JP2006085754A - Driving device for laser diode - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving device capable of improving the slew rate of an optical output waveform by stabilizing the driving operation of a laser diode. <P>SOLUTION: This device is provided with a driving circuit serially connected to a laser diode to supply a current to the laser diode according to a driving signal, a DC power source for applying a DC voltage to the laser diode and the serial circuit of a driving circuit, a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of a connection point between the laser diode and the driving circuit, and a control means for changing a voltage applied to the serial circuit from the DC power source according to the voltage detected by the voltage detection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving device that drives a laser diode that irradiates an optical recording medium with a laser beam.

  As a conventional device for driving a laser diode, a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 is common. In the driving apparatus of FIG. 1, a constant voltage Vcc is applied from the fixed power source 2 to the anode of the laser diode 1, and the cathode of the laser diode 1 is connected to the collector of the driving transistor 3. The drive transistor 3 is provided in the drive IC 4. When a drive signal is supplied to the base, the collector-emitter is turned on, and a drive current flows through the laser diode 1, so that the laser diode 1 emits light. .

  In such a conventional driving device, the operating voltage Vop of the laser diode 1 increases or decreases depending on the amount of driving current flowing through the laser diode 1 and the temperature of itself. When the drive current is large, Vop increases, and when the temperature decreases, Vop increases.

  When the temperature of the laser diode 1 is increased, as shown in FIG. 2, the operating voltage Vop of the laser diode 1 is lowered. At this time, if the drive current amount is increased in order to set the optical power high, the collector of the drive transistor 3 As the voltage Vc rises and the power consumption of the drive IC 4 increases as shown in FIG. 3, the amount of heat generated by the drive IC 4 increases and the operation becomes unstable.

  On the other hand, when the temperature of the laser diode 1 is lowered, the operating voltage Vop of the laser diode 1 is increased, the collector voltage Vc of the driving transistor 3 is decreased, and when the temperature is lower than the threshold voltage, the driving transistor 3 is saturated and its operation is nonlinear. As a result, the write waveform is distorted, so that the slew rate of the optical output waveform is degraded.

  The problems to be solved by the present invention include the above-mentioned drawbacks as an example, and it is possible to provide a driving device capable of stabilizing the driving operation for the laser diode and improving the slew rate of the optical output waveform. It is an object of the present invention.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving device for driving a laser diode for irradiating an optical recording medium with a laser beam, wherein the driving device is connected in series with the laser diode and a current is supplied to the laser diode in accordance with a driving signal. A drive circuit for supplying a current, a DC power supply for applying a DC voltage to a series circuit of the laser diode and the drive circuit, a voltage detection means for detecting a voltage at a connection point between the laser diode and the drive circuit, and the voltage And control means for changing the voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply in accordance with the voltage detected by the detection means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving device for driving a laser diode for irradiating an optical recording medium with a laser beam, wherein the driving device is connected in series with the laser diode and a current is supplied to the laser diode in accordance with a driving signal. A driving circuit for supplying a current, a DC power source for applying a DC voltage to a series circuit of the laser diode and the driving circuit, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the laser diode, and a temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. And a control means for changing a voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 4 shows a laser diode driving apparatus according to the present invention, and the driving apparatus is provided as a part of a disk recording / reproducing apparatus. In this driving apparatus, a variable power source 12 and a driving IC 13 are provided to drive the laser diode 11. The variable power supply 12 outputs a DC voltage and changes its output voltage Vvar in accordance with a voltage control signal output from the drive IC 13. The output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is applied to the anode of the laser diode 11. The drive IC 13 includes a drive transistor 15 and a voltage detection control circuit 16. The collector of the drive transistor 15 as a drive circuit is connected to the cathode of the laser diode 11 and the input of the voltage detection control circuit 16. The collector voltage of the drive transistor 15 is supplied to the voltage detection control circuit 16.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the voltage detection control circuit 16 includes a sample hold circuit 21, a multi-pulse off command unit 22, a sample pulse generator 23, a subtracter 24, and an amplifier circuit 25. The sample hold circuit 21 detects the collector voltage of the drive transistor 15 according to the sample pulse supplied from the sample pulse generator 22 and holds it as a value. An NRZI signal that is a recording signal is supplied to the multi-pulse off command unit 22 and the sample pulse generator 23. The multi-pulse off command unit 22 detects a specific run length according to the NRZI signal in order to determine that the NRZI signal is a recording signal to an APC (auto power control) area as a specified section on the optical disc, A multi-pulse off command signal for commanding multi-pulse off at the specific run length is generated. The multi-pulse off command unit 22 may detect an APC area on the disk. The APC area is an area where there is no restriction on the contents to be written.

