Abstract: A disk cartridge has a reflection portion to identify a kind of a disk in the disk cartridge. A disk drive apparatus has an optical detector to identify the kind of the disk by irradiating a beam to the reflection portion and detecting the reflected beam. The disk cartridge and the disk drive apparatus provide identification marks for identifying the kind of the disk by varying the angle and amount of a beam reflected from the reflection portions on the disk cartridge. Therefore, the kind of a disk and the type of a disk format are identified as well as the storage capacity of the disk.

Abstract: A method and circuit for providing a playback signal which is compensated for time delay. The circuit includes a time delay compensator for detecting a time difference between outputs of a photodetector and temporally matching part of the outputs of the photodetector and another part of the outputs of the photodetector, between which the time difference occurs, to compensate for time delay between different outputs of the photodetector, and an operational unit for summing the part of the outputs of the photodetector, which is compensated for the time delay, and the other part of the outputs of the photodetector to provide a playback signal. Accordingly, the circuit compensates for the time delay between the outputs of the photodetector, thereby increasing the degree of modulation of the data playback signal.

Abstract: An optical head with a heat sink. The optical head includes an optical bench; a laser diode combined with the optical bench; a first heat sink combined with a lower surface of the optical bench; and a second heat sink combined with an upper surface of the optical bench. A heat-dissipation structure of the laser diode with high output may be improved.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium includes a lead-in area, a lead-out area, and a user data area between the lead-in and lead-out areas and in which user data is recorded. Pits are formed in the lead-in area, the user data area, and the lead-out area, and a track pitch in all or a portion of the lead-in area is different from a track pitch in the remaining area of the optical information storage medium.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes a light source to emit light, an objective lens to focus the light on a recording medium to form a light spot, an optical path changer on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens to change the path of incident light, a chromatic aberration correction lens disposed on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens, and a photodetector to receive light which is reflected from the recording medium and is then incident thereon through the optical path changer. The chromatic aberration correction lens corrects a chromatic aberration occurring due to a change in the wavelength and/or due to an increase in a wavelength bandwidth of the light. The chromatic aberration correction lens includes at least two lenses such that a lens having a positive power and a lens having a negative power are adjacent to each other.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus having laser light sources emit a first light beam having a relatively shorter wavelength for a DVD and a second light beam having a longer wavelength for a CD-R, an objective lens having a focal length of an information recording surface in the DVD, an optical path control unit controls the light beams so that the light beam emitted from one of the laser light sources is directed to the objective lens and the light output from the objective lens is directed to the optical detection unit, and a phase shift unit between the optical path control unit and the objective lens and which shifts a phase of the second light to reduce the size of a beam spot which is formed the information recording surface in the CD-R.

Abstract: A data reproducing method reproducing data recorded in a super resolution information storage medium in a form of marks having magnitudes less than a resolving power of an incident light beam, and an apparatus thereof. The data reproducing method includes irradiating a first beam having a resolving power causing a super resolution phenomenon and a second beam having a resolving power not causing a super resolution phenomenon into different places on the information storage medium, detecting a first reproduction signal based on the first beam and a second reproduction signal based on the second beam, and compensating for and calculating a temporal delay between the first reproduction signal and the second reproduction signal. Therefore, a signal reflected from a peripheral area of a reproduction beam spot other than a super resolution area can be excluded, thereby improving reproduction signal characteristics.

Abstract: An optical pickup and a lens assembling apparatus and a method thereof are provided. The optical pickup includes a plurality of objective lenses and a lens holder. The lens holder has a plurality of installation holes into which the plurality of objective lenses are inserted. In the lens holder, a seat surface of at least one of the installation holes is formed as a curved surface so that an inclination adjustment of the objective lens installed thereon can be performed. Since the seat surface of at least one of the installation holes provide to the lens holder is formed as a curved surface so that the inclination adjustment of the lens can be performed, the inclination adjustment between the plurality of objective lenses can be performed without an increase in the number of the parts or an increase in the number of the assembling processes.

Abstract: An optical pickup for a recording medium includes a light beam division and detection unit including receiving portions dividing an incident light beam reflected on the recording medium into a first light beam portion and a second light beam portion around the first light beam portion and converting the first and second light beam portions into first and second detection signals, respectively. A thickness variation detection circuit detects a variation in thickness of the recording medium according to the first and second detection signals and outputs a thickness variation signal indicative thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of detecting a defocus error signal. First, second and third light receiving regions of a photodetector are arranged in a radial direction of a recording medium to independently perform photoelectric conversion with respect to incident light which is reflected/diffracted by the recording medium. A subtractor subtracts a sum signal of detection signals from the first and third light receiving regions and a detection signal of the second light receiving region to output a defocus error signal, to detect defocus and/or a change in thickness of the recording medium. The defocus error signal and a push-pull tracking error signal are compared in a state in which a predetermined amount of defocus is applied to a light spot to detect a seek direction of the recording medium having a land/groove structure.

