Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus and an optical recording/reproducing system including the same, the optical pickup apparatus includes at least two optical systems for different types of optical recording media, one of objective lenses of the optical systems being offset from a central line of the optical recording medium, wherein the optical system including the offset objective lens having a diffraction grating diffracting light emitted from a light source to form a main beam and sub-beams, wherein the diffraction grating includes first and second diffraction regions having different grating patterns arranged alternately thereon, and a center of each sub-beam is arranged at a boundary of the first and second diffraction regions of the diffraction grating, and a center of the diffraction grating and an optical axis of the light source are adjusted to be coincided with each other, preventing generation of an alternating current in a Push-Pull signal of the sub-beams.

Abstract: A disc apparatus which can judge accurately whether or not a spindle motor is at fault due to a short circuit is provided. A disc apparatus (1) includes a spindle motor (3) which rotates a disc (2), a differential operational amplifier (5) which successively detects output voltages of the spindle motor (3), and a failure judgment unit (10) which calculates an average voltage of the plural output voltages and judges whether or not the spindle motor (3) is at fault in accordance with the average voltage and the output voltages. When counting number of occurrences of a specific state which indicates that one of the two output voltages detected successively is larger than the average voltage and other of the two output voltages is smaller than the average voltage, the failure judgment unit (10) judges that the spindle motor (3) is at fault.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes: a light source; a collimator lens for converting a light beam emitted from the light source into parallel light; an objective lens for converging the light beam to the optical disc; an extending portion in which a light flux transversal width as the width of the parallel direction with respect to the information recording face of the optical disc of the light beam converted into the parallel light by the collimator lens is extended until a final light flux diameter as the diameter of the light beam at an incident time to the objective lens; and a prism in which a light flux longitudinal width as the width of a direction perpendicular to the information recording face of the optical disc of the extended light beam is extended until the final light flux diameter, and the light beam is emitted to the objective lens.

Abstract: The method for estimating recording power Pow_tilting of a tilting part of a tilting disk is shown based on a power compensation formula: Pow_comp=A*(A*K). After a focus error (FE) signal of the tilting part of the tilting disk is manipulated as a focus servo output (FOO) signal, the parameter A is derived by low-pass filtering the FOO signal. Thereafter, another parameter K is then derived from a reference lookup table by using curve fitting approach based on parameter A such that the power compensation Pow_comp could be estimated by substituting parameters A and K into the above formula. A recording power Pow_tilting of the tilting part of the tilting disk could be estimated by adding a given recording power Piwrtpwr to the power compensation Pow_comp.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a moveable arm for positioning an optical transducer adjacent to a storage medium, a light source, and an elliptical or ellipsoid shaped mirror mounted for reflecting light from the light source to the optical transducer. The elliptical mirror can be positioned on an ellipse, the moveable arm can pivot about an axis passing through a first focus of the ellipse, and the light source can direct light from a point on a second axis passing through a second focus of the ellipse to the elliptical minor. The light source can include a fixed laser and a moveable mirror mounted to pivot about the second axis or a moveable laser mounted to pivot about the second axis. A method performed by the apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: On an optical path between a light source and an objective lens, there is provided an optical path changing section for changing a predetermined optical path of undesired light passing through, from the predetermined optical path to another optical path. The optical path changing section includes a plate having an aperture portion for allowing a laser beam emitted from the light source to pass through, and an aperture wall which defines the aperture portion of the plate includes a taper portion which is formed in a tapered-shape and slants so as to come close to an optical axis L1 of the light source in association with movement toward a laser beam outgoing direction. The undesired light from the light source is reflected by the taper portion to change the predetermined optical path of the undesired light passing through, from the predetermined optical path to another optical path.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes: a first recording layer to for recording first information; and one or a plurality of second recording layers, disposed on the first recording layer, for recording second information. Each recording layer has a predetermined area in which power calibration is performed to detect an optimum recording power of laser light for recording, which is transmitted through the first recording layer and other layers of the second recording layers, the first recording layer, the other layers of the second recording layers, and each of the second recording layers arranged in this order as viewed from an irradiation side of the laser light, and in a facing area, which faces the predetermined area, in the other layers of the second recording layers and the first recording layer, by forming embossed pits.

Abstract: There is provided a hologram recording method, including generating a signal light which is spatially modulated such that digital data is represented by an image of intensity distribution, irradiating the signal light on an optical recording medium after a Fourier transformation of the signal light such that a zero-order component of the signal light comes into focus at a point removed from the optical recording medium, forming a diffraction grating in the optical recording medium by interference between the zero-order component of the signal light and a high-order component thereof, and recording digital data represented by the signal light as a hologram.

Abstract: An optical integrated unit of the present invention includes: a semiconductor laser that is a light source; at least one light receiving element; a light dividing section which divides outgoing light from the semiconductor laser and returning light from an optical disc, and reflects the returning light so as to guide it to the light receiving element; and a support substrate, and a second support substrate is concave, the light dividing section includes at least three prisms, the prisms on both sides of the light dividing section are respectively adhered to two protrusions of the concave second support substrate, and the light receiving element is adhered to the light dividing section via a cover glass. With this, it is possible to solve a problem of a conventional technology, that is, such a problem that the light receiving element cannot be adjusted highly accurately because of the thickness errors of the support substrate and the relay substrate.

Abstract: An optical-information recording medium includes a substrate that includes a servo surface having a servo pattern thereon; an information recording layer laminated on the servo surface of the substrate capable of recording information as a hologram produced by interference between an information beam containing the information and a reference beam; an address servo area that is formed as a part of the servo pattern, and that records therein address information and clock information for aligning a beam, emitted from an optical-information recording apparatus for recording information in the information recording layer, to a target position in the information recording layer; and a following up servo area that is formed as a part of the servo pattern, and that is to be irradiated by the beam to make the beam follow a rotation of the optical-information recording medium.

