JP2003030852A - Information recording carrier, information recording method, information reproducing method, information recorder, and information reproducer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information recording medium and information recording and reproducing device which secure the reliability by recording information without degrading S/N and preventing erroneous detection caused by defects, and an information recording/reproducing method. SOLUTION: Main data is recorded on an information recording carrier by pits or marks arranged in the tracking direction, and the pits or marks include pits or marks which change to a specific shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking direction, and a plurality of kinds of pits and marks different by length exist as the pits or marks having the specific shape, and different kinds of secondary data are multiply recorded by the kinds of pits or marks.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to recording and reproducing information by using optical means, and more particularly, recording subsidiary data including security on a record carrier together with main data such as user data. Method and apparatus,
And a method and device for reproducing information from the record carrier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of the information industry in recent years, there is a demand for optical record carriers not only to have a large capacity but also to eliminate illegal copy versions. For example, user data is recorded as the main data on an optical disc, but this data may be easily duplicated. Therefore, in order to confirm that the optical disc is not an illegal copy version, a method of recording secondary data on a record carrier and detecting and confirming it by a reproducing device based on a radial push-pull signal is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2001. No. 28128 is proposed. Since the secondary data is recorded for the purpose of preventing duplication, it is often recorded in a non-conspicuous form. However, recording does not affect the reproduction of the main data and is required to have high reliability.

[0003]

However, the present inventor has found that the method of the above publication does not provide sufficient security control. For example, when security is applied according to the content of the main data, a plurality of types of subsidiary data different for each content are required, but the above publication does not disclose this point. Further, since the optical record carrier may not always read the secondary data due to noise or malfunction, it is necessary to improve reliability in preparation for such a situation. Further, it is not preferable to use the radial push-pull signal because it causes deterioration of the S / N ratio.

[0004]

Therefore, according to the present invention, S /
It is an exemplary object to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus and a method that ensure reliability by recording without deteriorating the N ratio and preventing erroneous detection due to defects.

In order to achieve the above object, an information record carrier according to one aspect of the present invention is an information record carrier in which main data is recorded by pits or marks aligned in the tracking direction, and the pits or marks are , The shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking direction includes a pit or mark whose shape is changed to a specific shape, and the pit or mark having the specific shape has a plurality of types having different lengths. It is characterized in that different types of subsidiary data are recorded in multiplex. According to such an information recording carrier, since the subsidiary data is recorded in multiple for each kind of pits or marks of different kinds having different lengths,
Upon reproduction, a plurality of types of subsidiary data can be obtained for each length of the pit or mark. For example, if a plurality of contents are recorded as the main data on the information record carrier, the subsidiary data corresponding to the contents will be recorded in pits or marks having different lengths depending on the type. Then, the subsidiary data corresponding to the content can be obtained by detecting a pit or mark having a length of one of a plurality of types. As described above, according to the information record carrier of the present invention, it is possible to make the subsidiary data multi-channel, and the present invention is not limited to such an example, and it is possible to give a wide range of usage methods of the subsidiary data. . In addition, secondary data is recorded in multiple pits or marks whose shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking method is changed to a specific shape, and secondary data can be detected by obtaining a tangential push-pull signal. Yes, S / N in such detection
It does not cause deterioration of the ratio.

Further, as another aspect of the present invention, an information recording method is a method of recording subsidiary data different from the main data on the information recording carrier on which the main data is recorded by pits or marks aligned in the tracking direction. And a step of allocating the pits or marks to a plurality of types of the secondary data, wherein the allocated pits or marks have a specific shape in a direction orthogonal to the tracking direction of the information record carrier. The step of changing the shape and assigning the pits or marks having different lengths to the subsidiary data of different types; and recording the multiple types of the subsidiary data in multiplex. Characterize. According to this information recording method, since the shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking direction is changed to a specific shape and different types of subsidiary data are assigned to pits or marks of different lengths, the subsidiary data is recorded. It is possible to record a plurality of types of subsidiary data on one information record carrier. Incidentally, such a recording method is a method of recording subsidiary data on the above-mentioned information record carrier, and has the same operation as the above-mentioned information record carrier.

In this information recording method, the recording step records the subsidiary data by using a clock corresponding to the length, thereby recording a plurality of subsidiary data according to a plurality of lengths. Is possible. Further, the recording step records the subsidiary data for each of the predetermined unit sections by redundantly arranging only a plurality of the pits or marks of the specific type in the predetermined unit section. Since the information record carrier recorded by such a recording method has a plurality of pits or marks of a specific type redundantly arranged in a predetermined unit section, for example, a pit or mark of a specific type detected during reproduction is used. It is possible to improve the reliability of the subsidiary information of the information record carrier by applying the majority logic to the. Further, the recording step includes a step of changing the exposure power of the exposure light for forming the pit or mark, whereby the shape of the pit or mark can be changed in a direction orthogonal to the tracking direction.

An information reproducing method as another aspect of the present invention is an information record carrier in which main data is recorded by pits or marks aligned in the tracking direction, and the pits or marks are the main data. A pit or mark in which secondary data different from that is recorded and the shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking direction is changed to a specific shape, and the pit or mark of the specific shape has a plurality of different lengths. A method of reproducing the subsidiary data from an information record carrier in which there are types, and different types of the subsidiary data that are different for each type are recorded in a multiplexed manner, wherein the pits or marks having the specific shape are reproduced. And a step of comparing the length of the pit or mark of the specific shape extracted by the extracting step with a desired length Characterized by a step of reproducing the sub data recorded in pits or marks of the specific shape of the desired length by the comparison step. According to such an information reproducing method, an information record carrier in which a plurality of types of subsidiary data are multiply recorded for each of a plurality of types of pits or marks having a specific shape and different lengths, Secondary data can be reproduced from a pit or mark having a specific shape having a certain height. Such a reproducing method is suitable for reproducing the subsidiary information recorded by the above-described information recording carrier or the information recording method, and has the same operation as the information recording carrier or the information recording method.

