Abstract: An optical pickup capable of compatibly adopting disks of different formats which are placed in an optical player includes a first optical source for emitting light having a predetermined wavelength, a second optical source for emitting light having a wavelength different from that of light emitted from the first optical source, an objective lens for focusing light emitted from the respective first and second optical sources on a recording medium placed in the optical player, a light path changing unit disposed on a light path between the first and second optical sources and the objective lens for changing the traveling path of incident light, a first optical detector for receiving light emitted from the first optical source and is incident via the recording medium and the light path changing unit, and a second optical detector for receiving light emitted from the second optical source and is incident via the recording medium and the light path changing unit.

Abstract: An objective lens device having two light control surfaces and an optical pickup able to adopt disks having different thicknesses as a recording medium. The objective lens device includes an objective lens arranged along an optical path parallel to the disks, and first and second control portions formed in a light incident surface of the objective lens, a light emitting surface thereof, or an extra transparent member. Therefore, two disks having different thicknesses are compatible as a recording medium, and light interference occurring when using a thick disk can be decreased.

Abstract: A lens device which can be used as an objective lens in an optical pickup apparatus includes an objective lens provided along a light path facing a disc and having a predetermined effective diameter, and light controlling means provided along the light path for controlling the light in an intermediate region between near and far axes of an incident light beam, thus providing a simplified and inexpensive device for using discs of differing thickness in a single disc drive, by reducing the spherical aberration effect.

Abstract: An optical pickup device which is capable of reproducing and recording information from/onto at least two kinds of discs having different thicknesses includes a light source, an objective lens provided along the light path from the light source facing the plane of a disc and having a predetermined effective diameter, a beam splitter provided between the objective lens and the light source, and a photodetector for detecting the beam split from the light splitter and reflected from the disc, wherein the photodetector has a first detection region and a second detection region provided in the peripheral portion of the first detection region. The optical pickup device is simplified and the manufacturing cost therefor is low. Also, by reducing the spherical aberration effect for the light, discs having different thicknesses can be used for a single disc drive.

Abstract: A reproducing/recording optical pickup compatible with discs having different thicknesses includes a transparent plate having a central portion formed with a diffraction grating pattern for diffracting the light travelling from the light source to the objective lens, and a transparent portion through which the light passes, and a photodetector having first and second light receiving portions. The zero-order transmitted light and the passing light are focused using all regions of the aperture of the objective lens with respect to a thin disc. The positive first-order diffracted light diffracted by the diffraction grating pattern of the transparent plate is focused onto a thick disc by partial regions of the objective lens. Then, the reflected lights thereof are detected by the first and second light receiving portions, respectively.

Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for correcting aberration due to optical disk tilt, the apparatus includes a correction plate through which a first light beam passes by an object lens in an optical disk, a light source and a photo detector for generating and receiving a second light beam to detect the magnitude of the optical disk tilt, respectively, and an actuator for inclining the correction plate based on the detected signal. The correction plate has the same optical properties as those of the substrate of the optical disk, irrespective of the optical pick surroundings and offset the aberration due to the optical disk tilt. Therefore, while the best performance of the optical pickup is ensured, adverse effects caused by the aberration due to the optical disk tilt can be eliminated through simple circuitry.

Abstract: In detecting a focus error for an optical pickup, an inverse image generator for generating inverse images onto a light beam reflected from an optical disk is used in a focus error detecting method and apparatus thereof. The inverse image generator is composed of a semi-transmissive plane for splitting a light beam into first and second light beams, first and second prisms for inverting the phase of the second light beam, and third and fourth prisms for synthesizing the phase-inverted second light beam with the first light beam. Also, the inverse image generator has two quadrant wave plates, a polarization plane and light synthesizing plane for preventing a light loss. Since the errors due to an optical axis variation is eliminated from the focus error signal detected from the synthetic light beam radiated by the inverse generator, the optical pickup can be driven with stability.

Abstract: A lens device which can be used as an objective lens in an optical pickup apparatus includes an objective lens provided along a light path facing a disc and having a predetermined effective diameter, and light controlling means provided along the light path for controlling the light in an intermediate region between near and far axes of an incident light beam, thus providing a simplified and inexpensive device for using discs of differing thickness in a single disc drive, by reducing the spherical aberration effect.

Abstract: A focus error detector for detecting a signal representing a degree of a focus error of an objective lens with respect to an optical disk in an optical pickup, in order to eliminate errors due to an optical axis shift or tilt of the reflected light reflected from the optical disk, includes a diffraction device for diffracting and splitting the reflected light reflected. The focus error detector a critical angle reflector having critical angle reflecting planes for reflecting the two diffracted light rays at two critical angles, two bi-segmented photo-detectors for receiving the two diffracted light rays reflected from the critical angle reflector, respectively, and detecting signals depending on the received light amount, and a circuit for differentiating and summing each signal of the two bi-segmented photo-detectors so as to offset the light amount difference due to the tilt or shift of the reflected light and outputting a desired signal.

Abstract: In an optical pickup, a focus error detector for detecting a focus error of an objective lens for an optical disk includes a focusing lens for focusing the reflected light of the optical disk, a diffraction optical device for diffracting the reflected light focused by the focusing lens into two light rays, two bi-segmented photo-detectors for receiving the two split light rays, respectively, and a circuit for outputting a desired focus error signal from the signal detected from the photo-detectors. The circuit outputs a pure focus error signal without errors created by the deviation of the light amount in the photo-detectors due to the tilt or shift of the reflected light, thereby contributing to the stable operation and miniaturization of the optical pickup.

Abstract: An optical pickup for an optical magnetic disc includes a light source, a grating for diffracting the light into a main light beam and auxiliary light beams, a plurality of magnetic dipole tips arranged above the optical magnetic disc so as to interact with the magnetic signal stored in the optical magnetic disc. Also, a plurality of mirror members each attached to the rear of each magnetic dipole tips are for reflecting the light incident on the mirror member, and a photodetector for detecting track errors and the stored information by receiving the light reflected from the mirror members are provided, thereby detecting the error signal and reproducing information by the interaction with the magnetic dipoles of the disc so that the recording density can be increased without increasing the conventional land and groove areas in the disc.

Abstract: A focus error detector for detecting a focus error of an objective lens with respect to an optical disk. The focus error detector includes a beam splitter for splitting light reflected from the optical disk. Two critical angle prisms having critical angle reflecting surfaces are included for respectively reflecting the light rays from the beam splitter at the respective critical angles onto two bisectional photo-detectors. The bisectional photo-detector generates detecting signals responsive to the amount of light received. The detecting signals are differentiated and added in a direction offsetting a shift or tilt of the reflected light. Accordingly, only the focus error signal is detected, irrespective of the tilt and shift of the optical axis of the reflected light. Thus, malfunction of an optical pickup is prevented, thereby providing for the uncorrupted recording and reproduction of data.

Abstract: A projection lens system includes a first lens group for correcting spherical aberration and coma aberration, a second lens group for correcting chromatic aberration, a third lens group for providing the main optical power for the whole system, and a fourth lens group for correcting petzval aberration. The first, second and third lens groups are sequentially disposed forward of a screen in front of a dichromatic mirror, and the fourth lens group is disposed between the CRTs and dichromatic mirror. Further, the fourth lens group and CRTs form an enclosure and are filled with transparent cooling oil, thereby accomplishing a high-resolution color image having no chromatic aberration and using a reduced number of lenses.