Abstract: Before each content file is recorded first to a recording medium, a flag indicating a recording state of a content file is generated corresponding to a physical area where an index file can be continuously recorded. An index file is generated which associates attribute information with the generated flag added thereto with real data of each content file, and the generated index file is recorded to the recording medium. Since fragmentation of the physical area where the index file is recorded is restrained to a minimum level, a high-speed reading operation is realized.

Abstract: A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium, such as BD-ROM, which includes copy protection information for preventing illegal copying of the contents recorded on the recording medium, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, and reproducing data on the recording medium.

Abstract: A recording medium and an information storage apparatus having high formatting efficiency are provided. The recording medium and the information storage apparatus give IDs for data to be stored. In one embodiment, one ID is provided for two data areas, and no two IDs are situated in line with each other on two adjacent tracks.

Abstract: A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium, such as BD-ROM, which includes copy protection information for preventing illegal copying of the contents recorded on the recording medium, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, and reproducing data on the recording medium.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recording and/or reproducing data on a disc using padding information, and a corresponding information storage medium. The recording method includes recording a recording unit block in which invalid data is padded in part of the block and recording padding information indicating that the invalid data is included. According to the method, a disc drive becomes able to distinguish valid data from invalid data in an error correction block such that reliability of reproduction increases and stability of the system is improved.

Abstract: A function of controlling a seek in an optical disk and a transmission process block for transmitting information on the storage location of data recorded on the optical disk including defect management information indicating an alternative storage location for a defective block to a &mgr; code are provided in firmware, and a detection process block for detecting the storage location of the data recorded on the optical disk based on the storage location information and a notification process block for notifying the firmware of a request for a seek for the storage location of the data recorded in the optical disk thus detected. Therefore, in an optical disk controller for performing processes according to the CD-MRW standards, the performance of a process unique to the CD-MRW standards is improved even when a plurality of programs are executed independently of each other by a single CPU.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus which can smoothly perform reproducing processing includes a detection unit, a fore-control unit, and a post-control unit. The detection unit detects information in VOBU unit which includes NV_PCK and contents information in a plurality of chapters. The fore-control unit obtains one VOBU according to a reproducing direction, and writes absence of an address in a reserve area of NV_PCK to store the absence of the address with the contents information in a buffer when an address according to a current reproducing magnification is absent in NV_PCK. The post-control unit reads out NV_PCK, and recognizes NV_PCK as an end position of the chapter to direct readout of the next chapter to the fore-control unit when the address is absent.

Abstract: A disk authentication method, system, program, and a computer readable recording medium containing the program are disclosed. A main controller of a host computer executes a data acquisition step for acquiring, from an optical disk, unique data that is recorded on an information track on the optical disk in accordance with a predetermined rule and an authentication step for authenticating the optical disk based on the unique data acquired in the data acquisition step. The disk authentication method thus prevents data illegally copied onto the optical disk from being used.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus is disclosed which makes accesses on a block-by-block basis to an optical disk having a recording track segmented into first recording areas by first address information correlated with wobbling information of the recording track, the block being a unit for error correction consisting of a plurality of the first recording areas. The optical disk apparatus comprises an access control unit which, when an access is made to a second recording area consisting of a plurality of the first recording areas, provides access control in sequence without applying any data modulation and/or demodulation process to each of the plurality of first recording areas constituting the second recording area.

Abstract: A recording medium is provided, which maximizes the recording capacity and simplifies the configuration of an information recording/reproducing apparatus including a pickup. In the medium, different types of wobbling signals are preformatted in each of the adjacent land and groove signal tracks. A same-phase wobbling signal provided by wobbling each side of the respective land and groove signal tracks in the same phase, and a different-phase wobbling signal provided by wobbling each side of the respective land and groove signal tracks in a different phase are used as the different types of wobbling signals. The physical positions of all the land and groove signal tracks are indicated by the same-phase wobbling signal.