In the information reproducing method, the specific shape is changed in a direction orthogonal to the tracking direction with respect to the pit or mark in which the subsidiary data is not recorded, and the extracting step includes the pit. Alternatively, the tangential push-pull signal of the mark can be used to extract the pit or mark having the specific shape. Since such a reproducing method does not use the radial push-pull signal, it does not deteriorate the S / N ratio. Further, in the reproducing step, the subsidiary data can be reproduced using a clock corresponding to the length. The subsidiary data is recorded for each of the predetermined unit sections by redundantly arranging a plurality of the pits or marks of the specific type in a predetermined unit section, and the reproducing step is performed for each of the plurality of units. It is considered that the subsidiary data is recorded in the predetermined unit section when the predetermined value is smaller than the predetermined number. According to such an information reproducing method, by considering that the pit or mark of a specific type is recorded in a predetermined unit section or more by a predetermined value or more, it is considered that the subsidiary data is recorded, and thus the influence of a defect or an erroneous detection is eliminated. Secondary data can be reproduced with high reliability.

In the information reproducing method, the step of authenticating the subsidiary data reproduced in the reproducing step, and the step of inhibiting reproduction of the record carrier when the authenticating step does not authenticate the subsidiary data And further. According to such an information reproducing method, it is possible to reproduce only the original product by authenticating the secondary data, and it is possible to prohibit reproducing the duplicate product. The main data includes a plurality of contents, the plurality of types of the subsidiary data correspond to respective contents of the main data, and the information reproducing method authenticates the subsidiary data reproduced in the reproducing step. The step of permitting reproduction of the content of the main data corresponding to the subsidiary data authenticated by the authentication step, and the content of the main data corresponding to the subsidiary data not authenticated by the authentication step. And the step of inhibiting the reproduction of the.
Since this information reproducing method can reproduce a plurality of subsidiary data, it is possible to authenticate / prohibit the reproducing operation at the content level recorded on the information record carrier.

An information recording apparatus that enables any of the above information recording methods and an information reproducing apparatus that enables any of the above information reproducing methods also function as one aspect of the present invention. is there.

Further objects and other features of the present invention will become apparent in the preferred embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing of the attached drawings, members with the same reference numerals represent the same members, and duplicated description will be omitted. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 of the present invention. Information recording / reproducing apparatus 100
Is a drive device of a record carrier for recording information on a record carrier realized as an optical disc 200 described later or reproducing information from the optical disc 200. In the present embodiment, the driving device is realized as a device capable of both recording and reproduction, but the driving device of the present invention may be a device capable of independently recording or reproducing.

The information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 includes an optical head 11
0, the CPU 130, the memory 140, and the drive unit 150.
The drive control unit 160, the signal processing unit 170, and the interface unit 180 are provided, and the optical disc 200 can be freely attached and detached. As shown in FIG. 1, the above-mentioned elements are electrically connected to each other by a bus, and data can be exchanged between the elements.

The optical head 110 has a signal processing section 17 which will be described later.
A signal transmitted from 0 is recorded on the record carrier 200 and / or information is read from the record carrier 200 and a reproduction signal is transmitted to the signal processing unit 170. 2, the optical head 110 typically includes a laser light source 112 driven by a drive circuit (not shown), a recording / reproducing optical system,
And a photodetector 124. The drive circuit and the photodetector 124 (not shown) are electrically connected to the CPU 130 and the signal processing unit 170, and are configured to be able to exchange data with each other. Here, FIG. 2 shows the optical head 110 shown in FIG.
It is a schematic block diagram showing.

The laser light source 112 has, for example, a wavelength of 680.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. The laser light source 112 includes another wavelength (for example, a wavelength of 780 nm) and a laser, and it is desirable to use an optimum light source according to recording / reproduction of the optical disc 200. However, the semiconductor laser has advantages that it is suitable for the laser light source 112 because of its semi-permanent life, its beam shape being substantially circular, and its low cost.

The recording / reproducing optical system typically includes a collimator lens 114, a beam splitter 116, and a 1/4.
The wave plate 118, the condenser (objective) lens 120, and the optical system (for example, a cylindrical lens) 122 of the astigmatism method.
Have and. The recording / reproducing optical system arranges the above-described elements at predetermined positions in order to irradiate the optical disc with the laser light emitted from the laser light source 112 as a light spot and guide the reflected light from the optical disc to the photodetector 124. There is. It is needless to say that the configuration of the recording / reproducing optical system described in this embodiment is an example, and the well-known technique can be widely applied. The recording / reproducing optical system can be easily understood by those skilled in the art, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The photodetector 124 is a four-divided detector, which has the pits 202 described later on the optical disc 200,
Detect the length and shape. In this embodiment, the photodetector 124 is divided into four crosses in the tracking direction T of the pit 202. More specifically, the optical disc 20
The optical disc 2 is divided into a tracking direction T of 0 and a direction orthogonal to the tracking direction T (tangential to the tracking direction).
00 pits 202 are arranged so that they can be detected. In such a configuration, the photodetector 124 can detect the pit 202 in the tracking direction T and the direction orthogonal thereto by detecting the diffracted light generated by the pit 202 with the four detectors. The photodetector 124 is electrically connected to the bus described above, and
The electric signal corresponding to the light intensity obtained in 4 is the signal processing unit 1
The signal is output to a signal generation unit 172, which will be described later.

