Method of determining defects in information storage medium, recording/reproducing apparatus using the same, and information storage medium

• US 20060123284A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Sung-hee, Ko, Jung-wan, Sung, Hyo-jin
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/718
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1879 Direct read-after-write methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1883 Methods for assignment of alternate areas for defective areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1285 Status of the record carrier, e.g. space bit maps, flags indicating a formatting status or a write permission
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1823 wherein a flag is set when errors are detected or qualified
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1893 using linear replacement to relocate data from a defective block to a non-contiguous spare area, e.g. with a secondary defect list [SDL]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers

Abstract

A method of determining whether a defect exists on an information storage medium is provided along with a recording/reproducing apparatus using the same. Such a method comprises: seeking a defect entry whose state information indicates that a defect block or a replacement block has been reinitialized without certification from a defect list for managing an information storage medium and including state information of the defect block and state information of the replacement block, wherein the medium includes a spare area for recording the replacement block to replace the defect block occurring in a user data area on the medium; and certifying the defect block or the replacement block registered in the sought defect entry. As a result, defect information can be effectively rearranged for quick re-initialization without certification in order to improve the performance of a drive system.

Claims

1. A method of determining whether defects exist in an information storage medium having a data area including a user data area for recording data and a spare area for recording a replacement block to replace a defect block occurring in the user data area, the method comprising:

seeking a defect entry whose state information indicates that a defect block or a replacement block has been reinitialized without certification, from a defect list for managing the medium and including state information of the defect block and state information of the replacement block; and

certifying the defect block or the replacement block registered in the defect entry.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

deleting the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification from the defect list as a result of the certification.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein state information indicating that a corresponding block is a defectable block is further included in the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the certifying comprises:

if no defect exists in the defectable block as a result of the certification of the defectable block, deleting the defect entry from the defect list; and

if a defect exists in the defectable block as the result of the certification of the defectable block, generating a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding block is a defect block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is not set in the defect entry.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein state information indicating that a corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block or state information indicating that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block is further included in the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been reinitialized without certification.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the certifying comprises:

if no defect exists in the corresponding replacement block as a result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, generating a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is not set in the defect entry; and

if a defect exists in the corresponding replacement block as the result of certification of the corresponding replacement block, generating a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is not set in the defect entry.

7. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a write/read unit to record data on an information storage medium and read data from the medium; and

a control unit arranged to control the write/read unit to read a defect list including state information of a defect block and state information of a replacement block in order to manage the medium including a spare area for recording the replacement block to replace the defect block occurring in a user data area on the medium, to seek a defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification, and to certify the defect block or the replacement block registered in the defect entry.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit deletes the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification from the defect list as a result of the certification.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein state information indicating that a corresponding block is a defectable block is further included in the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

if no defect exists in the defectable block as a result of the certification of the defectable block, the control unit deletes the defect entry from the defect list, and

if a defect exists in the defectable block as the result of the certification of the defectable block, the control unit generates a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding block is a defect block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the replacement block has been reinitialized without certification is not set in the defect entry.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein state information indicating that a corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block or state information indicating that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block is further included in the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

if no defect exists in the corresponding replacement block as a result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, the controller generates a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is not set in the defect entry, and

if a defect exists in the corresponding replacement block as the result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, the controller generates a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is not set in the defect entry.

13. An information storage medium, comprising:

a lead-in area provided in an inner circumference;

a lead-out area provided in an outer circumference;

a data area disposed between the lead-in area and the lead-out area, including a user data area to record data and a spare area to record a replacement block to replace a defect block occurring in the user data area; and

a defect list provided in the lead-in area, including state information of a defect block and state information of a replacement block for defect management,

wherein the defect block or the replacement block registered in a defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is certified in a certification operation of the medium.

14. The information storage medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the replacement block has been re-initialized without certification is deleted from the defect list as a result of the certification.