Abstract: In a disk-shaped recording medium such as an optical disk and the like, a reference clock with a frequency corresponding to a reproduction frequency of data reproduced from a data recording region is divided in accordance with a ratio between a record density of a header region where pre-formatted data including a sector mark for indicating a leading position of a sector is recorded, and a recording density of a data recording region subsequent to the header region, so as to produce a sampling clock. By use of thus-produced sampling clock, the sector mark is detected. Even if the header region has a recording density different from the recording density of the data region, to use a sector mark detector having the same structure as of a sector mark detector which is employed in the case where the header region has the same recording density as that of the data region.

Abstract: An information recording device is provided. The information recording device includes an end detecting unit, a timing management unit, an encoder, and the like. In a case in which the information recording device writes data having a fixed unit length on a recording medium by dispersing and rearranging the data based on a fixed rule, the end detecting unit detects an end location of data recorded on the recording medium. The timing management unit decides a starting location on the recording medium for dispersing and rearranging data based on the end location. The encoder disperses and rearranges additional data by starting from the starting location, and writes the additional data on the recording medium continuously from the end location.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is disclosed which can play back information with a high degree of accuracy. The information playback apparatus plays back the addresses from a recording medium on which a land address and a groove address are recorded at positions displaced from each other.

Abstract: A decoder for improving the reliability of synchronization pattern detection. The decoder includes a synchronization circuit for detecting a synchronization pattern from LPP data and wobble data. A first frame counter is reset when a synchronization detection circuit detects the synchronization pattern of a first sector and counts the number of frames of data until the synchronization pattern of the next sector is detected. A comparison circuit compares a count value of the first frame counter with a first reference value, which corresponds to the number of frames for one sector. A determination circuit determines whether or not the detected synchronization pattern is proper based on the comparison result of the comparison circuit.

Abstract: An optical disc which is a rewritable optical disc using a phase change medium or a magneto-optical (MO) medium, or a write once type optical disc using a pigment based medium, and has a track for recording user data, in which a wobble portion waved in a radial direction of the optical disc and a non-wobble portion that is not waved are provided on the track, first sub-information and second sub-information which are data other than the user data are recorded on the track by being overlapped, by using a combination of the wobble portion and the non-wobble portion, in the first sub-information, the length of at least one of the wobble portion and the non-wobble portion is different when a bit takes a logical value “0” and when the bit takes a logical value “1”, and in the second sub-information, the phase of a wave in the wobble portion when a bit takes a logical value “0” is different from the phase of a wave in the wobble portion when the bit takes a logical value “1

Abstract: In a disc drive device (10) described as a specific embodiment of the present invention, AC0 to AC12 of ADIP cluster address are associated with AU6 to AU18 of an address unit. A high-order digit of a sector address that has a value of 0 in the case of a former-half cluster (sectors FC to 0D) and 1 in the case of a latter-half cluster (sectors 0E to 1F) is associated with AU5. An address bit ABLG for identifying recording areas of a disc having plural recording areas for land/groove recording or the like is set at 0. These bits of Au to AU18 and ABLG are associated with 15 bits s0 to s14 from the lower side of a 16-bit shift register for generating a pseudo-random number. Moreover, 1 is associated with the most significant bit s15. Thus, the error correction capability for high-density recording data can be improved.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of reproducing information from an optical information storage medium (OISM) in which inherent information and control data are recorded according to a bi-phase modulation method and other data are recorded according to a general modulation method. Sum signals of signals reflected from the OISM are determined. A ROM-PIC demodulator demodulates optical information storage medium-related information (OISMRI) from the sum signal. A data demodulator demodulates reproduction-related user data from the sum signal, a wobble PIC demodulator demodulates recordable OISMRI recorded as pit wobbles from a differential signal of the reflected signals, and a wobble PID demodulator demodulates physical identification data that is recorded as pit wobbles from the differential signal. A determination is made whether the OISM is a read-only OISM or a recordable OISM based on whether the optical information storage medium comprises a plurality of different modulation codes.

