JPH06325378A - Optical information recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an optical information recording and reproducing device with high versatility and reliability capable of normally recording and reproducing information regardless of the track address allocation direction of an optical card. CONSTITUTION:This device is the device optically recording and reproducing the information by irradiating a light beam from a head part 4 to the information track of the optical card 2, and the address allocation direction of the information track on the optical card 2 is discriminated by a track address direction discrimination means 8. Based on the discriminated track address allocation direction, the light beam of the head part 4 is moved to the information track of the optical card 2 corresponding to a target track address through a head control means 5 by an internal control means 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing information optically recorded on a recording medium such as an optical card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent technological advances in information processing have been remarkable, and along with this, means for recording information in an ever-increasing capacity have been considered. One of them is an optical information recording / reproducing device. Is attracting attention.

In such an optical information recording / reproducing apparatus, an optical card is used as a recording medium, and an optical card apparatus for recording / reproducing information on / from this optical card has been put into practical use.

Here, in the optical card, data is recorded by irradiating the information recording layer with laser light focused by a lens to form pits (holes) in the recording layer by thermal irreversible change. However, it has a recording capacity several thousand times to 10,000 times larger than that of a magnetic card used conventionally. Although it is not possible to rewrite data like optical discs, it has a very large storage capacity of 1 to 2 Mbytes, so that it can be used in a wide range of applications such as bank savings passbooks, mobile maps, and prepaid cards used for shopping. Also, by utilizing the characteristic that data cannot be rewritten, the usage as personal multiple information cards such as ID information of owners and personal health management cards that cannot be tampered with is widespread.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic structure of a conventional optical card. In this case, in the optical card, a plurality of linearly formed information tracks 2 are arranged in parallel in a predetermined area on the surface of the card body 1. That is, these information tracks 2 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the card body 1, and each information track 2 is provided with a track address area.

In the track address areas, the upper side in the lateral direction of the card body 1 (on the side where various logos are printed)
The track address information is assigned such that the track address information continuously increases in the downward direction (arrow a in the figure).

In the optical information recording / reproducing apparatus having the optical card as a recording medium, the track address information is read by moving the recording / reproducing light beam relatively in the information track direction. The information track on which the light beam is located is recognized, information is recorded or reproduced, and the light beam is relatively moved in the direction crossing the information track to move to the target information track. It is like this.

The optical information recording / reproducing apparatus having such a structure is connected as an external control means such as a personal computer and executes various processes for the optical card.

[0009]

However, in the conventional optical information recording / reproducing apparatus, the information track 2a formed on the card body 1a as described above is related to the optical card usable for recording / reproducing. The address allocation directions of are limited to the same direction. This is because in the conventional optical information recording / reproducing apparatus, the polarity of the drive signal when moving the light beam in the direction of increasing (or decreasing) the track address is preliminarily defined in a circuit manner, and based on this polarity, This is because the output corresponding to the moving direction is set to move the light beam to the target information track 2a. As a result, when the address of the information track 2a to be traced next is input from the outside, the currently recognized track address is compared with the input track address, and the movement direction and movement of the light beam or the optical head are compared. The seek operation is achieved by determining the distance and at the same time generating a drive signal based on the defined polarity to move the light beam to the target track 2a.

Assuming that this is the case, as shown in FIG. 8, from the lower side to the upper side of the card body 1a (indicated by arrow b).
When the optical card in which the track address information is allocated in the opposite direction to that of the optical card shown in FIG. 7 is used, The beam or the optical head moves to a direction away from the input track, that is, to a track whose movement amount is substantially equal to the specified target track and the direction is completely opposite. Since the track address confirmed after the movement is different from the designated track, if the track is moved again, the track will be moved in a direction further away.

Such an operation is repeated each time the seek operation is realized, and as a result, the optical head runs away up to the limit for limiting its moving range. And this situation is not only a mere seek error, but also causes great mechanical damage and causes device failure,
In the worst case, there is a problem that the entire device becomes inoperable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a versatile and highly reliable optical system capable of normally recording and reproducing information regardless of the track address allocation direction of an optical card. An object is to provide an information recording / reproducing device.

[0013]

The present invention provides an optical information recording / reproducing apparatus for optically recording / reproducing information by irradiating an information beam on a recording medium with a light beam.
Track address direction discriminating means for discriminating the address allocating direction of the information track of the recording medium, and the light beam to the information track corresponding to the target track address based on the track address allocating direction discriminated by the track address direction discriminating means. It is composed of control means for moving.