The CPU 130 executes the information recording / reproducing method of the present invention and controls the operation of each part of the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, the CPU 130
Does not preclude the use of any structure, such as a microprocessor, regardless of its name, that achieves such functionality.

The memory 140 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a ROM for storing system operation programs and data, a RAM for temporarily storing information read from the optical disk 200 by the head 110 and a necessary control program. Volatile memory.

The drive unit 150 includes a spindle motor that rotates the optical disk 200, a drive mechanism that drives the optical head 110, and other drive systems, and is controlled by the drive control unit 160 (for example, rotation control of the motor). The drive control unit 160 can control the drive mechanism as a tracking servo mechanism of the optical head 110 by receiving the radial push-pull signal. The drive controller 16
0 may be replaced by the CPU 130 described above,
In such a configuration, the drive controller 160 can be omitted.

The signal processing section 170 generates and processes a signal recorded on the optical disc 200 by the optical head 110 and a signal reproduced from the optical disc 200. Signal processing unit 170
Has a signal generator 172, a subsidiary information detector 174 and a signal processing circuit 176 shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, FIGS. 3 and 4 are circuit diagrams showing a part of the secondary information detection unit 174.

The signal generator 172 generates a predetermined signal from the electric signal output from the photodetector 124. The signal generator 172 includes a first difference circuit 172a and an adder circuit 1
72b and the 2nd difference circuit 172c.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first difference circuit 172a of the signal generator 172 receives an electric signal output from detectors arranged before and after the tracking direction T.
By generating a differential signal (tangential push-pull signal) as shown in the upper part of the figure, it is possible to detect the difference in shape (level) between the ends 203 and 204 of the pit 202 recorded on the optical disc 200 (pit. 20
2 indicates the pit 202a and the pit 202b together. The tangential push-pull signal generated by the first difference circuit 172a is the secondary information detection unit 17
4 is output. Here, FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the pit 202 and the signal generator 172 of the photodetector 124 and the signal detector 170 shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a tangential push-pull signal obtained by summarizing a and 202b) and a corresponding pit 202. FIG. It should be noted that in FIG. 5, the illustrated elements are exaggerated and simplified.

Further, the adder circuit 172 of the signal generator 172
In b, by generating an addition signal (pit signal) from the electric signal output from the detectors arranged symmetrically with respect to the tracking direction T, the original information of the main data can be obtained. The pit signal generated by the adder circuit 172b is the side information detecting unit 174 and the signal processing unit 17.
6 is output. Further, the second difference circuit 172c of the signal generation unit 172 generates a difference signal (radial push-pull signal) from the electric signal output from the detectors arranged symmetrically with respect to the tracking direction T, similarly to the addition circuit 172b. , The signal used for the track servo can be obtained. The generated radial push-pull signal generated by the second difference circuit 172c is output to the drive control unit 160 or the CPU 130.

Each signal generated by the signal generator 172 is converted into a signal having a predetermined output level via a comparator (not shown) and output to the element in the subsequent stage.

The side information detector 174 processes the tangential push-pull signal to obtain side information. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the subsidiary information detection unit 174 includes a (first) flip-flop, an AND circuit, a counter, a determination unit, a constant generation unit, and a (second) flip-flop. In the subsidiary information detection unit 174, the circuit shown in FIG. 3 can extract subsidiary information depending on the level difference of the pits 202. Further, the majority logic circuit shown in FIG. 4 compares the number of times the extracted subsidiary information is extracted with a predetermined level, thereby improving the reliability of the subsidiary information. It should be noted that the subsidiary information generation unit 174 will be more easily understood in the description of the operation described later.

The signal processing circuit is a well-known signal processing circuit that has a demodulation circuit, a modulation circuit, and the like, and performs recording / reproduction with respect to the optical disc 200. Incidentally, such a signal processing circuit can be applied to any technology known in the art,
Detailed description here is omitted.

The interface section 180 connects the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 to an external device such as a personal computer which is a higher-level device. Since any configuration known in the art can be applied to the CPU 130 to the drive control unit 160 and the interface unit 180, detailed structure of each unit will be omitted here.

Next, an optical disc 200 as an example of a record carrier applicable to the present invention will be described. As the record carrier, for example, a write-once type optical disc, a partial ROM type optical disc described below with reference to FIG. 6, and the like are suitable. Here, FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the optical disc 200. The partial ROM type disc to which the present invention is applicable is a data formed only with a read-only area in which pre-pits are formed, address information pits, and servo grooves, like a magneto-optical disc stipulated in the ISO standard. A disc having a recording area on the same substrate, or a ROM area for storing management information of the entire disc, such as a DVD-RAM, and a RAM, is provided on the outer periphery.
Including types that form regions.

The optical disc 200 typically has a recording area formed on a substrate. The recording area is an area that can be used by the user, and the optical disk 200 can use this area to record and / or reproduce video information, audio information, text information, software and other information (user data). Further, depending on the recording method of the optical disc 200, a groove and a land (not shown) may be provided in the recording area.

