Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical disc device includes a light source portion which applies laser light to an optical disc, a drive portion which supplies a drive current to the light source portion so as to cause the light source portion to apply laser light of light pulses having relaxation oscillation, and a controller which controls the drive portion to supply a drive current so as to cause the light source portion to emit laser light of (n?1)×N (N is an integral number) light pulses having relaxation oscillation with respect to a mark with recording mark length nT (n: integral number, T: channel clock) to be recorded on the optical disc.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a laser drive circuit which supplies a drive current to a laser element which outputs light at a predetermined wavelength, and a laser control circuit which supplies a predetermined timing pulse for generation of relaxation oscillation in a laser drive current supplied to the laser drive circuit, the laser control circuit supplying a laser drive current higher than a threshold value which is supplied from the laser drive circuit to the laser element to enable laser light to be output from the laser element, the laser control circuit setting the laser drive current to a level lower than the threshold value on the basis of the timing pulse.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a laser drive circuit includes a photodetector which receives part of laser light emitted from a laser element to a recording medium independently of reflection laser light reflected by the recording medium, and outputs an output corresponding to the strength thereof, an integration circuit which integrates the output from the photodetector for a predetermined time, and a setting circuit which sets the intensity of a laser drive current supplied to the laser element on the basis of the output from the integration circuit.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a calibration section controls an LD driving section so as to carry out test writing on a recording layer of an optical disc using a light pulse having relaxation oscillation, irradiates the test-written area with a reproduction laser beam so as to detect reflected light, and determine write strategy based on the detected result. A recording process is executed on the optical disc by using the light pulse having relaxation oscillation based on the write strategy determined by the calibration section.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical recording head device includes a light source which outputs such a relaxation oscillation optical pulse that a full width at half maximum of a single pulse is 820 ps or less, a driving unit for driving the light source, an objective lens which converges emission light from the light source on a recording layer of a recording medium, and captures reflective light which is reflected by the recording layer of the recording medium, a distribution unit, placed between the light source and the objective lens, for distributing incident light, and a photodetection unit for receiving via the distribution unit the reflective light which is reflected by the recording layer of the recording medium, wherein a resonator length of the light source is 6560 ?m or less.

Abstract: The length of a format modulation area in an address segment is limited to be 25% of the address-segment length or less, and the position of the format modulation area is selectable two possible positions. Subsequently, where a CLV optical-disk medium is used, wobble modulation areas in adjacent recording tracks do not overlap each other in the radius direction.

Abstract: There is provided an information management apparatus which can make it impossible to read out data recorded on a write-once type recordable optical disk as required and the usefulness thereof is enhanced. When recorded data is destroyed on the write-once type recordable optical disk, data modulated by a modulation system of the same run length restriction as run length restriction of a modulation system used for recording data is overwritten and recorded, data is overwritten and recorded by use of patterns in which the frequency of occurrence of spaces of the longest code is higher than the frequency of occurrence of the modulation system used for recording data, or data is overwritten and recorded by use of successive patterns of the shortest code in the run length restriction of the modulation system used for recording data.

Abstract: To improve the sync code detection reliability while simplifying the sync code position detection process, when a first pattern as a combination of three successive sync codes is compared with a second pattern in which the allocation of sync codes is shifted by one code from the first pattern, two or more sync codes are changed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical head device provides a signal processing circuit which sets a control amount to move an objective lens so that a distance between the objective lens and a given recording layer of the an optical disc coincides with a focal position, an optical path length correction mechanism which corrects an influence of an aberration component producing an error in the focal distance, a thickness difference detection circuit which finds an amount of correction to be made by the optical path length, and an aberration correction circuit which generates a correction signal to correct the influence of the aberration component producing the error in the focal distance detected by the thickness difference detection circuit, and supplies the correction signal to the optical path length correction mechanism.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus which records a signal in a recording medium in which information is written by using a first laser having a first wavelength and from which information is read by using a second laser having a second wavelength longer than that of the first laser, a signal is recorded in the recording medium by using the first laser, and a control section reproduces the signal recorded with the first laser and measures a first amount that is used to calculate a target value for optimization of recording conditions, reproduces a signal recorded with the second laser and measures a second amount for optimization of a reproduction signal, compares the first amount with the second amount, and determines the first amount under the recording conditions where the second amount becomes optimum as a target value for optimization of the recording conditions.

