Abstract: An apparatus for the suppression of electromagnetic emissions from an electronic device. The apparatus includes a die cast metallic container having a continuous wall, a shoulder formed on the continuous wall, a plurality of rounded corners, and a neck portion. The neck portion and shoulder mate with a deep drawn metallic cap. A source of electromagnetic emissions is disposed in the interior space defined by the container and the cap, and a flex strip source passes through a groove formed in an external wall of the container to supply the source. The container is adapted for use in an optical disc system and provides a mount for a semiconductor laser modulated at a radio frequency on the order of 450 MHz. The container also holds auxiliary electronics. A conductive tape seals the assembly so that electromagnetic emissions of the laser are confined within the interior space.

Abstract: A laser driver for controlling an electrical current supplied to a laser in an optical disc system. The laser driver includes pass transistors for delivering electrical current to the laser, an operational amplifier for setting a reference voltage on the bases of the pass transistors, and a CMOS buffer for applying a drive voltage to emitter circuits of the pass transistors. The drive voltage has a first voltage level and a second voltage level, and the electrical current is supplied to the emitter circuits only when the drive voltage is at the first voltage level. The laser driver further includes a switch for switching the drive voltage between the first voltage level and the second voltage level so that electrical power is consumed only when the laser is energized and enhanced rise and fall switching characteristics are thereby achieved.

Abstract: A servo control system for an optical information storage device includes an optical detector for detecting information stored on an information storage media and for detecting a servo error signal. The optical detector provides a sum information signal output and at least one servo error signal output. A motor is provided for positioning the optical detector relative to the information storage media. An analog to digital converter receives the sum information signal output and the servo error signal output to thereby output a digital servo error signal at a predetermined sampling rate. The digital servo error signal is normalized to the sum information signal by the analog to digital converter. A digital signal processor for processing the digital servo error signal and outputting a servo control signal is provided. The digital signal processor includes a digital servo compensation transfer function for producing the servo control signal.

Abstract: An improved focusing method including focus capture and focus control in an optical disc system having a lens and a disc. The method includes the steps of impinging light upon a disc to be read; moving the lens to a first position; monitoring a Quad Sum signal; moving the lens away from the first position towards the disc being read while looking for a maximum of the Quad Sum signal; moving the lens away from the disc; monitoring total light received from the disc; determining, during the monitoring of light, when the total light is above one-half a measured peak value; searching for a first zero crossing; determining when the Quad Sum signal exceeds approximately one-half peak amplitude; and closing focus when the Quad sum signal exceeds the one-half peak amplitude.

Abstract: An optical disc system using CMOS logic as part of a power driver assembly is employed to actually switch electrical currents to a system laser so that power is consumed more efficiently, thermal problems are mitigated, and very fast rise and falls times are achieved.

Abstract: A Colpitts type oscillator circuit for mitigating the effects of undesired oscillator ringing when write pulses are supplied, such as those encountered in compact disc, laser disc, and magneto-optical players or recording devices. Circuit elements are provided for mitigating the effects of oscillator ringing including replacement of an inductor with a suitable resistive load and an oscillator supply voltage maintained above a predetermined minimum voltage which is a function of the specific values of the related circuit elements.

Abstract: An optical drive system includes an optical assembly, a light source capable of transmitting light through the optical assembly, an objective lens positioned to direct light between the optical assembly and a respective information storage medium, and an actuator suspending the objective lens for relative motion thereof with respect to the actuator. A photodetector is disposed in a path of returning light to measure return light received from the respective medium. A monitoring circuit is provided to monitor a Quad Sum signal associated with the return light. A first servomotor is employed to move the objective lens in a tracking direction relative to the actuator and to move the objective lens during focus capture relative to the respective medium being read while system circuitry searches for a maximum Quad Sum signal. A second servo motor is employed to move the objective lens in a focusing direction relative to the actuator assembly.

Abstract: A device for reading information from or writing information to an optical disc memory system using light from a laser diode includes an upper and lower flexure suspension. Both flexure suspensions are mounted on both an objective lens holder and its base. Each of these flexures is U-shaped and the central part of each leg of the U is a stiff beam. At each end of the control beam is provided a tracking hinge. Outward from the tracking hinges are a pair of focusing hinges which are separated from the tracking hinges by means of spacing beam sections. The unique configuration of the system allows these parallel mounted flexures to move in only two rigid modes namely, displacement along the x-axis (tracking) and displacement along the z-axis (focusing). These two rigid modes allow the objective lens to be re-positioned so that light beams may strike the information medium correctly.

