Abstract: An information reproduction device sets, from among a plurality of estimated rotation speeds previously estimated, a set rotation speed in accordance with request-specification information specifying a piece of data requested by an external device and a specified rotation speed specified by the external device for a disc-shaped storage medium storing data, rotates the storage medium at the set rotation speed, reads out data from the storage medium at a readout speed that is determined by the set rotation speed of the storage medium, stores the data in a data storage section, and supplies, from among the stored data, the piece of data corresponding to the request-specification information to the external device.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes: a disk table on which a disk recording medium inserted into a disk insertion port for loading is mounted; an eject lever rotatably supported by a chassis, and having a disk holding part that holds the inserted medium; and a support lever rotatably supported by the chassis and having a disk holding part, wherein these levers are rotated between a waiting position at which the disk holding part waits for the inserted medium and a drawing position at which the medium held by the disk holding part is drawn, wherein when the eject lever and the support lever are at the waiting positions, the disk holding parts are each positioned at a position which is located more on the disk insertion port side than a centering projecting part of the disk table and is not overlapped with the insertion direction of the medium.

Abstract: The present invention can promptly start the tracking control. According to an embodiment of the present invention, after making it possible to discriminate the groove G and land L by the initial drive for the objective lens, the servo control and brake control are executed under an optimum condition when the objective lens is initially driven to the inner circumference direction to be outer eccentricity where a spot Pt is easily pulled in so as to pull in the spot Pt and start tracking control, and, in case the TR control error is raised when pulling in the spot Pt in an eccentricity speed minimum region AR1 for the first time, assuming that the eccentricity speed minimum region AR1 is inner eccentricity, the spot Pt is pulled in at the next eccentricity speed minimum region AR2 in which the eccentricity direction becomes opposite and the tracking control is started.

Abstract: Disclosed is a recording medium drive apparatus configured to drive a recording medium, including a case, a drive source used for loading/ejecting the recording medium into/from the case, a motor unit configured to hold the recording medium and rotate the recording medium held, a pickup unit configured to record a signal on the recording medium rotated by the motor unit or reproduce the recorded signal, a first slider driven by the drive source to slide a first distance in a first direction, a second slider that is cam-engaged with the pickup unit and slides in a second direction to move the pickup unit upward and downward, a moving member that is releasably engaged with the first slider, engaged with the pickup unit, and cam-engaged with the motor unit, and moves the motor unit upward and downward, and a link mechanism configured to link the first slider and the second slider.

Abstract: A peripheral device is connected to a host device by a transmission path according to a predetermined interface standard to be communicable with the host device, and operates with power supply received from the host device through the transmission path. The peripheral device includes a main operation unit and a control unit. The main operation unit uses, in the operation thereof, non-standard current higher than an upper limit current value specified by the interface standard. The control unit operates in a standard power mode, which consumes current not exceeding the upper limit current value specified by the interface standard, to send the host device information indicating the use of the non-standard current, and performs, upon receipt from the host device of permission to use an extended power mode, which consumes the non-standard current, a process of activating the operation of the main operation unit in the extended power mode.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus capable of irradiating an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers on which a signal is recorded with laser light includes a light source emitting the laser light, a light-concentrating element concentrating the laser light emitted from the light source on the optical recording medium, a phase difference element having a region divided into at least two regions which the laser light reflected by the optical recording medium enters and producing a phase difference between first light and second light reflected by a non-target layer which is not a target of recording or reproduction of the signal out of the plurality of recording layers and entering the at least two regions such that the first and the second light weaken each other, and a photodetector receiving the laser light emitted from the phase difference element.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes: a rotary arm rotatable according to loading of a disk between a draw-in position and an eject position for ejecting the disk from a housing; a drive mechanism providing driving force for the rotary arm; a link arm mechanism interconnecting the rotary arm and the drive mechanism and rotating the rotary arm from an insertion position to the eject position when ejecting the disk; and a guide cam having a guide edge on which a guide projection of the link arm mechanism slides when ejecting the disk to rotate the rotary arm in an ejecting direction via the link arm mechanism, the guide projection moving around the guide cam from insertion to ejection of the disk. Engagement between the guide projection and the guide edge is released when a force opposite to a rotation direction is applied to the rotary arm when ejecting the disk.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing system that performs PRML decoding, a suitable evaluation value for setting a recording condition can be obtained with a simple structure. It is assumed that a value corresponding to a difference between a difference metric between a maximum likelihood path for an equalized signal that is fed to maximum likelihood decoding processing and a path in a bit-advanced shift direction and a difference metric between the maximum likelihood path for the equalized signal and a path in a bit-delayed shift direction is a signal quality evaluation value dSAM. Further, the signal quality evaluation value dSAM is calculated using an equalization error value ek which is an error between an equalized signal value fed to the maximum likelihood decoding processing and an ideal equalized signal value determined from a decoded signal obtained as a result of the maximum likelihood decoding processing.

