Abstract: According to an embodiment, the program memory stores application software in a ROM area. An address range of the application software targeted for restriction on use in the program memory is described in the application information memory. Yes-or-no information on the use of the application software targeted for restriction on use is written in the yes-or-no information memory. The switch switches between whether or not to apply an input signal to the processor core. The judgment unit judges whether or not a program counter value of the processor core is within the address range described in the application information memory and, when the program counter value is within the address range, the judgment unit controls the switching of the switch based on the yes-or-no information written in the yes-or-no information memory.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a device includes a filter which limits a frequency bandwidth of a reproduced signal from an optical disc, an AD conversion module which converts an output signal from the filter into a multilevel digital signal, an equalizing module for equalizing a waveform of the multilevel digital signal based on a predetermined partial response class and generating an equalizing playback signal, a detection module for generating binary data corresponding to data recorded on the optical disc based on the equalizing playback signal, a module for determining an amplitude value of each of an input signal to and an output signal from the equalizing module with respect to each binary data sequence output from the detection module, and a module for adjusting a high-frequency amplification amount of the filter such that an amplitude value before waveform equalization and an amplitude value after waveform equalization satisfy a predetermined relationship.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a device includes a filter which limits a frequency bandwidth of a reproduced signal from an optical disc, an AD conversion module which converts an output signal from the filter into a multilevel digital signal, an equalizing module for equalizing a waveform of the multilevel digital signal based on a predetermined partial response class and generating an equalizing playback signal, a detection module for generating binary data corresponding to data recorded on the optical disc based on the equalizing playback signal, a module for determining an amplitude value of each of an input signal to and an output signal from the equalizing module with respect to each binary data sequence output from the detection module, and a module for adjusting a high-frequency amplification amount of the filter such that an amplitude value before waveform equalization and an amplitude value after waveform equalization satisfy a predetermined relationship.

Abstract: An organic electroluminescent element including a substrate, a first electrode, a partition wall next to the first electrode, an organic luminescent medium layer including an organic luminescent layer on the first electrode and second electrode is provided. The organic luminescent medium layer can be between the first electrode and the second electrode. An area where the organic luminescent medium layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode is a light emitting area. At least one layer among the organic luminescent medium layer is continuously formed from the light emitting area to a top face of the partition wall.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a device includes a filter which limits a frequency bandwidth of a reproduced signal from an optical disc, an AD conversion module which converts an output signal from the filter into a multilevel digital signal, an equalizing module for equalizing a waveform of the multilevel digital signal based on a predetermined partial response class and generating an equalizing playback signal, a detection module for generating binary data corresponding to data recorded on the optical disc based on the equalizing playback signal, a module for determining an amplitude value of each of an input signal to and an output signal from the equalizing module with respect to each binary data sequence output from the detection module, and a module for adjusting a high-frequency amplification amount of the filter such that an amplitude value before waveform equalization and an amplitude value after waveform equalization satisfy a predetermined relationship.

Abstract: An optical disc reproducing device is provided which is capable of setting an optimum PR class for the comprehensive frequency characteristic of an optical disc including the recording characteristic and reproducing characteristic. An optical disc reproducing device according to the present invention relates to an optical disc reproducing device which performs reproduction from an optical disc using the PRML method. The optical disc reproducing device comprises a Viterbi decoding unit which generates binary data using maximum likelihood decoding processing based upon multi-value reproduced data obtained by sampling a reproduced signal from the optical disc. The Viterbi decoding unit generates the binary data based upon an optimum PR class determined based upon the multi-value reproduced data and the binary data in a predetermined determination period.