Abstract: The invention advantageously provides an apparatus and method for recovering clock signals extracted from prerecorded wobbled grooves formed in an optical storage medium such as a compact disk (CD), mini disk (MD) or digital video disk (DVD). A preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention primarily comprises the steps of extracting a series of wobble signals from the prerecorded information, demodulating the wobble signals for generating a series of demodulated clock signals, detecting a period for the clock signals, dividing each of the clock signals for acquiring a series of synchronization frames, generating compensating phases, and respectively adjusting the synchronization frames with the compensating phases for generating a series of phase compensated frames.

Abstract: An optical disc and an optical disc drive for the optical disc are provided which are suitable for recording data with a high density. The optical disc D uses both lands and grooves as recording tracks. Each of the tracks consists of one address segment and forty five data segments. The address segment is wobbled at one side thereof. Each of the data segments is a DC groove. The address segment records an address information including a sync signal, frame address, track address and CRC, a tilt pattern and a clock mark. The clock mark is adapted to reflect laser beam in one amount before the mark and in another amount after the mark. The tilt pattern has a different track pitch from those in other areas. The data segments record data magneto-optically.

Abstract: A pre-pit signal decoder includes a shift register, a pattern comparator, a counting unit, an in-sync signal generating unit and a protection unit. The register receives serial pre-pit bits and converts them into a parallel pre-pit byte. The comparator generates an odd sync bit, an even sync bit, a low bit, and a high bit according to the pre-pit byte and receives a disable signal to operate when the disable signal is not enabled. The counting unit generates a counting value, which marks oddness/evenness of frames of the pre-pit bits and sequence of wobble signals in the frames, according to the odd sync, even sync, low and high bits. The signal generating unit generates an in-sync signal according to the odd sync, even sync, low, and high bits. The protection unit receives the counting value and the in-sync signal to thereby enable the disable signal at positions where the pre-pit bits impossibly exist according to the counting value.

Abstract: The present invention is made to improve the conventional analog processing that is easily affected by variations in semiconductor processing. This invention provides a wobble signal processing apparatus that can reduce the circuit scale and the power consumption as well as improve the quality of signal processing. The wobble signal processing apparatus of the present invention digitally processes a part that has conventionally been processed by an analog system, and further a PRML circuit is provided to implement error detection, whereby the circuit scale and the power consumption is reduced. This improves the detection of a signal that is inputted to the wobble signal processing apparatus.

Abstract: A composite signal in which pre-pit signal components are piggypacked onto frequency components of wobbling, is extracted from an optical recording medium. The composite signal is binarized, so that pre-pit signals are generated. The pre-pit signals pass through a first gate when the gate is open. The gate is periodically opened only in a period during which the amplitude of the wobbling becomes a maximum one. The number of the pre-pit signals passing through the gate is counted, so that a binarizing level for generating the pre-pit signal is set based on the relationship between the counted number per a reference time and a predetermined reference number.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical disk barcode forming method wherein, as information to be barcoded, position information for piracy prevention, which is a form of ID, is coded as a barcode and is recorded by laser trimming on a reflective film in a PCA area of an optical disk. When playing back the thus manufactured optical disk on a reproduction apparatus, the barcode data can be played back using the same optical pickup.

Abstract: An optical recording medium and a recording/reproducing method therefor to stably and accurately address a basic recording and/or reproducing unit (a sector or a frame) when a track pitch is decreased for recording of a large capacity of data. The general information (e.g., a variable frequency oscillator, a sector number, a sector type, and error detection information) of a corresponding sector is read from a header, which has physical pits between adjacent land and/or groove tracks, before recording or reproducing. The arrangement of the header is in the form of physical pits, with a sector structure where 2-kilobyte minimum recording units are included in a user area within a basic recording unit of 4 kilobytes, which thereby reduces overhead and facilitates the generation of a servo control signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting non-recording regions of an optical recording medium for recording data or reproducing the recorded data by detecting header regions of the optical recording medium.

