Abstract: An optical disc drive for reading or writing information on a multilayer optical disc having three or more recording layers by irradiating the disc with a light beam includes an optical pickup for irradiating the disc with the light beam, a recording state detector for detecting data recording states at a start point of a focus jump, a transit point or transit points on a recording layer or recording layers to be passed through, and an expected landing point of a focal point of the light beam in a focus jump, and a controller for moving the optical pickup to a position where the recording states are the same at all of the start point, the transit point(s) on the recording layer(s) to be passed through, and the expected landing point if the recording states are different among those points, before starting the focus jump.

Abstract: A method of recognizing a track pitch of an optical disk, adapted for an optical disk player, is provided. The method includes the steps of driving an optical pickup head to a predetermined position, so that the optical pickup head and the spindle motor are a predetermined distance apart, reading a data sector address, and recognizing the magnitude of the track pitch of the optical disk according to the value of the data sector address.

Abstract: Provided are a single beam optical pickup device and a disc drive including the optical pickup device. The optical pickup device includes a light controlling device that prevents or limits stray light generated from a medium from being incident on a light sensor. The light controlling device may further include an additional auxiliary light sensor so as to reuse effective light among diffracted light.

Abstract: In recording or reproducing data on or from an optical disc with recording multi-layers, the focusing is likely to be out of control when an inter-layer jumping is carried out for changing a recording layer on or from which data is to be recorded or reproduced to another one. An optical disc apparatus is arranged to obtain an objective lens shift position that makes the focus signal S-character waveform better balanced in advance by learning and to carry out the inter-layer jumping at the shift position when jumping an optical pickup from one layer to another on a multilayered optical disc. The jumping at this shift position makes it possible to prevent out of focus and to stably make the recording or reproducing quality excellent.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a light illumination and light sensing unit configured to illuminate an optical disc recording medium including a reference surface having address information recorded and a recording layer, with recording light and light for position control; a recording unit which performs recording on the recording layer; and a control unit which controls, when data instructed to be recorded is to be recorded from an instructed recording start address, the recording unit to perform recording of dummy data on an area adjacent to a front side at least from the recording start address over a range of equal to or greater than the maximum spot deviation amount between an illumination spot of the light for position control and an illumination spot of the recording light and to perform recording of the data instructed to be recorded in succession to a recorded area of the dummy data.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus, for executing recording or reproducing onto/from a multilayered optical disc having “N” pieces of recording layers (N?3, “N” is an integer), from a first layer to a Nth layer, including a light emitting portion configured to emit a laser beam, a light receiving portion, a correcting portion configured to correct a tilt of the optical disc or an aberration of the laser beam, an adjusting portion, a detecting portion, and a selecting portion configured to select “A” pieces of recording layers (A<N, and “A” is an integer) depending on the layer structure of the optical disc. The adjusting portion obtains the correction volumes on the “A” pieces of recording layers, which are selected by the selecting portion.

Abstract: An optical recording medium in which recording is performed by a recording device that is configured such that tracking servo control of recording light is performed by irradiating the recording light and ATS light for an adjacent track servo and by an adjacent track servo based on reflected light of the ATS light, wherein while a recording layer in which a mark is formed according to an irradiation of the recording light is included, a mark row is formed in advance by a pitch that is twice a distance between an irradiation spot of the recording light and an irradiation spot of the ATS light or greater in the recording layer.

Abstract: An information recording medium in which bottoms of a guide groove and a pit array formed on a disc substrate are allocated on a same flat plane and shaped in flat. Further, in a transition area from a pit array to a guide groove or from a guide groove to a pit array, the information recording medium is provided with an intermediate area composed of a pit array of which height changes from a height between a bottom and a side of a groove to another height between the bottom and a side of the pit array.

Abstract: A disc-shaped information recording medium includes a laminate of recording layers on and from which an information signal can be optically recorded and reproduced from one side of the medium. Data areas are provided in the recording layers, respectively. The information signal can be recorded on and reproduced from the data areas while a laser beam emitted from an optical pickup is applied to the data areas. Optical recording test areas are provided in the recording layers, respectively. A test signal can be recorded on and reproduced from the optical recording test areas to decide optimum power values of the laser beam for signal recording. The test areas are out of overlap as viewed in a direction of propagation of the laser beam.

