Abstract: The amount of light reflected from a disk is detected, and it is determined according to the amount of reflected light whether the disk is a recordable disk or a rewritable disk. The disk is controlled according to the result of determination such that it is rotated at a constant angular velocity (CAV) or at a constant linear velocity (CLV) and recording is executed. Further, rotation driving control of the disk is selected according to factors other than the type of the disk, such as according to whether random recording is allowed or not, according to a recording state in the disk, according to whether an alternative area is provided or not, according to a recording start position, or according to whether initialization is required or not. CLV control or CAV control is appropriately selected for a disk at recording to suppress a reduction in accessibility and a reduction in data transmission rate.

Abstract: In an optical disc in/from which data is recorded or reproduced by irradiating a storage area on the optical disc with a laser, information containing recording velocity information (RVI) for recording/reproduction, which represents a linear velocity different from the standard linear velocity, and write strategy information (WSI) corresponding to the recording velocity information is stored in a land pre-pit or the like on the optical disc.

Abstract: An information recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a laser light source from which a laser beam having a wavelength of from 220 nm to 280 nm exits; and a converging lens unit disposed at a nearfield area of a recording medium and upon which the laser beam from the laser light source is incident. The converging lens unit includes an objective lens and a solid immersion lens. The solid immersion lens is disposed between the objective lens and the recording medium, and is formed of a highly refractive material having a high transmittance. The information recording and/or reproducing apparatus records an information signal onto or reproduces an information signal from the recording medium by irradiating the recording medium with the laser beam from the laser light source.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: A ratio of an erase current and a peak current when starting recording is defined as K=iER/iPK (S1), and iER11 is set equal to K×iPK1, and an ideal value iER11 of an erase current that should be increased according to a temperature change is determined (S2). A value obtained by subtracting a current iBT at a bottom level emission intensity when starting recording from a current at an erase level emission intensity after the temperature rises is defined as iER1. By measuring this iER1, an ideal value iER11 of the erase current is subtracted from iER1, and the resultant current is defined as iBT11 (S3). This iBT11 is set as an adjustment value of the bottom current, and a value obtained by adding this adjustment value to a bottom current when starting recording is set as a bottom current after change.

Abstract: A method for optical drive decoding of address in pre-groove (ADIP) data is provided to decode an input wobble signal to an ADIP unit signal. The method includes generating a wobble carrier frequency signal having the same phase with the wobble signal, multiplying the wobble carrier frequency signal by the input wobble signal to generate a product signal, accumulating the value of the product signal in each clock to generate a quotient summation signal, determining the phase change of the input wobble signal according to the value of the quotient summation to generate a phase change signal, and generating the ADIP unit signal by comparing the phase change signal with a plurality of ADIP patterns.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical pick-up device capable of being miniaturized by reducing the number of components. The present invention provides an optical pick-up device including a light-emitting device having an organic compound that emits laser light upon applying current. The light-emitting device interposes an organic compound layer between a pair of electrodes. The organic compound layer, which is a main component, has a layer configuration for emitting a laser beam. In the layer configuration, the thickness of each layer is determined in consideration of the wavelength of laser oscillation. The organic compound layer is composed of a plurality of layers, each of which has different properties such as carrier transportation properties or light-emitting properties. The organic compound layer is preferably formed to have a so-called resonator structure formed via a reflecting layer.

Abstract: An optical medium storage device improves the usable life of re-writable optical storage mediums, such CD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM disks, by adjusting write parameters to compensate for time between an initial write on the optical storage medium and the current time, with adjusted write parameters fine-tuning signal-to-noise ratios and improving the number of reliable overwrites for the optical storage medium.

Abstract: To provide an optical pickup device and optical disk device capable of realizing at least one of thickness reduction, size reduction and suppression against characteristic deterioration even where coping with various wavelengths of laser including a blue laser. An optical pickup device comprising light sources for respectively emitting a plurality of different wavelengths of light, unit structured for causing at least a part of the light emitted from the light sources to pass a same optical path; and focusing unit for focusing the light. The focusing unit includes at least first and second focusing parts, the first focusing part being to focus mainly a wavelength of light different from a wavelength of light to be mainly focused by the second focusing part.

