Write-once optical recording medium and defect management information management method thereof

• US 7,643,390 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Sung Dae, Park, Yong Cheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Young; Wayne R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bibbins; LaTanya
• Application Number:
  US10/670,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• Field of Search: 369/47.14, 369/53.17
• US Class Current: 369/53.17
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1883 Methods for assignment of alternate areas for defective areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1873 Temporary defect structures for write-once discs, e.g. TDDS, TDMA or TDFL
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers

Abstract

A write-once optical recording medium, a method for allocating a defect management area of the write-once optical recording medium, and a method for allocating a spare area of the write-once optical recording medium are provided. A method of managing defects on a write-once optical recording medium having at least one recording layer includes the steps of allocating at least one temporary defect management area having a fixed size and at least one temporary defect management area having a variable size to said optical recording medium, respectively, recording defect management information on the at least one temporary defect management area having a fixed size and the at least one temporary defect management area having a variable size; and using the at least one temporary defect management area having a fixed size and the at least one temporary defect management area having a variable size is provided herein.

Claims

1. A method of managing defects on a recording medium having at least one recording layer, the method comprising the steps of:

allocating at least one first temporary defect management area with a fixed size and at least one second temporary defect management area with one of variable sizes to the recording medium, respectively; and

recording defect management information on one of the at least one first temporary defect management area and the at least one second temporary defect management area,

wherein in the step of recording, the at least one first temporary defect management area and the at least one second temporary defect management area are used in sequential order to record therein the defect management information.

2. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein the recording medium has at least two recording layers, a first recording layer which includes the first temporary defect management area and the second temporary defect management area, and a second recording layer which includes the first temporary defect management area and at least two second temporary defect management areas.

3. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein in the allocating step, the at least one first temporary defect management area is allocated to at least one of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of the recording medium.

4. The method of managing of claim 3, wherein in the allocating step, the at least one second temporary defect management area is allocated to at least one spare area of the recording medium.

5. The method of managing of claim 4, wherein the at least one spare area includes an inner spare area and an outer spare area on the recording medium.

6. The method of managing of claim 4, wherein in the step of allocating, if the at least one spare area is not allocated, the at least one second temporary defect management area is not allocated, but only the at least one first temporary defect management area is allocated.

7. The method of managing of claim 4, wherein in the step of allocating, if the at least one spare area is allocated, the at least one second temporary defect management area is not allocated, but only the at least one first temporary defect management area is allocated.

8. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein the step of allocating further comprises:

allocating at least one inner spare area, a portion of which is used to replace a defective area;

allocating at least one outer spare area, a portion of which is used to replace a defective area; and

allocating a portion of the at least one outer or inner spare area as a temporary defect management area to manage defect management information.

9. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein in the step of allocating, the at least one second temporary defect management area is allocated to a first outer spare area on the recording medium and the one of the variable sizes with which the at least one second temporary defect management area depends on a size of the entire first outer spare area.

10. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein in the step of allocating, the recording medium has at least two recording layers, a first recording layer which includes a first inner spare area, an entire area of which is used to replace a defective area and a first outer spare area having a variably allocated size, and a second recording layer which includes a second inner spare area and a second outer spare area.

11. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a write-once blu-ray disc (BD-WO).

12. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein in the step of recording, said defect management information includes at least one temporary defect list (TDFL) and at least one temporary disc definition structure (TDDS).

13. The method of managing of claim 12, wherein the size of the at least one temporary disc definition structure is fixed, and the size of the at least one temporary defect list is variable.

14. The method of managing of claim 12, wherein the at least one temporary defect list and the at least one temporary disc definition structure are separated.

15. The method of managing of claim 12, wherein the at least one temporary defect list and the at least one temporary disc definition structure are integrated.

16. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein in the step of recording, the at least one first temporary defect management area is used prior to using the at least one second temporary defect management areas.

17. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein the at least one second temporary defect management area is accessed first at an initial time of loading the recording medium.

18. The method of managing of claim 1, further comprising:

recording defect management information on a permanent defect management area of the recording medium when the recording medium is to be finalized.

19. The method of managing of claim 1, further comprising:

recording defect management information in a permanent management area of the recording medium when a spare area of the recording medium is full.

20. An apparatus for managing defects on a recording medium, the apparatus comprising:

a pickup configured to record data on the recording medium;

a servo unit configured to control the pickup to maintain a distance from the recording medium and to track a pertinent track on the recording medium;

a data processor configured to process and provide input data to the pickup;

an interface configured to exchange data with an external device;

a memory configured to store information associated with the recording medium; and

a microcomputer, operatively coupled to the pickup, the servo unit, the data processor, the interface and the memory, and configured to allocate at least one first temporary defect management area with a fixed size and at least one second temporary defect management area with one of variable sizes to the recording medium, respectively, and to control the pickup to record defect management information on one of the at least one first temporary defect management area and the at least one second temporary defect management area,

wherein the at least one first temporary defect management area and the at least one second temporary defect management areas are used in sequential order to record therein the defect management information.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the microcomputer is further configured to control the pickup to record defect management information in the at least one first temporary defect management area prior to recording in the at least one second temporary defect management areas.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the microcomputer is further configured to control the pickup to record at least one temporary defect list (TDFL) and at least one temporary disc definition structure (TDDS) as defect management information.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the size of the at least one temporary disc definition structure is fixed, and the size of the at least one temporary defect list is variable.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the microcomputer is further configured to control the pickup to record the at least one temporary defect list and the at least one temporary disc definition structure in a separate cluster, respectively.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the microcomputer is further configured to control the pickup to record the at least one temporary defect list and the at least one temporary disc definition structure in a same cluster.