The groove is a concentric circular or spiral guide groove (recess), and the protrusion between the guide grooves is called a land. Pit 2 on the groove and / or land
A recess (not shown in FIG. 6) (mainly provided on a read-only optical disc, or provided on the groove and / or land by a write-once or rewritable type) is formed. Since the pit 202 reflects laser light differently depending on the presence or absence of the pit, it is possible to read the information by detecting the magnitude of the reflected light amount. And that information is pit 202
It is represented by the length and spacing of. The row of pits 202 formed on the substrate is called a recording track, and information is recorded along the recording track. However, pit 2
In some cases, a recordable groove and / or land 02 is expressed as a recording track. The pitch of the recording track is usually about 1.5 μm, but in recent years, the track is becoming narrower in order to increase the recording density.

In the optical disc 200 of the present invention, the pit 202 has a pit 202a in which subsidiary information is recorded and a pit 202b in which it is not recorded as shown in FIG. Further, the optical disc 200 of the present embodiment is characterized in that only a plurality of pits 202a are redundantly recorded in a predetermined unit section in the tracking direction where the pits 202 are aligned.

The pit 202b is a pit in which no secondary information is recorded and no treatment is performed, and the jitter characteristic, reproduction signal level, etc. are optimized. In addition,
It should be understood that the above-mentioned “no treatment” means that no treatment is performed as compared with the pit 202a.

As described above, the pit 202a has a plurality of types having different lengths, and different types of subsidiary information are recorded in multiplex for each type.
It is characterized in that the shape of No. 4 is larger than the shape of which no secondary information is recorded. The center portion of the pit 202a is shown as having the same width as that of the pit 202b in which no subsidiary information is recorded, but the end portions 203 and 2
Even if the width is equal to the width of 04, there is no problem in recording the secondary information. Such a pit 202a is used in a normal driving device.
It operates in the same manner as the pit 202b in which no subsidiary information is recorded. However, by performing the tangential push-pull signal detection using the photodetector 124 described above,
The differential signal shown in the upper part of FIG. 5 can be obtained. Although such a difference signal is similar to a differential signal, the level of this difference signal differs between the recorded one of the side information and the recorded one of the side information, as shown in the figure.

In such a structure, since the subsidiary data is multiplexedly recorded for each kind of pits 202a of plural kinds having different lengths, the pits 20 are reproduced at the time of reproduction.
A plurality of types of subsidiary information can be obtained for each length of 2a. For example, if a plurality of contents are recorded as the main information on the disc 200, the subsidiary information corresponding to the contents will be recorded in the pits 202a having different lengths depending on the type. Then, the subsidiary information corresponding to such content can be obtained by detecting the pit 202a having one length among a plurality of types. Thus, the optical disc 2 of the present invention
According to 00, it is possible to convert the side information into multiple channels, and the present invention is not limited to such an example, and it is possible to give a wide range of methods of using the side information. Further, the side information is multiply recorded in the pit 202a whose shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking method is changed widely, and the side information can be detected by obtaining the above tangential push-pull signal. , S / N in such detection
It does not cause deterioration of the ratio. Further, since the optical disc 200 has a plurality of pits 202a redundantly arranged in a predetermined unit section in the tracking direction in which the pits 202 are aligned, for example, a majority decision logic is applied to a specific type of pits or marks detected during reproduction. By applying the above, it is possible to enhance the reliability of the subsidiary information of the information record carrier.

Referring again to FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the recording track 230 is spirally formed around the center hole 210 in the recording area, and the recording track 230 is spirally formed on the outer peripheral side in the opposite direction to the recording track 230. Recording track 220
It consists of When the optical disc 200 rotates in the clockwise direction, the recording position of the recording track 230 (that is, the head (not shown) of the driving device 300) moves to the outer peripheral side, while the recording track 220 having a reverse spiral relationship with the recording track 230. It can be understood that moves the recording position to the inner circumference side. As described above, since the optical disc 200 has a structure in which recording is performed from the inner peripheral side to the outer side and from the outer peripheral side to the inner side, the recording areas are completely distinguished, and there is an advantage that independent address numbers can be given. In this embodiment,
The recording track 220 has a read-only area (ROM area) 22.
5, the recording track 230 is a write-once rewritable area (RAM
Region) 235.

In this embodiment, the ROM area 225 and RA
Since the two recording areas of the M area 235 are independently created and addressed, the position of the RAM area 235 is the ROM
It is fixed independently of the 225 area to stabilize the recording operation.
Further, according to the optical disc 200 of the present embodiment, the ROM area 225 is formatted by the maker and the ROM area 225 is
The structure of 35 allows the user to format so that the user cannot improperly copy the information recorded in the ROM area 225.

Recording areas having widely different structures may be allocated to the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion, respectively. Recording areas of different structures are CD-R, DVD-R, CD, CD
-It can be arbitrarily selected from the group consisting of ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD video, but is not limited to this.

Any combination of these can be mixed as an advantage of different recording areas. For example, the ROM area 2
It is also possible to perform recording in the DVD-ROM format as 25 and to perform CD-R recording as the RAM area 235. It should be noted that the format to be recorded on the outer peripheral portion is different from the format on the inner peripheral portion, so that even in the CD system and the DVD system, the format of the lead-in portion is not compatible. This is because it is necessary to set the start position in the outer peripheral portion for various formats in which the start position is specified. However, in consideration of these points, in the case of recording and ROM, mastering is executed so that the ROM area 225, RA
It is possible to create a shared disk by adding a unique address while the M area 235 is mixed.