Abstract: Address information is formed by M wobbles (integer M is the number of wobble waves) per bit as a basic unit, and is NRZ-recorded. Also, a sync signal used in sync detection of the address information is formed by N wobbles per bit as a basic unit (integer N is the number of wobble waves and M=2N). The sync signal with such configuration (6 wobbles per bit) is recorded on the head side of the address information (12 wobbles per bit). In this way, even when external noise is large, a modulated wobble signal can be demodulated more accurately.

Abstract: Address information is formed by M wobbles (integer M is the number of wobble waves) per bit as a basic unit, and is NRZ-recorded. Also, a sync signal used in sync detection of the address information is formed by N wobbles per bit as a basic unit (integer N is the number of wobble waves and M=2N). The sync signal with such configuration (6 wobbles per bit) is recorded on the head side of the address information (12 wobbles per bit). In this way, even when external noise is large, a modulated wobble signal can be demodulated more accurately.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a management area where management information is recorded and a plurality of physical sector areas used to record a plurality of physical sector data blocks, which are generated by combining some data contained in a plurality of ECC blocks.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a management area where management information is recorded and a plurality of physical sector areas used to record a plurality of physical sector data blocks, which are generated by combining some data contained in a plurality of ECC blocks.

Abstract: Address information is formed by M wobbles (integer M is the number of wobble waves) per bit as a basic unit, and is NRZ-recorded. Also, a sync signal used in sync detection of the address information is formed by N wobbles per bit as a basic unit (integer N is the number of wobble waves and M=2N). The sync signal with such configuration (6 wobbles per bit) is recorded on the head side of the address information (12 wobbles per bit). In this way, even when external noise is large, a modulated wobble signal can be demodulated more accurately.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a management area where management information is recorded and a plurality of physical sector areas used to record a plurality of physical sector data blocks, which are generated by combining some data contained in a plurality of ECC blocks.

Abstract: A reproduction signal evaluation method of this invention includes the step of obtaining a reproduction signal from an information recording medium on which digital information is recorded with record marks having different sizes, the step of obtaining the amplitude of a first reproduction signal, of the signals contained in the reproduction signal, which reflects digital information recorded with a record mark having the maximum size, the step of obtaining the amplitude of a second reproduction signal, of the signals contained in the reproduction signal, which reflects digital information recorded with a record mark having the second smallest size, the step of obtaining an evaluation value from the ratio of the amplitudes of the first and second reproduction signals, and the step of evaluating a characteristic of the reproduction signal on the basis of the evaluation value.

Abstract: A basic data structure in a lead-in area is made coincident with each other in all of a read only type, write once type, and a rewritable type. The lead-in area is divided into a system lead-in area and a data lead-in area. A track pit and a pit pitch of pits in the system lead-in area are made longer than those in the data lead-in area. In the system lead-in area, a reproduction signal from a bit is detected in accordance with a Level Slice technique, and, in the data lead-in area and data area, a signal is detected in accordance with a PRML technique. In this manner, in any of the read only type, write once type, and rewritable type, there can be provided an information recording medium and an information reproducing apparatus or information recording and reproducing apparatus therefor, capable of a stable reproduction signal from a lead-in area of the write once type recording medium while maintaining format compatibility.

Abstract: Recording timing of a Data segment is set so as to avoid locating a wobble modulated portion as preformat information which indicates information on Physical segments of a recording type optical disc, and a recording start head position of the Data segment to be recorded in a track, in the same area of the track.

Abstract: To improve the sync code detection reliability while simplifying the sync code position detection process, when a first pattern as a combination of three successive sync codes is compared with a second pattern in which the allocation of sync codes is shifted by one code from the first pattern, two or more sync codes are changed.