Abstract: An optical pickup device and an optical recording and reproducing apparatus are suitable for use with a near-field optical recording and reproducing system. An optical pickup device comprises an objective lens composed of a solid immersion lens (SIL) the objective lens having a numerical aperture greater than 1, a beam splitter configured to reflect both of a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component of reflected lights from an optical recording medium when the optical pickup device irradiates the optical recording medium with a bundle of rays in a predetermined polarized state from a light source through the objective lens, a divider configured to divide incident light into a p-polarized light component and an s-polarized light component reflected by the beam splitter, and a photo-detector configured to separately detect the p-polarized light component and the s-polarized light component divided by the divider.

Abstract: An optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes an optical pickup and a control section. The optical pickup includes: a detecting section; an optical system that radiates light from a light source onto an optical recording medium as near-field light by a condenser lens having a numerical aperture of 1 or more, and introduces light reflected by the optical recording medium toward the detecting section; and a drive section that drives the condenser lens. The optical recording/reproducing apparatus performs control for recording and/or reproducing onto/from the optical recording medium based on an optical output detected by the detecting section of the optical pickup. The optical system includes a beam splitter that reflects both P-and S-polarized components of reflected light from the optical recording medium, and a separating section that separates the P-and S-polarized components reflected by the beam splitter.

Abstract: The present invention is applicable to a recording apparatus of a CD or DVD, a recording method thereof and a recording medium, and an object of the present invention is to clearly record a second information such as characters and figures between two recording levels in an optical disk. The second information is recorded in a predetermined area in a radius direction and a angular direction on the optical information recording medium, and further, the second information is recorded according to a change of a pit width based on a change of power of the laser beam, a change of a pit length based on an on/off control of the laser beam, or a change of depression or bulge of the pit based on a change in the vicinity of the on/off control of the laser beam. Whereby it is possible to record the second information such as a watermark pattern or a visible image, which is capable of being confirmed by seeing a disk.

Abstract: An optical pickup device and an optical recording and reproducing apparatus are suitable for use with a near-field optical recording and reproducing system.

Abstract: An optical disk drive includes a light source, a light focusing element, a light-focusing-element moving mechanism, a detecting unit, a holding unit, and first and second control units. The light focusing element arranged so as to be opposed to a disk on which a signal is recordable is capable of focusing light emitted from the light source as near-field light on the disk. The detecting unit detects a state where the moving mechanism approaches the light focusing element to the disk such that the light is focused as near-field light on the disk and outputs a detection signal upon detection. The holding unit holds a voltage applied to the mechanism in response to the detection signal and is capable of releasing the held voltage. The first and second control units perform first and second control operations to control the distance between the light focusing element and the disk.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes an objective lens (2), with a numerical aperture (NA) being not less than 1, having a solid immersion lens (1) which is made up by a spherical portion (1a) and a flat portion (1b) parallel to a surface (101a) of an optical disc (101). The component of the reflected light from the optical disc in the polarized state perpendicular to the polarized state of the reflected light which prevails when the distance between the surface of the optical disc and the flat portion of the solid immersion lens is zero is detected. The so detected light intensity is associated with the distance between the optical disc surface and the solid immersion lens to accurately detect the minute gap between the optical disc and the solid immersion lens.

Abstract: An optical recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing an optical recording medium by irradiating light from a light source to the optical recording medium as near-field light from a near-field light irradiating unit includes a light source for emitting light, a first light-receiving unit for receiving and detecting returned light from the optical recording medium, a second light-receiving unit for receiving and detecting returned light from the near-field light irradiating unit, a control unit for detecting a relative skew between the optical recording medium and the near-field light irradiating unit based on a plurality of gap detection signals generated from divided detection signals of the second light-receiving unit and a drive control unit for outputting a drive signal to correct a skew of at least the near-field light irradiating unit to a drive unit in response to a skew detected in the control unit.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes an objective lens (2), with a numerical aperture (NA) being not less than 1, having a solid immersion lens (1) which is made up by a spherical portion (1a) and a flat portion (1b) parallel to a surface (101a) of an optical disc (101). The component of the reflected light from the optical disc in the polarized state perpendicular to the polarized state of the reflected light which prevails when the distance between the surface of the optical disc and the flat portion of the solid immersion lens is zero is detected. The so detected light intensity is associated with the distance between the optical disc surface and the solid immersion lens to accurately detect the minute gap between the optical disc and the solid immersion lens.

Abstract: An information recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a removable disk-shaped optical recording medium (51) is provided which includes a storage unit (31) to store an axial-runout amount in a predetermined radial position on the disk-shaped optical recording medium (51) being rotated, a near-field light projector (7) provided to condense a light beam emitted from a light source (3) and which projects the condensed light beam as near-field light when located in a field near the information recording surface of the disk-shaped optical recording medium (51), a first controller (30) which multiplies an axial-runout amount read from the storage unit (31) by a predetermined gain to generate a control signal and controls the near-field light projector (7) to follow the axial-runout amount of the disk-shaped optical recording medium (51), and a second controller (40) to control the near-field light projector (7) on the basis of the linear characteristic of the return-light amount of the near-field light to keep

Abstract: A liquid drop discharger includes a coil for generating a magnetic field based on an electric current that is applied; a moving section, removably disposed with respect to the coil so as to be movable in a central axial direction of the coil, for generating an induced current by the magnetic field generated by the coil; device for vertically applying a magnetic field to a peripheral surface of a peripheral member, where the induced current is generated, of the moving section; and a discharge opening, which moves together with the moving section, for discharging a liquid by changing the volume of a liquid chamber containing the liquid as a result of the movement of the moving section.

