Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a writing/reading unit writing data to or reading data from an information recording medium having an access control area in which access control data is recorded, the access control data having common information set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to the information recording medium to control access to the information recording medium; and a control unit controlling the writing/reading unit to record access control data regarding a function recognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatus in the access control area when the information recording medium is initialized or reinitialized.

Abstract: A method to balance spindles in a plurality of disk drives is disclosed and claimed. An initial imbalance and initial phase for one of the plurality of disk drives is determined, the determination depending upon an amplitude and phase calibration. One of a plurality of balancing masses is selected based on the initial imbalance and attached at an angular position selected based upon the initial phase. A final imbalance after attachment is similarly determined. These determinations are repeated for each of the plurality of disk drives, with the final imbalance and the initial imbalance recorded for each. The amplitude calibration is adjusted based on a comparison of a measured distribution and a theoretical distribution of the final imbalance versus the initial imbalance.

Abstract: An optical disc drive for recording and/or reading information on or from an optical disc is disclosed. The optical disc drive includes: a position controller which controls the position of the objective lens based on the position-controlling light beam reflected by the reflective surface by condensing the position-controlling light beam by the objective lens such that the position-controlling light beam is brought to a focus at a target guide position on the reflective surface corresponding to the target recording position; a tilt angle detector which detects tilt angle of the optical disc relative to optical axis of the position-controlling light beam; and a focal position corrector which makes a correction such that a focal position obtained when the information light beam is condensed by the objective lens is aligned to the target recording position according to the tilt angle.

Abstract: A control apparatus is provided for controlling an access means for accessing a recording medium containing at least one area so that the access means accesses the at least one area. The apparatus comprises a means for determining whether or not at least one first recorded area storing data is included in the at least one area, and a means for controlling the access means. When it is determined that the at least one first recorded area is included in the at least one area, the control means controls the access means based on a result of accessing the at least one first recorded area.

Abstract: A disc clamping mechanism includes a clamp board, a clamp base, a first supporting unit and a second supporting unit. The clamp board rotatably clamps a disc in cooperation with a turntable to be rotated in a housing. The clamp base rotatably supports the clamp board at a position opposite to the turntable, and is movable so as to move away from or come into contact with the turntable. The first supporting unit comes into contact with a first peripheral edge of the clamp board protruding from the clamp base when the clamp board moves away from the disc according to the movement of the clamp base, to exert pushing force in a direction of the turntable side and pushing force in a direction of the clamp base side against the first peripheral edge. The second supporting unit is provided at the clamp base, and securely supports the second peripheral edge of the clamp board situated at a position opposite to the first peripheral edge when the first peripheral edge is pushed by the first supporting unit.

Abstract: A method for holographic information storage and retrieval is disclosed. The method supplies a holographic data storage system comprising a light source and a holographic data storage medium and provides information to the holographic data storage system. The method generates a reference beam using the light source, forms a data beam comprising a data image and an orientation image, wherein the data image comprises all or a portion of the information. The method then generates a hologram using the data beam and the write reference beam, and encodes the hologram in the holographic data storage medium to form an encoded holographic data storage medium.

Abstract: A recording medium has a user-data zone in which a plurality of fragments can be reserved by recording the start and end addresses of the fragments, and a management information zone in which management information having recorded-area-indicator (RAI) information indicating whether each of partial areas into which the user-data zone is divided by a fixed size is a recorded area and fragment information concerning each fragment reserved in the user-data zone is recorded. RAI information and fragment information are acquired from the management information zone. A recording end position in the reserved fragment is searched for using the entirety of an area in a reserved fragment as a search range. A search range in an unreserved fragment whose end address is not defined is determined on the basis of the RAI information, and a recording end position in the unreserved fragment is searched for within the determined search range.

Abstract: A complex objective lens composed of a hologram and an objective lens, capable of realizing stable and high-precision compatible reproducing/recording of a BD with a base thickness of about 0.1 mm for a blue light beam (wavelength ?1) and a DVD with a base thickness of about 0.6 mm for a red light beam (wavelength ?2). In an inner circumferential portion of the hologram, a grating is formed, which has a cross-sectional shape including as one period a step of heights in the order of 0 time, twice, once, and three times a unit level difference that gives a difference in optical path of about one wavelength with respect to a blue light beam, from an outer peripheral side to an optical axis side. The hologram transmits a blue light beam as 0th-order diffracted light without diffracting it, and disperses a red light beam passing through an inner circumferential portion as +1st-order diffracted light and allows it to be condensed by an objective lens.

Abstract: An optical pick-up apparatus including an optical source module having a CD optical source and a DVD optical source, a diffracting grating dividing a light beam from the optical source module to at least three divided light beams, a first optical divider changing a path of the divided light beams to an optical disk, a second optical divider reflecting and forwarding the divided light beams reflected from the optical disk in a predetermined ratio, a first optical detector including a single optical sensor receiving reflected light from the second optical divider, and a second optical detector including at least three optical detection sensors receiving forwarded light from the second optical divider. Embodiments of the present invention can provide support for multi-type optical disks with a simple optical structure.

Abstract: A recording medium and having efficiency of a reading and a writing process. Audio annual ring data, video annual ring data, low-resolution annual ring data, and meta annual ring data extracted from data series of metadata, an audio file, a video file, and low resolution data are written to a free space on an optical disk in order of a body, a footer, and a header in order to improve the convenience of the recording medium by enabling a quick edit process. For example, the efficiency of the reading and writing process is improved by preventing occurrence of an unnecessary writing process.