Abstract: An optical disc recording and playback apparatus includes an optical pickup performing an operation for recording and playing back signal information into and from an optical disc; an optical element allowing a light beam irradiated onto an optical disc by the optical pickup to be split into a main beam and sub-beams on both sides of the main beam and supplying the beams to the optical disc; an optical detector detecting return light from the optical disc; and a computation circuit detecting a track control error signal by a phase difference method and a differential push-pull method by using the detection signal from the optical detector and also detecting a wobble signal.

Abstract: A method for reading media information from optical recording media is provided which allows media information to be rapidly and stably read from the recording media. Index marks are successively detected at a plurality of positions spaced at predetermined intervals along radial direction of the recording media, and a center position is selected from amongst the positions at which the index marks have been successively detected. Media information read at the selected center position is used to rapidly and accurately perform a recording operation on a label surface of the optical recording media.

Abstract: A storage device including a storage medium for storing data in the form of marks in multiple tracks aligned along track center lines, at least one read transducer for writing and reading said data stored in said storage medium, and an actuator for moving said storage medium relative to said at least one read transducer. The storage device further includes stored servo sequences, which are replicated by use of at least two different types of servo marks displaced by a given unique distance in a cross track direction relative to a respective track centerline, wherein the storage device is operable to retrieve servo sequences using read-back signals obtained from at least two different types of servo marks.

Abstract: A lens position control method is disclosed. Either an objective lens or a master disc having a resist material film on its substrate is moved, thereby changing a distance between the objective lens and the master disc surface. A return laser beam transmitted through the objective lens and reflected by the master disc surface is detected by a photodetector. The movement of either of them is stopped when the master disc is located near a focal point of the objective lens and the return laser beam is detected. Limit data is rewritten to data corresponding to a position obtained by adding a movement permission amount smaller than a working distance of the objective lens to the stop position. When the return laser beam is not detected, the movement which changes the distance between them is stopped at a position corresponding to the limit data.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus according to the present invention steadily performs a focus jump operation and a track-crossing seek operation relative to an optical disc having a plurality of recording layers. A signal processing section generates a focus error signal based on a conventional astigmatism detection (CAD) system and a focus error signal based on a differential astigmatism detection (DAD) system from a detection signal generated by an optical detector. When a focus jump is to be performed from one recording layer of the optical disc to another recording layer, a focus drive signal that is generated from the focus error signal based on the CAD system is used. When a read/write operation is to be performed in relation to one recording layer, a focus drive signal that is generated from the focus error signal based on the DAD system is used.

Abstract: A recording device performs recording on an optical disc recording medium having a reference face having a reflection film provided with a position guide, and a recording layer provided at a position of a depth different from that of the reference face and performing information recording by mark forming according to irradiation of light. The recording device includes a light generating and irradiation unit, a recording unit, a tracking mechanism, a first tracking error signal generating unit, a second tracking error signal generating unit, a tracking servo control unit, and a control unit.

Abstract: An optical disc drive according to the present invention can write data on both a write-once disc and a rewritable disc. The drive includes: a disc recognizing section 110 for recognizing the type of a given optical disc as a write-once disc or a rewritable disc; and track skipping detection signal generating section, which outputs track skipping detection signal when a first condition on tracking error is satisfied if the given optical disc, on which data is being written, has turned out to be a write-once disc. On the other hand, if the given optical disc has turned out to be a rewritable disc, the track skipping detection signal generating section outputs track skipping detection signal when a second condition on tracking error, which is different from the first condition, is satisfied. A control section stops writing the data in response to the track skipping detection signal while the data is being written.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for controlling the record and reproduction of optical record medium in which plural nonrecord regions having different phase are arranged between recordable data regions for the distinction in the shape of the data region. The method and apparatus performs the servo using focus error signal and tracking error signal averaged by the low pass filter at the header region of the optical disc. Especially, the tracking servo is performed by holding a fixed DC off-set value at the header region existing on the L/G switching or holding the tracking error value of the previous same track region. As a result, the exact header region is detected, the track sliding phenomenon is removed, and the tracking servo is stabilized, resulting in preventing the degeneration of the record and reproduction characteristics.