  The sample pulse generator 23 generates a sample pulse according to the NRZI signal and the multi-pulse off command signal. The subtractor 24 calculates the difference between the collector voltage value held by the sample hold circuit 21 and the target value and supplies it to the amplifier circuit 25 as a difference signal. The amplifier circuit 25 amplifies the difference signal and supplies it to the variable power supply 12 as a voltage control signal.

  In the disk recording / reproducing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 6, the pickup device 31 includes the laser diode 11 and the driving IC 13 described above. The pickup device 31 further includes a front monitor 32, a photodetector 33, and a temperature sensor 34. The front monitor 32 is provided for detecting the light emission intensity of the laser diode 11. The photodetector 33 receives reflected light from the disk and generates a read signal. The temperature sensor 34 detects the temperature of the laser diode 11.

  The recording control circuit 35 outputs the NRZI signal to the drive IC 13 of the pickup device 31. The recording control circuit 35 supplies a signal indicating the same to the APC circuit 36 and the variable power source 12 at the time of recording. The APC circuit 36 outputs an intensity control signal to the drive IC 13 according to the detected intensity by the front monitor 32 so as to obtain different emission intensity at the time of recording and at the time of reproduction.

  A regeneration processing circuit 37 is connected to the output of the photodetector 33. The reproduction processing circuit 37 demodulates the read signal from the photodetector 33 to generate a reproduction signal. The read signal from the photodetector 33 is supplied to the APC area detector 38 and the servo circuit 39. The APC area detector 38 detects that the recording or reproducing position by the pickup device, that is, the irradiation position of the laser beam is the APC area on the disc in accordance with the read signal. The servo circuit 39 generates a servo signal such as a focus error signal and a tracking error signal in accordance with the read signal and supplies it to the driver 40. The driver 40 drives various actuators (not shown) including those for focusing and tracking of the pickup device in accordance with the servo signal.

  The variable power supply 12, the recording control circuit 35, the APC circuit 36, the reproduction processing circuit 37, the APC area detector 38, and the servo circuit 39 are controlled by a CPU (central processing unit) 41. An output signal of the temperature sensor 34 is supplied to the CPU 41, and the CPU 41 controls the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 according to the temperature of the laser diode 11 detected by the temperature sensor 34.

  Next, driving voltage control of the laser diode driving device in the disk recording / reproducing apparatus having such a configuration will be described. In the drive voltage control, as shown in FIG. 7, in synchronization with the timing of the sample pulse, first, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the disk recording / reproducing apparatus is in recording (step S1). During recording, the optical disk is irradiated with a writing laser beam (including a write multipulse and an erase multipulse) emitted from the laser diode 11. When recording, the APC area detector 38 operates (step S2), and the recording control circuit 35 determines whether or not the recording position is the APC area on the disc according to the detection output of the APC area detector 38. (Step S3). As shown in FIG. 8, the optical disc has a data structure including an APC area, a synchronization area, a user data area, and a link area from the inner circumference side toward the outer circumference side. If the determination result of step S3 is the APC area, collector voltage detection is performed by the voltage detection control circuit 16 (step S4). That is, the multi-pulse off command unit 22 generates a write multi-pass off command, and the sample pulse is supplied from the sample pulse generator 23 to the sample hold circuit 21 in response to the write multi-pass off command. The circuit 21 reads and holds the value of the collector voltage of the driving transistor 15 according to the sample pulse. The difference between the held collector voltage value and the target value at the time of recording is calculated by the subtractor 24, and the difference is amplified by the amplifier circuit 25 and supplied to the variable power source 12 as a voltage control signal (step S5).

