Abstract: A sound collecting apparatus is provided. The sound collecting apparatus includes a plurality of microphones that collects external sounds and sounds from noise sources in the sound collecting apparatus. Each microphone outputs a microphone signal. The microphone signal is divided, on a one-to-one basis for each microphone, into signals in mutually different frequency bands. A signal level is calculated, on a one-to-one basis for each divided microphone signal, for each of the mutually different frequency bands. Correlation values are calculated between the microphones for each group of identical frequency bands according to the signal level calculated for each of the mutually different frequency bands of each divided microphone signal. It is decided whether at least one of the microphones is sound-insulated, according to the correlation values.

Abstract: A control device for a servo motor system is provided. The control device includes a segment parameter storage circuit, a velocity superposing circuit, a velocity transferring circuit and a pulse comparison circuit. The segment parameter storage circuit is electrically connected with the velocity superposing circuit and the pulse comparison circuit. The velocity transferring circuit is connected between the velocity superposing circuit and the pulse comparison circuit. The velocity superposing circuit updates a present velocity value according to a target velocity value and an increment. The velocity transferring circuit generates a PWM signal according to the present velocity value. The pulse comparison circuit transfers the PWM signal into a signal of a command pulse wave group and judges whether a pulse number of the PWM signal reaches a predetermined pulse number.

Abstract: An electronic unit includes: an electronic device; and a protective film including an aluminum oxide layer and silicon oxide, the aluminum oxide layer with which the electronic device is covered, and the silicon oxide being scattered on a surface of the aluminum oxide layer.

Abstract: There is provided a recording medium including: simple tracks each configured of arranged pits or arranged marks; and grooved tracks each configured of pits or marks and grooves, the grooves being inserted between the pits or between the marks. The simple tracks and the grooved tracks are arranged alternately in a radial direction at a track pitch of 0.27 micrometers or smaller.

Abstract: A multi-output power supply device (1) comprises a first power supply (10) for outputting a first output voltage (VDCO1); a second power supply (30) for outputting a second output voltage (VDCO3); and a reset circuit (40) for detecting an abnormality of the first output voltage (VDCO1) and for outputting a first reset signal (XRESET) to forcibly stop the output operation of the second power supply (30).

Abstract: An exemplary method of controlling an optical storage apparatus includes: driving a first mechanical mechanism of the optical storage apparatus by applying a first control signal to the first mechanical mechanism, wherein a second mechanical mechanism of the optical storage apparatus is inactive while the first mechanical mechanism is operating in response to the first control signal; adjusting the first control signal applied to the first mechanical mechanism when the second mechanical mechanism is requested to be active; and driving the second mechanical mechanism by applying a second control signal to the second mechanical mechanism while the first mechanical mechanism is operating in response to the adjusted first control signal.

Abstract: A method of designating a disk recording capacity and an optical disk recording apparatus using the method, where a maximum recording capacity is designated by measuring an external disturbance for disk regions. The method of designating a disk recording capacity includes: partitioning a disk into a plurality of disk regions, and measuring external disturbance at the disk regions; setting a disk speed based on the measured external disturbance, and designating disk regions excluding the disk regions where the external disturbance is measured as recordable disk regions; and calculating a maximum disk recording capacity based on the designated recordable disk regions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, record carrier and method of recording data on at least two layers of a recording medium by using a radiation power, wherein individual recording speeds are determined for respective ones of the at least two layers at different values of the radiation power. A recording speed to be used for recording on an individual one of the at least two recording layers is selected based on a maximum radiation power specified for the recording operation, and the speed of the recording operation is controlled individually for each of the at least two layers based on the selected recording speed. The determination of the individual recording speeds at different radiation power values may be written or embossed on the record carrier. Furthermore, a recording sequence used for recording on the recording layers can be set based on the sensitivities and thus recording speeds. Thereby, total recording time can be minimized for multi-layer recording media.

Abstract: An optical recording/reproducing device which minimizes the number of home-in operations to move a pickup to a predetermined reference position of a disc, and a method of controlling the same. The optical recording/reproducing device includes a pickup to record or reproduce information on or from a disc, a pickup movement motor to move the pickup along the disc, a main power supply controller to detect whether power is initially supplied so as to output a home-in control signal, and a drive controller to perform a home-in operation, only when power is initially supplied according to the home-in control signal of the main power supply controller. Since the home-in operation is performed only when power is initially supplied, the number of home-in operations is minimized.