A buffer area 240 is provided at the boundary between the RAM area 235 and the ROM area 225. The recording tracks 220 and 230 having different spiral directions are closed here. The buffer area 240 needs to be provided in a range where interference (i.e., crosstalk) of recording addresses in adjacent areas does not occur, and is set to be at least twice as large as the larger track pitch of both recording areas. Buffer area 2
It is desirable that a mirror portion 40 is an area that cannot be defined in use and that nothing is recorded. However, even if the recording tracks 220 and 230 of both recording areas cross each other, that area becomes an unusable area, but in a sense, it has a buffer area function. Therefore, buffering by a configuration other than the mirror section also functions as the buffering area 240.

Although it is possible to form the recording tracks 220 and 230 up to the front of the mirror surface by using the non-recordable area as the mirror surface, in this case, accurate positioning of the head is required. Therefore, by forming the non-recordable area by intersecting both tracks, manufacturing becomes easy.

Unlike the optical disc 200A described later, the optical disc 200 of the present embodiment has an advantage that the design drive amount of the conventional drive device can be small because the rotation direction of the spindle motor of the drive is constant.

The method of forming the ROM area 225 and the RAM area 235 by separating the recording area without reversing the rotation of the spindle motor (not shown in FIG. 1) for rotating the optical disc 200 of the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 has been described above. However, by reversing the rotation of the spindle motor depending on the recording area, the arrangement on the surface of the optical disc 200 becomes easier. That is, the recording area has spiral recording tracks extending in the same direction from the inner circumference to the outer circumference, but when recording in the outer circumference area, the recording direction is reversed from the outer circumference to the inner circumference due to the reverse rotation. That is, even with the same spiral, the same recording as that performed with the reverse spiral is performed by rotating in the opposite direction in the outer peripheral recording area.
This state is shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of an optical disc 200A which is a modified example of the optical disc 200 shown in FIG. The inner recording track 230A and the outer recording track 220A are in the same spiral direction. However, even in the case of spirals in the same direction, the recording address address must be given from the outer peripheral side in the outer peripheral recording area. Therefore, the buffer area 240 shown in FIG. 6 exists.

By reversing the rotation direction of the spindle motor as in this embodiment, the ROM area 225 can be formed on the same plane.
It is possible to easily identify the A and the RAM area 235A so as not to be mixed. In the ROM mode and the RAM mode, the operating state of the drive device 300 that drives the optical disc 200 is switched to reverse the rotation direction of the spindle motor. Since the ROM area 225A is rarely accessed at all times, the sleep mode may be entered to stop the rotation of the spindle motor to save power when there is no access. If the access to the ROM area 225A and the access to the RAM area 235A are temporally separated in this way, the address number addition to the RAM area 235A and the address number addition to the ROM area 225A can be performed independently of each other, so that the ROM alone or The compatibility with a recording / reproducing system using only RAM is improved. By reversing the spindle motor, address numbers can be added from the outer peripheral side to the outer peripheral side, and the address numbers can be increased as the inner peripheral side is advanced. This is exactly the same as the reproduction of the ROM disk recorded from the conventional inner circumference side, except that the start position and the spindle motor are the conventional ROM.
The point is that the direction of rotation is reversed. On the other hand, in the RAM area 235A, for example, a lead-in area and a data recording area are constructed from the inner peripheral portion like the recording of a CD-R. This is exactly the same as a normal CD-R, and can be applied to a conventional additional recording system such as multi-session. The recording at this time can be handled exactly the same as the case of the normal CD-R drive device.

The arrangement of the ROM area 225 and the RAM area 235 described above can be reversed. At this time, the ROM has a normal prescribed format configuration and the RAM is recorded from the outer peripheral side. . ROM area 225
The boundary between the RAM area 235 and the RAM area 235 is determined by the amount of data recorded in the ROM, and a recording area extending from the inner circumference side and a recording area extending from the outer circumference side can be used as the recording area.

In such an optical disc, the ROM area 2
The data that the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 stores in 25 includes, for example, various software (for example, document creation, game, image, sound, business, learning, utility). Further, in the ROM area 225, subsidiary information (ID information, information relating to a manufacturing plant, manufacturing date, information for controlling copy availability / non-copying, etc.) is recorded in the form described above. Further, the above-mentioned data may be stored after being encrypted, and in that case, the subsidiary information can be used as a key for canceling the encryption. At this time, the subsidiary information is recorded for each content according to the type of the length of the pit 202.

In the RAM area 235, for example, (drive)
History information is recorded. The history information is the optical disc 200.
Identifier, an identifier unique to the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 that has driven the optical disk (currently and in the past), drive date / time, first use date / time of the optical disc, reproduction time, last use date / time,
It includes the total number of different drive units. R as a part of history information (or as property information different from history information)
Data properties of the OM area 225 (identifier unique to the data, title, file type, manufacturing date and other manufacturing information, version information, data capacity, number of reproducible times, expiration date, number of reproducible drive devices) Etc) is also R
It is recorded in the OM area 225 or the RAM area 235. R
The AM area 235 can also store a result (game result, etc.) when the information in the ROM area 225 is reproduced, an upgraded version of the information, and the like. The RAM area 235 (or the ROM area 225) can also store the product advertisement information of the optical disk 200 (and / or the software stored therein) manufacturer. Needless to say, these pieces of information recorded in the RAM area 235 may also be stored together with main information by using a recording method described later as predetermined information as subsidiary information.