  If the determination result in step S3 is outside the APC area, the recording control circuit 35 causes the variable power source 12 to maintain the current output voltage Vvar (step S6).

  On the other hand, if it is not at the time of recording in step S1, it is at the time of reproduction in which the reading laser beam emitted from the laser diode 11 is irradiated onto the optical disk. At the time of reproduction, since the sample pulse is supplied from the sample pulse generator 23 to the sample hold circuit 21, the sample hold circuit 21 reads and holds the value of the collector voltage of the driving transistor 15 according to the sample pulse (step). S7). The difference between the held collector voltage value and the target value at the time of reproduction is calculated by the subtractor 24, and the difference is amplified by the amplifier circuit 25 and supplied to the variable power source 12 as a voltage control signal (step S8).

  With this driving operation, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is controlled so that the difference between the hold voltage of the sample hold circuit 21 and the target value is reduced. If the holding voltage is low, the collector voltage Vc decreases and there is a danger of saturation. In this case, since the voltage of the voltage control signal becomes high, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 becomes high and operates as negative feedback control so as to prevent the collector voltage Vc from decreasing. Therefore, since the collector voltage Vc is maintained at an appropriate value, saturation of the transistor is prevented, and as a result, deterioration of the slew rate of the optical output can be prevented.

  On the other hand, if the holding voltage is higher than the target value, the collector voltage Vc rises more than necessary and there is a risk of heat generation of the drive transistor 15 due to an increase in power consumption. In this case, since the voltage of the voltage control signal is lowered, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is lowered, and the negative feedback control is performed so as to prevent the collector voltage Vc from increasing. Therefore, the collector voltage Vc is maintained at an appropriate value, and an increase in power consumption of the drive transistor 15 can be prevented. As a result, malfunction due to heat generation of the drive transistor 15 can be prevented.

  9 to 11 show the relationship between the optical power of the laser beam, the write multi-pulse off command, and the sample pulse by the driving device. FIG. 9 shows a case where the write (write) multi-pulse is stopped in response to the multi-pulse off command signal in the APC area during recording. The erase multi-pulse is also stopped and held at its peak value. At that time, the optical power is held at the peak value of the write multi-pulse, and at that time, a sample pulse is generated and the collector voltage of the drive transistor 15 is detected. FIG. 10 shows a case where the write multi-pulse is stopped in response to the multi-pulse off command signal in the APC area during recording and the erase (erase) power is set to the write peak value. A sample pulse is generated when the write peak value is reached, and the collector voltage of the drive transistor 15 is detected. FIG. 11 shows the case where the erase multi-pulse is stopped in the APC area during recording, the optical power is set to the erase peak value, and the sample pulse is generated when the erase peak value is reached. FIG. 12 shows a case where no erase multi-pulse is generated during recording. In this case, a sample pulse is generated when the optical power is at the erase peak value regardless of the APC area. In the case of FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the voltage detection control circuit 16 holds the collector voltage value at the erase power according to the sample pulse, estimates the collector voltage value at the write power, and controls the voltage as the detection voltage. Generate a signal.

  FIG. 13 shows another circuit example of the voltage detection control circuit 16. The voltage detection control circuit 16 in FIG. 13 includes a bottom hold circuit 26, a subtractor 27, and an amplifier circuit 28.

  When the light multipulse emits the peak optical power, the maximum current flows through the laser diode 11, the operating voltage Vop of the driving transistor 15 becomes maximum, and the collector voltage Vc of the driving transistor 15 becomes minimum. This minimum voltage, that is, the bottom voltage is held by the bottom hold circuit 26. The holding voltage is compared with the target value by the subtractor 27, and the difference between the holding voltage and the target value is output as a signal from the subtractor 27. The difference is amplified by the amplifier circuit 28 and supplied to the variable power supply 12 as a voltage control signal. As a result, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power supply 12 is controlled so that the difference between the holding voltage and the target value is reduced. If the holding voltage is low, the collector voltage Vc decreases and there is a danger of saturation. In this case, since the voltage of the voltage control signal becomes high, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 becomes high and operates as negative feedback control so as to prevent the collector voltage Vc from decreasing. Therefore, since the collector voltage Vc is maintained at an appropriate value, saturation of the transistor is prevented, and as a result, deterioration of the slew rate of the optical output can be prevented.

