Optical storage media light beam positioning system

• US 5,448,546 A
• Filed: 08/13/1993
• Issued: 09/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Pauli, Giles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUBER, PAUL W
• Application Number:
  US08/106,027
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 369/112, 369/120, 369/117, 369/121, 369/94, 369/95, 369/44.15, 369/44.23, 359/198, 359/199, 359/214, 359/221, 359/224, 359/855
• US Class Current: 369/112.29
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/08564 using galvanomirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0901 for track following only G11B7/0925, G11B7/094, G11B7/0941, G11B7/0943, G11B7/0945, G11B7/0946, G11B7/0948 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/1362 Mirrors

Abstract

An optical tracking system 10 is provided which comprises a beam source 12 which generates a light beam. The light beam travels through a splitter/filter 14 and proximate a DMD array 16. The DMD array 16 is controlled by a DMD array control system 18 which causes a single element within the DMD array to deflect the light beam towards a selected track on an optical storage medium 22. The optical storage medium 22 reflects the beam dependent upon the data stored on the selected track. The reflected beam is deflected by the DMD array 16 back to the splitter/filter 14 which separates the reflected beam from the impinging beam and directs the reflected beam to a detector 24 which discerns the information stored in the storage medium 22 responsive to the receipt of the reflected beam.

Claims

1. A method of accessing data storage positions on an optical storage medium, comprising the steps of:

generating a light beam from a light source;

deflecting a selected mirror element of a mirror array to deflect said light beam toward a selected portion of a reflective optical storage medium, wherein said array is formed on a single substrate;

reflecting said deflected light beam from said reflective optical storage medium according to data stored on said reflective optical storage medium;

detecting said light beam after said light beam is reflected from said reflective optical storage medium; and

discerning said data stored in said selected portion of said reflective optical storage medium responsive to said step of detecting.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of directing the beam such that the beam impinges on each element within the mirror array.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of deflecting comprises the steps of:

selecting a mirror element within the array dependent on the portion of the optical storage medium to be accessed; and

providing a deflection signal to an address electrode of the selected mirror element.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical storage medium comprises a plurality of tracks, each of the tracks comprising a plurality of data storage positions and wherein the mirror array comprises a number of mirror elements less than the number of tracks on the optical storage medium such that not all said tracks are accessible from a single position of said array, the method further comprising the step of:

moving the array relative to the optical storage medium such that the track on the optical storage medium may be accessed by said steps of generating a light beam and deflecting a selected mirror element.

5. A method of accessing data storage positions on an optical storage medium, comprising the steps of:

generating a light beam from a light source;

deflecting a selected mirror element of a mirror array wherein said array is formed on a single substrate to deflect light from the light beam toward a selected portion of a reflective optical storage medium;

reflecting said light from said reflective optical storage medium;

detecting the beam after the beam is reflected from said reflective optical storage medium; and

discerning the data stored in the selected portion of the optical storage medium responsive to said step of detecting.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the step of directing the beam such that the beam impinges on each element within the mirror array.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of deflecting comprises the steps of:

selecting a mirror element within the array dependent on the portion of the optical storage medium to be accessed; and

providing a deflection signal to an address electrode of the selected mirror element.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the optical storage medium comprises a plurality of tracks, each of the tracks comprising a plurality of data storage positions and wherein the mirror array comprises a number of mirror elements less than the number of tracks on the optical storage medium such that not all said tracks are accessible from a single position of said array, the method further comprising the step of:

moving the array relative to the optical storage medium such that the track on the optical storage medium may be accessed by said steps of generating a light beam and deflecting a selected mirror element.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein said reflecting step comprises reflecting said light from said reflective optical medium back to said selected mirror element.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of separating the beam of light reflected from said reflective optical storage medium and the beam of light directed toward said reflective optical storage medium.