[0014]

As a result, according to the present invention, the track address direction determining means determines the track address allocation direction of the recording medium, and the movement of the light beam to the information track corresponding to the target track address is determined based on the determination result. Since it is executed, information can be normally recorded / reproduced regardless of the track address allocation direction of the recording medium used.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a mounting table for holding an optical card 2. This mounting table 1 is in the direction of the information track formed on the optical card 2 indicated by the arrow a in the figure by the mounting table control means 3, that is, of the optical card 2. It is adapted to be reciprocally driven in the longitudinal direction at a constant distance at a constant speed.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a head portion for irradiating a light beam spot on the information track of the optical card 2. The head portion 4 is controlled by the head control means 5 and the optical card 2 indicated by an arrow b in FIG.
It is configured to be reciprocally driven in a direction traversing the information track formed on the optical disk 2, that is, in the width direction of the optical card 2, and controlled so as to switch the emission intensity of the light beam.

The mounting table control means 3 and the head control means 5 are controlled by the drive section control means 6,
The drive unit control means 6 is controlled by the internal control means 7. Further, the internal control means 7 is adapted to read information on the information track of the optical card 2 or write information on the information track via the head control means 5.

In the optical card device thus constructed,
The internal control means 7 is connected to the external control means 9 on the host side provided with the track address direction determination means 8 and various processing operations are executed in response to signals from the external control means 9.

Now, when the optical card 2 is set on the mounting table 1 and the optical card device is activated, the initial processing operation is executed. In this case, the mounting table 1 is controlled by the internal control means 7 and the drive section control means 6 via the mounting table control means 3.
And the head section 4 operates via the head control means 4. Then, as the mounting table 1 moves, the light beam spot formed by the head portion 4 traces the information track on the optical card 2 held on the mounting table 1, and in this state, the internal control means 7 , Reading the track address on the information track, recognizing where the current light beam spot is on the optical card 2, and reading the information on the information track of the optical card 2 or writing the information on the information track. Is output, a signal to this effect and the track address where the head unit 4 is currently located are output to the external control means 9, and a command from this external control means 9 is awaited. become.

The external control means 9 gives the track address inputted from the internal control means 7 to the track address direction discriminating means 8 and stores it as information for discriminating the track address allocation direction.

Here, the optical card 2 is controlled by the external control means 9.
When information is recorded / reproduced on / from the specific track, the internal control unit 7 outputs the target track address input from the external control unit 9 to the drive unit control unit 6. Then, the drive unit control means 6 first outputs a signal to the head control means 5, and the head control means 5 sets the head section 4 to the track address where it is currently located and the input target track address. It is moved to the information track of the moving distance / moving direction obtained from the difference based on the polarity of the drive signal defined in advance in the device.

Next, the drive section control means 6 outputs a signal to the mounting table control means 3 and causes the mounting table control means 3 to move the mounting table 1 at a constant distance and a constant speed. At this time, the internal control means 7 reads the information on the information track of the optical card 2 after the movement via the head control means 5 and outputs the read information to the external control means 9.

The external control means 9 outputs the target track address input to the internal control means 7 and the track address in the information input from the internal control means 7 to the track address direction determination means 8.

Then, the track address direction discriminating means 8
Determines the track address allocation direction of the optical card 2 by comparing the pre-moved track address before movement with the target track address and the track address after movement. In this case, if the target track address and the track address after the movement are substantially the same, it is determined that the track address allocation direction follows the polarity specified by the device, and the polarity matches the external control means 9. If the target track address and the track address after the movement have the same movement amount and the opposite direction to the track address before the movement, the track address allocation direction is specified in the device. It is determined that the polarity is opposite to the polarity that has been set, and a signal indicating that the polarity is opposite is output to the external control means 9.

In response to the signal from the track address direction discriminating means 8, the external control means 9 does nothing if the polarities are the same, whereas if the polarities are opposite, the movement amount is doubled and relative. A track address whose directions are opposite is set as a target track address and is output to the internal control means 7. Then, the head unit 4 is moved to the information track corresponding to the target track address, recovery processing for the first movement is performed, and thereafter, output to the internal control means 7 until the processing for the current optical card 2 is completed. The target track address is converted and output so that the relative directions are opposite.

In this state, it is assumed that the internal control means 7 outputs a signal indicating the writing operation to the drive section control means 6. Then, the drive unit control means 6 outputs to the mounting table control means 3 and the head control means 5 that the next operation to be performed is a writing operation, and the mounting table control means 3 moves the mounting table 1 at a constant distance at a constant speed. The head control means 5 switches the emission intensity of the light beam.

