Sony Corporation

Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center

Tadahiko Nakamura

Kenji Nakano

Makoto Ando

Yukio Kubota

Mitsutoshi Shinkai

Shigeru Tajima

Koichiro Kakinuma

Minoru Morio

Nobutoshi Kihara

Masahiro Kambara

Masaaki Sakai

Hideaki Ohmuro

Tomohiko Kadowaki

Akira Ohryo

Masahiko Sawa

A production process standardization system of a semiconductor device for standardizing design rules among companies and smoothening requests for semiconductor production and distribution and re-use of design assets among companies wherein standardized design rules of a semiconductor are commonly managed by a common database management server and wherein a plurality of companies acquire the standardized design rules via the Internet and design the semiconductor device according to the commonly managed design rules, a method of the same, and a storage medium storing that method.

Production process standardization system of semiconductor device and method of same and storage medium storing that method

A portable card writer for a card with a magnetic stripe provided thereon comprises a chassis, a drive mounted on the chassis for moving the card to and fro, guided along the chassis, a magnetic writing head mounted on the chassis, a magnetic reading head mounted on the chassis, and a printer for writing data in the card at a portion other than the magnetic stripe.

Portable magnetic card reading and writing apparatus with verification

An electronic device, such as a video tape recorder (VTR), is set into a desired, but complex mode, such as automatic recording of a desired program, by manual scanning with an optical wand or other scanning instrument of one or more code groups printed on a selection card. Respective selection cards have code groups thereon for selecting, for example, mode, channel, day of week, recording start time (including AM or PM), and recording end time. Code signals provided from the scanning instrument are processed in a data processing circuit, which can be provided as a microprocessor and included in the VTR to provide control signals to the VTR in response to information contained in the scanned code groups. Alternatively, a combination of an FM receiver and high fidelity audio recorder can be set into an auto record mode or other complex operating mode by scanning of selection cards with a scanning instrument associated with such combination.

Method and apparatus for automatic control of electronic equipment

Digitally designed vertical synchronizing separator and framing circuit in association with a digital servo LSI for a video tape recorder are particularly designed to be noise-free system for a composite synchronizing signal reproduced from the video tape recorder and utilize a reference clock pulse with the synchronizing signal and a counter with a feed back of the contents of the counter to control the supply of said composite synchronizing signal.

Vertical synchronizing signal detecting circuit

A phase servo circuit for controlling a rotatable magnetic head which is used for recording and/or reproducing a television signal includes a pulse generator for producing a pulse signal synchronous with the rotating phase of the rotatable magnetic head, a phase difference detecting circuit for generating a control signal which is used for controlling the rotating phase of the rotatable magnetic head, the control signal having a pulse width modulated in response to the phase difference between the pulse signal and the vertical synchronizing signal of a television signal to be recorded, another circuit for detecting the phase difference between the aforementioned vertical synchronizing signal and a second vertical synchronizing signal of a reproduced television signal and a modulating circuit for modulating the pulse width of the control signal in response to the output of the phase difference detecting circuit, whereby the phase angle of the first-mentioned and second vertical synchronizing signals are in synchronization with each other on a magnetic tape in order to carry out tape editing operation.

Phase servo circuit

In a digital servo control system, the duty cycle of a pulse width modulated signal for controlling a drive motor is determined by digital numbers representing phase and/or speed errors preset into a memory and circulating counter. The circulating counter is driven by a clock signal which performs a number of cycles during each basic timing interval. A pulse width modulated signal is initiated by a timing pulse and is terminated by each return to zero of the most significant digit of the circulating counter. The time at which the most significant digit of the circulating counter returns to zero at the end of each of its cycles is determined by the number initially preset into it. The memory is gated with the output of a four-bit counter, which increments at the same rate that the circulating counter cycles, to either lengthen each pulse width modulated signal by one clock cycle or not. The number of times the pulse-width modulated signal is lengthened in a basic timing interval is proportional to the number preset into the memory. The contents of the memory and the circulating counter are periodically changed to correspond to detected speed and/or phase errors to update the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal.