Abstract: The optical disc comprises a substrate layer and a data layer disposed on the substrate layer, the data layer having a mark/space data structure arranged in tracks which are arranged in groups being separated each by a land section. The tracks of the groups are each arranged as a spiral, and the start of a track of a consecutive group begins at a position corresponding with the end of a track of a preceding group. A group comprises advantageously an inner track, a center track and an outer track. The optical disc comprises in a preferred embodiment a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution structure and the track pitch between neighboring tracks within a group is below the diffraction limit of a corresponding pickup for reading of data. Further, a tracking method is described which does not rely on tracking offsets to detect the inner and outer tracks of a group.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes an objective lens that converges a light beam emitted from a light source and irradiates an optical disc having recording marks formed in a uniform recording layer with it, a detection signal generation section that receives a return light beam from the recording mark and generates a detection signal, a servo control signal generation section that generates a servo control signal representing relative displacement between the recording mark and a focus of the light beam from the detection signal and a servo signal correction section that generates a correction servo control signal by connecting peaks or neighborhoods of the peaks of servo control signals, the peaks being produced according to the recording marks.

Abstract: This optical disk device includes an examination means which examines a first physical characteristic of an optical disk, and a servo means which starts servo control based upon that first physical characteristic. This optical disk device includes a read means which incorporates the examination means, and which reads type information from the optical disk under that servo control based upon the first physical characteristic. This optical disk device includes a control means which decides whether or not a second physical characteristic of the optical disk, which is determined as a standard for the type of type information read, and the first physical characteristic, agree with one another. And, if the control means has decided that these two physical characteristics do not agree with one another, it commands the read means to read replay data from the optical disk, under that servo control based upon the first physical characteristic.

Abstract: There is provided an optical disc device including an objective lens, a lens actuator for driving the objective lens, a light-receiving unit, and a system control unit which determines, at startup, the values of parameters to be set for recording or reproducing data in or from the respective information layers, and performs setting and management of recording inhibition or reproduction inhibition for the respective information layers, wherein, even when an error occurs because the values of the parameter groups for the respective layers cannot be determined in an optical disc having laminated plural information layers, recording or reproduction can be performed for at least the layers for which the parameters can be correctly determined, without stopping the startup. Thereby, the states of the respective information layers are managed for each information layer, and reproduction or recording operation is rapidly started in the respective layers to effectively utilize the multilayer disc.

Abstract: An apparatus for converting a groove/land polarity on an optical medium, comprises a physical identification (PID) detector for detecting a first PID value from a first sector, a sector information unit for providing an information which includes a second PID value indicative of either a second sector or at least one reference groove/land changing point, a sector counter for counting a first value whose an initiation is set by the sector information unit based on the information and/or by the PID detector based on the first PID value, and a comparing unit for determining at least one oncoming groove/land changing points, when the first value approaches a second value predetermined in or generated by the sector information unit according to the information.

Abstract: It takes time to read management information and the like from a recording layer in starting reproduction of an optical disc, thus posing a problem of poor usability. Moreover, a light beam needs to be largely moved in a radial direction in recording or reproducing the next layer, thus posing a problem that the time to interrupt recording or reproduction increases. The above-described problems can be resolved by enabling a reference layer to be recorded and reproduced, and recording disc management information and the like in this reference layer, and reproducing this information. Moreover, the reference layer comprises two layers having the spiral directions of the track different from each other, and the reference layer, on which a light beam is focused, is changed according to a layer to be recorded or reproduced in the recording layer.

Abstract: A method for detecting a media type of an optical disc system comprising the steps of (A) checking for a first wobble signal associated with a first media type, (B) if step (A) detects the first wobble signal, operating the optical disc system as the first media type, (C) checking for a second wobble signal associated with a second media type, and (D) if step (C) detects the second wobble signal, operating the optical disc system as the second media type.