When the internal control means 7 outputs the write information sent from the external control means 9 via the head control means 5, the light beam spot formed by the head portion 4 as the mounting table 1 moves. Traces the information track on the optical card 2 held on the mounting table 1, whereby information is written in the information track.

After that, it is assumed that the information writing operation is completed and the internal control means 7 outputs a signal to the drive section control means 6 to indicate the read operation. The drive unit control means 6 outputs to the mounting table control means 3 and the head control means 5 that the next operation to be performed is a read operation.
As a result, the mounting table control means 3 moves the mounting table 1 at a constant distance speed, the head control means 5 switches the emission intensity of the light beam, and as the mounting table 1 moves, the light beam spot formed by the head portion 4 is changed. The information on the information track is read by tracing the information track on the optical card 2 held on the mounting table 1. Then, the read information is output from the internal control means 7 to the external control means 9.

In the same manner, the above operation is repeated in response to a signal from the external control means 9 to write or read, and information is recorded / reproduced on the optical card 2.

Therefore, in this way, the track address direction discriminating means 8 is provided in the external control means 9 on the host side,
After the seek operation is executed by the command from the host to move the head unit 4, the track address before and after the movement is compared by the track address direction determination means 8 to determine the address allocation direction, and the allocation direction is defined in the device. If it is in the same polarity, nothing is done, and if the allocation direction is reversed, the target track address set at seek will be compared with the track currently located until the processing for the current card is completed. Since it is set in the device by converting it into a track address in which the relative distance is equal and the relative direction is opposite, the optical card 2 in which the track address is assigned in reverse without making any change to the conventional device. It is possible to normally record and reproduce information.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention. 2, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described below.

In this case, the track address direction discriminating means 11 is provided in the device connected to the external control means 9 on the host side.
And a switching circuit 12 for switching the polarity of the drive signal output from the head control means 5 to the head unit 4.

Here, the track address direction discriminating means 1
1 is connected to the internal control means 7, and the internal control means 7 is
The switching circuit 12 is controlled according to the signal from the track address direction discriminating means 11.

Further, the switching circuit 12 comprises an exciting coil 121 and a switching contact piece 122 as shown in FIG. 3, and the internal control means 7 controls the energization and deenergization of the exciting coil 121 to control the head. The polarity of the drive signal output from the means 5 to the head unit 4 via the switching contact piece 122 is switched.

In such a structure, when the optical card 2 is set on the mounting table 1 and the optical card device is activated,
The same initial processing operation as described above is executed. And
After the execution of the initial processing operation, the internal control means 7 recognizes the position of the current head section 4 on the optical card 2 from the read track address on the information track, and the current head section 4 is currently located. The track address is output to the track address direction discriminating means 11 and stored in the track address direction discriminating means 11 as information for discriminating the track address direction.

Further, the internal control means 7 confirms that the information on the information track of the optical card 2 can be read or the information can be written on the information track, and sends a signal to that effect to the host side. It outputs to the external control means 9 and waits for a command from the external control means 9.

Here, the optical card 2 is controlled by the external control means 9.
When information is recorded / reproduced on / from the specific track, the internal control means 7 outputs the target track address input from the external control means 9 to the track address direction determination means 11,
This is stored and also output to the drive unit control means 6. Then, the drive unit control means 6 first outputs a signal to the head control means 5, and the head control means 5 sets the head section 4 to the track address where it is currently located and the input target track address. It is moved to the information track of the moving distance / moving direction obtained from the difference based on the polarity of the drive signal defined in advance in the device.

Next, the drive section control means 6 outputs a signal to the mounting table control means 3 to cause the mounting table control means 3 to move the mounting table 1 at a constant distance and a constant speed. At this time, the internal control means 7 reads the information on the information track after the movement via the head control means 5, and outputs the track address of the read information to the track address direction determination means 11.

In the track address direction discriminating means 11,
The track address before movement, which is stored in advance, the target track address and the track address after movement are compared to determine the track address allocation direction of the optical card 2. In this case, if the target track address and the track address after the movement are substantially the same, it is determined that the track address allocation direction is in accordance with the polarity specified by the device, and there is a polarity with respect to the internal control means 7. When the target track address and the track address after the movement have the same movement amount and the opposite direction to the track address before the movement, the track address allocation direction is set to the device. When it is determined that the polarity is opposite to the prescribed polarity, a signal indicating that the polarity is opposite is output to the internal control means 7.