Abstract: A super-resolution medium (1) has a medium identification information for specifying a type of medium recorded in a medium information area (3) by use of pre-pits having a length not shorter than a length of a resolution limit of an optical system in a reproducing device (10).

Abstract: An SPM driver drives a spindle motor. A VCM driver drives a VCM. A DC/DC converter (switching regulator) receives a power supply voltage from an external circuit, and generates a stabilized voltage. Linear regulators each receive a power supply voltage from an external circuit, and each generates a stabilized voltage. A shock detection circuit detects vibration of a device mounting the driving circuit. A power monitoring circuit monitors the power supply voltage, and generates a power-on reset signal which is switched to a predetermined level whenever the power supply voltage is cut off. An ADC converts the back electromotive voltage that occurs at the VCM into a digital signal. A serial interface receives data from an external host processor, which is used to control the driving circuit. Cutoff circuits are arranged between the capacitors, which are to be charged using the induced current that occurs at the SPM, and the power supply terminal.

Abstract: The present invention provides an objective lens, an optical head apparatus, an optical information apparatus, and an information processing apparatus that improve focal position detection accuracy. In order to reproduce information from an optical disk (28), an objective lens (25) collects a diffracted ray (15X) having a longer focal length, out of two diffracted rays (15X, 15Y), on an information recording surface (28L) via a base (28S) of the optical disk (28), and a distance (DF3) between the focal positions of the two diffracted rays (15X, 15Y) when the diffracted ray (15X) having a longer focal length is collected on the information recording surface (28S) is longer than double the distance (WD2) between the surface (25A) of the objective lens (25) and the surface (28A) of the base (28S) along the optical axis.

Abstract: A method of driving an optical disc and an optical disc drive using the method is provided. The method includes rotating an optical disc by a spindle motor, transferring an optical pickup positioned to correspond to the optical disc by driving a sled motor, and decreasing a current supplied to the spindle motor while driving the sled motor.

Abstract: An optical disc is rotated using a spindle motor of an optical disc device, at no more than 600 revolutions per minute (RPM). The spindle motor has at least three coil groups, where each coil group has one or more coils. While the optical disc is rotating, at least one of the coil groups generates a back electromagnetic force (EMF) signal. The back EMF signal is used to determine marking positions on the optical disc. An optical beam is used to mark the optical disc at the determined marking positions.

Abstract: A recording medium read/write method and apparatus are disclosed. The present invention records version information of a corresponding recording medium as read/write control information within the recording medium. The version information includes write compatibility version information and read compatibility version information. The read/write apparatus efficiently performs the read/write of the recording medium with reference to the version informations recorded within the recording medium.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus for performing both the operation of writing data on an optical disc and the operation of reading data that is stored on the optical disc includes a motor for rotating the optical disc, an optical pickup, which irradiates the optical disc with a light beam and detects the light that has been reflected from the optical disc, an evaluation section for obtaining an indicative parameter of the distortion of a signal waveform representing the light reflected from a data stored part on the optical disc while the optical disc is being rotated by the motor, and a control section for changing the number of revolutions of the optical disc Per unit time if a variation in the indicative parameter of the distortion per rotation of the optical disc exceeds a threshold value while the optical disc is being rotated by the motor.

Abstract: The optical disc comprises a substrate layer, a read-only data layer having a pit/land data structure including user data and control data arranged in tracks on the substrate layer, and a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution structure disposed on the data layer, wherein the control data are correctly readable only by including a reverse rotation of the disc. The control data include in particular a protection code for the disc, for example a copy protection code, so that the user data of the disc are only readable after reading of the control data.

Abstract: A controller estimates Coulomb friction itself together with inertia and viscous friction, and reduces the influence of the Coulomb friction on the accuracy of the estimated inertia. In addition, the controller estimates inertia, viscous friction and Coulomb friction simultaneously with sequential adaptation in which a Fourier transformer is not used but an inverse transfer function model is used in order to minimize the estimated error. Data sampled for a predetermined time need not be accumulated, as a result, a large amount of data memory is unnecessary.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling data access rate of an optical disc player are disclosed. The method includes steps of (1) utilizing a micro-controller to decide whether an action of an instruction of a predetermined data processing is an extraction operation or a play operation; (2) driving the spindle motor and a pick-up head to retrieve data from an optical disc at a first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is an extraction operation; and (3) driving the spindle speed and the pick-up head to retrieve data from the optical disc at a second data access rate which is less than the first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is a play operation.

