Abstract: In an optical head apparatus and an optical disc apparatus which can reduce influence of interlayer stray light on a differential push-pull signal without making the configuration complicated, Uy=Ty×N1 is satisfied, where Ty denotes a length in the y-direction of one period of an interference fringe which is formed on the photodetector 9 by reflected light of the zero-order diffracted light by an information recording surface other than the access-target information recording surface, reflected light of the positive-first-order diffracted light by the information recording surface other than the access-target information recording surface, and reflected light of the negative-first-order diffracted light by the information recording surface other than the access-target information recording surface, N1 denotes a positive integer, and Uy denotes each length in the y-direction of the divisional light-receiving elements 9e, 9f, 9g, and 9h.

Abstract: An optical pickup with a simplified structure in which, according to the type of optical disc, diffracted light from three types of laser light can be directed efficiently onto a photodetector and appropriate focus control can be performed based on the signals detected by the photodetector, and a diffractive optical element that can be used in the optical pickup, which has a semiconductor laser 10 that can emit three types of laser light, a diffractive optical element 42 that diffracts the laser light reflected from the optical disc 31, and a single photodetector 43 that detects the diffracted light exiting the diffractive optical element 42.

Abstract: An optical disc discriminating method and an optical disc discriminating apparatus which can discriminate a type of optical disc with a simple configuration, causes a drive means to vary an incident angle of a laser light beam with respect to an optical disc while irradiating the optical disc with the laser light beam from a light beam generating section, causes a photodetector to detect a diffraction light of the laser light beam from a recording track of the optical disc, detects a value corresponding to the incident angle when the diffraction light is detected, and discriminates the type of the optical disc on the basis of the detected value.

Abstract: A control circuit 10 according to the present invention transits to a first current limiter mode when an output current of a DC-DC converter circuit reaches an upper limit current or greater in a normal mode; transits to the normal mode when the output current falls below the upper limit current in the first current limiter mode; transits to a second current limiter mode when a first predetermined period elapses without a transition to the normal mode in the first current limiter mode; and transits to the normal mode when a second predetermined period elapses in the second current limiter mode.

Abstract: A first transistor is an N-channel MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) with a first terminal of the conduction channel, the gate, and the back gate thereof connected to a terminal to be protected. A second transistor is an N-channel MOSFET with a first channel of the conduction channel, the gate, and the back gate thereof connected to a fixed voltage terminal, and with a second terminal of the conduction channel thereof connected to the second terminal of the conduction channel of the first transistor. The first transistor and the second transistor are floating MOSFETs formed in a common N-type well formed in a P-type semiconductor substrate, and are provided in the form of separate devices. A common connection node which connects the first transistor and the second transistor is connected to an N-type well for device separation.

Abstract: An analog signal is input to an input terminal. An analog signal is output via an output terminal. A first transistor is an N-channel MOSFET, and is provided between the input terminal and the output terminal. A first resistor is provided between the gate of the first transistor and a first fixed voltage terminal (power supply terminal), which sets the gate of the first transistor to a high-impedance state.

Abstract: A selector circuit outputs one of a first input voltage or a second input voltage via an output terminal. A first transistor and a second transistor are provided in series between a first input terminal and the output terminal A third transistor and a fourth transistor are provided in series between a second input terminal and the output terminal. A control unit controls the ON/OFF operations of the first transistor through the fourth transistor. The back gates of the first transistor and the second transistor are connected such that at least one body diode of the first transistor M1 and at least one body diode of the second transistor are arranged in opposing directions. The back gates of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are connected in the same way.

Abstract: An optical-pickup-adjustment optical disk used for adjusting or producing an optical pickup device, includes a transparent protective substrate; and an optical-pickup-adjustment middle-depth information recording layer formed on a side of an inside surface of the transparent protective substrate, wherein the optical-pickup-adjustment middle-depth information recording layer is formed to have a middle depth which is a center of the maximum depth of the maximum-depth information recording layer prescribed by the optical disk standard and the minimum depth of the minimum-depth information recording layer prescribed by the optical disk standard.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.