Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus, for conducting edition works, such as, addition, movement, and deletion, etc., of data, onto a postscript type medium, defective management of which is conducted with using a replacement area, is disclosed. The apparatus includes a media information management unit. The medium management information is recorded by a renewal unit within a medium management information area. The apparatus further includes a replacement address information management unit. This is included within the medium management information. Furthermore, the apparatus includes an available number of times of edition works calculation unit. The available number of times of edition works calculation unit calculates the remaining available number of times of edition works, upon basis of remaining capacity of the medium management information area and renewal units thereof. Accordingly, display or notification of a correct available number of times of edition works to a user occurs.

Abstract: A Spare Area kept unused on a disk is available for use other than spare processing, or Defect Management process, and compatibility of the disk is at least secured between different recording apparatuses. This is implemented by recording a SWP_PAC cluster defined as a new item and by recording address information of used addresses in a PAC or TDDS area.

Abstract: To prevent the degradation in read access performance to replacement data caused by not selecting appropriate replacement clusters and to suppress the waste of the number of DFL registrations. Attention is paid to the usage direction of a user data area and that of a replacement area, and in the case where one CRD-type DFL registration can be made collectively in the sequential defect management processes, a replacement area of which the usage direction is the same as that of the user data area is selected.

Abstract: Where a hybrid disc has different types of media, the light spot moves among recording layers of the different media, after loading the disc into an optical disc apparatus, there is a problem that information on a media type of each recording layer should be recorded in DI etc. of the optical disc. Detailed information on the hybrid disc is stored in DI, by changing a disc layer type identifier or a disc structure in DI such as BCA or PIC on the optical disc.

Abstract: An optical disc recording method for recording disc information to be used in recording/reproducing control on an optical disc, comprises the following steps of: providing a first disc information unit and a second disc information unit, each having a predetermined data size, in a predetermined management information area of the optical disc; the disc information includes write strategy information; separating the write strategy information into first write strategy information and second write strategy information; recording the first disc information into the first disc information unit; and recording the second disc information into the second disc information unit.

Abstract: A Spare Area kept unused on a disk is available for use other than spare processing, or Defect Management process, and compatibility of the disk is at least secured between different recording apparatuses. This is implemented by recording a SWP_PAC cluster defined as a new item and by recording address information of used addresses in a PAC or TDDS area.

Abstract: To prevent the degradation in read access performance to replacement data caused by not selecting appropriate replacement clusters and to suppress the waste of the number of DFL registrations. Attention is paid to the usage direction of a user data area and that of a replacement area, and in the case where one CRD-type DFL registration can be made collectively in the sequential defect management processes, a replacement area of which the usage direction is the same as that of the user data area is selected.

Abstract: Medium recording and reproduction apparatus and method can prevent prohibition of disc recording due to the fact that laser power calibration area becomes unusable by studying a management information update method during data recording. When usable capacity of the laser power calibration area is monitored and the capacity is reduced, management information area to be currently updated is changed to another layer.

Abstract: The invention solves the problem that data cannot be recorded on a disc because the number of registered Defect Lists (DFLs) has reached a limit and the problem that the access performance is reduced at recording data reproduction time. A cluster, which is normally reproduced during verification processing and is preceded and followed by one or more defective blocks, is also treated as a defective block and, together with the preceding and following defective clusters, recorded in an spare area for extending the range in which clusters are registered as Contiguous Re-allocated Defect (CRD) entries. This reduces the number of DFLs to solve the problem that data cannot be recorded on the disc and, in addition, reduces the number of seek operations to prevent the access performance from being reduced at reproduction time.

Abstract: On an optical disk medium, a spare area is allocated separately from a recording area. If the recording area includes a defective sector, alternate recording for the defective sector is performed in the spare area. An optical disk drive comprises: a medium information acquisition part which acquires, from the optical disk medium, medium information specific to the medium; and an area size determination part which determines the spare-area size suitable for the medium on the basis of the acquired medium information. The medium information is information about, for example, a media manufacturer, and a media type number. Further, there is provided a table which stores the relationship between the medium information and the optimum size of the spare area.

Abstract: An optical information recording and reproducing apparatus includes an irradiation unit of a signal light beam and a reference light beam required for data recording, and a cure irradiation unit having at least one of a pre-cure irradiation that irradiates a predetermined light beam on to a desired position prior to irradiating the reference light bean and the signal light beam on to the desired position when information is recorded in the desired position on an optical information recording medium and a post-cure irradiation that irradiates a predetermined light beam on to the desired position so as to make the desired position non-recordable after the information is recorded in the desired position on the recording medium. The cure irradiation unit is disposed in one driving device in a freely movable manner in the driving device.