Abstract: There is provided an optical disc reproducing method capable of reproducing a non-finalized DVD+R. When a seek operation is performed from a present address on the non-finalized DVD+R to an outer circumferential side target address, the outer circumferential direction total jump number of tracks is calculated from a difference between the present address and the target address. When a first condition is satisfied in which the present address is in an inner circumferential zone, the target address is in a second outer circumferential zone, and the outer circumferential direction total jump number is 701 to 2500, the jump number of tracks is set to 340 smaller than the outer circumferential direction total jump number, and a traverse seek using a moving mechanism to move an optical pickup in a radius direction by 340 is performed.

Abstract: A drive apparatus that handles and operates a recording medium attached with a memory tag, the drive apparatus include: a recording medium mounting part on which the recording medium is mounted; an information readout part configured to read information out of a memory tag attached to a recording medium before the recording medium is mounted on the recording medium mounting part; a determining part configured to determine whether the recording medium can be handled and operated based on the information read out by the information readout part; and an informing part configured to inform a determined result determined by the determining part.

Abstract: Blanking by a blanking control unit is eliminated by making the tangential direction movement velocity of the substrate and the deflection velocity of the beam faster in the segment, in which the recording pattern is sparse, and making and slower in segments, in which it is dense. In this case, in segment in which it is desired to form a recording pattern thicker in the radial direction, a thick recording can be realized by setting the recording velocity by the recording velocity setting means to be slower, and in the case where is substantially constant, setting to be relatively slower, than in the segments.

Abstract: An optical disc drive apparatus (100) of the present invention rotates an optical disc (1) at a predetermined rotation speed using a motor (2). An optical pickup (3) irradiates the optical disc (1) with a laser beam (5) emitted from an internal semiconductor laser (4) included therein, and obtains a reproduction signal (7) based on a laser beam reflected from the optical disc (1). A laser driving unit (8) controls a driving current (9) of the semiconductor laser (4) to a predetermined level, and superimposes a high-frequency current (11) having a predetermined level on the driving current (9). In a high-speed reproduction mode, a control unit (12) sets the rotation speed of the optical disc (1) higher, the power of the laser beam (5) irradiating the optical disc (1) higher, and the level of the high-frequency current (11) lower than in a normal reproduction mode.

Abstract: A device for controlling access to an optical disc includes a control word calculator and a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO). The control word calculator is arranged to calculate a control word corresponding to a radius where the optical disc is accessed. In addition, the NCO is arranged to generate an output frequency according to the control word, wherein the output frequency is utilized for accessing the optical disc. An associated method for controlling access to an optical disc includes: calculating a control word corresponding to a radius where the optical disc is accessed; and generating an output frequency according to the control word, wherein the output frequency is utilized for accessing the optical disc.

Abstract: The optical disc comprises a substrate layer, a read-only data layer having a pit/land data structure including user data and control data arranged in tracks on the substrate layer, and a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution structure disposed on the data layer, wherein the control data are correctly readable only by including a reverse rotation of the disc. The control data include in particular a protection code for the disc, for example a copy protection code, so that the user data of the disc are only readable after reading of the control data.

Abstract: A disk drive and an information processing system optimizes the number of rotations of a disk. Data read from a disk and previously-read cache data are temporarily stored in buffer memory. When a total amount of cache data achieved during a given period of time T1 or an average amount of the same is equal to or less than a threshold value X1, a system controller controls the number of rotations in an increasing manner, thereby optimizing the number of rotations. When a total amount of cache data achieved during a given period of time T2 (T1<T2) or an average amount of the same is equal to or greater than a threshold value X2, a system controller controls the number of rotations in an decreasing manner, thereby optimizing the number of rotations.

Abstract: A device determines a critical rotation speed of an optical data carrier at which a critical deflection of said optical data carrier may occur. The device includes a drive unit, a measurement unit and a determination unit. The drive unit rotates the optical data carrier according to a sweep covering a predetermined range of rotation speeds. The measurement unit generates a measurement signal indicative of a distance between a surface of the optical data carrier and a reference position corresponding to the sweep. The determination unit determines the critical rotation speed of the optical data carrier by processing the measurement signal on the basis of at least one characteristic of the measurement signal.

