Abstract: A write-once optical disc and a method and apparatus for recording management information of the write-once optical disc, are provided. The method includes sequentially recording data in the at least one recording-unit in the direction of increasing address; padding, with padding data, a remaining non-recorded part of a last recording-unit when terminating the sequential recording of the data; and recording padding identification information on the recording medium, the padding identification information identifying which part of the at least one recording-unit is padded.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: An optical disk is equipped with a predetermined mark. A frequency generator outputs an FG pulse of frequency corresponding to the rotational speed of a spindle motor used for rotationally driving the optical disk. The edge of the FG pulse detected by an edge detection section is counted by an FG counter. An angle counter measures the duration of a time from appearance of an edge of the FG pulse until a point in time when the mark affixed to the optical disk 1 is detected. A count value of the FG counter, which has been acquired at the point in time when the mark is detected, and a count value of the angle counter are saved. In a case where a visible image is rendered, encoding of a visible image to be rendered is started when the count value of the FG counter and the count value of the angle counter have become equal to the respective saved values.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus for reproducing information from an optical information recording medium or for recording information onto an optical information recording medium, is provided with a first light source for emitting first light flux having a first wavelength; a second light source for emitting second light flux having a second wavelength, the first wavelength being different from the second wavelength; a converging optical system having an optical axis and a diffractive portion, and a photo detector; wherein in case that the first light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux, and in case that the second light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the second light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted

Abstract: Location information obtained from a positioning system 4 and environmental information such as time, temperature, air pressure and the like measured by an environmental information sensor 6 are associated with the reproduction history of music and are recorded in a history storage RAM 14, and music reproduced in the past at the same location as the present location is automatically selected and the music suitable for the location is automatically selected and reproduced based on the location information.

Abstract: A stabilization part stabilizes surface vibration of a flexible optical disk along a rotation axis direction of the optical disk by means of pressure difference of air flow created according to Bernoulli's law at a portion on which information writing/reading is performed, provided on a side of the optical disk opposite to a side on which information recording/reproducing is performed. In this case, areas are provide on the upstream side and down stream side along the disk rotation direction of the portion of the optical disk which is stabilized by said stabilization part, said areas of the optical disk not having pressure difference created thereon by the air flow.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus is provided with a recording/reading unit that records data and reads recorded data with respect to an optical disk. Further, the optical disk apparatus is provided with a control unit that judges whether an account name recorded on the optical disk matches an account name selected by the operation unit. The control unit permits the recording/reading unit to record data to the optical disk if the account names match. And the control unit prohibits the recording/reading unit from recording data to the optical disk if it is judged that the account names do not match.

Abstract: A method for demodulating a tracking error signal comprising the steps of (A) demodulating the tracking error signal when starting motion, (B) demodulating the tracking error signal after motion has started, and (C) demodulating the tracking error signal before and after lens motion stops.

Abstract: An optical disc device includes an optical pickup for irradiating optical discs with laser and detecting light reflected by the disc to generate received light signals, optical pickup driving means for driving the pickup radially, traverse signal generation means for generating traverse signals forming a pulse at the pickup's crossing a track by binarizing the received light signal based on binary threshold, movement control means for recognizing moving amount and speed of the pickup based on the traverse signal and controlling the optical pickup driving means based on the recognition result for the pickup's seeking to the target, and abnormality monitoring means for sending abnormality notices to the movement control means when pulse interval of the traverse signal exceeds the threshold, the movement control means, after temporarily stopping seek according to the abnormality notice, recognizes the temporary stop position for the optical pickup's seeking from the position to the target.

Abstract: There is provided an optical disc recording apparatus containing a small-area circuit that is adaptable to both of the formats of DVD-R/RW and +RW/+R standards. The apparatus is provided with a circuit (106) for converting a 32T-cycle binarized wobble signal based on the +RW/+R standard into a 186T-cycle binarized wobble signal based on the DVD-R/RW standard, and the converted 186T-cycle binarized wobble signal is selected with a selector (108) during +RW/+R recording while the 186T-cycle binarized wobble signal is selected during DVD-R/RW recording, whereby subsequent PLL circuits are shared to reduce the circuit scale.

Abstract: A data recording apparatus automatically displays a GUI for suggesting the finalization process when the apparatus ejects a disk which has not been finalized. Since the user can eject the disk after he determines if he will make the apparatus perform the finalization process, the user, who does not fully understand the meaning of the finalization, even can decide whether he finalizes a recording medium with the DVD-R standard to enable the recording medium to be played in a device of a different standard.

