Abstract: In order to improve the frequency characteristic of a laser power monitor device and the precision of laser power control when low-speed recording is performed, there is provided a laser power monitor device for an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the laser power monitor device including a photo diode unit to receive part of a light emitted from a laser diode and output a current proportional to optical power, and a monitor circuit to receive the current output from the photo diode unit, convert the received current into a voltage, and outputs the voltage to an automatic laser power control circuit, and the photo diode unit includes a plurality of photo diodes connected to the monitor circuit to supply current to the monitor circuit.

Abstract: An optical pickup for a recording medium includes a light source, an objective lens, a main photodetector, and a front photodetector. The configuration of the optical pickup enables converging or diverging of light to be incident on a plate beam splitter so that light can be received at an effective light receiving region of a front photodetector without interference due to internal reflection occurring in the plate beam splitter. In the alternative, a wedge beam splitter in the optical pickup includes first and second mirror planes at a predetermined angle to transmit and reflect incident light at a predetermined ratio. In the optical pickup, an amount of light that is exactly proportional to an output power of the light source can be detected, where the output power of the light source can be accurately controlled, thereby improving a linearity of the output power of the light source.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a light source module in which first and second light sources that emit first and second light beams of different wavelengths are integrated into a single package, an objective lens that focuses the first and second light beams to form a light spot on a recording surface of a recording medium, a light path changer that changes a path along which the first and second light beams propagate, a photodetector that receives the first and second light beams entered via the objective lens and the light path changer and detects an information signal and/or error signal, and an optical element disposed on a path along which the first and second light beams propagate to act as a lens with respect to only one of the first and second light beams so as to correct a position difference along a light propagation direction between the first and second light sources.

Abstract: An optical pickup using a two-wavelength light source module includes a light source module, a collimating lens, and a first optical element. The light source module includes first and second light sources which emit first and second light beams of different wavelengths and are formed in a single package. The collimating lens directs the first and/or second light beams into convergent light or divergent light so that the convergent light or the divergent light is incident on the objective lens. The optical pickup is a finite optical system due to the collimating lens. The first optical element is disposed on the traveling paths of the first and second light beams, operates as a lens only for one of the first and second light beams, and corrects a position difference between the first and second light sources along a traveling direction of light.

Abstract: An optical pickup, optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus including the same, and a method of realizing a tracking servo that is compatible between different types of optical data storage media. The optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus splits light from a light source into a main beam and four or more sub beams symmetrical with respect to the main beam, which are then emitted on an optical data storage medium, wherein the four or more sub beams include two first sub beams located close to the main beam and two second sub beams located away from the main beam, and detects a tracking error signal by a differential push-pull (DPP) method using detection signals of the main beam and the pair of first sub beams and of the main beam and the pair of second sub beams for ±R/RW and RAM type optical data storage media, respectively.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for identifying the type of an optical recording medium are provided. The method includes detecting a surface reflected signal SS and a writable-surface reflected signal SR of an optical recording medium while performing a focus search using a first optical system, counting a time difference DTS between a high peak and a low peak of the surface reflected signal SS, counting a time difference DTR between the high peak of the surface reflected signal and a high peak of the writable-surface reflected signal SR, obtaining DT by substituting DTR and DTS into the following equation: DT = ( DT R ) a ( DT S ) b ? ? ( a - b ? 1 2 ) and comparing DT with a reference time T, and driving the first optical system if DT is greater than T and driving a second optical system if DT is not greater than T.

Abstract: A compatible type optical pickup using a wedge type beam splitter that can record and/or reproduce information on/from optical recording media having different formats.

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: 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 having laser light sources emit a first light beam having a relatively shorter wavelength for a DVD and a second light beam having a longer wavelength for a CD-R, an objective lens having a focal length of an information recording surface in the DVD, an optical path control unit controls the light beams so that the light beam emitted from one of the laser light sources is directed to the objective lens and the light output from the objective lens is directed to the optical detection unit, and a phase shift unit between the optical path control unit and the objective lens and which shifts a phase of the second light to reduce the size of a beam spot which is formed the information recording surface in the CD-R.

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 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: An optical recording and pickup head having a flat plate lens of a staircase type diffraction grating structure is compatible with a DVD and a CD-RW.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus having laser light sources emit a first light beam having a relatively shorter wavelength for a DVD and a second light beam having a longer wavelength for a CD-R, an objective lens having a focal length of an information recording surface in the DVD, an optical path control unit controls the light beams so that the light beam emitted from one of the laser light sources is directed to the objective lens and the light output from the objective lens is directed to the optical detection unit, and a phase shift unit between the optical path control unit and the objective lens and which shifts a phase of the second light to reduce the size of a beam spot which is formed the information recording surface in the CD-R.

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: 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 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: 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: A slim optical pickup apparatus which records/reads information from a recording medium includes a light source, an objective lens which focuses a beam incident from the light source on the recording medium, an optical device which is provided on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens, and converts the beam incident from the light source into a parallel beam, an optical axis shifting unit which is provided on an optical path between the optical device and the objective lens, and shifts an optical axis of the parallel beam passing through the optical device in parallel in a direction, a reflecting mirror which is provided on an optical path between the optical axis shifting unit and the objective lens, and reflects the parallel beam passing through the optical axis shifting unit toward the recording medium, and a photodetector which receives a beam reflected from the recording medium and passed through the optical axis shifting unit, and performs a photoelectric conversion.

Abstract: A lens device which can be used as an objective lens in an optical pickup apparatus includes an objective lens provided along a light path facing a disc and having a predetermined effective diameter, and light controlling means provided along the light path for controlling the light in an intermediate region between near and far axes of an incident light beam, thus providing a simplified and inexpensive device for using discs of differing thickness in a single disc drive, by reducing the spherical aberration effect.