Abstract: An optical disc player/recorder incorporates a laser, and an electromagnetically driven objective lens. The objective lens is mounted to a lensholder which is movable with respect to a base. A single pair of permanent magnets are mounted to the lensholder, and two pair of electromagnetic coils are mounted to the base. The coils and magnets are positioned such that one set of coils is collinear with the direction of magnetization of the permanent magnets and the other set of coils is perpendicular to the direction of magnetization of the magnets. Electromagnetic fields generated by the coils are used to move the objective lens in either a focus direction or a tracking direction. The magnets are mounted on the moveable objective lensholder, while the coils are attached in a heat-sink relationship to the fitted base. The objective lens rests on top of the objective lensholder which is suspended with respect to the base by a pair of flexures.

Abstract: An optical disk recording system including a record medium is disclosed for providing an accurate track crossing count and an accurate track following signal. A first embodiment utilizes off-centered wobbled areas located in the headers of the record medium. The high frequency content of a first signal is combined with the low frequency content of a second signal, which is generated using the wobbled areas. In another embodiment, light-reflective discontinuities are provided in the header areas of the record medium. A qualifier and an AGC are utilized in providing a corrected track following signal. In still another embodiment, reflective discontinuities are located in the servo areas of the record medium. In such an embodiment, it is preferred that there is a fixed gain adjustment to a radial push-pull signal.

Abstract: Calibration of read timing, write timing and focus is accomplished automatically by comparing reflectance signals. The timing or focus settings are preferably modified, and signals are again compared under the modified adjustment settings. The read timing adjustment includes comparing signals from mark positions immediately preceding and immediately following an isolated mark and adjusting read delay to achieve small or minimum differences between the signals at the mark positions immediately preceding and immediately following the isolated mark bit position. Focus calibration is accomplished by comparing the value of the signal from a mark with the value from a mark position immediately adjacent the mark and adjusting the focus offset until a larger maximum difference between the two signals is achieved.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for generating a coarse actuator drive signal. A fine actuator, operatively attached to a coarse actuator, defines an optical pathway through which light reflected from various structures residing on a disk passes. A split detector, attached to the coarse assembly and positioned to intercept light from the optical pathway, receives the light reflected by the structures residing on the disk and generates signals representative of the light incident on each half of the split detector. A difference between the signals produced by the split detector indicates that the coarse actuator is not centered or aligned with respect to the fine actuator. Processing circuitry processes the signals produced by the split detector according to the disk structure utilized to produce the signals and generates a coarse actuator drive signal.

Abstract: A track seeking method is provided which relies on sampled seek information. No external sensors are employed and the seek information is intermittently stored along the tracks provided on the disk surface. In determining the actual velocity of the seek actuator, at least two methods for counting crossed tracks are utilized. Preferably, a 1/2-count method is used at lower seek velocities and a 16-count method is used at higher seek velocities. The 178 -count method involves the receipt of two counts for each track that is crossed, while the 16-count method involves counting every sixteen tracks that are crossed. The selection of the 1/2-count and the 16-count methods for counting tracks crossed results in a velocity gap region. The velocity gap region is a range of seek actuator velocities in which the servo loop is underdamped for the 16-count method and where folding occurs for the 1/2-count method. To overcome the underdamping and folding problems, various solutions have been devised.

Abstract: Sampled servo data comprising one pit centered on a track and two pits spaced 1/4 track pitch from track center on opposite sides thereof provide for two sinusoidal tracking signals, one radially phase offset from the other by 90 degrees. A first tracking signal derived from subtracting the signals of the offset pits has a zero crossing at track center and is used by the servo system for tracking. Its derivative is used for damping. A second tracking signal derived from all three pits has maxima at track centers and is therefore 90 degrees out of phase with the first tracking signal. This second signal provides track crossing information, and when used in quadrature with the first tracking signal, provides information about the radial direction of crossing. The second signal also provides a control signal for inverting the damping signal while between tracks when the derivative of the first tracking signal would ordinarily be negative and provide for negative damping.

Abstract: A blanking circuit used with an optical recording disk system for eliminating the effect of far field shift during high laser power writing on a disk. The circuit provides a differential output one-shot that is fired for a time long enough for write pulse transients to be gone from photo diodes in a light detector before the circuit switches are returned to a read mode.