Abstract: A means to which at least two ROIs are input, a calculating means that calculates strain values of tissue with respect to the at least two ROIs by applying a pressure onto an object, and a display means that displays the strain values of the at least two ROIs so as to be compared with each other are comprised.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes: head means for performing laser irradiation to and detection of reflected light from an optical disk recording medium and having a focus bias mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism; focus bias means for driving the focus bias mechanism to add a focus bias to a focus servo loop; spherical aberration correction means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism based on a spherical aberration correction value; evaluation value creating means for creating an evaluation value based on reflected light information obtained by the head means; adjustment means for adjusting the focus bias and the spherical aberration correction value; and control means for determining whether data is written on at least one track of the tracks adjacent to an adjustment use range on the recording medium and controlling an adjustment operation on the focus bias and the spherical aberration correction value by the adjustment means based on the determination result.

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to set an operating condition enabling the best recording characteristic to be obtained for any kind of recording media, even in the case where the recording medium is combined with any kind of drive devices. According to the present invention, even in the case where a unknown and new kind of recording medium is loaded into the drive device, a piece of first operating condition information for an optical system suitable for a combination of the drive device and the new kind of recording media is read from a specific read only area provided for the recording medium, and an operating condition enabling the best operating characteristic to be obtained is set by using the first operating condition information, as a result of which even in the case where any kind of recording medium and any kind of drive device are combined, the operating condition for enabling the best recording characteristic to be obtained for the recording medium, can be set in the drive device.

Abstract: To enable a physically rewritable disc to be appropriately used as a write-once type. When the rewritable disc is used in rewritable application, the position where writing of a predetermined data unit (for example, an ECC block) in data is started is set to a first position with respect to a reference position to record or play back the data. In contrast, when the rewritable disc is used in write-once application, the position where writing of the predetermined data unit in the data is started is set to a second position different from first position to record or play back the data.

Abstract: There are provided an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a disk apparatus therefor, and a data recording method which can provide improved recording/reproducing characteristics and record durability without linear velocity dependency even if the data access speed is increased by increasing the channel clock frequency. In a disk device for recording data on an optical disk by using a phase change recording scheme, erasing means for erasing data on the optical disk, and recording means for recording other data on the optical disk after the data is erased are provided.

Abstract: An optical recording medium driving device includes an optical head, an evaluation signal generating section, a focus servo section, a spherical aberration correction section, a focus bias adjuster, and a system controller. The optical head has a focus serve mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism, irradiates a laser light, and detects a reflected light. The evaluation signal generating section generates, based on the reflected light, an evaluation signal. The focus servo section drives the focus servo mechanism according to a focus error signal to perform focus servo. The spherical aberration correction section drives the spherical aberration correction mechanism to perform spherical aberration correction. The focus bias adjuster adds focus bias to a focus loop. The system controller performs an operation for fixing an adjustment spherical aberration correction value.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes: head means for performing laser irradiation to and detection of reflected light from an optical disk recording medium and having a focus bias mechanism and a spherical aberration correction mechanism; focus bias means for driving the focus bias mechanism to add a focus bias to a focus servo loop; spherical aberration correction means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism based on a spherical aberration correction value; evaluation value creating means for creating an evaluation value based on reflected light information obtained by the head means; adjustment means for adjusting the focus bias and the spherical aberration correction value; and control means for determining whether data is written on at least one track of the tracks adjacent to an adjustment use range on the recording medium and controlling an adjustment operation on the focus bias and the spherical aberration correction value by the adjustment means based on the determination result.

Abstract: The light intensity of a light beam emitted from a light source is appropriately controlled when the light beam is transmitted through a variable optical coupling efficiency device in an optical head. During a read mode, the light beam from the light source is incident on an optical disk at an intensity relatively weaker than that of the light source. By switching the optical coupling efficiency of the variable optical coupling efficiency device between a write mode and a read mode, the light intensity directed to an optical recording medium is substantially varied from the write mode to the read mode. This arrangement eliminates the need for substantially increasing the optical output power ratio of the light source of write power to read power.

Abstract: The light intensity of a light beam emitted from a light source is appropriately controlled when the light beam is transmitted through a variable optical coupling efficiency device in an optical head. During a read mode, the light beam from the light source is incident on an optical disk at an intensity relatively weaker than that of the light source. By switching the optical coupling efficiency of the variable optical coupling efficiency device between a write mode and a read mode, the light intensity directed to an optical recording medium is substantially varied from the write mode to the read mode. This arrangement eliminates the need for substantially increasing the optical output power ratio of the light source of write power to read power.