Abstract: An optical disc drive and optical disc reading method according to the present invention is designed to perform a read operation with good stability even on a slim disc that could produce a significant axial runout. For that purpose, the optical disc drive determines, by the time it has taken for the number of revolutions of a motor that rotates the optical disc loaded to reach a predetermined number, whether the disc loaded is a lightweight disc or not (in Step 202). The drive also determines, by a signal obtained from the optical disc, what the size of the optical disc loaded is (in Step 204). And if the drive decides, based on results of these processing steps, that the disc loaded is a slim disc, then the drive increases the number of revolutions of the optical disc to a predetermined number or more in Step 207 to minimize the influence of axial runout.

Abstract: Upon scanning with an optical spot from a first address on the first recording layer as a start point for a second address on the second recording layer which is a target address for reproducing in order to detect a reproduction position, a scanning path for reaching the second address by scanning an already recorded zone of at least one of the first recording layer and the second recording layer is selected from a first scanning path to carry out seeking after a focus jump and a second scanning path to carry out seeking before the focus jump, based on a positional relationship between a known boundary position between a not-yet-recorded zone and an already-recorded zone of the first recording layer or the second recording layer and the first address.

Abstract: An optical disc playback device is capable of being transitioned to a sleep mode in consideration of an optical disc status or an optical disc drive device status. An optical disc playback apparatus includes a main controller to transmit a sleep mode transition command to an optical disc drive device, and an optical disc drive device controller to check either a status of an optical disc or a status of the optical disc drive device when the sleep mode transition command is transmitted to the optical disc drive device, and to determine whether to perform transition to the sleep mode in response to the optical disc status or the optical disc drive device status.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical disc apparatus that changes the number of revolutions of an optical disc on sensing resonance. The optical disc apparatus of the present invention performs both the operation of writing data on the optical disc 10 and the operation of reading data that is stored on the disc 10. The apparatus includes: a motor 12 for rotating the disc 10; an optical pickup 14, which irradiates the disc 10 with a light beam and detects the light reflected from the disc 10; an evaluation section 16 for obtaining an indicative parameter of the distortion of a signal waveform representing the light reflected from a data stored part on the disc 10 while the disc 10 is being rotated by the motor 12; and a control section 18 for changing the number of revolutions of the disc 10 per unit time if a variation in the indicative parameter of the distortion per rotation of the disc 10 exceeds a threshold value while the disc 10 is being rotated by the motor 12.

Abstract: A recording medium read/write method and apparatus are disclosed. The present invention records version information of a corresponding recording medium as read/write control information within the recording medium. The version information includes write compatibility version information and read compatibility version information. The read/write apparatus efficiently performs the read/write of the recording medium with reference to the version informations recorded within the recording medium.

Abstract: An SPM driver drives a spindle motor. A VCM driver drives a VCM. A DC/DC converter (switching regulator) receives a power supply voltage from an external circuit, and generates a stabilized voltage. Linear regulators each receive a power supply voltage from an external circuit, and each generates a stabilized voltage. A shock detection circuit detects vibration of a device mounting the driving circuit. A power monitoring circuit monitors the power supply voltage, and generates a power-on reset signal which is switched to a predetermined level whenever the power supply voltage is cut off. An ADC converts the back electromotive voltage that occurs at the VCM into a digital signal. A serial interface receives data from an external host processor, which is used to control the driving circuit. Cutoff circuits are arranged between the capacitors, which are to be charged using the induced current that occurs at the SPM, and the power supply terminal.

Abstract: A recording and/or reproducing apparatus, medium, and method controlling a write speed of a disk drive. The method may includes measuring a predetermined disk quality evaluating factor affecting a servo control performance in multiple areas of a disk, determining an optimal write speed of the areas of the disk corresponding to the disk quality evaluating factor, and controlling a rotation speed of the disk at an optimal write speed of a corresponding area of the disk, depending on a position of the disk in which writing is to be performed, in a writing mode.

