Abstract: An optical disc readout apparatus having an optical system which guides a laser beam onto a signal recording surface of a loaded disc through an objective lens and guides a reflected laser beam onto a photo detector. An effective numerical aperture of the objective lens is adjusted according to the thickness between a substrate surface of the loaded disc and the signal recording surface, and the laser spot with a diameter suitable to a recording density of the loaded disc is focused on the signal recording surface. Therefore, the data recorded in a plurality of optical discs with different thickness or recording densities can be read out.

Abstract: An optical disc having a track pitch of 0.85 .mu.m, a shortest pit length of 0.49 .mu.m, a pit depth of 100 nm, and a pit width of 0.35 .mu.m is rotate at a linear velocity of 2.4-2.8 m/s such that the same is optically reproduced by a laser beam having a wavelength of 635 nm which is converged to a spot size of 0.9 .mu.m by an objective lens having a numerical aperture of 0.6. Accordingly, data is read from the optical disc at a transfer rate of 5.6 Mbps.

Abstract: An information recording and reproduction apparatus for a magnetically induced superresolution magneto-optical recording medium includes an optical head that emits a laser beam to a signal recording plane of the medium and detecting a laser beam reflected therefrom. The optical head includes a polarization plane rotary unit and a polarizing filter between a light source and an objective lens. The polarization plane rotary unit transmits the laser beam while rotating the direction of polarization of the laser beam. The polarizing filter allows the laser beam to be transmitted at the outer portion independent of the direction of polarization, and allows only the laser beam that is polarized in a particular direction to be transmitted at the inner portion. The polarization plane rotary unit is controlled so as to rotate the direction of polarization of the laser beam in a direction different from the particular direction in reproduction.

Abstract: An optical disc reproducing apparatus includes a semiconductor laser, an objective lens converging a laser beam from the semiconductor laser on a recording surface of an optical disc, a polarization plane rotating unit selectively rotating the plane of polarization of the laser beam according to the thickness of a substrate of the optical disc, and a polarizing filter selectively blocking a peripheral portion of the laser beam depending on the plane of polarization. In one embodiment, a numerical aperture changing unit includes a non-patterned twisted nematic liquid crystal, and the polarizing filter includes a polarizing film having a polarization characteristic at its peripheral portion.

Abstract: An optical disc readout apparatus is disclosured. The apparatus adjusts an optical system which leads the laser beam output from the laser diode to the objective according to the board thickness of the optical disc, and focuses the laser beam onto the information-bearing surface of the disc by the collaboration of the adjusted optical system with the objective. The adjustment can be achieved by, for example, advancing the correction lens to the optical path of the optical system or retreating the correction lens from such optical path. An another apparatus is disclosured. The another apparatus is provided with a first optical system which leads the laser beam output from the first laser diode to the common optical system and a second optical system which leads the laser beam output from the second laser diode to the common optical system. Either the first optical system or the second optical system includes a correction lens. One of the systems is selected according to a type of the loaded disc.

Abstract: An optical disc having a track pitch of 0.85 .mu.m, a shortest pit length of 0.49 .mu.m, a pit depth of 100 nm, and a pit width of 0.35 .mu.m is rotated at a linear velocity of 2.4-2.8 m/s such that the same is optically reproduced by a laser beam having a wavelength of 635 nm which is converged to a spot size of 0.9 .mu.m by an objective lens having a numerical aperture of 0.6, Accordingly, data is read from the optical disc at a transfer rate of 5.6 Mbps.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes two objective lenses having numerical apertures different from each other, a lens holder for holding these objective lenses in common, a cylinder fixed to the lens holder, and four tracking coil pairs affixed onto a cylindrical surface of the cylinder. Two tracking coil pairs are displaced from the remaining two tracking coil pairs by a predetermined angle. When one objective lens is used, two tracking coil pairs corresponding to the objective lens are used for tracking control of the objective lens. The remaining two tracking coil pairs are used for positioning control of the objective lens.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed that reproduces data recorded on a recording medium having a plurality of pits formed in the medium that stores the data. The medium is designed to be compatible with an information reproducing apparatus having a lens with a first numerical aperture NA1 for focusing a laser beam of a first wavelength .lambda.1 on the recording medium. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a laser generator for generating a laser beam of a second wavelength .lambda.2 and a lens having a second numerical aperture NA2 for focusing the laser beam from the laser generator. The second wavelength .lambda.2 of the laser beam and the second numerical aperture NA2 of the lens are set to satisfy the relationship: (.lambda.2/NA2)<(.lambda.1/NA1).

Abstract: A high density optical disc having a track pitch of 0.85 .mu.m, a shortest pit length of 0.49 .mu.m, a pit depth of 100 nm, and a pit width of 0.35 .mu.m is rotated at a linear velocity of 2.4-2.8 m/s such that the same is optically reproduced by a laser beam having a wavelength of 635 nm which is converged to a spot size of 0.9 .mu.m by an objective lens having a numerical aperture of 0.6. Accordingly, data is read from the optical disc at a transfer rate of 5.6 Mbps.