The present invention relates in general to a disc drive apparatus for reading information from an optical storage disc; hereinafter, such disc drive apparatus will also be indicated as “optical disc drive”.
As is commonly known, an optical storage disc comprises at least one track, either in the form of a continuous spiral or in the form of multiple concentric circles, of storage space where information may be stored in the form of a data pattern that consists of physical marks and the absence of those marks for both bit-types in the case of binary modulation. Optical discs may be read-only type, where information is recorded during manufacturing, which information can only be read by a user. The optical storage disc may also be a writable type, where information may also be stored by a user. For writing information in the storage space of the optical storage disc, or for reading information from the disc, an optical disc drive comprises, on the one hand, rotating means for receiving and rotating an optical disc, and on the other hand optical means for generating an optical beam, typically a laser beam, and for scanning the storage track with said laser beam. Since the technology of optical discs in general, the way in which information can be stored in an optical disc, and the way in which optical data can be read from an optical disc, is commonly known, it is not necessary here to describe this technology in more detail.
A data pattern representing the information stored on the optical disc is typically a pattern of oblong pits, the pits being arranged successively, defining a track. This track results from the sequential writing mechanism when writing an optical disc. The pit-marks and the non-marks consist of an integer multiple of a basic length which is called the channel bit-length T. In conventional optical storage, the information is encoded in the lengths of successive marks and non-marks measured in units of T. This is the well-known domain of runlength-limited coding (RLL) with the EFM code for CD and the EFMPlus code for DVD.
Conventionally, information was coded by setting the length of the pits and/or the distance between adjacent pits. As a consequence, the location of pits would vary depending on the information content. In a more recent development, pits are arranged at fixed locations, and information is coded by setting the positions of the front edge and rear edge with respect to a fixed nominal centre of the corresponding pit. Such coding system is indicated as Single Carrier Independent Pit Edge Recording (SCIPER). A more elaborate description of this system is given in U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,973.
For optically scanning the rotating disc, an optical disc drive comprises a light beam generator device (typically a laser diode), an objective lens for focussing the light beam in a focal spot on the disc, and an optical detector for receiving the light reflected from the disc and for generating an electrical detector output signal. The intensity of the reflected light as received by the detector depends on the interference of the incident light by the pit-structures on the disc; such interference can for instance be destructive so that less light is being reflected leading to a smaller detected signal on the photo-detector; thus, intensity variations of the reflected light, translated into electrical signal intensity variations by the optical detector, correspond to pit edge positions and hence to the information recorded on the disc.
As mentioned in said publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,973 (see for instance
In the system described in said publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,973, the pits are arranged according to a rectangular layout, i.e. pits of adjacent tracks are arranged next to each other. In an even more recent development, a pit layout has been proposed where the pits are arranged according to a hexagonal pattern, i.e. a pit of one track is arranged in between two pits of the adjacent track (see, for instance, F. Yokogawa, INSIC Optical Storage Roadmap, Signal Processing and Gray-Scale Section Report, January 2003). Such system is indicated as 2D-SCIPER.
Each pit 10, 20 has width PW, measured perpendicularly to the corresponding track centre line 13, 23. In the proposed configuration, the pit width PW is in the range of approximately 80-100 nm (for the physical parameters related to Blu-ray Disc).
The central points of successive pits 10 of one track 11 are displaced with respect to the central points of successive pits 20 of the adjacent track 21, such that a radial projection of a central point of a pit 10 onto the adjacent track 21 corresponds to a position substantially exactly halfway between the two central points of two successive pits 20 of said adjacent track 21. Thus, the central points of the pits 10, 20 together define a hexagonal lattice.
