Optical disk drive that supports a plurality of recording speeds

• US 6,920,094 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Komaki, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Huber, Paul W.
• Application Number:
  US09/949,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 369/47.28, 369/47.29, 369/47.3, 369/47.32, 369/47.33, 369/47.55, 369/53.12, 369/53.13, 369/53.34, 369/53.37
• US Class Current: 369/47.33
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10814 involving specific measures to prevent a buffer underrun
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0045 Recording G11B7/006, G11B7/0065 take precedence

Abstract

A buffer underrun is generated intentionally, and the apparent recording speed is changed by alternately repeating start and stop of recording by using the buffer underrun free recording function to obtain a desired recording speed.

Claims

1. An optical disk drive comprising:

rotation drive means for rotating an optical disk at a predetermined rotating speed;

recording means for recording data at a predetermined recording speed on the optical disk rotated at the predetermined rotating speed;

recording control means for changing an apparent recording speed by controlling start and stop of recording operation by said recording means without changing the predetermined recording speed;

a buffer for buffering data to be recorded;

monitor means for monitoring a size of data buffered on maid buffer;

buffet underrun generation means for generating a buffer underrun when said monitor means detects that die size of data buffered on said buffer becomes smaller than a predetermined size;

recording interrupt control means for interrupting said recording operation by said recording means in correspondence with generation of the buffer underrun;

buffer underrun cancel generation means for generating a buffer underrun cancel when said monitor means detects that die size of data buffered on said buffer recovers to be not less than the predetermined size while said recording interrupt control means interrupts said recording operation; and

recording restart control means for restarting the interrupted said recording operation in correspondence with generation of the buffer underrun cancel so as to record data to be recorded after the buffer underrun cancel to be continuous with data recorded before generation of the buffer underrun, and

wherein said recording control means changes the apparent recording speed to 1/(1+n) the predetermined recording speed by controlling a ratio of an actual data recording time and interrupting rime of said recording option to 1;

n by alternately generating the buffer underrun and the buffer underrun cancel at predetermined timings.

2. An optical disk drive according to claim 1, further comprising:

verify means for verifying recorded data while said recording interrupt control means interrupts said recording operation.

3. A recording speed control method of an optical disk drive that comprises rotation drive means for rotating an optical disk at a predetermined rotating speed, and recording means for recording data at a predetermined recording speed on the optical disk rotated at the predetermined rotating speed, comprising the steps of:

changing an apparent recording speed by controlling start and stop of recording operation by said recording means;

generating a buffer underrun when it is detected that the size of data buffered on a buffer becomes smaller than a predetermined size;

interrupting said recording operation by said recording means in correspondence with generation of the buffer underrun;

generating a buffer underrun cancel when it is detected that the size of data buffered on the buffer recovers to be not less than the predetermined size while said recording operation is interrupted in the interrupting step; and

restarting the interrupted said recording operation in correspondence with generation of the buffer underrun cancel so as to record data to be recorded after the buffer underrun cancel to be continuous with data recorded before generation of the buffer underrun, and

wherein the changing step includes the step of changing the apparent recording speed to 1/(1+n) the predetermined recording speed by controlling a ratio of an actual data recording time and interrupting time of said recording operation to 1;

n by alternately generating the buffer underrun and the buffer underrun cancel at predetermined timings.

4. A recording speed control method according to claim 3, further comprising the verify step of verifying recorded data while said recording operation is interrupted in the interrupting step.

5. An optical disk drive comprising:

a buffer for buffering data to be recorded;

recording means for recording data buffered on said buffer on an optical disk;

detection means for detecting generation and cancel of any recording interrupt factor; and

buffer underrun control means for interrupting data transfer to said buffer to generate a buffer underrun when said detection means detects generation of any recording interrupt factor, and for restarting data transfer to said buffer to cancel the buffer underrun when said detection means detects cancel of any recording interrupt factor.

6. An optical disk drive according to claim 5, wherein said detection means includes abnormal temperature detection means for detecting any abnormal temperature.

7. An optical disk drive according to claim 5, wherein said detection means includes abnormal electric power detection means for detecting any abnormal drive electric power.

8. An optical disk drive comprising:

a buffer for buffering data to be recorded;

recording means for recording data buffered on said buffer on an optical disk;

monitor means for monitoring a size of data buffered on said buffer;

buffer underrun generation means for generating a buffer underrun when said monitor means detects that the size of data buffered on said buffer becomes smaller than a predetermined size;

recording interrupt control means for interrupting recording operation by said recording means in correspondence with generation of the buffer underrun;

buffer underrun cancel generation means for generating a buffer underrun cancel when said monitor means detects that the size of data buffered on said buffer recovers to be not less than the predetermined size while said recording interrupt control means interrupts said recording operation;

recording restart control means for restarting the interrupted said recording operation in correspondence with generation of the buffer underrun cancel so as to record data to be recorded after the buffer underrun cancel to be continuous with data recorded before generation of the buffer underrun;

detection means for detecting generation and cancel of any recording interrupt factor; and

substitution means for interrupting data transfer to said buffer when said detection means detects generation of any recording interrupt factor, and controlling said buffer underrun generation means to generate the buffer underrun so as to substitute generation of the recording interrupt factor for generation of the buffer underrun, and for restarting data transfer to said buffer when said detection means detects cancel of any recording interrupt factor, and controlling said buffer underrun cancel generation means to generate the buffer underrun cancel so as to substitute cancel of the recording interrupt factor for the buffer underrun cancel.

9. A recording control method of an optical disk drive,

said optical disk device comprising:

a buffer for buffering data to be recorded; and

recording means for recording data buffered on said buffer on an optical disk,

said recording control method comprising the steps of;

detecting generation and cancel of any recording interrupt factor; and

interrupting data transfer to said buffer to generate a buffer underrun when generation of any recording interrupt factor is detected in the detecting step, and restarting data transfer to said buffer to cancel the buffer underrun when cancel of any recording interrupt factor is detected in the detecting step.