Abstract: An optical disc having marks for dispersed addresses that can be easily detected with high precision.

Abstract: A physical identification data (PID) addressing method using a wobble signal, a wobble address encoding circuit, a method and circuit for detecting the wobble address and a recording medium therefor. Groove tracks are classified into odd groove tracks and even groove tracks. Address information indicating physical identification information is phase modulated using wobble signals having a predetermined phase difference between two adjacent groove tracks, and recorded in each groove track so that address information modulated using the wobble signals having the phase difference of 90° between adjacent two groove tracks can be a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) signal. Accordingly, a larger amount of data can be recorded on the recording medium, and since an interval in which a wobble signal disappears is not caused, recovery of a wobble clock signal can be advantageously performed.

Abstract: An optical head device includes a light source for emitting light; a collection optical system for collecting the light emitted by the light source to an information memory medium including at least one of a track having a mark or a space selectively arranged, and a track having a prescribed groove; a light detector having a plurality of detection areas for receiving the light reflected by the information memory medium and outputting a signal in accordance with a light amount of the light received; a division element for dividing the light reflected by the information memory medium and allowing the light to be received by the light detector; a switch element for receiving a first signal and a second signal, which are respectively obtained in accordance with the reflected light incident on a first prescribed area and a second prescribed area of the division element and outputting either one of the first signal or the second signal, the first and second prescribed areas being obtained by dividing the division e

Abstract: An optical disk medium includes a track groove thereon. On the optical disk medium, information is recorded along the track groove on a block unit basis. The block unit has a predetermined length. The block unit having the predetermined length includes a number of sub-blocks that are arranged along the groove. A sub-block mark is provided within each of the sub-blocks and used to identify the sub-block.

Abstract: In an optical disc apparatus of the three-beam type, recording and/or reproduction are performed on an optical disc by: irradiating a groove with a main beam; irradiating a first land where address information of the groove is recorded, in front of the main beam with a first side beam; and irradiating a second land where address information adjacent to the groove is recorded, in rear of the main beam with a second side beam. The optical disc apparatus has: an LLP extracting section 18 which extracts an LLP signal from reflected light of the first side beam that irradiates the first land in front of the main beam; and an MPU 20 which calculates the address information on the basis of the extracted LLP signal, thereby pre-reading the address information.

Abstract: A push-pull signal is detected from light reflected from a disk-shaped storage medium on which wobbling grooves are formed as recording tracks and address information is recorded by forming pre-pits on lands between adjacent grooves. A fundamental amplitude variation signal indicating the fundamental amplitude variation of the push-pull signal is acquired, and a reference voltage is generated by adding an offset voltage to the fundamental amplitude variation signal. Pre-pits are detected by comparing the push-pull signal with the reference voltage. Because the reference voltage is produced on the basis of the fundamental amplitude variation signal indicating the variation components of the push-pull signal due to the wobbling of grooves and noise, the variation components due to the wobbling and noise are reflected in the reference voltage. Furthermore, the variation components of the push-pull signal corresponding to the pre-pits are also reflected to a properly small extent in the reference voltage.

Abstract: A controller for an optical disk drive includes a modulator configured to modulate a record data to be recorded on a optical disk based on a record clock that is a reference clock in recording, and to generate a modulation data and an address information of the modulation data. A prepit decoder is configured to generate a prepit clock from a prepit signal detected from the optical disk, and a decision circuit is configured to determine whether or not recording in accordance with a standard is performed, from phase characteristic based on the address information and the prepit clock, and to control a frequency of the record clock.

Abstract: A disk reproducing apparatus includes a variable gain amplifier (VCA) (32), and the VCA applies a radial push-pull signal including an address signal and an FCM leakage-in signal to a switch (38). The switch outputs only the address signal to a peak-hold circuit (40) on the basis of an FCM mask signal from a mask signal generation circuit (36). The peak-hold circuit generates a peak-hold signal of the address signal so as to be output to a DSP (30), and the DSP controls a gain of the VCA on the basis of the peak-hold signal. Then, the radial push-pull signal in which the gain is controlled on the basis of the address signal is applied to an address detection circuit (42), and the address signal is detected therein.

