Abstract: A method and device for mapping an inherently defective sectors or newly-identified defective sectors in a disc drive to a good sector in the disc drive in such a way that data fragmentation is minimized and that speed efficiency in accessing the data stored in the disc drive is improved due to minimized seek time and latency delays. In a disc drive data storage area of sectors, user spare sectors are located not at the end of a track, a cylinder, or a segment but at the end of the data storage area. Any defective user data sector is slipped to the next closest good sector over the full volume of the data storage area. That is, the data that would have been stored in the defective sector is pushed down to the next good sector, as each of the subsequent sectors are slipped sequentially to the next good sector in the full volume of the data storage area. A user sector slip list is generated to access the full volume slipped data storage area.

Abstract: At a step S2, a defect period monitoring unit of a defect processing control unit stands by until the defect period monitoring unit detects the start of a defect period. When the defect period monitoring unit detects the start of a defect period, the processing proceeds to a step S3. At the step S3, defect period processing is performed. When the defect period monitoring unit detects the end of the defect period at a step S4, the processing proceeds to a step S5. At the step S5, post-defect period processing is performed.

Abstract: An optical recording medium and a method for assigning a spare area in a rewritable optical recording medium are provided, in which a supplementary spare area is assigned as necessary if an enlargement of the spare area is required. The present method includes (1) determining an allowable size of the supplementary spare area, and (2) assigning the supplementary spare area in variable increments within the allowable size determined in (1).

Abstract: A device for detecting a crack in an optical disc including a transmitter to propagate an optical signal through the optical disc and a receiver to detect the propagated signal. From the pattern generated from the received signal, a microcontroller makes an analysis to determine if a crack is present on the optical disc. The method may be incorporated into a conventional disc drive as a new crack detection mechanism.

Abstract: A method for controlling the burst cutting area (BCA) clock in reading BCA data and a circuit of the same functions to allow BCA data to be read correctly. A BCA clock extractor is used for reading the BCA data correctly. A proper clock modulation is performed through this BCA clock extractor so as to read BCA data correctly.

Abstract: An apparatus for searching for defective address of recording medium includes a recording unit, a converter, and a comparator. The recording unit is configured to record a defect list recorded in an recording medium using physical addresses. The defect list includes defective addresses indicating the addresses of defects present in the recording medium, and the defective addresses are described using physical addresses. The converter is configured to convert a request address received in an access command to the recording medium from a logical address to a physical address. The comparator is configured to compare the defective address in the defect list recorded in the recording unit with the request address that has been converted into the physical address. A defective address present immediately after the request address is searched for on the basis of the comparison result of the comparator.

Abstract: Defects of a hard disk drive servo pattern stamper are detected by comparing a scattered light beam pattern against the known servo pattern. A magnetic field is applied to stamper and the beam is linearly polarized. Variations in the physical offset of the beam, its scatter, are indicative of physical defects. Variations in the Kerr rotation of scattered beam are indicative of magnetic defects.

Abstract: A technology for managing a defective area of a rewritable optical recording medium is disclosed. This technology (1) returns information on a defective area to a host when the defective area is first encountered, (2) writes the data intended for the defective area to another area within the user area (also known as the data area) under the control of the control unit, (3) writes positional information about the defective area on a particular position in the data area, and (4) corrects information in the ICB with reference to the positional information about the defective area. This prevents the reduction of recording capacity otherwise caused by the use of spare areas and improves an efficiency of use of the disk in a rewritable optical recording medium. This is achieved by replacing a defective block with another block within the data area only when a defect is encountered and making a file system to manage the defective areas.

Abstract: A method of verifying defect management area (DMA) information of an optical disc upon initialization with certification, and a test apparatus for performing the same. The method includes generating, as test information, defect management information, which is generated after performing initialization with certification on a test disc, which is obtained by making known physical defects on a blank disc, and verifying the test information using reference test information for initialization with certification to provide the test result. Accordingly, it can be easily verified that a recording and reproducing apparatus properly translates and processes DMA information which is generated after initialization with certification, using a test disc with known physical defects.

Abstract: An information recording/reproducing apparatus which is capable of recording information data even if prepits cannot be correctly read from a recording medium. Prepits are detected from a read signal retrieved from a recording medium to generate a prepit detection signal, and a block signal indicative of a recording timing is generated based on the prepit detection signal. In this event, when the prepit detection signal is normal, an information signal is recorded on the recording medium at a recording timing in accordance with the block signal. On the other hand, when the prepit detection signal is defective, the information signal is recorded on the recording medium at a recording timing in accordance with an auxiliary block signal having the same period as a block length, and a fixed phase.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for recovering from performance errors in an optical disc drive is provided for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten. The system includes instructions operable to detect a problem with at least one of: focus control, tracking control, or spin control when accessing the optical media; instructions operable to save the current state of the disc drive; instructions operable to attempt to recover from the problem; and instructions operable to restore the current state of the disc drive after recovering from the problem.

