Abstract: A compatible optical pickup including an optical unit and a focusing unit. The optical unit emits a short wavelength light for high-density recording media and a long wavelength light for low-density recording media, directs the short and long wavelength light to a recording medium, receives lights reflected by the recording medium, and detects an information reproduction signal and/or an error signal from the received lights. The focusing unit focuses light received from the optical unit to form a light spot on a recording surface of the recording medium, diffracts the short wavelength light into a zero order light and the long wavelength light into a second order light to be used as effective light for recording and/or reproduction. Thus, a high-density recording medium and a low-density recording medium having different thicknesses can be compatibly used.

Abstract: An optical pickup, photodetector, and optical drive adopting the optical pickup are provided. The optical pickup may include a light emitting system having a plurality of light sources corresponding to a plurality of mediums a light receiving system including a photodetector for converting light reflected from a medium into an electrical signal. The photodetector may include first and second light receiving sensors corresponding to the plurality of mediums, each of the first and second light receiving sensors comprising a plurality of regions, each region comprising a plurality of sectors. The plurality of regions of the first and second light receiving sensors may include shared sectors that are shared by the first and second light receiving sensors and exclusive sectors that are exclusively used in the first light receiving sensor or the second light receiving sensor.

Abstract: An optical pickup device corresponding to an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, and an optical drive using the device are provided. The optical pickup device includes a collimator lens disposed between an object lens and a light source. The collimator lens adjusts a focal length with respect to the optical recording medium, and the object lens focuses light passing through the collimator lens, on the optical recording medium. The object lens is optically optimized for an upper or second-upper recording layer of the optical recording medium.

Abstract: A magnetic circuit and an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing the magnetic circuit, having: a magnet with first and second magnetic portions adjacent to each other and opposite in polarity, and third and fourth magnetic portions surrounding the first and second magnetic portions, respectively, and have opposite polarities to the first and second magnetic portions, respectively; and at least one of a tracking coil unit or a focus coil unit. The tracking coil unit has first through third tracking coils arranged in a tracking direction so that each tracking coil interacts with two of the first through fourth magnetic portions. The focus coil unit has first through fourth focus coils, two of which are disposed in a focus direction to interact with the first and third magnetic portions, and the remaining two of which are disposed in the focus direction to interact with second and fourth magnetic portions.

Abstract: An optical pickup, photodetector, and optical drive adopting the optical pickup are provided. The optical pickup may include a light emitting system having a plurality of light sources corresponding to a plurality of mediums a light receiving system including a photodetector for converting light reflected from a medium into an electrical signal. The photodetector may include first and second light receiving sensors corresponding to the plurality of mediums, each of the first and second light receiving sensors comprising a plurality of regions, each region comprising a plurality of sectors. The plurality of regions of the first and second light receiving sensors may include shared sectors that are shared by the first and second light receiving sensors and exclusive sectors that are exclusively used in the first light receiving sensor or the second light receiving sensor.

Abstract: An optical pickup device corresponding to an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, and an optical drive using the device are provided. The optical pickup device includes a collimator lens disposed between an object lens and a light source. The collimator lens adjusts a focal length with respect to the optical recording medium, and the object lens focuses light passing through the collimator lens, on the optical recording medium. The object lens is optically optimized for an upper or second-upper recording layer of the optical recording medium.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus and an optical recording/reproducing system including the same, the optical pickup apparatus includes at least two optical systems for different types of optical recording media, one of objective lenses of the optical systems being offset from a central line of the optical recording medium, wherein the optical system including the offset objective lens having a diffraction grating diffracting light emitted from a light source to form a main beam and sub-beams, wherein the diffraction grating includes first and second diffraction regions having different grating patterns arranged alternately thereon, and a center of each sub-beam is arranged at a boundary of the first and second diffraction regions of the diffraction grating, and a center of the diffraction grating and an optical axis of the light source are adjusted to be coincided with each other, preventing generation of an alternating current in a Push-Pull signal of the sub-beams.

Abstract: A front photo detector (FPD) of an optical pick-up for an optical recording and playing apparatus having no gain selection switch, a simplified configuration, an improved prevention of an abnormal operation due to an error in gain selection, and improved reliability. The front photo detector includes a photo diode unit, a current-voltage amplifying circuit, and a voltage amplifying unit. The photo diode unit outputs current proportional to the power of the light emitted from one of a plurality of laser diodes. The current-voltage amplifying circuit converts the current output from the photo diode unit into a voltage. The voltage amplifying circuit amplifies the voltage output from the current-voltage amplifying circuit by a predetermined gain.

Abstract: A magnetic circuit, an optical pickup actuator, an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus using the magnetic circuit, and method of the same, wherein the magnetic circuit includes a plurality of focus coil units each of which includes a first focus coil and a second focus coil, and a magnet including a plurality of magnet portions which interact with the plurality of focus coil units and each of which is polarized in a direction opposite to adjacent magnet portions thereamong. Here, electromagnetic forces act on the first and second focus coils in each focus coil unit in a same direction in response to focus driving signals and in opposite directions in response to tilt driving signals, with the first and second focus coils in each focus coil unit have different effective coil lengths.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating tilt. The tilt compensation method includes: obtaining one of a jitter best, an RF envelope, and a focus DC offset (FODC) from a detection signal of the ROM data region and determining whether the obtained value is within a tolerance range; and obtaining an initial skew compensation value using the obtained value when the obtained value is within the tolerance, changing the magnitude of current applied to an actuator designed to perform driving in at least three-axis directions to drive an objective lens of an optical pickup assembly in a radial tilt direction when the obtained value is not within the tolerance range, and repeating the obtaining of one of the jitter best, the RF envelope, and the FODC and changing the magnitude of the current until the obtained value is within the tolerance range.