15. An apparatus for recording/reproducing data on/from an information storage medium, comprising:

a write/read unit which records data on the information storage medium and reads recorded data from the information storage medium;

a control unit which controls the write/read unit to record data on the information storage medium and read recorded data from the information storage medium, which allocates a new spare area upon re-initialization and manages, via a defect list, state information of defect blocks in a user data area and state information of replacement blocks in the new spare area on the information storage medium when the new spare area is allocated upon re-initialization, such that blocks having defect information are provided with state information indicating that these blocks have been re-initialized without certification.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the blocks having defect information are defect blocks or defectable blocks registered in the defect list indicating that the defect blocks or defectable blocks have been re-initialized without certification.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

seek a defect entry from the defect list whose state information indicates that a defect block or a defectable block has been re-initialized without certification;

certify the defect block or the defectable block registered in the defect entry, via a verify-after-write operation; and

delete the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the defectable block has been reinitialized without certification from the defect list as a result of the certification.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the control unit is further configured to delete the defect entry from the defect list, if no defect exists in the defectable block as a result of the certification of the defectable block, and to generate a defect entry whose state information indicates that a corresponding block is a defect block, if a defect exists in the defectable block as the result of the certification of the defectable block, wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the defectable block has been reinitialized without certification is not set in the defect entry.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein state information indicating that a corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block, or state information indicating that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block is further included in the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the defectable block has been re-initialized without certification.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

if no defect exists in a corresponding replacement block as a result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, the control unit generates a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block, wherein state information indicating that re-initialization without certification has been performed is not set in the defect entry, and

if a defect exists in the corresponding replacement block as the result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, the control unit generates a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block, wherein state information indicating that re-initialization without certification has been performed is not set in the defect entry.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the control unit is configured to certify, via a verify-after-write operation, by:

seeking one or more entries from the defect list whose state information indicates that re-initialization has been performed;

when blocks registered in entries are blocks existing in the user data area on the information storage medium, generating entries whose state information are set to a defect block state and indicate before re-initialization if defects exist, and if no defects exist, deleting corresponding defect entries from the defect list;

when blocks registered in entries are blocks existing in the spare area on the information storage medium, generating entries whose state information are set to an unavailable block state and indicate before re-initialization if defects exist, and if no defects exist, generating entries whose state information are set to an available block state and indicate before re-initialization; and

record the defect list including generated entries on the information storage medium.

22. A method of managing defects on an optical disk having a data area including a user data area for recording data and a spare area for recording a replacement block to replace a defect block occurring in the user data area, the method comprising:

allocating a new spare area upon disk re-initialization; and

managing, via a defect list, state information of defect blocks in the user data area and state information of replacement blocks in the new spare area on the optical disk when the new spare area is allocated upon the disk re-initialization, such that blocks having defect information are provided with state information indicating that these blocks have been re-initialized without certification.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the blocks having defect information are defect blocks or defectable blocks registered in the defect list indicating that the defect blocks or defectable blocks have been re-initialized without certification.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, further comprising:

seeking a defect entry from the defect list whose state information indicates that a defect block or a defectable block has been re-initialized without certification;

performing certification of the defect block or the defectable block registered in the defect entry, via a verify-after-write operation; and

deleting the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the defectable block has been re-initialized without certification from the defect list as a result of the certification.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising:

deleting the defect entry from the defect list, if no defect exists in the defectable block as a result of the certification of the defectable block; and

generating a defect entry whose state information indicates that a corresponding block is a defect block, if a defect exists in the defectable block as the result of the certification of the defectable block,

wherein state information indicating that the defect block or the defectable block has been re-initialized without certification is not set in the defect entry.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein state information indicating that a corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block, or state information indicating that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block is further included in the defect entry whose state information indicates that the defect block or the defectable block has been re-initialized without certification.

27. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising:

if no defect exists in a corresponding replacement block as a result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, generating a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an available replacement block, wherein state information indicating that re-initialization without certification has been performed is not set in the defect entry, and

if a defect exists in the corresponding replacement block as the result of the certification of the corresponding replacement block, generating a defect entry whose state information indicates that the corresponding replacement block is an unavailable replacement block, wherein state information indicating that re-initialization without certification has been performed is not set in the defect entry.

28. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the certification is performed, via the verify-after-write operation, by:

seeking one or more entries from the defect list whose state information indicates that re-initialization has been performed;

when blocks registered in entries are blocks existing in the user data area on the optical disk, generating entries whose state information are set to a defect block state and indicate before re-initialization if defects exist, and if no defects exist, deleting corresponding defect entries from the defect list;

when blocks registered in entries are blocks existing in the spare area on the optical disk, generating entries whose state information are set to an unavailable block state and indicate before re-initialization if defects exist, and if no defects exist, generating entries whose state information are set to an available block state and indicate before re-initialization; and

record the defect list including generated entries on the optical disk.