Abstract: A defect detection method is used to generate a disc defect signal while recording or reproducing information recorded onto an optical disc. The method compares the difference between a reflected light intensity signal (SBAD) and a low-pass filtered SBAD with a predetermined level. A defect signal is generated during a period when the difference exceeds a predetermined value. The defect signal opens a switch to hold the low-passed signal of the SBAD and disconnects the low-pass filter from the SBAD at the moment a defect signal occurs. The held value of the low-passed signal effectively replaces the low-passed signal until the difference between the SBAD and held low-passed signal returns to within the predetermined limits, which re-closes the switch re-connecting the low-pass filter to the SBAD.

Abstract: A method of detecting a crack in a disc loaded on a disc drive and a method of automatically lowering a target speed in response to the detection of a crack in order to stabilize the disc drive. According to the methods, it is automatically determined whether a disc loaded on a disc drive has a crack in a specific mode, and a target speed is automatically changed into a low speed when it is determined that the disc has a crack. Therefore, the crack state of the disc is exactly checked during action of the disc drive, the percentage of error occurrence is decreased, and the probability of damage to the disc is reduced.

Abstract: An information storage apparatus includes a mark reading section for reading a mark written on an information storage medium. A recording state changing section is provided for changing a recording state in an adjacent region situated next to a region from which the mark reading section fails to read a mark, so as to reduce cross talk caused by the adjacent region. The mark reading section reads the mark in the failed region again after the recording state changing section changes the recording state in the adjacent region.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium includes a lead-in area, a user data zone in which user data is recorded, and a lead-out area. Write protection information is recorded in at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area, together with defect management information. Information is recorded and/or reproduced according to the defect management information and the write protection information. The write protection information indicates a size of a write protected area differentiated from a plurality of sizes of write protected areas of the optical information storage medium.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system to provide adaptive control in an optical storage medium. The method comprises providing a beam of light, reflecting the beam of light off an optical disk and detecting the reflected beam. A value of the reflected beam is compared with a predetermined value, and an output signal is generated if the value of the reflected beam is greater than the predetermined value. A timing signal having a timing interval is generated and a control signal is generated if the output signal occurs over the timing interval. One of a current servo signal and a predetermined servo signal is provided in response to the control signal and a position of the light beam is controlled based on one of the current servo signal and the predetermined servo signal.

Abstract: A disc drive apparatus for recording or playing back data onto and from an optical-disc recording medium having a plurality of signal surface areas outputting detected information as reflected detection signals with different amplitudes, the disc drive apparatus including: reflected-light quantity detection means for detecting a total quantity of a light reflected by a signal surface of the optical-disc recording medium and outputting a reflected-light quantity detection signal representing the total quantity; integration means for integrating the reflected-light quantity detection signal and providing an integration output representing a result of integration of the reflected-light quantity detection signal; and identification-signal generation means for comparing the level of the reflected-light quantity detection signal with the level of the integration output used as a threshold value and for outputting an identification signal identifying a specific signal surface area among the signal surface areas as a

Abstract: An optical disc has a user data area that is a single contiguous zone, so that video and audio data can be continuous, and has replacement areas for computer data that are outside the user data areas. Placing the replacement areas outside the user-data area enables a video player to read a disc containing defect management written by a computer drive. For video and audio data, defective sectors are used anyway, and errors may or may not be corrected in real time. For computer data, logical addresses of defective blocks are remapped to a replacement area, but this mapping is independent of what is physically written in the user-data area. The replacement area is preferably in the lead-in and/or lead-out areas of the disc.

Abstract: A method of verifying the defect management area (DMA) information of an optical disc. The method verifies that DMA information is properly generated or updated after a recording and reproducing apparatus, which records or reproduces information on or from an optical disc with DMA information, performs a process in a test mode for testing the generation or update of DMA information. The method includes reading the generated or updated DMA information and verifying the generated or updated DMA information using reference DMA information which is predetermined for the test mode and providing the verified result. Accordingly, it is easily verified that the recording and reproducing apparatus exactly generates or updates defect information by performing various test modes using different test discs having predetermined defect information, which has no relation with actual defects, instead of using a disc having the actual defects.