Digital servo control circuit

A digital servo control system for controlling a drive motor accumulates speed and phase error numbers and produces a pulse width modulated signal in response thereto. Phase errors are measured by counting pulses of a clock signal between the arrival of a position signal related to a rotational position of the drive motor and the arrival of a reference signal. An automatic residual error compensating circuit controls a delay applied to the position signal in accordance with residual phase error to minimize the same.

Automatic residual phase error compensation circuit for a digital servo

In a video signal reproducing apparatus for converting a first video signal having a first field frequency to a second video signal having a second field frequency, there are provided a tape scanning device which is made movable in a direction perpendicular to the recording track on a tape, a system for controlling the speed of the scanning device, a system for shifting the scanning device in the aforesaid direction according to the difference between the first and second field frequencies, in order to skip or repeat selected fields so that the video signal is reproduced with the second field frequency. Also provided is a system for converting the number of lines contained in one field of the first video signal. In the above converting system there is included a memory, and the first video signal is written into the memory and read out therefrom so that a predetermined number of lines of the first video signal are discarded or repeated and the reproduced video signal has the required number of lines for each field of the second video signal.

Video signal reproducing apparatus for converting a video signal from a

The duty cycle of a pulse width modulated signal for controlling a drive motor is determined by the content or numbers stored in a counter and representing phase and/or speed errors. The counter is driven by a clock signal which has a number of cycles during each cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal which is exactly equal to the capacity of the counter. The pulse width modulated signal is initiated by a timing pulse and is terminated by the return to zero of the most significant digit of the counter. The time at which the most significant digit of the counter returns to zero in each cycle is determined by a number initially contained in the counter. The content of the counter is periodically determined according to detected speed and phase errors to update the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal.

An automatic tracking servo control system which is adapted to control the tracking of at least one rotary signal reproducing transducer which scans successive parallel record tracks on a movable record medium. Position pulses are generated when the transducer rotates into predetermined position with respect to the record medium, and these position pulses are used in conjunction with control signals which are reproduced from the record medium and which had been recorded at spaced locations therealong in predetermined relation to the record tracks for controlling the position of the transducer with respect to the tracks scanned thereby. A detector detects the relative strength of the signal reproduced by the transducer during periodic intervals. A phase shift circuit shifts the phase of the position pulses by a selected amount during successive scanning cycles of the transducer, this amount being periodically adjusted as a function of the difference between the relative signal strengths in successive periodic intervals. The phase-shifted position pulses are used in a servo circuit, together with the control pulses, to control the tracking of the rotary head.

Automatic tracking servo control system

An automatic tracking servo control system which is adapted to control the tracking of at least one rotary signal reproducing head which scans successive parallel record tracks on a movable record medium. Position pulses are generated when the at least one head rotates into predetermined position with respect to the record medium, and these position pulses are used in conjunction with control signals which are reproduced from the record medium and which had been recorded at spaced locations therealong in predetermined relation to the record tracks for controlling the position of the at least one head with respect to the tracks scanned thereby. A detector detects the relative strength of the signal reproduced by the at least one head during periodic intervals. A phase shift circuit shifts the phase of each reproduced control signal as a function of the difference between the relative signal strengths in successive periodic intervals. The phase-shifted control signal is used in a servo circuit, together with the position pulses, to control the tracking of the rotary head.

In a recording and reproducing apparatus, such as, a video tape recorder or VTR, which can be preset to establish a desired recording program, that is, to initiate and terminate successive recording intervals at predetermined times, the aggregate of the tape or other record medium needed for the recording of signals thereon in the preset recording intervals is compared with the amount or capacity of record medium available for recording and, in the event of a deficiency of the latter, a suitable alarm or indication is provided to avoid a failure to record desired signals. An alarm or indication is further provided if there is overlapping of the preset recording intervals, or if the apparatus is not in condition for recording, for example, by reason of the absence of a tape cassette or other record medium from the apparatus or the presence of a record medium which is already recorded with signals to be preserved.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tadahiko Nakamura