  On the other hand, if the holding voltage is higher than the target value, the collector voltage Vc rises more than necessary and there is a risk of heat generation of the drive transistor 15 due to an increase in power consumption. In this case, since the voltage of the voltage control signal is lowered, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is lowered, and the negative feedback control is performed so as to prevent the collector voltage Vc from increasing. Therefore, the collector voltage Vc is maintained at an appropriate value, and an increase in power consumption of the drive transistor 15 can be prevented. As a result, malfunction due to heat generation of the drive transistor 15 can be prevented.

  FIG. 14 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the laser diode driving apparatus of FIG. 14, the driving IC 13 is a PNP type as the driving transistor 15. Therefore, a variable power supply 12 and a driving IC 13 are provided to drive the laser diode 11. The output voltage Vvar of the variable power supply 12 is applied to the emitter of the drive transistor 15. The collector of the drive transistor 15 is connected to the anode of the laser diode 11 and the input of the voltage detection control circuit 16. The collector voltage of the drive transistor 15 is supplied to the voltage detection control circuit 16. The cathode of the laser diode 11 is directly grounded.

  Even when the laser diode driving apparatus of FIG. 14 is applied to a disk recording / reproducing apparatus, it operates in the same manner as the laser diode driving apparatus of FIG. 4 described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, since the operating voltage of the laser diode increases or decreases depending on the temperature of the laser diode, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 may be controlled according to the output of the temperature sensor 34. When this control is performed, the operating voltage of the collector voltage Vc of the driving transistor 16 can be maintained even if there is a temperature change. Specifically, as shown in the characteristic shown in FIG. 15, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power supply is lowered as the temperature of the laser diode rises.

  In the drive voltage control corresponding to the temperature change of the laser diode, as shown in FIG. 16, first, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the disk recording / reproducing apparatus is in recording (step S11). When recording, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the laser diode 11 is low (for example, 5 degrees or less) according to the output of the temperature sensor 34 (step S12). If the temperature is low, the CPU 41 sets the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 to the first predetermined voltage V1 (for example, 9V) (step S13). If the temperature is not low, the CPU 41 causes the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 to be set to a second predetermined voltage V2 (for example, 8V) lower than the first predetermined voltage V1 (step S14).

  On the other hand, if it is not at the time of recording, that is, at the time of reproduction by the determination in step S11, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the laser diode 11 is low according to the output of the temperature sensor 34 (step S15). . If the temperature is low, the CPU 41 sets the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 to a third predetermined voltage V3 (for example, 7V) lower than the second predetermined voltage V2 (step S16). If the temperature is not low, the CPU 41 causes the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 to be set to a fourth predetermined voltage V4 (for example, 6V) lower than the third predetermined voltage V3 (step S17).

  In such drive voltage control, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is controlled according to the temperature of the laser diode 11 during recording and during reproduction. At the time of recording, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is set higher than that at the time of reproduction, so that the optimum optical power for recording can be obtained. In addition, power consumption of the driving transistor can be suppressed during reproduction.