Abstract: An optical pickup actuator including a multi-conductive suspension. The optical pickup actuator may include a base, a holder fixed to the base, a bobbin holding an object lens and having a plurality of driving coils, and a plurality of suspensions connected between the bobbin and the holder and movably supporting the bobbin toward the holder, wherein each of the suspensions may be a multi-conductive suspension including a flexible substrate and a plurality of wires, formed on the flexible substrate, applying currents to the coils.

Abstract: A heat source having a device emitting heat, a case protecting and supporting the device, and a thermoelectric element absorbing the heat emitted from the device and dissipating the heat to an outside.

Abstract: An optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus with an optical pickup actuator having high thrust. The optical pickup actuator may include a lens holder which holds an objective lens and is movably supported by a supporting unit, and a magnetic driving unit which drives the lens holder in a focusing direction, a tracking direction, and/or a tilting direction. The magnetic driving unit includes a surface-triple pole magnet portion and a coil portion. The surface-triple pole magnet portion has a plurality of polarized, i.e., differently magnetized, areas formed by facing sides of two magnets among three magnets. The coil portion includes tracking coils and tilt coils disposed to interact with the polarized areas of the surface-triple pole magnet portion and a focusing coil disposed to interact with a non-polarized area of the surface-triple pole magnet portion.

Abstract: A compatible optical pickup, including first and second light sources for emitting lights with different wavelengths and first and second photodetectors for detecting an information signal and/or an error signal, and a method of detecting the amount of output light using the compatible optical pickup. The first and second photodetectors monitor the amount of light output from the second and first light sources respectively such that no extra front photodetectors are required. Thus, the number of optical component parts included in the optical pickup can be reduced, thereby lowering the manufacturing costs for the optical pickup. Also, there is no need to secure a space in a base where a front photodetector is to be installed, so the base is simplified. Thus, inferior moldings are reduced, and the durability of a mold can be prolonged.

Abstract: An optical pickup which, when a first light reflected by a recording medium is divided into a central light area and first and second peripheral light areas at both sides of the central light area, divides the first light reflected by the recording medium into at least 6 light areas, and the at least 6 light areas are independently detected from first through sixth light-receiving portions of a photodetector. Hence, the photodetector can detect a tracking error signal whose offset generation due to a shift of an objective lens is insensitive and whose offset generation due to an initial photodetector balance deviation is depressed.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a light source which emits light, a grating which separates a portion of the light emitted from the light source, a reflecting member which reflects another portion of the light emitted from the light source, a monitoring photodetector disposed on a traveling path of the light reflected from the reflecting member and which measures the reflected light, an optical path changer which changes an optical path of the light separated by the grating, an objective lens light which condenses the light the optical path of which is changed onto a disc, and a signal detecting photodetector which receives the light reflected from the disc.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting beam power generated by a plurality of light sources, using a single device. The apparatus includes a light-receiving unit that receives the beam power generated by one of a plurality of light sources, and an amplifying unit that selects a gain, amplifies the beam power received by the light-receiving unit according to the selected gain, and outputs the beam power amplified as a detected beam power. According to the apparatus and method, received beam power (or amplification gain) is amplified by a gain determined according to the characteristics of the respective light sources. Thus, it is possible to provide the detected beam power in consideration of a sufficient dynamic range for the each light source, thereby realizing effective APC.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus and an optical recording/reproducing system including the same, the optical pickup apparatus includes at least two optical systems for different types of optical recording media, one of objective lenses of the optical systems being offset from a central line of the optical recording medium, wherein the optical system including the offset objective lens having a diffraction grating diffracting light emitted from a light source to form a main beam and sub-beams, wherein the diffraction grating includes first and second diffraction regions having different grating patterns arranged alternately thereon, and a center of each sub-beam is arranged at a boundary of the first and second diffraction regions of the diffraction grating, and a center of the diffraction grating and an optical axis of the light source are adjusted to be coincided with each other, preventing generation of an alternating current in a Push-Pull signal of the sub-beams.

Abstract: An optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes an optical pickup and a signal processor. The optical pickup includes an optical splitting device which splits light emitted from a first light source into a main light beam and sub-light beams which are symmetrical with respect to the main light beam and irradiates the split light beams on a recording medium, and a light detection device which receives the main light beam and the sub-light beams reflected by the recording medium, so as to detect a tracking error signal in a three-beam method and one of a push-pull method and an improved push-pull method.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes a first light source to emit a first light beam having a predetermined wavelength, a first optical path changer to change a proceeding path of the first light beam, an objective lens to focus the first light beam on a recording medium, a diffraction member to divide the first light beam reflected by the recording medium into five light regions, the diffraction member having a first diffraction region having a wide width in a direction corresponding to a tangential direction of the recording medium and second through fifth diffraction regions sequentially arranged around the outside of the first diffraction region in a direction corresponding to a radial direction of the recording medium, and a first photodetector having first through fifth light receiving portions to receive the first light beam reflected by the recording medium.