Abstract: An optical recording medium and a method for recording information to indicate a recording capacity of the recording medium, are provided. The method includes recording information to indicate a varied recording capacity on a particular area of the optical recording medium, if an initial recording capacity of the optical recording medium is varied based upon at least one of an assignment and a variance of a spare area for a defect management, the spare area being assigned to an inner area and/or an outer area of the optical recording medium, or being varied toward an inner direction with respect to an outer position.

Abstract: A defect area management system for an optical storage medium including a management part producing a defect area management signal for real-time processing and transmitting the signal along with data to be written; and a write part executing a defect area management of the optical storage media, writing the data, applied by the defect area management signal from the management part, into the optical storage medium so that whenever a light pickup meets a defect block at the time of writing data requiring the real-time processing into the optical storage medium, it does not have to be moved to the spare area, thus reducing the time it takes to move the light pickup and removing shortcomings of the real-time processing.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for searching for a writable area of a write-once information recording medium, comprising a searching portion and a control portion. The searching portion searches for an unrecorded area using a prescribed address as a reference. The control portion provides a candidate address indicating a candidate for a writable area based on a result of the search, and performs a determination procedure for determining whether or not there is a defective area address indicating an address matching the candidate address in defect management information. When it is determined that there is not the defective area address indicating an address matching the candidate address, the control portion determines an area indicated by the candidate address as the writable area.

Abstract: An information storage medium according to an aspect of this invention comprises a rewritable area, the rewritable area comprises a user area to store user data, and a defect management area to store defect management information used to manage defective areas on the rewritable area, the defect management area comprises first and second defect management reserved areas, the first defect management reserved area being used to store the defect management information in an initial state, and the second defect management reserved area being used to store the defect management information which is transited at a predetermined timing.

Abstract: An information recording medium including a plurality of sectors of the present invention includes: a first spare area including a spare sector for replacing a defective sector among the plurality of sectors: a defect management information area for managing the replacement of the defective sector by the spare sector; and a volume space in which user data can be recorded. The volume space is configured so that a second spare area including a spare sector for replacing a defective sector among the plurality of sectors can be additionally allocated. Location information indicating a location of the second spare area is recorded in the defect management information area.

Abstract: A dynamic compensation device for radio frequency ripple signals of an optical storage system is disclosed. The device is composed of a radio frequency ripple signal process circuit, a radio frequency signal process circuit, a radio frequency signal peak detector, a first analog to digital converter, a second analog to digital converter, a defect detector, and a fingerprint detector. The drop-out of the central level of the radio frequency ripple signal is eliminated, and the track cross waveform is prevented from being damaged.

Abstract: An information storage medium (a disc) includes an area and a user data area. The area includes a recordable zone having a drive & disc zone in which information on a drive and information on a state of the disc are recorded. The drive & disc zone includes a plurality of physical clusters or ECC blocks and the information on the drive and the information on the state of the disc are recorded in the same physical cluster or ECC block or different physical clusters or ECC blocks.

Abstract: A defect area management system for an optical storage medium including a management part producing a defect area management signal for real-time processing and transmitting the signal along with data to be written; and a write part executing a defect area management of the optical storage media, writing the data, applied by the defect area management signal from the management part, into the optical storage medium so that whenever a light pickup meets a defect block at the time of writing data requiring the real-time processing into the optical storage medium, it does not have to be moved to the spare area, thus reducing the time it takes to move the light pickup and removing shortcomings of the real-time processing.

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: A method of and drive for recording medium defect management, and a defect managed recording medium. The defect management method includes: writing first state information that specifies that an update cycle of a temporary defect management structure (TDMS) is open when updating of the TDMS begins, the TDMS containing information regarding temporary defect management; updating the TDMS when data is written to or read from the information storage medium; and writing second state information that specifies that the update cycle of the TDMS is closed, when the updating of the TDMS is completed.

Abstract: A subtraction results value arrived at by subtracting a required subtraction value from a detection maximum value is taken as a maximum value in cases where a detection maximum value obtained from an RF signal is in a reducing direction, and an addition results value arrived at by adding a required value to a detection minimum value is taken as a minimum value in cases where a detection minimum value obtained from an RF signal is in an increasing direction. An RF amplitude value indicating an amplitude level of an RF signal is then obtained by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value. Also, the subtraction value or the addition value is variably set according to the center value for the amplitude of the RF signal increasing or decreasing in excess of a prescribed level. As a result, accuracy of defect detection can be improved in cases where the amplitude level of the RF signal is biased on the maximum value side or the minimum value side.