Abstract: An optical disk physical has a recording region divided into zones, each zone including physical tracks adjacent to each other. An integer number of sectors are provided in each physical track. The angular recording density is higher in the more outward zones such that the linear recording density is substantially constant throughout the recording region, and logical tracks are formed of a predetermined number of sectors, independent of the physical tracks. The conversion between the logical track and sector addresses read from the disk and the linear logical addresses supplied from a host device is easy. The addresses written in headers of the sectors in the logical track in which data are actually recorded, including substitute sectors used in place of defect sectors, are preferably consecutive to further facilitate the conversion between the logical track and sector addresses read from the disk and the linear logical addresses supplied from the host device.

Abstract: An information recording/reproducing apparatus and an information reproducing method which are capable of reproducing information such as addresses previously recorded on a recording medium without fail. For reproducing an address from a recording medium on which multiplexed addresses, each indicative of a recording position on the recording medium, which are modulated by at least two types of modulation processing is recorded, demodulation processing is first performed on a read signal read from the recording medium corresponding to each of the modulation processing to generate an address data signal for each demodulation processing. Next, error correction processing is performed on these address data signals to generate corrected address data signals corresponding to the respective address data signals. Then, the corrected address data signal corresponding to the address data signal having the lowest error ratio is selected from the address data signals, and outputted as a reproduced address.

Abstract: A method for using a compact disc decoder to correct a code error in digital data read out from a compact disc includes extracting address data out of at least one sector read from the compact disc, and using an error detection circuit to read a condition of an input error flag corresponding to the address data of the sector, wherein if the condition of the input error flag indicates that the address data contains an error, then the extracting circuit extracts address data of another sector. The method also includes when the input error flag indicates that no error is present in the address data of the sector, the sector is referred to as a first sector, and the selection circuit selects address data of the first sector without referring to address data of any sectors read before the first sector.

Abstract: A method for using a compact disc decoder to correct a code error in digital data read out from a compact disc includes extracting address data out of at least one sector read from the compact disc, and using an error detection circuit to read a condition of an input error flag corresponding to the address data of the sector, wherein if the condition of the input error flag indicates that the address data contains an error, then the extracting circuit extracts address data of another sector. The method also includes when the input error flag indicates that no error is present in the address data of the sector, the sector is referred to as a first sector, and the selection circuit selects address data of the first sector without referring to address data of any sectors read before the first sector.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided receiving wobble signals indicative of a wobble pattern formed on an optical medium. A wobble lock/unlock detector detects whether the wobble signals exist during a wobble window period and generates wobble lock/unlock signals indicative thereof. A wobble defect detector counts the wobble window signals in response to the wobble lock/unlock signals indicating that the wobble signals do not exist during the wobble window period, detects a wobble defect in response to the counted wobble window signals satisfying a defect decision condition, and outputs a defect detection signal indicative thereof.

Abstract: A wobble detection circuit detects a signal by a common photodetector (light receiving) element from several kinds of media having different pre-formats. Further, the wobble detection circuit changes a gain for amplifying the signal in a wobble signal detection process depending on the pre-format of a reproducing or recording medium to obtain a wobble signal.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus for driving an optical disk on which a groove wobble corresponding to a signal acquired from frequency modulation of biphase modulated address information, and a mark for representing phase information placed inside the wobble are preformatted, and having the biphase bit count “a” (“a” is a natural number) between two of the adjacent marks, and the channel bit count “n” (“n” is a natural number) between two of the adjacent marks. The apparatus includes first clock signal production device for generating a first clock signal utilizing an “n” frequency multiple of the reproduction signal of the clock mark, wobble signal reproduction device for reproducing from the optical disk a wobble signal corresponding to the groove wobble, and frequency demodulation device for acquiring the address information by frequency demodulation of the wobble signal.

