Write-once optical disc and method for managing spare area thereof

• US 7,944,783 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• 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): CHOW, VAN NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US12/371,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20090154316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 369/44.14, 369/53.17
• US Class Current: 369/44.14
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1883 Methods for assignment of alternate areas for defective areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2007/0013 for carriers having multiple discrete layers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1288 Formatting by padding empty spaces with dummy data, e.g. writing zeroes or random data when de-icing optical discs
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2541 Blu-ray discs; Blue laser DVR discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2579 HD-DVDs [high definition DVDs]; AODs [advanced optical discs]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/00375 arrangements for detection of physical defects, e.g. of recording layer
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/00736 Auxiliary data, e.g. lead-in, lead-out, Power Calibration Area [PCA], Burst Cutting Area [BCA], control information sector headers or adresses in prepits G11B7/00745; address data in track wobble G11B7/24082
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24038 Multiple laminated recording layers

Abstract

Disclosed is a write-once optical disc and method for managing a spare area thereof, the write-once optical disc possibly having a temporary defect management area within one or more spare areas. The method includes the steps of: allocating one or more spare areas including the temporary defect management area at an initial status of the optical disc; and during use of the optical disc, expanding the spare area allocated including the temporary defect management area to set a new spare area. By employing the above optical disc and method, it becomes possible to establish unified regulations on the structures of the spare area and temporary defect management area applicable to the write-once optical disc, so that usage efficiency of the optical disc can be improved.

Claims

1. A method for managing a recording medium including a recording layer, the recording layer having an inner area, a data area and an outer area, the data area including a user data area, the method comprising:

allocating an inner spare area in a predetermined size and an outer spare area in a non-predetermined size within a predetermined maximum size to the data area when the recording medium is initialized;

reducing the outer spare area by a first size and expanding the user data area by the first size during use of the recording medium; and

recording position information indicating an end of the expanded user data area onto the recording medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expanded user data area does not exceed the predetermined maximum size.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information is a last LSN (logical sector number) of the expanded user data area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the outer spare area is positioned at an outer periphery of the data area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first size is a multiple of a predetermined size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined size is 256 clusters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the outer spare area is reduced by changing an inner portion of the outer spare area into an outer portion of the user data area.

8. An apparatus of managing a recording medium including a recording layer, the recording layer having an inner area, a data area and an outer area, the data area including a user data area, the apparatus comprising:

a pickup configured to record/reproduce data in/from the recording medium; and

a control part configured to control the pickup to allocate an inner spare area in a predetermined size and an outer spare area in a non-predetermined size within a predetermined maximum size to the data area when the recording medium is initialized, and reduce the outer spare area by a first size and expand the user data area by the first size during use of the recording medium, and to control the pickup to record position information indicating an end of the expanded user data area onto the recording medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control part is configured to control the pickup to expand the user data area so that the expanded user data area does not exceed the predetermined maximum size.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control part is configured to generate a last LSN (logical sector number) of the expanded user data area as the position information.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control part is configured to control the pickup to allocate the outer spare area at an outer periphery of the data area.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first size is a multiple of 256 clusters.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control part is configured to control the pickup to reduce the outer spare by changing an inner portion of the outer spare area into an outer portion of the user data area.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a data processor configured to restore a reproduction signal received from the recording medium or modulate to-be-recorded signal;

a servo configured to control the pickup to accurately record the modulated signal onto the recording medium; and

a memory configured to store data temporarily.

15. A recording medium including a recording layer, the recording layer comprising:

an inner area;

an outer area;

a data area divided into an inner spare area, a user data area and an outer spare area, the inner spare area being allocated in a predetermined size when the recording medium is initialized, the outer spare area being allocated in a non-predetermined size within a predetermined maximum size when the recording medium is initialized, wherein the outer spare area is reduced by a first size and the user data area is expanded by the first size, during use of the recording medium; and

a management area for storing therein position information indication an end of the expanded user data area.

16. The recording medium of claim 15, wherein the expanded user data area does not exceed the predetermined maximum size.

17. The recording medium of claim 15, wherein the position information is a last LSN (logical sector number) of the expanded user data area.

18. The recording medium of claim 15, wherein the outer spare area is positioned at an outer periphery of the data area.

19. The recording medium of claim 15, wherein the first size is a multiple of 256 clusters.

20. The recording medium of claim 15, wherein the outer spare is reduced by changing an inner portion of the outer spare area into an outer portion of the user data area.