The distance between the central points of successive pits 10, 20 of one track 11, 21, i.e. measured in the tangential direction or track direction, is indicated as pit pitch PP. In the proposed configuration, the pit pitch PP is approximately 237 nm. In order to take into account that consecutive tracks do not have the same length (the length difference being 2π-TP), the pit pitch PP is slightly increased from one track to the next in order to maintain the hexagonal arrangement. When the pit pitch is increased to such extent that the track can contain one or more additional pits at the original pit pitch, a new “zone” in the format can be initiated, hereby maintaining the local density also at larger radii of the disc. Thus, the disc contains a plurality of radial zones, the number of pits in each track differing from zone to zone.
Each pit has a first edge 14 and a second edge 15, as illustrated for pit 10a. The distance between the first edge 14 and the corresponding centre point 12 of the corresponding pit 10a is indicated as front distance DF, while the distance between the second edge 15 and the corresponding centre point 12 of the corresponding pit 10a is indicated as rear distance DR. For each edge 14, 15, there are three possible edge positions, so that the front distance DF can take three predefined values; the same applies to the rear distance DR. Particularly, in the proposed configuration, the front distance DF can take the values 44.5 nm, 59.5 nm, 74.5 nm; the same applies to the rear distance DR. Thus, each pit edge 14, 15 defines a coded ternary symbol, i.e. a symbol which can take three values, which will hereinafter be indicated as 0, 1, 2.
The tracks 11, 21 are scanned with an optical beam having a wavelength of about 405 nm (like in the BD system), the beam being focussed to a substantially circular spot 40 having a spot diameter SD. The scan direction is indicated by arrow V in
An advantage of such coding scheme is that very high data densities are possible. However, a difficulty arises in the process of decoding the read signal received from the optical detector. Since the optical spot covers four symbols simultaneously, while each symbol can take three values, there are 81 possibilities of combination. For the amount of light reflected from the optical spot 40, it makes a difference whether, for instance, symbol S1=2 while all other symbols are zero, or, for instance, symbol S3=2 while all other symbols are zero, or whether S1=S2=1 and S3=S4=0, or whether S3=S4=1 and S1=S2=0. More particularly, when scanning such four-symbol configuration, there are 81 possibilities for the output signal to be expected, as illustrated by
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for reading 2D-SCIPER coded information which reduces the chances on decoding errors.
More particularly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for reading 2D-SCIPER coded information such that the eye-pattern of possible read signals shows improved, clearly distinguishable levels.
According to an important aspect of the present invention, the centre of the optical spot is radially offset with respect to a position exactly halfway two adjacent tracks. In a preferred embodiment, two optical spots are used, one being offset on one direction, the other being offset in the opposite direction, the magnitude of both offsets preferably being substantially equal.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained by the following description with reference to the drawings, in which same reference numerals indicate same or similar parts, and in which:
For rotating the disc 2, the disc drive apparatus 1 comprises a motor 4 fixed to a frame (not shown for sake of simplicity), defining a rotation axis 5. For receiving and holding the disc 2, the disc drive apparatus 1 may comprise a turntable or clamping hub 6, which in the case of a spindle motor 4 is mounted on the spindle axle 7 of the motor 4.
The disc drive apparatus 1 further comprises an optical system 30 for scanning tracks of the disc 2 with an optical beam. The optical system 30 comprises a light beam generating means 31, typically a laser such as a laser diode, arranged to generate a light beam 32. In the following, different sections of the optical path of light beam 32 will be indicated by a character a, b, c, etc added to the reference numeral 32.
The light beam 32 passes a beam splitter 33, a collimator lens 37 and an objective lens 34 to reach (beam 32b) the disc 2. The objective lens 34 is designed to focus the light beam 32b in a focal spot F on an information layer (not shown for sake of simplicity) of the disc 2. The light beam 32b reflects from the disc 2 (reflected light beam 32c) and passes the objective lens 34, the collimator lens 37 and the beam splitter 33 (beam 32d) to reach an optical detector 35.
During operation, the light beam should remain focussed and should follow the tracks. To this end, the objective lens 34 is arranged displaceable in axial and radial directions, and the optical disc drive apparatus 1 comprises an actuator system 52 arranged for displacing the objective lens 34 with respect to the disc 2. Since actuator systems are known per se, while further the design and operation of such actuator system is no subject of the present invention, it is not necessary here to discuss the design and operation of such actuator system in great detail.