Abstract: Linking gap detecting device and method in which a light beam is irradiated to an information recording track of an optical recording medium; a light detecting signal is generated by receiving reflected light of the light beam irradiated to the information recording track; a synchronous signal is detected from the light detecting signal; it is judged whether the existing interval of the synchronous signal lies outside a predetermined interval range or not; and the linking gap is detected on the basis of a result of the judgment.

Abstract: On an optical disk medium according to the present invention, address information is recorded along a wobbling track groove 2. The track groove 2 is made up of a plurality of unit sections 22, 23. Each of these unit sections 22, 23 has side faces that are displaced periodically in a disk radial direction. This displacement oscillates at a single period in a tracking direction. However, the displacement pattern differs depending on “each bit of address information (subdivided information)” allocated to each of the unit sections 22, 23.

Abstract: On an optical disk medium according to the present invention, address information is recorded along a wobbling track groove 2. The track groove 2 is made up of a plurality of unit sections 22, 23. Each of these unit sections 22, 23 has side faces that are displaced periodically in a disk radial direction. This displacement oscillates at a single period in a tracking direction. However, the displacement pattern differs depending on “each bit of address information (subdivided information)” allocated to each of the unit sections 22, 23.

Abstract: A controller for recording data on a CD with a DVD recorder. The controller includes an LPP decoder, an ATIP decoder for decoding address information of a CD, and an address converter for converting an ATIP address into an LPP address. When recording DVD format data on a CD, a write timing generation circuit is driven in response to the LPP address, which is converted from the ATIP address. The write data is modulated for use in the CD, and the intensity of the write data is adjusted for use in the CO.

Abstract: A digital audio disc recorder improves the ability to carry out an editing operation easily and efficiently. A group of keys used for recording and reproduction operations, ten keys and a track selecting key group are arranged on the side of a panel face of a remote commander. Further, audio signals recorded in the editing operation are displayed as a plurality of materials, a jog dial for moving forwardly and rearwardly the plural materials of the displayed audio signals in a time axis direction is arranged on the side of a panel face of the remote commander, a group of keys for selecting the materials are arranged on the depth side, and a group of keys for instructing a method of processing the selected materials are arranged on the depth side.

Abstract: An optical recording medium for accurately deriving the address information or the disc rotation control information despite narrow track pitch and for recording signals to a high density, and a method and apparatus for recording and/or reproducing such optical recording medium. The optical recording medium has a wobbled groove and pits formed at a pre-set interval in an area between turns of the wobbled groove. The recording/reproducing method includes controlling rotation of the optical recording medium by a wobbled signal from the groove and detecting the position on the optical recording medium of a recording signal by pit signals detected from the pits. The recording/reproducing apparatus includes a detection device for detecting the wobbled signal from the groove and a detection device for detecting pit signals from the pits.

Abstract: An optical disk provided with a land region and a groove region that are formed on a substrate, the land region and groove region being used as a recording track that is the medium of the recording/playback of information signal, and a pre-pit region that is formed at the boundary part of neighboring land region and groove region and is disposed every other boundary part, the pre-pit region including specific information. Characteristically, the specific information's in neighboring pre-pit regions are not aligned in the radius direction of the optical disk.

Abstract: An optical disc having marks for dispersed addresses that can be easily detected with high precision.

Abstract: When the optical disk is at a high density, the presence of a defect of the same size can produce a great effect on data in the user data area and ID in the address area. The ID detector 23 detects the address data ID following the address marks AM stored in the address area of the optical disk 10, samples the ID following the address marks AM by using the data clock corresponding to the frequency of the wobble signals detected by the signal detector 22 to obtain ID information.

Abstract: An information storage medium according to an embodiment of this invention includes a wobble track whose wobble period is modulated by multi-frequency shift keying corresponding to playback control information, wherein the playback control information contains header data and address data, and the header data contains a VFO area formed from a predetermined frequency.