recorded therein a pilot signal used for tracking control, said apparatus comprising:

• means including said recording and reproducing head for reproducing the synchronizing blocks from the first recording area of said specific recording track and the pilot signal detected due to crosstalk from said adjacent tracks to thereby obtain a reproduced signal;
• synchronizing block detecting and decoding means for detecting from said reproduced signal the synchronizing signal of each of the reproduced synchronizing blocks and decoding the synchronizing signal number of each of the reproduced synchronizing blocks, and for examining a sequence of the reproduced synchronizing blocks by checking the synchronizing signal number until a specific synchronizing signal number is obtained, said synchronizing block detecting and decoding means outputting said specific synchronizing signal number when a predetermined number of synchronizing blocks have been reproduced in a predetermined sequence;
• tracking error detecting means responsive to said specific synchronizing signal number from said synchronizing block detecting and decoding means for sampling the reproduced pilot signal to obtain a tracking error signal indicative of a tracking error of said head;
• tracking control means responsive to said tracking error signal for controlling a transfer of said recording medium to eliminate the tracking error;
• wherein each of the synchronizing blocks in the first recording area of said specific recording track has further recorded therein a recording mode data of a recording mode in which said specific recording track has been recorded, said synchronizing block detecting and decoding means further outputting a reproduced recording mode data contained in said reproduced signal, and said editing control means further outputting an edit recording mode data indicative of a recording mode in which the recording information signal is to be recorded, and wherein said apparatus further comprises an editing stopping means for comparing the reproduced recording mode data and the edit recording mode data and stopping editing when the reproduced recording mode data is different from the edit recording mode data.