Abstract: Efficient recording and reading are achieved in an optical recording medium including servo layers and recording and reading layers. The optical recording medium includes: a first servo layer having a projection and a depression for tracking control that are formed in a first spiral direction; a second servo layer having a projection and a depression for tracking control that are formed in a second spiral direction opposite to the first spiral direction; and a plurality of recording and reading layers having a flat structure with no projection and depression for tracking control. Information is recorded on each of the plurality of recording and reading layers while tracking control is performed using the first servo layer or the second servo layer.

Abstract: An optical recording and reading method is provided in which the information necessary for recording and reading layers is quickly acquired to reduce the seek time during reading and recording. The optical recording and reading method is used for an optical recording medium that includes a plurality of recording and reading layers and a servo layer. Information is recorded on or read from the recording and reading layers by irradiating them with a recording and reading beam while the servo layer is irradiated with a servo beam to perform tracking control. When information is recorded on the recording and reading layers, control information necessary for subsequent recording and reading to be performed on the recording and reading layers is recorded on the servo layer 18. When the subsequent recording or reading is performed, the control information on the servo layer is consulted, and then the recording or reading is performed on the recording and reading layers.

Abstract: An optical recording medium including recording and reading layers and a servo layer increases the recording capacity thereof. In the optical recording medium including the plurality of recording and reading layers and the servo layer, the servo layer has a groove and a land that can be used to perform tracking control with a long-wavelength servo beam. Information is recorded on the recording and reading layers with a recording and reading beam having a wavelength shorter than the wavelength of the servo beam. Recording marks are formed on the recording and reading layers while both the groove and land are tracked.

Abstract: An optical disc drive for reading or writing information on a multilayer optical disc having three or more recording layers by irradiating the disc with a light beam includes an optical pickup for irradiating the disc with the light beam, a recording state detector for detecting data recording states at a start point of a focus jump, a transit point or transit points on a recording layer or recording layers to be passed through, and an expected landing point of a focal point of the light beam in a focus jump, and a controller for moving the optical pickup to a position where the recording states are the same at all of the start point, the transit point(s) on the recording layer(s) to be passed through, and the expected landing point if the recording states are different among those points, before starting the focus jump.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an optical recording medium driving device and an additional recording method, which performs tracking servo control for moving an objective lens in a direction orthogonal to a tangential direction of a guide track so that a guide tracking error signal is decreased with respect to a guide track of a guide layer separation type recording medium, detects an additional recording start position subsequent to a recorded track if the recorded track is present in a recording layer of the optical recording medium, generates a tracking correction signal according to the reproduction tracking error signal upon tracking servo control of the recorded track just before the additional recording start position, and corrects tracking servo control according to the tracking correction signal upon additional recording start.

Abstract: A portable data storage assembly, comprising a holographic data storage layer, and an optical tracking layer comprising addressing information for the holographic data storage layer, wherein that addressing information defines a first storage band comprising a first plurality of storage addresses and a second storage band comprising a second plurality of storage addresses, wherein said second plurality of storage addresses is greater than said first plurality of storage addresses.

Abstract: An optical disc drive according to the present invention can write information on an optical disc, which includes a substrate on which a number of pre-pits 2 have been formed on its tracks and a recording film that is supported on the substrate. The drive includes an optical pickup and a writing control section for controlling the optical pickup so that marks 3 are recorded so as to overlap with some of the pre-pits 2 on the tracks and for making the optical pickup irradiate the recording film with a writing light beam. The writing control section changes the interval of each pair of recorded marks that are adjacent to each other along the radius of the optical disc according to the optical power of the writing light beam. Thus, the optical disc drive of the present invention can record a mark on an optical disc on which pre-pits have already been formed even if the optical disc has a simplified structure.

Abstract: An optical disc drive according to the present invention includes an optical pickup and a writing control section for instructing the optical pickup to record a mark, representing the information to be written, on the optical disc. In recording the mark on the optical disc, the writing control section instructs the optical pickup to irradiate the same area on the optical disc with a light beam a plurality of times so that the mark is recorded in that repeatedly irradiated area.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus and a control method for the optical disc apparatus are provided. A control method for an optical disc apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise rotating a disc through a spindle motor if a type of a disc loaded in the optical disc apparatus is determined; and carrying out servo operation which can be processed irrespective of rotation speed of the disc while checking whether the rotation speed of the disc equals a predetermined speed. Servo operation which can be processed independently of the rotation speed of the disc can correspond to operation related to focusing servo and additionally to operation related to tracking servo. Therefore, since the time the user has to wait for requested video, music, or data to be extracted after the user has inserted a medium is reduced, user convenience can be improved.