Abstract: A disk device includes a reading section which reads reflected light and outputs a read signal according to the read reflected light, a processing section which calculates an adjustment value from the read signal, performs predetermined processing on the read signal based on the adjustment value, and outputs a process signal, a detecting section which detects a reading defect in the reading section based on the read signal, a determining section which determines signal quality of the process signal output from the processing section, a storage section which stores the adjustment value calculated by the processing section, in a memory area, based on a result output from the determining section, and a controller which, when the detecting section detects the reading defect, performs control so that the adjustment value is read out of the storage section and is supplied to the processing section.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a phase-locked loop circuit comprises a phase difference detection unit which detects a phase error between a reproduced binary data and extracted clock and generates phase error pulse signals each having an amplitude corresponding to the phase error, a phase sifter sensitivity adjusting unit which generates a first adjustment pulse signal produced by adjusting the phase error pulse signal, and a loop filter unit which generates a pulse train signal for feedback control to generate the extracted clock from the first adjustment signal, wherein the phase shifter sensitivity adjusting unit comprises a first pulse doubler unit which generates an expanded pulse signal which doubles a time width of the phase error pulse signal, and a first amplifying unit which amplifies the amplitude of the expanded pulse signal and generates the first adjustment pulse signal.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an AD converter and a self-test circuit configured to test the AD converter. The self-test circuit includes a clock generator which generates a clock for allowing the AD converter to AD-convert an external sine wave signal externally input, a sine wave generator which generates an internal sine wave signal in digital form, a subtractor which determines a differential signal between the AD-converted external sine wave signal and the internal sine wave signal, a PLL device which allows a phase-locked loop receiving the differential signal as an input to control a phase of the internal sine wave signal such that the internal sine wave signal is in phase with the external sine wave signal, and a root mean square calculator which calculates a root mean square of the differential signal to generate a diagnostic signal corresponding to the AD converter.

Abstract: Provided is an optical disc apparatus which reproduces with use of a PRML method an optical disc having data recorded in a plurality of code lengths, the optical disc apparatus including: an AD conversion unit adapted to convert a reproduction signal of the optical disc into a multi-value digital signal; a waveform equalization unit adapted to perform waveform equalization on the multi-value digital signal on the basis of a predetermined partial response to generate an equalized reproduction signal; a decoding unit adapted to generate decoded data corresponding to data recorded on the optical disc from the equalized reproduction signal; and a crest value extraction unit adapted to extract a crest value for each of the code lengths on the basis of the decoded data and a type of the predetermined partial response.

Abstract: An optical disk drive apparatus is provided has a reading section which reads the reflection of a laser beam from a disk to produce a read signal, a filter section which filters the read signal with the use of three or more different cutoff frequencies upon receiving a control signal from a two or more bits control line, a reproducing section which playbacks the read signal filtered by the filter, and a control section which provides the filter with the control signal along the two or more bits control line so that the filtering action with the three or more different cutoff frequencies of the filter is carried out throughout three or more consecutive periods respectively.

Abstract: A recorded stream generator generates a data block stream in synchronism with the phase of a recording clock, from the input data. The recorded stream generator further generates, for each predetermined data unit constituting the data block stream, a data phase reference pulse indicative of the phase of the data unit. An inserting section inserts a VFO signal into a predetermined amount (32 sectors) of the data block stream, the VFO signal having a length of time corresponding to a difference in phase between an wobble address phase signal and a data phase reference pulse. The inserting section thus provides a data stream DST consisting of the VFO signals and the data block streams. An LD uses light beams to record the data stream on an optical disk.

Abstract: An optical-disc recording/playback apparatus performs recording/playback to/from an optical-disc having a data area serving as a recordable area and a header area in which address information of the data area is pre-recorded by embossing. The apparatus includes an area determining unit for determining the data area and the header area based on a playback signal from the optical-disc, an AD converter for converting the playback signal from an analog signal to a digital signal, and a playback decoding unit for reading information of the data area and the header area from the digital signal output from the AD converter. During playback of the data area, the playback decoding unit performs first playback decoding processing. During playback of the header area, the playback decoding unit performs second playback decoding processing without making changes to a basic configuration of the playback decoding unit.

