Signal processing apparatus and method wherein control signals and power signals are superimposed
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorYoji Aoki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compact rotary transformer is disclosed. In the structure of the rotary transformer, a timing-signal producing unit detects a control signal superimposed on an electric power signal output from a power transmission channel of the rotary transformer to produce a timing signal. A head-switching-signal generating unit uses the timing signal to generate a switching signal for performing switching between reproducing heads so that one of the reproducing heads is selected by a switch. A reproduction channel of the rotary transformer outputs a reproducing signal via the switch.
Claims20
A signal processing apparatus comprising:
- a static unit;
- a rotary unit rotating in relation to the static unit;
- a plurality of recording/reproducing heads which are disposed on the rotary unit;
- a rotary transformer, via which signal reception/transmission is performed between the static unit and the rotary unit;
- means for generating an electric power signal supplied to a circuit inside the rotary unit from the static unit;
- means for superimposing a control signal on the electric power signal generated by the generating means;
- means for generating a reference-level voltage inside the rotary unit;
- means for comparing a voltage level of the superimposed electric power signal with the reference-level voltage so as to obtain a switching signal;
- and
- means for controlling the plurality of recording/reproducing heads inside the rotary unit by use of the switching signal.
A signal processing method using a signal processing apparatus in which signal reception/transmission is performed between a static unit and a rotary unit rotating in relation to the static unit via a rotary transformer and in which a plurality of recording/reproducing heads are disposed on the rotary unit, the method comprising the steps of:
- generating an electric power signal supplied to a circuit inside the rotary unit from the static unit;
- superimposing a control signal on the electric power signal generated by the generating step;
- generating a reference-level voltage inside the rotary unit;
- comparing a voltage level of the superimposed electric power signal with the reference-level voltage so as to obtain a switching signal;
- and
- controlling the plurality of recording/reproducing heads inside the rotary unit by use of the switching signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.