In response to the signal from the track address direction discriminating means 11, the internal control means 7 does nothing if the polarities are the same. On the other hand, if the polarities are opposite, the internal control means 7 hereafter corresponds to the current card. Until the processing is completed, the exciting coil 121 of the switching circuit 12 is energized to invert the polarity of the drive signal via the switching contact piece 122, and the movement amount is 2
An output is given to the drive unit control means 6 with the doubled track address as the target track address. Then, the head unit 4 is moved to the target track, and the recovery process for the first movement is performed.

Then, the write processing is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, and thereafter, the above operation is repeated in response to the signal from the external control means 9 to write or read, and the optical card 2 Recording and reproduction of information will be performed on the above.

Therefore, in this way, the track address direction discriminating means 11 is provided on the device side to discriminate the track address direction at the time of seek processing, and the track address recognized after the seek moves to the set address. If the amounts are substantially equal and the directions are opposite, it is determined that the track address allocation direction of the optical card 2 used this time is opposite to the polarity set in the device, and thereafter the switching circuit 1
The polarity signal to the drive system is switched until the processing for the current card is completed by 2 and the head unit 4 is moved by doubling the moving amount and responding to this seek command. Information can be normally stored / reproduced even on the optical card 2 to which an address is assigned in reverse, and the load on the external control means 9 on the host side can be reduced. It is possible to expect stable processing that does not affect the processing speed.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a schematic structure of a third embodiment of the present invention. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described below.

In this case, the track address direction discriminating means 21 is provided in the device connected to the external control means 9 on the host side.
And the track address direction discriminating means 21.
An internal control unit 22 is provided for converting and setting the output to the drive unit control unit 6 according to the signal from the.

In such a structure, when the optical card 2 is set on the mounting table 1 and the optical card device is activated,
The same initial processing operation as described above is executed. And
After executing the initial processing operation, the internal control means 22 determines the recognized current track address from the track address direction determination means 21.
The optical card 2 to the external control means 9 and store it as information for discriminating the track address direction.
The signal indicating that the information on the information track can be read or the information can be written on the information track is output, and the command from the external control means 9 is waited.

When the external control means 9 records / reproduces information on / from a specific track of the optical card 2, the internal control means 22 determines the target track address input from the external control means 9 by the track address direction determination means 21. To the drive unit control means 6 as well as storing it. Then, after executing a series of processing operations, the internal control means 22 reads the information on the moved information track, and outputs the track address in the read information to the track address direction determination means 21.

The track address direction discriminating means 21 discriminates the track address allocation direction of the optical card 2 in the same manner as in the second embodiment. Then, in response to the discrimination signal from the track address direction discrimination means 21, the internal control means 22 does nothing if the polarities are the same,
If the polarities are opposite, the track address at which the movement amount is double and the relative directions are opposite is output to the drive unit control means 6 as the target track address, and the head unit 4 is moved to the target track. The recovery process for the movement of the target card is performed, and thereafter, the target track address to be output to the drive unit control unit 6 is converted and output in the opposite direction until the process for the current card is completed.

Thereafter, the writing process is performed in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments described above, and the external control means 9 is used.
By repeating the above operation according to the signal from
Information is recorded and reproduced on the optical card.

Therefore, in this way, the track address direction discriminating means 21 is provided on the apparatus side to discriminate the track address direction at the time of seek processing, and the track address recognized after the seek moves to the set address. If the amounts are almost the same and the directions are opposite, it is judged that the track address allocation direction of the optical card used this time is opposite to the polarity set in the device, the movement amount is converted again, and the head is moved again. At the same time, the value set in the drive system is converted and set until the processing for the current card is completed. Therefore, information is stored and reproduced even in the optical card 2 to which the track address is assigned in reverse. In addition to being able to perform the above, stable processing can be expected without increasing the cost. It should be noted that such conversion processing can be provided with the same effect even if it is provided in the drive unit control means 6, and can be provided with the same effect even if it is provided in the head control means 5.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 4, and here, as the internal control means 22, the track address recognition processing in the initial processing operation at the time of setting the optical card is performed by the light beam. Is used to control two information tracks, and the track address is determined from the track addresses of the two information tracks set by the internal control means 22 as the track address direction determination means 21. What determines the allocation direction of is used.

In such a structure, when the optical card 2 is set on the mounting table 1 and the optical card device is activated,
The same initial processing operation as described above is executed. And
After the execution of the initial processing operation, the internal control means 22 recognizes from the track address on the information track where the current light beam spot is on the optical card 2, and the recognized track address is determined by the track address direction determination means 2.
It is output to 1, and this is stored as information for discriminating the track address direction.