Next, a recording / reproducing operation using the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 of the present invention will be described. Here, the optical disc 200 driven by the information recording apparatus 100 has a RAM area 235 in the inner peripheral portion and a ROM area 225 in the outer peripheral portion described above.
Although it is realized as a disc having a disc, a disc having another form can be reproduced. Further, the shape of the pit 202 does not need to have the pit 202a containing subsidiary information, but the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100
Can detect the secondary information included in the pit 202a.

First, a reproduction command for the optical disc 200 is sent from an external device via the external interface 180 to the CPU 1
When it is input to the CPU 30, the CPU 130 controls a laser driving circuit (not shown) so that the laser light source 112 outputs a wavelength of about 680n.
The light flux of m is emitted. Such a light beam is collimator lens 1
A desired parallel light flux is produced by 14, and the condenser lens 1 passes through the polarization beam splitter 116 and the quarter-wave plate 118.
20 to a desired track (RO
The light is focused on the M area 225 or the RAM area 235).
The light beam diffracted by the pits 202 on the track or the light beam not diffracted among the collected light beams follows the path opposite to the above, and is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 116. The reflected light enters the photodetector 124 via the optical system 122. In response to this, the photodetector 124 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the intensity of the light incident on the detector to the signal processing unit 170 according to the shape and presence / absence of the pit 202 at the track position.

For example, a pit 202a as shown in FIG.
And 202b are continuously detected, the electrical signal output by the photodetector 124 is input to the signal generation unit 172 of the signal processing unit 170. And such an electrical signal is
The signal generation unit 172 realizes the signal as shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 8A exemplarily shows signals corresponding to the tangential push-pull signal and the pit signal output from the photodetector 124 (the radial push-pull signal is not shown). The output level of the signal output by the signal generation unit 172 is made constant by a comparator (not shown).
The signal having the waveform as shown in FIG. The detection threshold of the comparator (not shown) is
By setting the maximum value a (minimum value b for negative components) of the pit 202b that does not include subsidiary information or a value slightly higher than that value, subsidiary information is included as shown in FIG. 8B. Pit 202a and pit 202b that does not contain subsidiary information
Can be distinguished from. Here, FIG. 8A is a waveform diagram showing a tangential push-pull signal and a pit signal detected by the pit 202.
FIG. 8B is a waveform diagram showing the tangential push-pull signal and the pit signal in which the signal shown in FIG. 8A is output via the comparator.

The tangential push-pull signal and the pit signal output from the signal generator 172 are sent to the secondary information detector 174, the pit signal is sent to the signal processing circuit 176, and the radial push-pull signal is sent to the drive controller 160 or CP.
Each is sent to U130.

Next, the characteristic secondary information detection unit 1 of the present invention
The operation of 74 will be described in detail. Difference circuit 1 of the signal generator 172
Output signals from a comparator (not shown) via 72a are output as an output signal (A) and an output signal (B) as well shown in FIG. 8B, respectively from the (+) side and the (-) side. This is the detected signal. The output signal shown in (A) corresponds to the start position of the pit 202a, and its rising position is related to the end of the end portion 203 of the pit 202a.
The output signal shown in (B) corresponds to the end position of the pit 202a, and the falling position thereof is the end portion 204 of the pit 202a.
Related to the edge of. The subsidiary information detection unit 174 is created as a gate signal from the tangential push-pull signal (from the rising of (A) to the falling of (B)) output from the signal generating unit 172 by the circuit having the configuration shown in FIG. Then
The gate signal and the pit signal are input to the AND circuit to obtain an output. As a result, the secondary information detection unit 174 detects the pit 202a in which the secondary information is recorded from the pits 202 aligned in the tracking direction (that is, eliminates defects).

However, since such a signal (secondary information signal: OUT1 shown in FIG. 3) remains as it is, the influence of defects and the like cannot be completely removed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the majority logic is applied to improve reliability. is doing. The detected signal (OUT1) and the Mark Clock described later are input to the circuit shown in FIG. 4, and the detected signal (OUT1) and the Mark Clock are input to the counter. Here, the Mark Clock is a clock corresponding to a detection cycle (not limited to a fixed value) of the pits 202 having a desired length. As a result, of the detection signals (OUT1) input to the counter, the signal (OUT1) synchronized with the Mark Clock is accumulated by the counter and counts the number of times of detecting the pit 202a having a desired length. The cumulative value m (that is, the cumulative number of detected pits 202a) is then output to the determination unit. The determination unit compares the cumulative value m with a predetermined number n generated by the constant generation unit, and outputs a predetermined encode detection signal when n <m. That is, the judgment unit is the pit 20
When the number m of detections of 2a is less than the predetermined number n, it is assumed that the pit 202a is not detected, so that the reliability of detection of the secondary information can be improved.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-10, Ma
A method of creating rk Clock from a data string will be described. Here, FIG. 9 shows that the data string is linked to the Mark Cloc.
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram for creating k. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing the length detection unit shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 9 and FIG.
In 0, Data Clock is a clock corresponding to the pit 202 and is always generated for demodulating the main information separately from the side information.