Abstract: A control system for a rotating data storage device includes a drive module configured to at least one of (i) process data, (ii) store data, and (iii) control operation of the rotating storage device; and an audio monitoring module configured to (i) communicate with the drive module and (ii) analyze audio signals that are based on noise generated by the rotating storage device during operation, The rotating storage device includes a first component The audio monitoring module is configured to selectively adjust a rotational speed of the first component by (i) a predetermined value or (ii) a predetermined percentage of the rotation speed in response to detecting resonance of the first component. The drive module is integrated with the audio monitoring module in an integrated circuit (IC). The IC is arranged on a drive printed circuit board (PCB) of the rotating storage device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, record carrier and method of recording data on at least two layers of a recording medium by using a radiation power, wherein individual recording speeds are determined for respective ones of the at least two layers at different values of the radiation power. A recording speed to be used for recording on an individual one of the at least two recording layers is selected based on a maximum radiation power specified for the recording operation, and the speed of the recording operation is controlled individually for each of the at least two layers based on the selected recording speed. The determination of the individual recording speeds at different radiation power values may be written or embossed on the record carrier. Furthermore, a recording sequence used for recording on the recording layers can be set based on the sensitivities and thus recording speeds. Thereby, total recording time can be minimized for multi-layer recording media.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling data access rate of an optical disc player are disclosed. The method includes steps of (1) utilizing a micro-controller to decide whether an action of an instruction of a predetermined data processing is an extraction operation or a play operation; (2) driving the spindle motor and a pick-up head to retrieve data from an optical disc at a first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is an extraction operation; and (3) driving the spindle speed and the pick-up head to retrieve data from the optical disc at a second data access rate which is less than the first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is a play operation.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, an apparatus for recording data in a recording medium, includes a reading/recording unit recording or reading data on or from the recording medium, the read data including a position information, the position information indicating a last recorded position and a recordable position for new data to be recorded; and a controller examining whether or not an area corresponding to the recordable position has an already recorded data, and determining whether to change the recordable position to another position for recording the new data based on the examination result, the another position being physically separated from the recordable position indicated by the read data recording information, wherein the controller identifies another position for recording the new data if the area has the already recorded data.

Abstract: An external optical disc drive, connected to a bus from which a supplying voltage and a supplying current are outputted, includes: a voltage detector connected to the bus for receiving and detecting the supplying voltage; a digital signal processor connected to the voltage detector; a motor driver connected to the digital signal processor; and a spindle motor connected to the motor driver; wherein a speed-control signal, for informing the digital signal processor to lower the speed of the spindle motor via the motor driver, is outputted to the digital signal processor from the voltage detector while the supplying voltage is detected lower than a threshold voltage.

Abstract: An optical disk drive includes a spindle motor, a power source, a microprocessor, and a comparator. The spindle motor is for supporting a disk. The power source supplies a first voltage to drive the spindle motor to rotate. The microprocessor signals the power source to supply a second voltage to slow down rotational speed of the spindle motor when receiving a power-off signal. The comparator compares the rotational speed with a predetermined value. The microprocessor signals the power source to stop supplying power to the spindle motor when the rotational speed is smaller than the predetermined value. A controlling method for controlling the spindle motor in the optical disk driver is also provided.

Abstract: An optical-disc apparatus comprising: a laser-light source; an objective lens; an aberration-correction lens to be moved in an optical-axis direction according to a cover-layer thickness of an optical disc; a stepping motor; a driving unit to generate a driving pulse for the motor; a storage unit to store current-position information of the aberration-correction lens based on the number of the pulse; and a control unit to control the driving unit so that the aberration-correction lens is moved between a first position set in a mechanical-movable range of the aberration-correction lens and a second position set on the objective-lens side relative to the first position, the driving unit being controlled so that the aberration-correction lens is moved to the second position when stop of disc rotation occurs, and is moved to a start position between the first-and-second positions according to the thickness based on the information when the stop is cancelled.

Abstract: An optical disc is rotated at no more than 600 revolutions per minute (RPM) using a spindle motor of an optical disc device (602). One or more input signals are received from one or more sensors disposed within the optical disc device (604). The sensors are responsive to rotation of the optical disc. Virtual spoke signals are generated based on the input signals received from the sensors (606). The optical disc is positionally controlled based on the virtual spoke signals generated, as the optical disc rotates at no more than 600 RPM (612). The virtual spoke signals correspond to actual, physical spokes that would otherwise have to be present on the optical disc to positionally control the optical disc as the optical disc rotates at no more than 600 RPM.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium and a method of recording thereon. The optical information storage medium has a lead-in area, a user data area and a lead-out area, and data indicating a maximum and/or a minimum writing speed, maximum and minimum writing speeds, or compatible writing speeds is recorded in a recordable region of at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area. The optical information storage medium and the method of recording on the media enable a disc drive to reliably record data on a disc which cannot achieve a prescribed recording speed due to manufacturing conditions, at an optimal speed considering the pre-recorded writing speed data.