Abstract: The data structure on the recording medium includes a temporary defect management area storing a data block. The data block includes sequential recording information and a temporary definition structure. The sequential recording information provides information on continuous recording areas in the data area of the recording medium. The temporary definition structure includes at least one pointer to information in the temporary defect management area.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for recording moving image data on a disk-like recording medium detects a defective area on the disk-like recording medium, determines a continuous data area for the moving image data on the basis of a data rate of the moving image data to be recorded and the detected defective area, and records the moving image data in accordance with the continuous data area.

Abstract: An offset adjusting circuit for an optical disc comprises a plurality of offset-adjustment differential operational amplifiers, each of the amplifiers having an input terminal to which an output signal of an optical pickup is input and another input terminal to which a control voltage is applied, an adding circuit that adds output signals of the offset-adjustment differential operational amplifiers, an A/D converter that outputs a digital signal based on an output signal of the adding circuit, and a control voltage adjuster that varies the control voltage applied to the offset-adjustment differential operational amplifiers based on the digital signal so as to remove an offset.

Abstract: An optical disc on which data is recorded and/or from which the data is reproduced, includes a recording area where the data is recorded in at least one physical cluster, a defective area, where a defect that prevents a recording and/or reproduction of data is present, provided in the recording area, and a recording end area where information indicating an end of recording is recorded before the defective area. A method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from a high density optical disc having a defective area, includes recording the data in a predetermined recording area having the defective area, and recording end data indicating an end of the recording before the defective area.

Abstract: An optical disk and a method of recording data in the optical disk are provided. When data is overwritten on a recordable and/or reproducible optical disk, the method includes performing linking in front of a physical cluster from which overwriting starts. According to the method, when overwriting is performed on a portion of an optical disk in which data has been recorded, or when overwriting is performed on a portion including a defective area, linking is performed in front of the portion on which the overwriting is performed or behind the defective area, thereby realizing reliable data recording and reproducing.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium includes a lead-in area, a user data zone in which user data is recorded, and a lead-out area. Write protection information is recorded in at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area, together with defect management information. Information is recorded and/or reproduced according to the defect management information and the write protection information. The write protection information indicates a size of a write protected area differentiated from a plurality of sizes of write protected areas of the optical information storage medium.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer readable medium for managing recording medium defects and a defect managed recording medium. The recording medium includes a spare area in which a replacement area, which is a substitute for a defective area of the recording medium, is formed, and a temporary defect management area in which temporary management information that specifies the defective area and the corresponding replacement area is recorded, wherein position information and state information regarding the defective area are recorded in the replacement area. Accordingly, it is possible to restore defect information even if recording medium defect management on the recording medium ended abnormally.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for reproducing replacement data recorded in a spare area of a disc, such as a DVD-RAM. The replacement data is temporarily stored in a memory provided in a disc reading or player apparatus or a RAM provided in a PC connected to the disc reading or player apparatus so that the temporarily stored data can be read without movement of an optical pickup to the spare area during a subsequent data reproducing operation. The replacement data is thereby reproduced along with data recorded in a data area of the disc, in a successive manner. Accordingly, it is possible, for example, to efficiently prevent reproduced pictures from being discontinuously outputted due to a delayed data reading operation caused by a searching operation for the spare area in which the replacement data is recorded.

Abstract: A method of managing defects considering compatibility with a rewritable disc, a reproducing and/or recording apparatus implementing the same, a write-once recording medium therefore, and a medium including computer readable code controlling the implementation of defect management. The method includes providing a plurality of temporary defect management areas on the write-once recording medium; performing defect management using the plurality of temporary defect management areas; and when one among the plurality of temporary defect management areas is exhausted, writing full flag information indicating that the one temporary defect management area is exhausted to at least one among remaining temporary defect management areas. Accordingly, defect management can be efficiently performed.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for creating/writing defect management information of an information recording medium and an apparatus and optical disc based on the method. In the present invention, it depends on the type of data to be reproduced whether or not defective sectors which are detected during reproduction operation are replaced with non-defective sectors. If read-out errors are detected in reproducing non-audio/video data, linear replacement algorithm is applied to the corresponding defective sectors. On the other hand, in case of audio/video data, location information of the corresponding defective sectors is just kept without any sector replacement. Therefore, this invention enables to reproduce audio/video data in real-time regardless of the presence of defective sectors and to avoid writing data to the defective sectors when new data is overwritten to the information recording medium.

Abstract: A write once disc, a disc drive therefor, and a method of managing disc defects on the write once disc using the disc drive in consideration of the compatibility of the write once disc with a rewritable disc drive, the write once disc includes a single record layer disc in which a lead-in area, a data area, and a lead-out area are sequentially formed and a first spare area and a second spare area are sequentially formed in the data area. The write once disc includes a defect management area (DMA) formed in at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area; a first temporary defect management area (TDMA) formed in at least one of the lead-in area and the lead-out area; and a second TDMA formed between the first spare area and a user data area or between the user data area and the second spare area.