Abstract: An optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus includes a maximum likelihood detection unit for decoding binary data from a reproduced multivalued signal from an optical disc, an equalization error generation unit for obtaining an equalization error signal from an input signal and an output signal to and from the maximum likelihood detection unit, a convolution processing unit for performing a convolution operation between the equalization error signal and plural values determined by the partial response class, a pattern detection unit for detecting plural predetermined data sequence patterns from the binary data output from the maximum likelihood detection unit, and a grouping and averaging processing unit for calculating a recording compensation amount for each type of the data sequence patterns by grouping convolution output signals output from the convolution processing unit in accordance with the type of the data sequence patterns and by averaging each of the grouped convolution output signals.

Abstract: An optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus which reproduces data by the PRML scheme includes a recording waveform generating unit for generating a recording waveform, a reproducing unit for reproducing the recorded data to generate reproduction data, a defect determining unit for determining whether or not a defect is included in a reproduction signal, a reproduction state determining unit for determining whether or not the reproduction state is stable, and a recording learning unit for performing recording learning for determining a parameter of a recording waveform on the basis of the reproduction data. The recording learning unit performs the recording learning on the basis of the reproduction data acquired when the reproduction state is stable.

Abstract: A disk apparatus has an equalizing unit which performs PR equalization for the read signal from the disk based on a plurality of tap coefficients, a decoding unit which performs a decoding process for the equalized read signal, a calculating unit which obtains an ideal signal of the decoded read signal, and compares the ideal signal with the decoded read signal, thereby calculating an error signal E, and a control unit which groups the tap coefficients into at least a first and second coefficient groups which are groups of tap coefficients at symmetrical locations each, and determines tap coefficients of the first coefficient group in a range of a first limit value K1 according to the calculated error signal, determines tap coefficients of the second coefficient group in a range of a second limit value and supplies the determined tap coefficients to the equalizing unit.

Abstract: A digital signal decoding device according to an aspect of the present invention is a digital signal decoding device for generating a binary code sequence by maximum likelihood estimation from a convolutionally encoded input signal sequence, includes an add-compare-select unit configured to compare only two metric values one unit time before the calculation time of a predetermined branch metric value calculated from the input signal sequence at two successive times at each time, to add the predetermined branch metric value to the two metric values independently of the compare process, to select one of the two sums in accordance with the comparison result of the two metric values, and to output the selected value as a metric value to be used at the next time.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an AD converter and a self-test circuit configured to test the AD converter. The self-test circuit includes a clock generator which generates a clock for allowing the AD converter to AD-convert an external sine wave signal externally input, a sine wave generator which generates an internal sine wave signal in digital form, a subtractor which determines a differential signal between the AD-converted external sine wave signal and the internal sine wave signal, a PLL device which allows a phase-locked loop receiving the differential signal as an input to control a phase of the internal sine wave signal such that the internal sine wave signal is in phase with the external sine wave signal, and a root mean square calculator which calculates a root mean square of the differential signal to generate a diagnostic signal corresponding to the AD converter.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing digital data recorded on a recording medium by a Partial Response Maximum Likelihood method, the digital data being recorded in a code pattern in which the same code continuously appears at least two times, includes an analog-to-digital converting unit that samples an analog reproduction signal recorded on the recording medium and converts the sampled analog reproduction signal into a digital signal; a sampling rate switching unit that adaptively switches the sampling rate in the analog-to-digital converting unit from a higher rate to a lower rate; and a data demodulating unit that reproduces and demodulates the digital signal subjected to the analog-to-digital conversion in the analog-to-digital converting unit by the Partial Response Maximum Likelihood method in accordance with the switching between the higher rate and the lower rate.

Abstract: An information reproducing apparatus reads information recorded on a recording medium and outputs a reproduced signal, and performs, for the reproduced signal, analog offset correction of correcting offset before AD conversion, digital offset correction of correcting offset after AD conversion, and offset detection of detecting an offset control amount from a corrected reproduced signal after the digital offset correction. Further, the information reproducing apparatus divides offset data indicating the detected offset control amount into first offset data of a least significant bit unit for the AD conversion of the reproduced signal or greater and second offset data less than the least significant bit unit so as to perform the digital offset correction using the first offset data and perform the analog offset correction using the second offset data.