  As another embodiment of the present invention, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 may be controlled in accordance with the current setting value to be passed through the laser diode 11 during recording. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the drive device is provided with a recording current setting circuit 41 that sets a recording current value to be passed to the laser diode 11 during recording, and according to the recording current setting value obtained from the recording current setting circuit 41. The arithmetic unit 42 designates the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12. The output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 is set as shown in FIG. 18 according to the recording current setting value. That is, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 increases as the recording current set value increases. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 may be set according to not only the recording current set value but also the output signal of the temperature sensor 34. Further, the output voltage Vvar of the variable power source 12 may be controlled according to the actual measured value of the drive current of the laser diode 11.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a drive circuit that is connected in series with the laser diode and supplies a current to the laser diode in response to the drive signal, and a direct current that applies a DC voltage to the series circuit of the laser diode and the drive circuit. The voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply is changed according to the voltage at the connection point between the laser diode and the drive circuit detected by the voltage detection means. Further, according to the present invention, the voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply is changed according to the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. Therefore, the voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply can be appropriately controlled, so that the driving operation for the laser diode can be stabilized and the slew rate of the optical output waveform can be improved.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the drive device of the conventional laser diode. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the drive current of a laser diode, and an operating voltage regarding temperature. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the drive current of a laser diode, and the power consumption of drive IC about temperature. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a laser diode driving apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a current detection control circuit in the drive device of FIG. 4. It is a block diagram which shows the disc recording / reproducing apparatus provided with the drive device of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the drive control operation | movement of the drive device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of an optical disk. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the optical power of a laser beam, a write multi-pulse off command, and sample pulses by the driving device of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the optical power of a laser beam, a write multi-pulse off command, and sample pulses by the driving device of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the optical power of a laser beam, a write multi-pulse off command, and sample pulses by the driving device of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between optical power of a laser beam and each sample pulse by the driving device of FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a current detection control circuit in the drive device of FIG. 4. It is a circuit diagram which shows the other Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the temperature of a laser diode, and the output voltage of a variable power supply. It is a flowchart which shows the drive control operation | movement of the drive device of FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows further the other Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a recording current setting value and the output voltage of a variable power supply.

Explanation of symbols

1,11 Laser diode 3,15 Drive transistor 4,13 Drive IC
12 Variable power supply 16 Current detection control circuit

Claims (10)

A driving device for driving a laser diode that irradiates a laser beam onto an optical recording medium,
A drive circuit connected in series with the laser diode and causing a current to flow through the laser diode in response to a drive signal;
A DC power supply for applying a DC voltage to a series circuit of the laser diode and the drive circuit;
Voltage detection means for detecting a voltage at a connection point between the laser diode and the drive circuit;
And a control means for changing a voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply in accordance with a voltage detected by the voltage detection means.   2. The voltage detection means holds a peak value or a bottom value of the voltage at the connection point when the optical recording medium is irradiated with a writing laser beam, and uses it as a detection voltage. The drive device described.   The voltage detecting means has a sample-and-hold circuit and irradiates the optical recording medium with the voltage at the connection point of the recording power when the optical recording medium is irradiated with the writing laser beam or the optical recording medium with the erasing laser beam. 3. The driving device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage at the connection point of the erasing power is sampled by the sample and hold circuit.   The voltage detection means generates a sample pulse for supplying a sample pulse to the sample hold circuit and holding the voltage at the connection point in the sample hold circuit when the irradiation position of the laser beam is in a specified section of the optical recording medium 4. The driving device according to claim 3, further comprising means.   The voltage detection means includes means for holding a write multi-pulse or an erase multi-pulse of the drive signal at a peak value when the irradiation position of the laser beam is in the specified section of the optical recording medium. The drive device according to claim 4.   2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power supply so as to reduce a difference between a voltage value detected by the voltage detection unit and a target value. Drive device. A driving device for driving a laser diode that irradiates a laser beam onto an optical recording medium,
A drive circuit connected in series with the laser diode and causing a current to flow through the laser diode in response to a drive signal;
A DC power supply for applying a DC voltage to a series circuit of the laser diode and the drive circuit;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the laser diode;
And a control unit that changes a voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power source in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit.   8. The driving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit lowers the voltage applied to the series circuit as the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is higher.   The control means changes the voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power source when the optical recording medium is irradiated with a writing laser beam and when a reading laser beam is irradiated. The drive device according to claim 7.   The control means changes a voltage applied to the series circuit by the DC power source according to a set value or an actual measurement value of a drive current supplied to the laser diode together with the temperature detected by the temperature detection means. The drive device according to claim 7.

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