First, in order to detect the length of the pit 202 from the pit signal using the length detection unit, the pit signal and D
The ata Clock is input to the length detection unit. The length detection unit uses Data Clock to detect the length of the pit 202 from the pit signal. More specifically, the length detector is composed of a circuit as shown in FIG. The detection pattern used by the pattern comparator shown in FIG. 10 is shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the length of the pit 202 and the output of the pattern comparator. In this figure, "1" is the situation with pit 202,
“0” indicates a situation without the pit 202. “×”
Is irrelevant and is an area to ignore in this table. For example, Pattern 10 indicates that the length of the pit 202 is “10” as the data clock length. That is, the range surrounded by "0" represents the length of the pit 202. Q0 to Q16 are flip-flop outputs connected in cascade in FIG. 12, where the input side is Q0 and the output side is Q
Become 16. The length is detected at the trailing edge "0".

Next, the selecting section selects a pit signal having the same desired length (preset, for example, 5T, 6T, etc.) among the pits 202a used for recording the subsidiary information, The Mark Clock is a signal that is output again in synchronization with the Data Clock.

As a result, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to reproduce the subsidiary information of only the pit 202a having a desired length, and only one subsidiary information can be taken out from a plurality of kinds of subsidiary information. . In the circuit of FIG. 11, only the specific pit 202 may be selectively set as the MarkClock. Therefore, by suggesting that multiple secondary information can be recorded by selecting multiple lengths,
Multiple recording channels can be provided.

Again, in FIG. 4, the judging section outputs the encode detection signal when the output m of the counter exceeds the value n set by the constant generating section. The encode signal and the Mark Clock described above are input to the flip-flop, and the Mark Clock synchronized with the encode detection signal is reset (the output is “0”). When it is not reset by the encode detection signal, "1" is output. If this processing is performed for each predetermined unit section, the subsidiary information will be represented as binary information depending on the presence / absence of "1".

Then, the main information (that is, the pit signal) obtained by the signal generator 172 and the subsidiary information detector 17
4 side information (that is, a side information signal: OU
T3) is demodulated by a demodulation circuit (not shown) of the signal processing circuit 176 and output to an external device via the external interface 180. At this time, the CPU 130 may permit reproduction only of the optical disc 200 (or content) having the predetermined subsidiary information and prohibit reproduction of the optical disc 200 (or content) having no predetermined subsidiary information. it can.

As described above, according to the reproducing method of the present invention, the pit 2
It is possible to obtain a plurality of types of subsidiary information for each length of 02a. For example, if a plurality of contents are recorded as the main data on the optical disc 200, the subsidiary information corresponding to the contents will be recorded in the pits 202 having different lengths depending on the type. And
The subsidiary information corresponding to such contents can be obtained by detecting the pit 202a having one length among a plurality of types. Further, the subsidiary information is multiply recorded in the pit 202a in which the shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking direction T is changed to a specific shape, and the subsidiary data can be detected by obtaining the tangential push-pull signal. Therefore, the S / N ratio does not deteriorate in such detection. Further, in the detection of such subsidiary information, the majority logic is adopted to improve the reliability of the subsidiary information. In the recording method of the present invention, since the main information is detected by the pit signal, it is possible to reproduce even an optical disc having no secondary information, and it is possible to increase the compatibility of the discs used.

In the recording operation, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 100 modulates the information output from the external device via the external interface 180 by the modulation circuit of the signal processing circuit 176 of the signal processing unit 170, and the RAM of the laser light source 112. It is recorded in the area 235. The well-known technique can be applied to the method of recording the main information, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

At this time, if secondary information is recorded,
The CPU 130 controls the laser shape of the laser light source 112 by a drive circuit (not shown) and records it as a pit 202a as shown in FIG. More specifically, first, the pits 202 are assigned to a plurality of types of subsidiary information. The assigned pits 202 have a wide shape change in the direction orthogonal to the tracking direction T of the optical disc 200, and different types. The pits 202 having different lengths are assigned to the subsidiary information of. Note that the length of the pit 202 is not limited when the subsidiary information is of one type.
Then, a plurality of types of subsidiary information are recorded in the allocated pits 202 in a multiplexed manner, so that the pits 202
Sub information is recorded in a.

As is clear from the above-mentioned reproducing operation, the CPU 120 controls such operation that a plurality of pits 202a are redundantly arranged in a predetermined unit section in order to clear the majority logic, and the memory 140 is controlled. Need only store this information.

According to the recording method of the present invention described above,
Secondary data can be recorded in multiples for each type of pits 202 of different types having different lengths. For example, when a plurality of contents are recorded as the main information on the optical disc 200, the subsidiary information corresponding to the contents will be recorded in the pits 202 having different lengths depending on the type. As described above, according to the information recording method of the present invention, it is possible to convert the subsidiary information into multi-channels, and the present invention is not limited to such an example, and it is possible to give a wide range of usage methods of the subsidiary information. . Further, the secondary information is the pits 20 whose shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking method T is changed widely.
It is recorded in multiplex in 2, and secondary information can be detected by obtaining the tangential push-pull signal, and in such detection, the S / N ratio is not deteriorated.

The recording method is not limited to recording on the RAM area 235 of the optical disc 200 described above. For example, master exposure of an optical disc,
It goes without saying that it is also effective for recording on a disc having another format. Further, even if the reproducing apparatus is incapable of detecting the subsidiary information, the main information regarding the disc on which the information (including the main information and the subsidiary information) is recorded by the recording method of the present invention can be reproduced. , It is possible to make the recorded disc compatible. Needless to say, the disc authenticity can be confirmed by detecting the sub information when the disc is reproduced by the reproducing device capable of detecting the sub information.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention can be variously modified and changed within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0068]

According to the information record carrier, the information recording / reproducing method, and the apparatus thereof of the present invention, the subsidiary data is recorded in multiple for each kind of plural kinds of pits or marks having different lengths. Therefore, during reproduction, it is possible to obtain a plurality of types of subsidiary data for each length of the pit or mark. As described above, according to the information record carrier of the present invention, it is possible to convert the subsidiary data into multi-channels, and it is possible to manage the security of the optical disk at the content level recorded on the optical disk. In addition, secondary data is recorded in multiple pits or marks whose shape in the direction orthogonal to the tracking method is changed to a specific shape, and secondary data can be detected by obtaining a tangential push-pull signal. Therefore, the S / N ratio does not deteriorate in such detection.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an optical head 110 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a part of a subsidiary information detection unit.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a part of a subsidiary information detection unit.