Abstract: A focus control section first performs a reference focus control process in which a reference optical beam is focused on a reference layer of an optical disc according to the result of receiving a reference reflection optical beam, and then switches from the reference focus control process to an information focus control process in which an information optical beam is focused on a mark layer of the optical disc according to the result of receiving an information reflection optical beam.

Abstract: Prevention of deletion of data in an unintended recording layer of an optical disc is ensured even when servo deviation occurs while controlling data reproduction. A light source outputs a light beam with light intensity according to a driving current on which a high frequency signal is superimposed. The light beam is collected on a recording layer of an optical disc. As triggered by detection of servo deviation during data reproduction, a light intensity controller adjusts a superimposed amount of the high frequency signal in the driving current to suit to a specific recording layer with the lowest reproduction tolerance in the optical disc and thereby controls the light intensity of the light beam output from the light source.

Abstract: An optical disk 101 in which information is recorded on a groove track, and an optical disk 107 in which information is recorded on a land track. The optical disk 101 has a control data area 102, and a data recording area 103 in which user data is recorded. The optical disk 107 has a control data area 108, and a data recording area 109 in which user data is recorded. A code for indicating the groove track or the land track onto which a tracking servo control is to be executed is provided both in the control data area 102 of the optical disk 101, and in the control data area 108 of the optical disk 107.

Abstract: An optical disk suppressing the time required for a startup of a recording/playback apparatus from unduly increasing, even when there is (i) one type of disk where information is recorded on a groove track, and (ii) another type of disk where information is recorded on a land track. Both types of optical disks having a control data area, and a data recording area in which user data is recorded. A code for indicating the groove track or the land track onto which tracking servo control is executed is provided in the control data area of both types of optical disks.

Abstract: An optical disk 101 in which information is recorded on a groove track, and an optical disk 107 in which information is recorded on a land track. The optical disk 101 has a control data area 102, and a data recording area 103 in which user data is recorded. The optical disk 107 has a control data area 108, and a data recording area 109 in which user data is recorded. A code for indicating the groove track or the land track onto which a tracking servo control is to be executed is provided both in the control data area 102 of the optical disk 101, and in the control data area 108 of the optical disk 107.

Abstract: A detection signal is asserted when a surface of an optical disc or an information recording layer is detected. An asserting (masking) time interval of the detection signal is set such that the number of times of asserting the detection signal becomes at most two times when a focal position of the objective lens passes at least the surface of the optical disc.

Abstract: An information recording medium having at least a read only area and a recording and reproducing area is composed of at least: a substrate; a recording layer formed on the substrate so as to record and reproduce information; and a light transmission layer having transparency formed on the recording layer. The information recording medium is further characterized in that a wobbling groove corresponding to the read only area and another wobbling groove corresponding to the recording and reproducing area is formed on the substrate without overlapping with each other, the recording and light transmitting layers are continuously adhered over at least two areas of the read only area and the recording and reproducing area, reflectivity of the recording layer is more than 5%, and a push-pull signal output T3 reproduced from the read only area and another push-pull signal output T4 reproduced from the recording and reproducing area before recording satisfies relations of T3?0.1, T4?0.1 and 1.5?T3/T4?0.5.

Abstract: An optical drive apparatus that reproduces an optical disk having a land and a groove, the optical drive apparatus including a first tracking-error-signal generating unit that generates a first tracking error signal by using a DPD method, a second tracking-error-signal generating unit that generates a second tracking error signal by using a DPP method, a tracking servo unit that controls the optical system, and a determining unit that determines that an irradiation point of an optical beam is in a non-recorded area. The tracking servo unit switches over to a control based on the second tracking error signal in response to a result of determination by the determining unit during performing a control based on the first tracking error signal.