Abstract: An optical pickup unit for recording information on and/or reproducing information from a multilayer information recording medium including multiple recording surfaces in each of which a guide groove on which the information is to be recorded is spirally formed is disclosed. The optical pickup unit includes a light source, a diffraction element configured to split the light beam emitted from the light source into a main light beam and first and second sub light beams, an objective lens for focusing the main and sub light beams onto a recording surface of the multilayer information recording medium, and multiple light receiving elements each divided into light receiving parts so as to receive the main and sub light beams reflected from the recording surface. The focused first and second sub light beams are disposed at respective positions at least 3/2 tracks away from the focused main light beam on the recording surface.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: In an optical disk drive that is equipped with a binarization circuit by the PRML method and carries out record/reproduction at a speed higher than a standard speed, to realize reproduction compatibility between the drive and another optical disk drive by the ordinarily adopted direct slice method. It can be realized by applying verification judgment equivalent to reproduction at a standard speed in accordance with a reproduction speed. More specifically, it is realized by counting 2 T data number by the direct slice method, using a Viterbi decoder that validates a run length shorter than the minimum run length, and adopting other measures. A higher record/reproduction speed is realized while reproduction compatibility, which is an important original function of an interchangeable optical disk, is secured.

Abstract: An optical disc drive reads identification information from an optical disc inserted in the drive in a label orientation having a label side presented to the optical disc drive laser by reading codes marked at the opposing storage side in a transparent region or marked on the label side oriented to be read from the storage side. The identification information is used to determine the ability and authority of the optical disc to have a label written on the label surface. For instance, label authorization is determined from authorization information embedded on the storage side of the optical disc when the optical disc is in a storage orientation and the label authorization is saved on an associated information handling system with reference to the identification information to allow authorization to be determined when the optical disc is in the label orientation.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus for recording information on a rewritable optical disc having a power calibration area (PCA) moves an optical pickup for optimum recording power calibration (OPC) from an innermost end to outward of the PCA, and stores an address where RF signal is first detected. If the stored address coincides with an address at the innermost end of the PCA, or if a usable area between the two addresses is smaller than to enable one-time OPC, the apparatus obtains an optimum recording power by overwriting on a used area at or near the innermost end of the PCA, and performs DC erase using the obtained optimum recording power. This enables DC erase and restoration of the PCA back to a usable area even if the PCA has no usable area at its innermost end, and even if it is difficult to detect a usable area in the PCA.

Abstract: A recording medium storing a write protection information, and a write protection method for protecting data recorded on a recordable and/or rewritable disc from unwanted overwriting or erasing. In order for write protection of a disc in a bare state that is usually used in a cartridge having a recognition switch for write-protection, such as a DVD-RAM, write protection information is recorded in a Lead-in area, a Lead-out area or a recording information area other than a user data area of the disc, and the data is protected from unwanted overwriting or erasing using the write protection information. Also, even though the write protection information stored on a disc does not match the state of a recognition switch of a case for write-protection, the data can be prevented from unwanted overwriting or erasing. Thus, the write protection can be ensured when a recordable and/or rewritable recording medium, such as DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD-RW, is used in a bare state.

Abstract: When recording on a holographic recording medium by using a recording beam, the time required for an asking servo control to recover is reduced to increase the data transfer rate. In the holographic recording apparatus 10, a laser beam from a laser light source 16 is formed into a collimated beam having an expanded beam diameter and then is divided into an object beam and a reference beam. The divided object beam is modulated according to information to be recorded, and these object and reference beams are made incident on the reflective surface of a rotating polygon mirror 18, while maintaining collimated beam shapes and being adjacent to each other, through a condenser lens 24 having a focal point behind the reflective surface of the polygon mirror 18.

Abstract: A high reading performance is secured in an optical pickup even if magnets are miniaturized. In an optical pickup, around a lens holder which holds a lens, track coils are wound from a range of a flange of the lens to the outside in a diameter direction. The track coils become close to an optical axis of the lens and close to the center of a magnetic field formed in a unipolar face-to-face type of magnetic circuit, with the result that it is possible to displace so that the optical axis is hard to be tilted and secure a high reading accuracy. By forming a wound line shape of a focus coil and the track coils into a hexagon or the like, it is possible to make curving magnetic fluxes generated around magnetic pole surfaces hard have an affect in the unipolar face-to-face type of magnetic circuit.