5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a signal generator and a pit of the photodetector and the signal detector shown in FIG. 1, and a diagram showing a tangential push-pull signal obtained by the pit and a pit corresponding thereto. .

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of an optical disc.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of an optical disc that is a modification of the optical disc shown in FIG.

8A is a waveform diagram showing a tangential push-pull signal and a pit signal detected by pits, and FIG. 8B is a tangential push-pull signal in which the signal shown in FIG. 8A is output through a comparator. It is a waveform diagram showing a signal and a pit signal.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram for creating a Mark Clock from a data string.

10 is a circuit diagram showing a length detection unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the output of a pit length and a pattern comparator.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Information recording / reproducing apparatus 110 optical head 124 Photodetector 130 CPU 140 memory 150 drive 160 Drive control unit 170 Signal processing unit 172 signal generator 174 Secondary information detector 176 Signal processing circuit 180 Interface part 200 optical disks 202 pits

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G11B 7/26 501 G11B 7/26 501 (72) Inventor Toshiaki Taii 1-chome, Toraaki, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka No. 88 In Hitachi Maxell Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichi Otsuka 1-88, Tora, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture F-Term (in reference) 5D029 WA17 WA21 WB11 WD30 5D090 AA01 CC01 CC04 CC14 FF09 FF24 GG32 GG38 HH02 KK03 5D121 BB26 BB38

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An information record carrier in which main data is recorded by pits or marks aligned in the tracking direction, wherein the pits or marks have a shape in a direction orthogonal to the tracking direction changed to a specific shape. The pit or mark having a specific shape includes a plurality of types having different lengths, and different types of subsidiary data are recorded in multiplex for each type. Information recording carrier. 2. A method for recording subsidiary data different from the main data on an information record carrier on which the main data is recorded by pits or marks aligned in the tracking direction, wherein a plurality of types of the subsidiary data are recorded. In the step of allocating the pits or marks, the shape of the allocated pits or marks in the direction perpendicular to the tracking direction of the information record carrier is changed to a specific shape, and different types of the secondary data And a step of recording the plurality of types of the subsidiary data in a multiplex manner. 3. The information recording method according to claim 2, wherein the recording step records the subsidiary data by using a clock corresponding to the length. 4. The recording step records the subsidiary data for each of the predetermined unit sections by redundantly disposing a plurality of the pits or marks of the specific type in the predetermined unit section. The information recording method according to item 2. 5. The information recording according to claim 2, wherein the recording step records the subsidiary data as binary information indicating whether or not the pit or mark of the specific type exists for each of the predetermined unit sections. Method. 6. The information recording method according to claim 2, wherein the recording step includes a step of changing an exposure power of exposure light for forming the pits or marks. 7. An information record carrier in which main data is recorded by pits or marks aligned in the tracking direction, wherein the pits or marks have secondary data different from the main data recorded in the tracking direction. The shape in the orthogonal direction includes a pit or mark whose shape is changed to a specific shape, and there are a plurality of types having different lengths in the pit or mark having the specific shape. A method of reproducing the subsidiary data from an information record carrier in which the next data is recorded in a multiplexed manner, comprising: extracting the pits or marks having the specific shape; and the specific shape extracted by the extracting step. Comparing the length of the pits or marks with the desired length of the And reproducing the subsidiary data recorded in pits or marks having a specific shape. 8. The shape of the specific shape is changed in a direction orthogonal to a tracking direction with respect to the pit or mark in which the subsidiary data is not recorded, and the extracting step includes a tanger of the pit or mark. 8. The information reproducing method according to claim 7, wherein a pit or mark having the specific shape is taken out by using a manual push-pull signal. 9. The information reproducing method according to claim 7, wherein the reproducing step reproduces the subsidiary data by using a clock corresponding to the length. 10. The secondary data is recorded for each of the predetermined unit sections by redundantly arranging a plurality of the pits or marks of the specific type in a predetermined unit section, and the reproducing step includes 8. The information reproducing method according to claim 7, wherein the subsidiary data is considered to be recorded in the predetermined unit section when the number of the plurality is equal to or larger than a predetermined value smaller than the predetermined number. 11. A step of authenticating the subsidiary data reproduced in the reproducing step, and wherein the authenticating step does not authenticate the subsidiary data,
The information reproducing method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of inhibiting reproduction of the record carrier. 12. The main data includes a plurality of contents, the plurality of types of the subsidiary data respectively correspond to respective contents of the main data, and the information reproducing method, the information reproduced in the reproducing step. Authenticating subsidiary data; permitting reproduction of the content of the main data corresponding to the subsidiary data authenticated by the authenticating step; and corresponding to the subsidiary data not authenticated by the authenticating step The information reproducing method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of prohibiting reproduction of the content of main data. 13. An information recording device for carrying out the method according to claim 2. 14. An information reproducing apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 7.