Abstract: An optical drive servo control system comprises: an optical pickup, for accessing an optical disc and generating an optical signal; a spindle motor, for rotating the optical disc and outputting a FG signal and a spindle motor synchronous signal; a frequency-multiplied FG signal generator, for generating an actual frequency-multiplied FG signal after receiving the FG signal, the spindle motor synchronous signal, a reference clock signal, and a frequency-multiplier value; and, a servo control unit, for controlling the spindle motor and the optical pickup, and compensating a run-out error of the optical disc according to the actual frequency-multiplied FG signal; wherein the frequency-multiplied FG signal generator calculates an ideal frequency-multiplied FG signal according to the reference clock signal and the frequency-multiplier value, and a positioning error between the ideal frequency-multiplied FG signal and the actual frequency-multiplied FG signal is less than half of a period of the reference clock sig

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling reproduction speed of an optical disk are provided. The method for controlling reproduction speed of an optical disk includes checking whether a read command has been received, and examining whether the received read command is intended for performance evaluation based on the number of backward track jumps of a laser beam irradiated on the optical disk. The method and apparatus for controlling reproduction speed of an optical disk provide designed read performance when an external host executes a performance test.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a wave plate on an optical path to be followed by every light beam emitted from three light sources (with wavelengths ?1, ?2 and ?3, respectively) both on their way toward an optical disc and back from the disc toward a photodetector. The wave plate has two layers with different retardations and different optic axis directions. The sum of the retardations of the first and second layers is defined to be approximately 5/4?1, ¾?2 and ½?3 to the light beams with the wavelengths ?1, ?2 and ?3.

Abstract: A servo control system and method is provided, comprising: a controller outputting a parameter control signal; a device having a parameter controlled based on the parameter control signal; a sensing circuit sensing the parameter of the device and generating a parameter error signal; a sinusoidal signal generator generating a sinusoidal signal; and a adder combining the parameter error signal and the sinusoidal signal, wherein the controller includes a servo equalizer that equalizes the added parameter error signal and the sinusoidal signal to output an equalized parameter control signal to adjust the parameter.

Abstract: A pickup control device includes a servo system which processes a first signal for error control read from an optical disk to generate a servo control signal. A clock signal is synchronized with the rotation of the optical disk. Two memories store a frequency component at or lower than a predetermined frequency contained in the first signal and a rotational frequency component contained in the first signal. A first adder adds data from the first memory to the first signal and a second adder, in synchronization with the clock signal, data from the memories to generate a second signal. A correction unit writes into the second memory the frequency component or the rotational frequency component and reads data and supplies data to the first adder, and reads and updates data stored in the first memory.

Abstract: When user data fails to be recorded in an address of a user data area, the same data is recorded in an address of a spare area. Information indicating that the data for the address of the user data area is recorded in the address of the spare area is registered in a DL that is loaded in a buffer memory, and the information is recorded in a currently-valid DL area of DMA1. As similar thereto, the information is recorded in a currently-valid DL area of DMA2. If the recording fails, the DL is alternatively recorded in another DL area of the same DMA2. Thereafter, DDSs of DMA2 are deleted, and then, without changing information of the number of times of updating the DDSs, only the staring address of the DL of the DDSs is updated. According to the updating method, it is possible to shorten the time required for updating management information of a medium in an information recording/reproducing apparatus.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for controlling data access rate of an optical disc player. The method includes steps of (1) utilizing a micro-controller to decide whether an action of an instruction of a predetermined data processing is an extraction operation or a play operation; (2) driving the spindle motor and a pick-up head to retrieve data from an optical disc at a first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is an extraction operation; and (3) driving the spindle speed and the pick-up head to retrieve data from the optical disc at a second data access rate which is less than the first data access rate by the micro-controller while the action of the instruction of the predetermined data processing is a play operation.