It is noted that means for supporting the objective lens with respect to an apparatus frame, and means for displacing the objective lens, are generally known per se. Since the design and operation of such supporting and displacing means are no subject of the present invention, it is not necessary here to discuss their design and operation in great detail.
The disc drive apparatus 1 further comprises a signal processing circuit 90 having a read signal input 91 for receiving a read signal SR from the optical detector system 35. The signal processing circuit 90 is designed to process the read signal SR in order to derive a data signal SD and to provide this data signal SD at a data output 92. The signal processing circuit 90 is further designed to process the read signal SR in order to generate control signals SC for the actuator system 52, and to provide these control signals SC at a control output 94.
It is noted that
Again, it is noted that
In principle, it is possible to implement the present invention with only one optical spot. Then, reading the combination of two tracks 11 and 21 will involve two scan revolutions, one revolution with the optical spot being offset in a direction towards the first track 11, and the second revolution with the optical spot being offset in the opposite direction. For correctly decoding the information recorded in the pits of both tracks, the readout signal of the first revolution should be buffered in a track memory, and should be re-read from this track memory during the second revolution for suitable combination with the readout signal of the second revolution: the signal of the first and second scans are properly multiplexed so that decoding and signal processing can produce the symbol values. Or, the readout signal of both revolutions should be stored for later processing.
Preferably, however, the present invention is implemented with two optical spots, one optical spot being offset in a direction towards the first track 11, and the second optical spot being offset in the opposite direction, as schematically illustrated in
In
In
In the case of “normal” 2D-SCIPER with only one optical spot, the sampling phases 61(i) and 62(i) are scanned intermittently. When the optical spot has reached a first sampling phase 61(i), the optical read signal SR contains information from four symbols which are located in an orientation roughly defining a triangle with its top directed towards the first track 11, as illustrated at A. When the optical spot has reached a second sampling phase 62(i), the optical read signal SR contains information from four symbols which are located in an orientation roughly defining a triangle with its top directed towards the second track 21, as illustrated at B.
In the prior art, where the sampling phases are scanned by only one optical spot, the optical read signals SR are obtained by one optical detector 35 in the order 61(1), 62(1), 61(2), 62(2), 61(3), 62(3), etc. In the present invention, the first sampling phases 61(i) are scanned by the second optical spot F2, while the second sampling phases 62(i) are scanned by the first optical spot F1. In order to be able to clearly distinguish optical read signals SR1 obtained by the first optical spot F1 from optical read signals SR2 obtained by the second optical spot F2, the optical system 30 preferably comprises two independent optical detectors 135 and 235, wherein the first optical detector 135 receives the light reflected from the first optical spot F1, and wherein the second optical detector 235 receives the light reflected from the second optical spot F2, as illustrated in
In view of the tangential distance between the two optical spots F1 and F2, the timing relationship between the readout signals regarding the two sampling phases is shifted. In the illustrated example, the second optical spot F2 is ahead of the first optical spot F1, hence first optical read signals SR1 obtained by the first optical spot F1 lag with respect to the second optical read signals SR2 obtained by the second optical spot F2. In order to eliminate this timing difference, the second optical read signals SR2 may be delayed in a buffer or delay 236 before being processed in a signal processor circuit 190, as illustrated in
It should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments discussed above, but that several variations and modifications are possible within the protective scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.
In the above, the present invention has been explained with reference to block diagrams, which illustrate functional blocks of the device according to the present invention. It is to be understood that one or more of these functional blocks may be implemented in hardware, where the function of such functional block is performed by individual hardware components, but it is also possible that one or more of these functional blocks are implemented in software, so that the function of such functional block is performed by one or more program lines of a computer program or a programmable device such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, etc.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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03104080.1 | Nov 2003 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IB04/52272 | 11/3/2004 | WO | 5/2/2006 |