Abstract: An optical pickup device comprising at least a light source, an optical unit for irradiating an optical recording medium with a plurality of lights from this light source, a head unit located in an opposing relation to the optical recording medium and converging a plurality of lights emitted from the light source on a recording surface of the optical recording medium as near field light, a photo-detecting unit for detecting an angle between the head unit and the recording surface of the optical recording medium based on quantities of returned lights from the optical recording medium and a tilt control unit for controlling the tilt driving unit based on an angle detected by the photo-detecting unit so that an angle of the head unit relative to the recording surface is held constant. Then, an optical pickup device, an optical recording and reproducing apparatus and a tilt detection method are able to automatically control a tilt without requiring setting up an external sensor independently of an optical pickup.

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes: a light source outputting light; a head disposed so as to face a disk on which a signal is recordable, the head being capable of condensing a light from the light source onto the disk as near-field light; an distance adjusting mechanism adjusting a distance between the head and the disk; first control means for causing the head to approach the disk and controlling the head to nearly stop at a position where a distance from the disk is a first distance at which the light is condensed on the disk by the head as the near-field light; detection means for detecting if the distance is the first distance; and second control means for controlling the distance adjusting mechanism based on the detected signal so as that the distance is a second distance under near-field light condition.

Abstract: According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to provide a tilt control method and optical disc apparatus capable of exerting control to eliminate tilt and capable of carrying out an appropriate gap servo operation, a light gathering element positioned facing a disc recordable with a signal, and capable of gathering light irradiated from a light source as near-field light at a position where a distance to the disc constitutes a first distance is made to come into contact with the disc (step 2), and tilt is controlled with the light gathering element in contact with the disc (steps 3 to 7). As a result, tilting with respect to the disc is adjusted with the SIL in contact with the disc, tilting can be eliminated in a reliable manner, and a gap servo operation can be carried out in an appropriate manner.

Abstract: Laser light is irradiated from a lateral side of an optical disk (2) set in place to a peripheral side face of the optical disk (2), return light from the peripheral side face irradiated with the laser light is detected, and a displacement of the optical disk (2) is measured based on the detected amount of return light. Also, the focus is adjusted in relation to the information recording surface correspondingly to the measured disk displacement. Thus, a displacement of an optical disk can be measured in an extremely simple manner and with an extremely high accuracy, and information can accurately be recorded or reproduced to or from the optical disk with the focus being controlled.

Abstract: The present invention is applicable to a recording apparatus of a CD or DVD, a recording method thereof and a recording medium, and an object of the present invention is to clearly record a second information such as characters and figures between two recording levels in an optical disk. The second information is recorded in a predetermined area in a radius direction and a angular direction on the optical information recording medium, and further, the second information is recorded according to a change of a pit width based on a change of power of the laser beam, a change of a pit length based on an on/off control of the laser beam, or a change of depression or bulge of the pit based on a change in the vicinity of the on/off control of the laser beam. Whereby it is possible to record the second information such as a watermark pattern or a visible image, which is capable of being confirmed by seeing a disk.

Abstract: When an external disturbance that causes the corrected amount of light reflected from a glass master disk 15 to surpass a threshold value T1 is applied to the control loop, not only the main control section 38 but also the sub-control section 37 controls the corrected amount 27. In this case, the influence of the external disturbance is suppressed quickly. More specifically, the control voltage of the main control section 38 is held the moment the corrected amount 27 of light reflected surpasses the threshold value T1. The sub-control section 37 controls the corrected amount 27 while the corrected amount 27 remains greater than the threshold value T1, and the sum of the control voltages of the main control section 38 and sub-control section 37 is applied to the piezoelectric element 23, thereby suppressing the influence of the external disturbance.

Abstract: A liquid drop discharger includes a coil for generating a magnetic field based on an electric current that is applied; a moving section, removably disposed with respect to the coil so as to be movable in a central axial direction of the coil, for generating an induced current by the magnetic field generated by the coil; device for vertically applying a magnetic field to a peripheral surface of a peripheral member, where the induced current is generated, of the moving section; and a discharge opening, which moves together with the moving section, for discharging a liquid by changing the volume of a liquid chamber containing the liquid as a result of the movement of the moving section.

Abstract: An optical pickup device and an optical recording and reproducing apparatus are suitable for use with a near-field optical recording and reproducing system.

Abstract: The present invention is applicable to a recording apparatus of a CD or DVD, a recording method thereof and a recording medium, and an object of the present invention is to clearly record a second information such as characters and figures between two recording levels in an optical disk. The second information is recorded in a predetermined area in a radius direction and a angular direction on the optical information recording medium, and further, the second information is recorded according to a change of a pit width based on a change of power of the laser beam, a change of a pit length based on an on/off control of the laser beam, or a change of depression or bulge of the pit based on a change in the vicinity of the on/off control of the laser beam. Whereby it is possible to record the second information such as a watermark pattern or a visible image, which is capable of being confirmed by seeing a disk.

Abstract: A signal recording and/or playback apparatus is disclosed wherein, when near field light is used for recording or playback of an optical disk, dust on the optical disk can be removed effectively. After an optical disk is set in position to a turntable in an apparatus body, before gap control or the like is performed, the optical disk is rotated at a suitable speed so that dust sticking to the optical disk is driven away to the outer circumferential side thereby to clean the signal recording surface of the optical disk. Then, the optical disk is stopped once, and gap control for adjusting the distance or gap between an optical head and the optical disk to a distance with which near field light is produced is performed. Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not the gap control operates normally, and when the gap control operates normally, the optical disk is rotated to start a recording operation or a playback operation of a signal onto or from the optical disk making use of the near field light.