Abstract: A verify operation is the one that is carried out to further improve reliability of recorded data. Because recording and reproduction are made repeatedly, however, the same time is consumed for reproduction even if recording is made at a double-speed, for example, and recording is substantially equal to recording at a normal recording speed. The verify operation is effective for further improving reliability but reduces the substantial recording speed to a half. To improve recording performance by automatically turning ON and OFF the verify operation in accordance with disks, medium information called “media ID” unique to a disk is acquired in a read-in area of the optical disk. The existence/absence of the verify operation is determined on the basis of a matrix table of an existence/absence of the verify operation corresponding on the 1:1 basis to each media ID provided in advance to an optical disk drive.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus, for conducting edition works, such as, addition, movement, and deletion, etc.

Abstract: Laser light irradiation can be performed on a recordable surface in a defocused state with a high-power laser beam with safety without incurring data destruction due to erroneous data recording or overwrite recording even in the recording on an eccentric disk or regardless of occurrence of wobbling of the disk surface. Laser irradiation is performed after moving an objective lens radially inwardly beyond a PCA located at an inner peripheral portion of the disk (or radially outwardly beyond the PCA located at an outer peripheral portion of the disk) by using a tracking coil.

Abstract: A method for recording/reproducing data to/from a medium by which a table is formed for assigning physical addresses of spare areas of the medium to make the physical addresses be continuous with the last address of logical addresses of a user data recording area, and recording/reproducing is performed by using the table. The physical address of an unused spare area is assigned to make the physical address be continuous with the last address of the logical addresses of the user data recording area. It is therefore possible to use the unused spare area as the user data recording area and to effectively utilize the unused spare area.

Abstract: In copying data of a plurality of optical discs into a single optical disc through a buffering unit without temporarily saving the data in an external recording unit, a method is provided which increases a time available for the user to select data after disc exchange without increasing a buffer capacity. After the buffering of the disc 1 is completed until the user finishes selection of data to be transmitted, i.e., the disc 2 begins to be buffered, an instruction is issued to lower the data transfer rate to the external disc recording/playback device below the one before the disc 1 is extracted and to lower the speed at which to write the data of the disc 2 into the external disc recording/playback device below the one before the disc 1 is extracted.

Abstract: In a transient state in which the temperature difference of a drive device and a disk surface is great and the temperature of the disk surface changes successively, the issues of making a strategy suited to the temperature of the disk surface appropriate, making the irradiation angle of the laser light appropriate, and making the recording power level appropriate are regarded as problems requiring resolution. The aforementioned problems are solved by respectively detecting the temperatures of the drive device and the disk surface and, based on the same temperature difference, determining an appropriate strategy; and further by adjusting the laser light so as to irradiate at an angle appropriate to the inclination of the disk and irradiating the laser light on the disk; and determining an appropriate power level in response to the temperature of the disk surface.

Abstract: A verify operation is the one that is carried out to further improve reliability of recorded data. Because recording and reproduction are made repeatedly, however, the same time is consumed for reproduction even if recording is made at a double-speed, for example, and recording is substantially equal to recording at a normal recording speed. The verify operation is effective for further improving reliability but reduces the substantial recording speed to a half. To improve recording performance by automatically turning ON and OFF the verify operation in accordance with disks, medium information called “media ID” unique to a disk is acquired in a read-in area of the optical disk. The existence/absence of the verify operation is determined on the basis of a matrix table of an existence/absence of the verify operation corresponding on the 1:1 basis to each media ID provided in advance to an optical disk drive.

Abstract: On an optical disk medium, a spare area is allocated separately from a recording area. If the recording area includes a defective sector, alternate recording for the defective sector is performed in the spare area. An optical disk drive comprises: a medium information acquisition part which acquires, from the optical disk medium, medium information specific to the medium; and an area size determination part which determines the spare-area size suitable for the medium on the basis of the acquired medium information. The medium information is information about, for example, a media manufacturer, and a media type number. Further, there is provided a table which stores the relationship between the medium information and the optimum size of the spare area.

Abstract: Laser light irradiation can be performed on a recordable surface in a defocused state with a high-power laser beam with safety without incurring data destruction due to erroneous data recording or overwrite recording even in the recording on an eccentric disk or regardless of occurrence of wobbling of the disk surface. Laser irradiation is performed after moving an objective lens radially inwardly beyond a PCA located at an inner peripheral portion of the disk (or radially outwardly beyond the PCA located at an outer peripheral portion of the disk) by using a tracking coil.