Abstract: An information recording/reproducing apparatus performs reading and writing of information with respect to an information recording medium in which user data areas and alternative areas are alternately arranged. The apparatus includes means for assigning, when an error occurs in a certify process or a verify process and an alternative destination is to be assigned, in the case where an unused field does not exist in the alternative area corresponding to the user data area in which the error occurs, the alternative destination in another alternate area on which the certify process or the verify process is performed.

Abstract: The present invention has an object to stably reproduce wobble signals of all disks of CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM by one wobble signal reproducing circuit. In the wobble signal reproducing circuit, an AGC (AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL) circuit for equating a push-pull circuit output of a wide range and an RF amplitude of an optical detector output of two systems obtained by push-pull, and an AGC (AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL) circuit for making a wobble amplitude uniform are provided with a function to hold a gain or to change over a response time constant, and at the time of reproduction of the DVD-R/RW, a land pre-pit region is detected by the push-pull output to hold AGC (AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL) or change over a response time constant. Besides, in an address information recording region (PID region) at the time of reproduction of the DVD-RAM, the AGC (AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL) is held or the response time constant is changed over.

Abstract: A method of verifying that a disc recording and reproducing apparatus normally generates or updates defect management area (DMA) information in a supplementary spare area extension mode, and a test apparatus therefore. The method includes extending the supplementary spare area of a test disc in the recording and reproducing apparatus using the test disc with test reference information and generating test information from the test disc; and comparing reference information expected from the test reference information with the test information and providing the result of verification of the test information. Accordingly, a DMA information generation or updating function of the recording and reproducing apparatus upon the extension of the supplementary spare area can be easily verified.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing optical recording media whereby defective discs can be effectively eliminated without greatly reducing yield.

Abstract: A tracking control system for outputting a tracking control signal for an optical pickup including a plurality of light detecting sections each of which converts reflected light of a light beam applied to an optical disk into an electric signal, and outputs the signal, includes: a balance correction amount calculating section for obtaining, as a balance correction amount, a value by which a differential phase tracking error signal based on each output of the light detecting sections should be shifted in accordance with a direct-current component of a differential amplitude tracking error signal based on each output of the light detecting sections such that a direct-current component of the differential phase tracking error signal approaches a given reference potential; a balance changing section for shifting the differential phase tracking error signal in accordance with the balance correction amount; and a tracking control section for generating the tracking control signal in accordance with the differential

Abstract: A servo control apparatus is provided to a stable servo control even when delays occur in detecting defects. Based on reflected light of an optical beam from an optical disc, a defect resulting from dark spots, damages, or others on the optical disc is detected. Immediately before the detection, sample data of a control signal are memorized. The sample data are obtained during a predetermined interval of time that corresponds to a detection delay for the defects, which is dependent on a defect detecting device. Using the memorized sample data, a cancel signal is produced for canceling the influence of the control signal, which is owing to a pseudo error signal obtained during the predetermined interval of time. The cancel signal is outputted as the control signal immediately after the detection of the defect.

Abstract: A recording medium storing linking type information, a method of processing a defective area in the medium and recording and/or reproducing apparatus therefor. The recording medium stores information indicating that linking is applied immediately after the defective area, distinguishing a linking type which occurs in a general incremental recording mode from a linking type which occurs after the defective area. Defective areas are detected and registered in a predetermined area (recording management data (RMD) area) before user data is recorded or while user data is being recorded in the recording medium having a plurality of continuous basic recording units, such as a digital versatile disc-rewritable (DVD-RW) in which recording and reproducing can be done repeatedly.

Abstract: In a recording and reproducing apparatus for a disc-shaped recording medium, and a defect substitution method for a disc-shaped recording medium (8), whether reproduction of recorded data is good is determined by sector unit and not by product code unit, defective sector discrimination is performed by sector unit, and only sectors determined defective are alternately recorded, when using a recording format in which data that is error detection and correction coded with a product code is segmented and recorded to a plurality of sectors.

Abstract: In a recording and reproducing apparatus for a disc-shaped recording medium, and a defect substitution method for a disc-shaped recording medium, whether reproduction of recorded data is good is determined by sector unit and not by product code unit, defective sector discrimination is performed by sector unit, and only sectors determined defective are alternatively recorded, when using a recording format in which data that is error detection and correction coded with a product code is segmented and recorded to a plurality of sectors.