Abstract: An optical recording medium driving device includes an optical head, an evaluation signal generating section, a focus servo section, a spherical aberration correction section, a focus bias adjuster, and a system controller. The optical head has a focus servo mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism, irradiates a laser light, and detects a reflected light. The evaluation signal generating section generates, based on the reflected light, an evaluation signal. The focus servo section drives the focus servo mechanism according to a focus error signal to perform focus servo. The spherical aberration correction section drives the spherical aberration correction mechanism to perform spherical aberration correction. The focus bias adjuster adds focus bias to a focus loop. The system controller performs an operation for setting an adjustment spherical aberration correction value.

Abstract: An optical recording medium driving apparatus supporting an optical recording medium having multiple recording layers includes head means including a focusing mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism; focusing control means for driving the focusing mechanism on the basis of a reflected light to perform focusing control on each recording layer; spherical aberration correcting means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism on the basis of a spherical aberration correction value to correct spherical aberration; and control means for controlling the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for the midpoint between a target layer and a first recording layer by a desired value in the spherical aberration correcting means and controlling the focusing control means so as to perform the focusing control with the spherical aberration correction value after the shift being set.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing system that performs PRML decoding, a suitable evaluation value for setting a recording condition can be obtained with a simple structure. It is assumed that a value corresponding to a difference between a difference metric between a maximum likelihood path for an equalized signal that is fed to maximum likelihood decoding processing and a path in a bit-advanced shift direction and a difference metric between the maximum likelihood path for the equalized signal and a path in a bit-delayed shift direction is a signal quality evaluation value dSAM. Further, the signal quality evaluation value dSAM is calculated using an equalization error value ek which is an error between an equalized signal value fed to the maximum likelihood decoding processing and an ideal equalized signal value determined from a decoded signal obtained as a result of the maximum likelihood decoding processing.

Abstract: In an optical recording medium drive apparatus, an optical recording medium is illuminated with a laser beam emitted from a head via an objected leans, and the head detects light reflected from the optical recording medium being illuminated with the laser beam. A signal generator generates a reflected light signal in accordance with the reflected light detected by the head. A controller drives the objective lens via a focusing unit, and detects peaks in the reflected light signal obtained when the objective lens is driven in a focusing direction. The controller determines whether the optical recording medium is of a single layer type or a multiple layer type by determining whether a pattern of the detected peaks is similar to one of patterns which can occur if the optical recording medium is of the single layer type.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes: head means for performing laser irradiation to and detection of reflected light from an optical disk recording medium and having a focus bias mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism; focus bias means for driving the focus bias mechanism to add a focus bias to a focus servo loop; spherical aberration correction means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism based on a spherical aberration correction value; evaluation value creating means for creating an evaluation value based on reflected light information obtained by the head means; adjustment means for adjusting the focus bias and the spherical aberration correction value; and control means for determining whether data is written on at least one track of the tracks adjacent to an adjustment use range on the recording medium and controlling an adjustment operation on the focus bias and the spherical aberration correction value by the adjustment means based on the determination result.