Abstract: A land/groove switch position detecting method includes measuring information about a land/groove switch generation timing of a disc, using a first signal having a frequency that varies in proportion to a rotation speed of the disk in a normal playback mode, and a second signal having a predetermined frequency higher than the frequency of the first signal, and calculating a predicted land/groove switch generation position in the seek mode, using the information about the land/groove switch generation timing.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus includes: an optical pickup unit for reading out information recorded on an optical disk; a demodulation circuit for demodulating digital data from an output signal of the optical pickup unit; and a controller for performing a servo control based on the output signal of the optical pickup unit. When performing a focus/tracking control in a recess and a protrusion of a guide groove of the optical disk, the controller obtains a focus control gain difference between the recess and the protrusion by comparing focus offsets with respect to variations in amplitudes of signals from the optical disk for the recess and the protrusion, respectively.

Abstract: A focus-servo control method of an optical disc recording/reproducing apparatus, for recording or reproducing information onto/from an optical disc having a track with a land and a groove, which are formed in a spiral manner on an information recording surface thereof, the optical disc recording/reproducing apparatus including an objective lens, the method comprising steps of: moving an optical spot from the land to the groove or from the groove to the land through a L/G exchange portion therebetween and moving a position of the objective lens from a land position to a groove position by gradually changing a focus offset value for the land to a focus offset value for the groove from a position located before the L/G exchange portion, when the optical spot moves from the land to the groove.

Abstract: The present invention uses a stationary medium and a stationary optical pickup unit. The stationary optical pickup unit has a laser, which sends a beam of light through an objective lens, which focuses the beam on a point on the track of the stationary medium. The beam is then reflected toward a re-directing surface (e.g., prism) which diverts it to a photodiode array. Instead of the entire optical pickup moving to follow the track as in conventional systems, only the objective lens inside of the optical pickup moves. The position of the objective lens determines where on the information track the laser will reach. Depending upon where the laser beam reaches, the reflected light beam received by the photodetector array changes. This, in turn, affects the amount of light sensed by each photodetector in the array, thereby causing the output of each of the four photodetectors to change each time the objective lens moves.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus for recording data on an information recording medium includes a logical-format-image manager configured to generate logical-format-image data; a logical-format-image storage unit configured to store the logical-format-image data generated by the logical-format-image manager; and a recording controller configured to exercise control so that the logical-format-image data stored in the logical-format-image storage unit is recorded on an information recording medium during periods of suspension of recording of user data on the information recording medium, the periods of suspension being provided intermittently on the basis of an amount of user data stored in a buffer for storing user data.

Abstract: A multi-layered information recording medium used in an information recording/reproducing apparatus applicable to both a single-layer information recording medium and an arbitrary multi-layered information recording medium is provided. The multi-layered information recording medium has a plurality of recording layers, and each of the recording layers has a guiding groove formed at a track pitch defined as a quadratic function of disk thickness (i.e., the distance from the light incident surface) of the associated recording layer. The guiding grooves of the recording layers are formed such that the track pitch of a reference recording layer having a disk thickness closest to that of the single-layer information recording medium is the smallest amongst the multiple recording layers.

Abstract: An information recording medium in which bottoms of a guide groove and a pit array formed on a disc substrate are allocated on a same flat plane and shaped in flat. Further, in a transition area from a pit array to a guide groove or from a guide groove to a pit array, the information recording medium is provided with an intermediate area composed of a pit array of which height changes from a height between a bottom and a side of a groove to another height between the bottom and a side of the pit array.

Abstract: An optical disc signal processing apparatus comprising: a binarizing circuit configured to compare a level of an RF (Radio Frequency) signal obtained by photoelectrically converting a reflected light of a laser beam applied to an optical disc and a level of a DC signal, to output a binarized signal for reproducing information recorded on the optical disc, a level of the DC signal being adjusted to a level at which jitter included in the binarized signal is minimized.

Abstract: A control apparatus is provided for controlling an access means for accessing a recording medium containing at least one area so that the access means accesses the at least one area. The apparatus comprises a means for determining whether or not at least one first recorded area storing data is included in the at least one area, and a means for controlling the access means. When it is determined that the at least one first recorded area is included in the at least one area, the control means controls the access means based on a result of accessing the at least one first recorded area.