Abstract: An optical data processing apparatus reads and/or writes data from/on a data storage medium, in which first and second data storage layer are stacked. The apparatus includes: a light detector including at least one photodetector for generating a light quantity signal; a detecting optical system for guiding reflected light beams from a storage layer; and a signal processor for generating a layer sensing signal from the light quantity signal and determining, by the layer sensing signal, the type of data storage medium. The light detector includes a layer sensing photodetector arranged in view of an of an area of the light detector, and further includes a photodetector which is different from the layer sensing photodetector which receives the reflected light beam to generate a focus signal.

Abstract: A control system for a rotating data storage device includes a drive module configured to at least one of (i) process data, (ii) store data, and (iii) control operation of the rotating storage device; and an audio monitoring module configured to (i) communicate with the drive module and (ii) analyze audio signals that are based on noise generated by the rotating storage device during operation, The rotating storage device includes a first component The audio monitoring module is configured to selectively adjust a rotational speed of the first component by (i) a predetermined value or (ii) a predetermined percentage of the rotation speed in response to detecting resonance of the first component. The drive module is integrated with the audio monitoring module in an integrated circuit (IC). The IC is arranged on a drive printed circuit board (PCB) of the rotating storage device.

Abstract: An optical disc recording apparatus that uses a pseudo-random number sequence for recording auxiliary information, wherein a sequence of data based on auxiliary information is modulated by a signal represented by a combination of a sequence of pseudo-random numbers and a predetermined periodic signal, and recorded traces of the pits or the marks are changed depending on the modulated sequence of data, thereby recording the auxiliary information on the optical disc. By making it difficult to estimate the structure of the sequence of pseudo-random numbers, duplication of an optical disc is hindered.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for controlling servo signal gains of an optical disc drive. The apparatus adjusts the gains of a plurality of servo signals controlling a servo system of the optical disc drive according to a closed-loop mode or a state-reloading mode whenever the optical disk drive encounters an operating state transition. In closed-loop mode, at least one AGC loop of the apparatus compensates the gains of the servo signals with a selectable bandwidth during a specific period after the operating state transition to accelerate the convergence of the servo signals. In state-reloading mode, at least one AGC loop of the apparatus reloads the previously saved convergence values or pre-determined values as the initial values according to the current operating state immediately after the operating state transition to accelerate the convergence of the servo signals.

Abstract: Spherical aberration, astigmatism and coma can be corrected by a single liquid-crystal optical element, the electrode patterns in the optical element can be simplified, and the optical element can be controlled in a simple manner. The present invention provides an optical pickup including a light source to emit a light beam of a predetermined wavelength, an objective lens to focus the light beam emitted from the light source onto the signal recording surface of an optical disk, a liquid-crystal optical element provided between the light source and objective lens to correct spherical aberration, astigmatism and coma by varying the refractive index thereof, and a photodetector to detect return light from the signal recording surface of the optical disk.

Abstract: A write once disc, a disc drive therefor, and a method of managing disc defects on the write once disc using the disc drive in consideration of the compatibility of the write once disc with a rewritable disc drive, the write once disc includes a single record layer disc in which a lead-in area, a data area, and a lead-out area are sequentially formed and a first spare area and a second spare area are sequentially formed in the data area. The write once disc includes a defect management area (DMA) formed in at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area; a first temporary defect management area (TDMA) formed in at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area; and a second TDMA formed between the first spare area and a user data area or between the user data area and the second spare area.

Abstract: A recording/reproduction apparatus, comprising a first recording section for recording test information onto a medium using at least one recording power, a reproduction section for reproducing at least one test signal indicating the test information from the medium, and a second recording section for recording information onto the medium using one of the at least one recording power. The reproduction section comprises a decoding section for performing maximum likelihood decoding of the at least one test signal and generating at least one binary signal indicating a result of the maximum likelihood decoding, a calculation section for calculating a reliability of the result of the maximum likelihood decoding based on the at least one test signal and the at least one binary signal, and an adjustment section for adjusting a recording power for recording the information onto the medium to the one recording power based on the reliability.

Abstract: A data storage medium, and an apparatus and method for formatting the same. The medium is preferably characterized as a hybrid or recordable optical disc, and includes a pre-recorded storage area and a recordable storage area. The pre-recorded storage area stores file system data which identifies at least one file to be stored to the recordable storage area during a subsequent recording session, with the file system data having been stored to the pre-recorded storage area during a previous recording session. The file system data further preferably identifies at least one file stored to the pre-recorded storage area during the previous recording session. The pre-recorded and subsequently stored files are preferably disposed within the same logical track on the medium. The pre-recorded file system data includes entries for the subsequently added file(s), and eliminates the need for multiple copies of the file system on the medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical pickup device capable of properly suppressing coma aberration which occurs due to a relative tilt error between objective lenses. The optical pickup device includes: first and second objective lenses having different optical characteristics; a lens holder provided with first and second lens receiving cylindrical parts to which the first and second objective lenses are attached so that distance from the first objective lens to an optical recording medium becomes shorter than distance from the second objective lens to the optical recording medium without overlapping the objective lenses; and a buffer member formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the periphery of the first objective lens, and having a projection for preventing collision between the first objective lens and the optical recording medium, the projection being provided at an end on the optical recording medium side.

Abstract: An optical system for spatially controlling light polarization, and method for manufacturing the same, includes a light source for generating a light beam of a designated wavelength, a beam shaper for splitting the light beam generated from the light source into a plurality of partial beams, and a polarization controller controlling the polarization states of the partial beams. The polarization controller may be formed on the beam shaper or separate from the beam shaper.