Abstract: A peripheral device is connected to a host device by a transmission path according to a predetermined interface standard to be communicable with the host device, and operates with power supply received from the host device through the transmission path. The peripheral device includes a main operation unit and a control unit. The main operation unit uses, in the operation thereof, non-standard current higher than an upper limit current value specified by the interface standard. The control unit operates in a standard power mode, which consumes current not exceeding the upper limit current value specified by the interface standard, to send the host device information indicating the use of the non-standard current, and performs, upon receipt from the host device of permission to use an extended power mode, which consumes the non-standard current, a process of activating the operation of the main operation unit in the extended power mode.

Abstract: Disclosed is a recording medium drive apparatus configured to drive a recording medium, including a case, a drive source used for loading/ejecting the recording medium into/from the case, a motor unit configured to hold the recording medium and rotate the recording medium held, a pickup unit configured to record a signal on the recording medium rotated by the motor unit or reproduce the recorded signal, a first slider driven by the drive source to slide a first distance in a first direction, a second slider that is cam-engaged with the pickup unit and slides in a second direction to move the pickup unit upward and downward, a moving member that is releasably engaged with the first slider, engaged with the pickup unit, and cam-engaged with the motor unit, and moves the motor unit upward and downward, and a link mechanism configured to link the first slider and the second slider.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus capable of irradiating an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers on which a signal is recorded with laser light includes a light source emitting the laser light, a light-concentrating element concentrating the laser light emitted from the light source on the optical recording medium, a phase difference element having a region divided into at least two regions which the laser light reflected by the optical recording medium enters and producing a phase difference between first light and second light reflected by a non-target layer which is not a target of recording or reproduction of the signal out of the plurality of recording layers and entering the at least two regions such that the first and the second light weaken each other, and a photodetector receiving the laser light emitted from the phase difference element.

Abstract: An information reproduction device sets, from among a plurality of estimated rotation speeds previously estimated, a set rotation speed in accordance with request-specification information specifying a piece of data requested by an external device and a specified rotation speed specified by the external device for a disc-shaped storage medium storing data, rotates the storage medium at the set rotation speed, reads out data from the storage medium at a readout speed that is determined by the set rotation speed of the storage medium, stores the data in a data storage section, and supplies, from among the stored data, the piece of data corresponding to the request-specification information to the external device.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes: a disk table on which a disk recording medium inserted into a disk insertion port for loading is mounted; an eject lever rotatably supported by a chassis, and having a disk holding part that holds the inserted medium; and a support lever rotatably supported by the chassis and having a disk holding part, wherein these levers are rotated between a waiting position at which the disk holding part waits for the inserted medium and a drawing position at which the medium held by the disk holding part is drawn, wherein when the eject lever and the support lever are at the waiting positions, the disk holding parts are each positioned at a position which is located more on the disk insertion port side than a centering projecting part of the disk table and is not overlapped with the insertion direction of the medium.

Abstract: The present invention can promptly start the tracking control. According to an embodiment of the present invention, after making it possible to discriminate the groove G and land L by the initial drive for the objective lens, the servo control and brake control are executed under an optimum condition when the objective lens is initially driven to the inner circumference direction to be outer eccentricity where a spot Pt is easily pulled in so as to pull in the spot Pt and start tracking control, and, in case the TR control error is raised when pulling in the spot Pt in an eccentricity speed minimum region AR1 for the first time, assuming that the eccentricity speed minimum region AR1 is inner eccentricity, the spot Pt is pulled in at the next eccentricity speed minimum region AR2 in which the eccentricity direction becomes opposite and the tracking control is started.

Abstract: An optical recording medium driving apparatus supporting an optical recording medium having multiple recording layers includes head means including a focusing mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism; focusing control means for driving the focusing mechanism on the basis of a reflected light to perform focusing control on each recording layer; spherical aberration correcting means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism on the basis of a spherical aberration correction value to correct spherical aberration; and control means for controlling the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for the midpoint between a target layer and a first recording layer by a desired value in the spherical aberration correcting means and controlling the focusing control means so as to perform the focusing control with the spherical aberration correction value after the shift being set.