Abstract: An apparatus generating a seek direction detecting signal includes a light dividing unit dividing an incident light beam into at least two beams having a main beam and a sub-beam so that at least two beam spots including a main beam spot and at least one sub-beam spot having an optical aberration, can be focused in the track direction of an optical disk, the light dividing unit providing that the direction of the optical aberration of the sub-beam spot can be the tangential direction of the optical disk, an optical detector unit, a first signal processing portion processing a track error signal from signals output from the optical detector, a second signal processing portion processing a track cross signal from the signals output from the optical detector, and a generator generating the seek direction detecting signal from the phase difference between the track cross signal and the track error signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording data on and reproducing data from the disk in which a recording area is divided into sectors, includes a reproducing signal generator for generating a reproducing signal including sum signals V1 and V2 of radial pairs, a sum signal RF_sum, and a push-pull signal RF_pp from an optical signal reflected from the disk, a header area detector for generating a header area signal including a header area from the reproducing signal, a first synchronous signal level detector for detecting a magnitude Ivfo1 of a first synchronous signal in the first header by being synchronized with the header area signal, a second synchronous signal level detector for detecting a magnitude Ivfo3 of a second synchronous signal in the second header by being synchronized with the header area signal, and a balance calculator for calculating the balance of the magnitude Ivfo1 and the magnitude Ivfo3.

Abstract: An optical disc includes a substrate having micro-embossments, in which flat portions referred to as lands, and track guides, referred to as hills, and which protrude from the surfaces of the flat portions are formed. A reflective layer is formed on the substrate, a dielectric layer is formed on the reflective layer, a recording layer is formed on the dielectric layer, and a protective layer is formed on the recording layer. Thus, the lands and hills on the substrate of the optical disc enable disc fabrication to more easily facilitate manufacturing of the optical disc. Accordingly, tracks of the disc can be narrowed, to thereby enhance a recording density of the optical disc.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes a light source to emit light, an objective lens to focus the light on a recording medium to form a light spot, an optical path changer on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens to change the path of incident light, a chromatic aberration correction lens disposed on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens, and a photodetector to receive light which is reflected from the recording medium and is then incident thereon through the optical path changer. The chromatic aberration correction lens corrects a chromatic aberration occurring due to a change in the wavelength and/or due to an increase in a wavelength bandwidth of the light. The chromatic aberration correction lens includes at least two lenses such that a lens having a positive power and a lens having a negative power are adjacent to each other.

Abstract: An optical pickup including an optical member which inhibits interference light reflected from an adjacent layer from being received by a photodetector when an optical information storage medium includes a plurality of recording layers on at least one side thereof. The optical pickup suppresses a photodetector, especially first and second sub-photodetectors of the photodetector, from receiving the interference light reflected from the adjacent layer.

Abstract: An error signal detection method includes detecting light incident through an objective lens after having been reflected and diffracted from a recording medium, as eight light portions in a matrix including four inner light portions and four outer light portions, wherein the rows and columns of the matrix are parallel to the tangential and radial direction of the recording medium, respectively; calculating a first sum signal by summing a detection signal from at least one outer light portion located in a first diagonal direction, and a detection signal from an inner light portion located in a second diagonal direction; calculating second sum signal by summing a detection signal from an inner light portion located in the first diagonal direction, and a detection signal from an outer light portion located in the second diagonal direction; and comparing phases of the first and second sum signals to detect a tilt error signal.

Abstract: An optical pickup actuator having: a moving part on which an objective lens to focus an incident beam onto an optical recording medium is mounted, a magnetic driver that drives the moving part in track and focus directions of the optical recording medium, and a support element that movably supports the moving part and has a first support portion with a first predetermined stiffness and a second support portion with a second predetermined stiffness different from the first predetermined stiffness. A center of gravity of the moving part, a center of support of the support element, and a center of a force determined by arrangement of the magnetic driver are coincident.

Abstract: An optical disc includes a substrate having micro-embossments, in which flat portions referred to as lands, and track guides, referred to as hills, and which protrude from the surfaces of the flat portions are formed. A reflective layer is formed on the substrate, a dielectric layer is formed on the reflective layer, a recording layer is formed on the dielectric layer, and a protective layer is formed on the recording layer. Thus, the lands and hills on the substrate of the optical disc enable disc fabrication to more easily facilitate manufacturing of the optical disc. Accordingly, tracks of the disc can be narrowed, to thereby enhance a recording density of the optical disc.

Abstract: An error signal detection method and apparatus for an optical recording/reproducing system.

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.