26. An optical recording medium having at least one recording layer, the optical recording medium comprising

at least one first temporary defect management area allocated with a fixed size and at least one second temporary defect management area allocated with one of variable sizes, wherein defect management information is recorded on one of the at least one first temporary defect management area and the at least one second temporary defect management area, and wherein the at least one first temporary defect management area and the at least one second temporary defect management area are used in sequential order to record therein the defect management information.

27. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein the recording medium comprises at least two recording layers, including:

a first recording layer, which includes the first temporary defect management area and the second temporary defect management area; and

a second recording layer which includes the first temporary defect management area and at least two second temporary defect management areas.

28. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein the at least one first temporary defect management area is located in at least one of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of the recording medium.

29. The optical recording medium of claim 28, wherein the at least one second temporary defect management area is located in at least one spare area of the recording medium.

30. The optical recording medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one spare area includes an inner spare area and an outer spare area on the recording medium.

31. The optical recording medium of claim 26, further comprising:

at least one inner spare area, a portion of which is used to replace a defective area; and

at least one outer spare area, a portion of which is used to replace a defective area, wherein a portion of the at least one outer or inner spare area is used as a temporary defect management area to manage defect management information.

32. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein the at least one second temporary defect management area is located in a first outer spare area on the recording medium and the one of variable sizes with which the at least one second temporary defect management area is allocated depends on a size of the entire first outer spare area.

33. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein said recording medium has at least two recording layers, said at least two recording layers comprising:

a first recording layer which includes a first inner spare area, an entire area of which is used to replace a defective area and a first outer spare area having a variably allocated size; and

a second recording layer which includes a second inner spare area and a second outer spare area.

34. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein the recording medium is a write-once blu-ray disc (BD-WO).

35. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein said defect management information includes at least one temporary defect list (TDFL) and at least one temporary disc definition structure (TDDS).

36. The optical recording medium of claim 35, wherein the size of the at least one temporary disc definition structure is fixed, and the size of the at least one temporary defect list is variable.

37. The optical recording medium of claim 35, wherein the at least one temporary defect list and the at least one temporary disc definition structure are separated.

38. The computer optical recording medium of claim 35, wherein the at least one temporary defect list and the at least one temporary disc definition structure are integrated.

39. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein the at least one first temporary defect management area is used prior to using the at least one second temporary defect management areas.

40. The optical recording medium of claim 26, wherein the at least one second temporary defect management area is accessed first at an initial time of loading the optical recording medium.

41. The optical recording medium of claim 26, further comprising:

a permanent management area to record therein defect management information when the recording medium is to be finalized.

42. The optical recording medium of claim 26, further comprising:

a permanent management area to record therein defect management information when a spare area of the recording medium is full.

43. A method of reproducing management information managing defects on a write-once optical recording medium having at least one recording layer, the method comprising the steps of:

reproducing, from one of first and second temporary defect management areas of the optical recording medium, defect management information before the optical recording medium is finalized, the first temporary defect management area allocated with a fixed size and the second temporary defect management area allocated with one of variable sizes; and

reproducing, from a permanent defect management area of the optical recording medium, a last defect management information after the optical recording medium is finalized, the last defect management information reflecting a status of the optical recording medium at a moment when the optical recording medium is finalized.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein before the optical recording medium is finalized, the defect management information is reproduced from the first temporary defect management area allocated in at least one of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of the optical recording medium.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein before the optical recording medium is finalized, the defect management information is reproduced from the second temporary defect management area allocated in a spare area allocated in a data area of the optical recording medium.

46. An apparatus for reproducing management information managing defects on a write-once optical recording medium having at least one recording layer, the apparatus comprising:

a pickup configured to write/read data to/from the optical recording medium;

a servo unit configured to control the pickup to maintain a distance from the optical recording medium and track a pertinent track on the recoding medium;

a data processor configured to process and provide input data to the pickup;

an interface configured to exchange data with an external device;

a memory configured to store information associated with the optical recording medium; and

a microcomputer operatively coupled to the pickup, the servo unit, the data processor, the interface and the memory, and configured to reproduce, from one of first and second temporary defect management areas of the optical recording medium, defect management information before the optical recording medium is finalized, the first temporary defect management area allocated with a fixed size and the second temporary defect management area allocated with one of variable sizes, and to reproduce, from a permanent defect management area of the optical recording medium, a last defect management information after the optical recording medium is finalized, the last defect management information reflecting a status of the optical recording medium at a moment when the optical recording medium is finalized.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein before the optical recording medium is finalized, the microcomputer is further configured to reproduce the defect management information from the first temporary defect management area allocated in at least one of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of the optical recording medium.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein before the optical recording medium is finalized, the microcomputer is further configured to reproduce the defect management information from the second temporary defect management area allocated in a spare area allocated in a data area of the optical recording medium.