Abstract: A liquid crystal element for correcting wave aberration included in an optical disc apparatus, is controlled by a liquid crystal element control unit which has a memory portion that stores information about a variation with time of orientation direction of liquid crystal in the case where a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal, with respect to at least one type of voltage value. The liquid crystal element control unit has a drive voltage deciding portion that obtains time period after a predetermined drive voltage is applied to the liquid crystal element until a reproduced signal obtained by processing an electric signal converted by the light detecting unit becomes optimal, and decides a drive voltage to be applied to the liquid crystal element based on the obtained time period, the information stored in the memory portion, and the predetermined drive voltage.

Abstract: Provided are a medium structure which allows track narrowing onto a three-dimensional pit selection type disc, and its corresponding optical disc device. Multiple data pit strings are formed between track guide grooves, and a phase-change recording film is formed only in the data pit strings. Thereby, a disc configuration is achieved. Reflectivity and a phase of each of a space portion and a mark portion are appropriately set. Thereby, normal resolution signal cancel is implemented to prevent deterioration in data crosstalk and a push-pull signal. An optical disc medium of the present invention is supported by an optical disc device having a configuration in which a signal is selected from a push-pull signal of a main beam and push-pull signals of sub-beams to read out wobble address information.

Abstract: An objective lens, for an optical information read/write device that performs read/write operations on each of a plurality of optical discs using a corresponding one of three laser beams having first, second, and third wavelengths ?1, ?2, and ?3 (nm) satisfying a relationship ?1<?2<?3, respectively, includes a phase shift structure having a plurality of ring-shaped refractive surface zones into which at least one surface of the objective lens is concentrically divided. The objective lens is made of material with an Abbe number ?d satisfying a condition 40??d?80. The phase shift structure has a step between each couple of the adjacent refractive surface zones that gives an optical path difference to an incident laser beam, so that a condition 2N+1.00<|?OPD/?1|<2N+1.30 is satisfied, where ?OPD represents the optical path difference (nm) that the step gives to the laser beam with the first wavelength, and N represents a non-negative integer.

Abstract: A polarizing diffraction element having a wavelength selectivity which functions as a polarizing diffraction element at a wavelength ?1, and which does not function as a diffraction grating not depending on incident polarization state and shows high transmittance at a wavelength ?2, and an optical head device employing the element, are provided. The polarizing diffraction element selectively diffracts or transmits incident light having two different wavelengths each containing a first circularly polarized light and a second circularly polarized light having a rotation opposite from the rotation of the first circularly polarized light, depending on wavelength and polarization state of the incident light. Then, a reflective wavelength region for at least the first circularly incident light, does not contain said two incident wavelengths.

Abstract: A magnetic detection element capable of maintaining the ?RA at a high level and reducing the magnetostriction by improving a material for a free magnetic layer, as well as a method for manufacturing the same, is provided. The free magnetic layer includes a laminate composed of a CoMnX alloy layer formed from a metal compound represented by a compositional formula CoaMnbXc (where X represents at least one of Ge, Ga, In, Si, Pb, Zn, and Sb and a+b+c=100 atomic percent) and a CoMnZ alloy layer formed from a metal compound represented by a compositional formula CodMneZf (where Z represents at least one of Sn and Al and d+e+f=100 atomic percent). In this manner, the magnetostriction of the free magnetic layer can be reduced.

Abstract: This optical disk device includes a pickup head, a spindle motor, a signal generation unit, a runout amount calculation unit, and an out of balance disk detection unit. The signal generation unit generates a tracking error signal. The runout amount calculation unit controls the rotational speed of the spindle motor to first and second disk rotational speeds, and obtains, at these rotational speeds, runout amounts TE1 and TE2 of a tracking error signal, and runout amounts FE1 and FE2 of a focus error signal. And an out of balance disk detection unit detects that this optical disk is an out of balance disk, if the absolute value of (TE2×FE2)/(TE1×FE1) is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for controlling data access rate of an optical disc player. The method includes steps of (1) utilizing a micro-controller to decide whether an action of an instruction of a predetermined data processing is an extraction operation or a play operation; (2) driving the spindle motor and a pick-up head to retrieve data from an optical disc at a first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is an extraction operation; and (3) driving the spindle speed and the pick-up head to retrieve data from the optical disc at a second data access rate which is less than the first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is a play operation.

Abstract: A recording or reproduction apparatus is disclosed which optimizes a standby state for recording or reproduction of a cartridge disk and can achieve rapid restoration of recording action upon ejection. A shutter close mode wherein a recording medium in a cartridge recording medium is not driven by a driving section and a shutter mechanism is closed can be maintained as one of modes during a loading process of the cartridge recording medium to achieve a dust preventing effect, a collision preventing effect with a head and a power saving effect while the cartridge recording medium is in a standby state. If a request to discharge the cartridge recording medium is issued, then the successive changeover from a drive on mode to a drive off mode shutter close mode eject mode is controlled using individual commands for the modes.

Abstract: An audio encoding method and apparatus for electronic shock protection (ESP) function in an audio player. A method of generating a frame structure for an electronic shock protection function of an audio player, includes: encoding original data of a frame and locating the encoded data in a first area that is a start part of the frame structure; and encoding frame length information indicating a size of the encoded data in the frame, and locating the encoded frame length information in a second area that is an end part of the frame structure.