Optical disc apparatus

• US 7,362,669 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US11/511,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20060291346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 369/47.1, 369/47.11, 369/47.18, 369/47.2, 369/47.3, 369/47.42
• US Class Current: 369/47.11
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/20 Driving; Starting; Stopping; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/28 Speed controlling, regulating, or indicating G11B19/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1403 characterised by the use of two levels
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10694 output interface, i.e. the way data leave the buffer, e.g. by adjusting the clock rate
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10731 wherein the buffer I/O can be temporarily suspended, e.g. by refusing to accept further data to be buffered
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1074 involving a specific threshold value
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10814 involving specific measures to prevent a buffer underrun
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1225 frame, i.e. a subunit of a sector containing user data, e.g. a sync frame
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1235 session, i.e. a contiguous area having its own lead-in area, program area and lead-out area
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1277 for managing gaps between two recordings, e.g. control data in linking areas, run-in or run-out fields, guard or buffer zones
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3063 Subcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0037 with discs

Abstract

An optical disc apparatus includes a pause circuit for pausing data encoders upon receiving a pause signal so that a write operation may be paused without writing dummy data, thereby maintaining data succession. The optical disc apparatus also includes a circuit for accurately determining a write start location by referring to previously written data. A processor generates a pause signal when the amount of data in the optical drive apparatus data buffer is low, and removes the pause signal when additional data from a host is received. The processor may also automatically reduce the write speed of the optical disc apparatus upon a pause condition, thereby preventing the necessity for excessive pausing.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a host computer;

an optical disc apparatus which records data received from the host computer on a recording medium, the optical disc apparatus comprising;

a decoder for carrying out error correction;

a pause circuit for pausing a recording operation; and

a restart circuit for restarting the recording operation such that data at a start position where the recording operation is restarted is linked to data at an end position where the recording operation is paused, such that data recorded at said start and end positions can be error corrected and reproduced,

wherein said pause circuit is arranged to pause the recording operation without writing a run out block.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said start position is located at said end position within a +−

2 bit clock error.

3. The system of claim 1, said restart circuit restarts the recording operation after a recoding speed is decreased.

4. The system of claim 1, the pause circuit pauses the recording operation when a data transfer rate between the host computer and the optical disc apparatus is slower than the speed at which data are written to the recording medium.

5. An optical disc apparatus which records data on a recording medium having a meandering track, comprising:

a write start circuit for starting the recording operation from a writing start point where a laser beam to record data is positioned by using the meandering track;

a pause circuit for pausing a recording operation before the recording operation is complete; and

a restart circuit for restarting the recording operation such that data at a start position where the recording operation is restarted is linked to data at an end position where the recording operation is paused, such that data recorded at said start and end positions can be successively reproduced,

wherein said pause circuit is arranged to pause the recording operation without writing a link block.

6. The recording apparatus of claim 5, wherein said start position is located at said end position within a +−

2 bit clock error.

7. The recording apparatus of claim 5, said restart circuit restarts the recording operation after a recoding speed is decreased.

8. The recording apparatus of claim 5, wherein said data to be recorded on the recording medium are written by a physical data format unit.

9. The recording apparatus of claim 5, wherein said restart circuit is arranged to restart the recording operation without writing a link block.

10. The recording apparatus of claim 5, wherein said start position is searched according to a wobble signal obtained from the meandering track.

11. The recording apparatus of claim 10, wherein the wobble signal includes absolute time information and said start position is detected by the absolute time information.

12. A system comprising:

a host computer;

an optical disc apparatus which records data received from the host computer on a recording medium having a meandering track, the optical disc apparatus comprising;

a write start circuit for starting the recording operation from a writing start point where a laser beam to record data is positioned by using the meandering track;

a pause circuit for pausing a recording operation before all data from said host computer are recorded in said recording medium; and

a restart circuit for restarting the recording operation such that data at a start position where the recording operation is restarted is linked to data at an end position where the recording operation is paused, such that data recorded at said start and end positions can be successively reproduced,

wherein said pause circuit is arranged to pause the recording operation without writing a link block.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said start position is located at said end position within a +−

2 bit clock error.

14. The system of claim 12, the pause circuit pauses the recording operation when a data transfer rate between the host computer and the optical disc apparatus is slower than the speed at which data are written to the recording medium.

15. The system of claim 12, said restart circuit restarts the recording operation after a recoding speed is decreased.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said data to be recorded on the recording medium are written by a physical data format unit.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said physical data format unit is changed from a logical data format unit received from the host computer.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said restart circuit is arranged to restart the recording operation without writing a link block.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein said start position is searched according to a wobble signal obtained from the meandering track.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the wobble signal includes absolute time information and said start position is detected by the absolute time information.