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to set an operating condition enabling the best recording characteristic to be obtained for any kind of recording media, even in the case where the recording medium is combined with any kind of drive devices. According to the present invention, even in the case where a unknown and new kind of recording medium is loaded into the drive device, a piece of first operating condition information for an optical system suitable for a combination of the drive device and the new kind of recording media is read from a specific read only area provided for the recording medium, and an operating condition enabling the best operating characteristic to be obtained is set by using the first operating condition information, as a result of which even in the case where any kind of recording medium and any kind of drive device are combined, the operating condition for enabling the best recording characteristic to be obtained for the recording medium, can be set in the drive device.

Abstract: A disc-driving apparatus has an optical pickup including an objective lens. The objective lens has an optical axis that is met on a line excluding a central axis of revolution of a disc. The apparatus has storage device that stores plural correction values obtained by detecting fluctuations in amplitude of a tracking error signal with respect to a radial direction of the disc or a quantity of de-tracking with respect to the radial direction thereof. The apparatus has control device that reads the correction value from the storage device and, when the optical pickup is operating, corrects the tracking error signal to conduct servo control based on the corrected tracking error signal.

Abstract: To enable a physically rewritable disc to be appropriately used as a write-once type. When the rewritable disc is used in rewritable application, the position where writing of a predetermined data unit (for example, an ECC block) in data is started is set to a first position with respect to a reference position to record or play back the data. In contrast, when the rewritable disc is used in write-once application, the position where writing of the predetermined data unit in the data is started is set to a second position different from first position to record or play back the data.

Abstract: The light intensity of a light beam emitted from a light source is appropriately controlled when the light beam is transmitted through a variable optical coupling efficiency device in an optical head. During a read mode, the light beam from the light source is incident on an optical disk at an intensity relatively weaker than that of the light source. By switching the optical coupling efficiency of the variable optical coupling efficiency device between a write mode and a read mode, the light intensity directed to an optical recording medium is substantially varied from the write mode to the read mode. This arrangement eliminates the need for substantially increasing the optical output power ratio of the light source of write power to read power.

Abstract: A recording medium as a physically rewritable disk is appropriately used as a write-once type. In order to use the rewritable media in write-once applications, the recording medium in the data structure thereof includes, in a second data unit (an ECC block of 64 Kbytes), flag information WF1-WF4 indicating whether a first data unit (2 Kbytes) is stored. More specifically, whether a plurality of first data units (a sector handled by a host) has been recorded in the second data unit (a recording unit sector on the recording medium) is directly indicated. When an access request is issued in emulation in a disk drive device, the flag information is referenced, and the disk drive device determines whether one of writing or reading of the first data unit as a target responsive to a command is enabled.

Abstract: To realize a disk drive device capable of setting optimum recording power by obtaining amplitude information of a reproduced signal even when low recording power is used. A disk drive device for recording and reproducing data on/from an optical disk is provided with: a Viterbi decoding means for performing Viterbi decoding on a reproduced signal reproduced from an optical disk to decode data and creating status data representing a status transition in the Viterbi decoding; and a quality index creation means for calculating a differential value between an amplitude reference value corresponding to the status transition recognized from the status data and a reproduced signal value created by digitizing the reproduced signal and creating a quality index value representing quality of the reproduced signal based on the differential value.

Abstract: There are provided an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a disk apparatus therefor, and a data recording method which can provide improved recording/reproducing characteristics and record durability without linear velocity dependency even if the data access speed is increased by increasing the channel clock frequency. In a disk device for recording data on an optical disk by using a phase change recording scheme, erasing means for erasing data on the optical disk, and recording means for recording other data on the optical disk after the data is erased are provided.

Abstract: There are provided an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a disk apparatus therefor, and a data recording method which can provide improved recording/reproducing characteristics and record durability without linear velocity dependency even if the data access speed is increased by increasing the channel clock frequency. In a disk device for recording data on an optical disk by using a phase change recording scheme, erasing means for erasing data on the optical disk, and recording means for recording other data on the optical disk after the data is erased are provided.

Abstract: The light intensity of a light beam emitted from a light source is appropriately controlled when the light beam is transmitted through a variable optical coupling efficiency device in an optical head. During a read mode, the light beam from the light source is incident on an optical disk at an intensity relatively weaker than that of the light source. By switching the optical coupling efficiency of the variable optical coupling efficiency device between a write mode and a read mode, the light intensity directed to an optical recording medium is substantially varied from the write mode to the read mode. This arrangement eliminates the need for substantially increasing the optical output power ratio of the light source of write power to read power.

Abstract: A recording medium comprising a data-recording surface is formed of plural tracks, with a respective track having a data section in which units of data are to be recorded. Only one header section is provided before the data section, the header section serving as a reference position for dividing said track into sectors. The header section is defined by prepits formed in the data-recording surface. As a result, data is recorded in the header section at such a high density that the header data is reproduced with super resolution.

Abstract: A bias magnet (magnetic head) is driven when data is read from an MSR disk. When data reading is awaited in a condition in which “reproduction still” is turned on, the bias magnet is not driven.