Abstract: A light emitting module and method for shaping a beam via a beam shaping window and an optical pickup apparatus employing the same. The light emitting module includes a base, a semiconductor laser that is installed on the base and emits a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength, a cap surrounding the semiconductor laser, a beam shaping window that is fitted with a predetermined portion of the cap corresponding to the propagation path of the laser beam and shapes a transmitted laser beam while reflecting a portion of an incident beam, and a monitor photodetector that is disposed within the cap and receives the laser beam reflected by the beam shaping window in order to monitor the laser beam emitted by the semiconductor laser.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: A method of reproducing an audio file includes: reading an extension information of the audio file, the extension information of the audio file being separated but associated with audio data of the audio file; establishing a reproducing mode for reproducing the audio file based on the extension information; obtaining at least a part of the audio file under the established reproducing mode; and determining whether the audio file is reproducible under the established reproducing mode by checking whether the part of the audio file constructs a specific format stream corresponding to the established reproducing mode.

Abstract: A system for phase detection in page-based optical data storage involves a number of features that may be used individually or in combination to provide optimizations and to facilitate the heterodyne detection of the modulated readout signal beam. In one aspect, alignment sensors provide signals indicative of angular misalignment between the heterodyne reference beam and the signal beam, and a feedback control system aligns the reference beam with respect to the signal beam. In another aspect, a differential detection approach is utilized. In yet another aspect, a scanning approach is used wherein the reference beam is scanned over approximately a wavelength of phase difference to cause interference fringes to shift over the photodetector pixel array. Each pixel detects the signal at the phase value that cancels out localized variations of the wavefront, thus increasing the tolerance of the system to phase errors and to angular misalignments.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording information, which comprises a one-dimensional diode array (21) constituted with a plurality of laser diodes arranged in a line, a modulation control signal generator (23) for supplying the laser diodes constituting the one-dimensional diode array with modulation control signals based on information to be recorded, and an optical system (24) for causing laser light beams obtained from the one-dimensional diode array to be incident upon an optical tape (26), wherein said optical system is operative to focus the laser light beams which have been modulated in response to the modulation control signals and obtained from the one-dimensional diode array so that geometric optical images of the modulated light beams are reduced over the diffraction limit thereof on the optical tape.

Abstract: Address information is formed by M wobbles (integer M is the number of wobble waves) per bit as a basic unit, and is NRZ-recorded. Also, a sync signal used in sync detection of the address information is formed by N wobbles per bit as a basic unit (integer N is the number of wobble waves and M=2N). The sync signal with such configuration (6 wobbles per bit) is recorded on the head side of the address information (12 wobbles per bit). In this way, even when external noise is large, a modulated wobble signal can be demodulated more accurately.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus and method having a pick-up part for emitting a light onto a recording surface of an optical disk and receiving the light reflected from the recording surface of optical disk and a driving part for controlling the pick-up part. The apparatus and method comprise an error detection part for detecting a tracking error based on a distribution of the received and reflected light, when the pick-up part traces vertical movement of the optical-disk according to control of the driving part; a capacity calculation part for calculating capacity of an optical-disk corresponding to the calculated tracking error size; and a tracking control part for resetting a control method of the driving part for the pick-up part to trace a track of the optical-disk based on the calculated capacity. As such, the track of an optical disk may be minutely traced.

Abstract: A quality-testing apparatus is disclosed for an optical disk of the type that stores optically readable information in the form of a spiral or annular pattern defining a plurality of essentially concentric tracks. The apparatus has a laser light source and a drive mechanism which projects a laser beam spot from the laser light source onto a surface of the optical disk and moves the projected laser beam spot radically over a portion of the disc surface across at least some of the tracks. A light detector detects a reflection from the projected laser beam spot during its movement. The light detector produces a time variant measurement signal (HF) being associated with passages of the moving laser beam spot across respective tracks. A processing device measures the signal amplitude of selected parts of the optical disk and provides an output comprising key parameters such as symmetry and relative signal strength for the annular pattern of pits and lands.