Next, the internal control means 22 outputs the value obtained by adding 1 to the currently recognized track address as the target track address to the drive section control means 6 to move the head section 4 to the target track. Then, as the mounting table 1 moves, the light beam spot formed by the head portion 4 traces the information track on the optical card 2 held by the mounting table 1, so that the internal control means 22 moves on the information track. Read the track address.

The internal control means 22 outputs the read track address to the track address direction discrimination means 21. Then, the track address direction determining means 21 compares the track address before movement and the track address after movement which are stored in advance, and determines the track address allocation direction of the stored optical card. That is, (track address after movement)-(track address before movement) = 1
If so, it is determined that the track address allocation direction follows the polarity specified by the device, and the internal control means 22
A signal indicating that the polarities are matched with is output.
On the other hand, if (track address after movement)-(track address before movement) =-1, it is determined that the allocation direction of the track address is opposite to the polarity defined by the device, and the internal control means 22 is determined. On the other hand, it outputs a signal indicating that the polarities are opposite.

In response to the signal from the track address direction discriminating means 21, the internal control means 22 does nothing if the polarities are the same, whereas if the polarities are opposite, the internal control means 22 will hereafter correspond to the current card. Until the processing is completed, the target track address to be output to the drive unit control means 6 is converted and output so that the relative directions are opposite.

In this state, the internal control means 22 outputs to the external control means 9 a signal indicating that the device can read information from the information track or write information on the information track. Then, it waits for a command from the external control means 9.

Hereinafter, in response to a signal from the external control means 9, the target track address is set based on the polarity set in the initial processing when the optical card is set, so that the read / write processing is executed and these operations are performed. Is repeated, and information is recorded and reproduced on the optical card 2.

Therefore, in this way, the track address direction discriminating means 21 is provided on the device side and discriminates the track address direction during the initial processing. That is, during the initial processing,
After confirming the track address of the information track that is currently located, move the head (or light beam) to the adjacent (upward or downward) information track and read the track address. Based on the magnitude relationship between the moving direction and the track address, The track address allocation direction of the optical card used this time is determined, and thereafter, the value set in the drive system is converted and set until the processing for the current card is completed. As a result, in the initial processing operation at the time of setting the optical card, the device side alone determines the track address allocation direction and waits for a command from the external control means while setting the polarity of the drive signal in the subsequent processing. This eliminates the need for recovery processing when the polarity is determined to be opposite during seek processing, and does not cause processing time fluctuations or operation abnormalities caused by the size of the target track address set by the external control means. You can expect stable and reliable processing.

In the fourth embodiment, the example in which the track address is moved in the direction of increasing by 1 to determine the allocation direction has been shown, but this can be done in the direction of decreasing by 1,
Further, the number of moving tracks is not limited to one. It is only necessary to set the discriminant in the track address direction discriminating means 21 in correspondence with the number and direction of the tracks to be moved in the internal control means 22, and it is simply discriminated whether the difference between the track addresses before and after the movement is positive or negative. It doesn't matter just.

(Fifth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 4, and here, the head section 4 is a photodetector having a plurality of light receiving elements for reading information of information tracks described later. 2 which correspond to at least two light receiving elements of the plurality of light receiving elements on the photodetector for the track address recognition processing in the initial processing operation when the optical card is set as the internal control means 22. A control is performed so that all the information tracks are collectively performed, and the track address direction discriminating means 21 is used.
As the above, a device for discriminating the allocation direction of the track address is used from the positions of the two information tracks set by the internal control means 22 and the light receiving element from which they are read.

In this case, the optical card 2 has a plurality of guide tracks 501 for guiding the light beam spot in the track direction and an information track 502 formed between the guide tracks 501, as shown in FIG. Have Then, by irradiating the recording optical beam spot 504 along the information track 502 with respect to such an optical card 2, the data pits 503 representing the recording information are formed, and the reproduction is performed corresponding to the three information tracks 502. By irradiating the light beam spot 505, the record information of each information track 502 is read.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic structure of the photodetector. Three reading light receiving elements are arranged in the track address increasing direction of three information tracks 502 adjacent to each other corresponding to the image of the reproducing light beam spot 505. 51, 52, 53 are arranged, and the presence or absence of the data pit 503 of the corresponding information track 502 is detected by these light receiving elements 51, 52, 53.

Reference numeral 54 is a recording light beam spot 50.
4 is a focus detection unit that outputs a focus detection signal of the recording light beam from the image of 4, a focus detection unit 55 that outputs a focus detection signal of the reproduction beam from the image of the guide track 501, and 56 is a track from the image of the guide track 501. It is a track detection unit that outputs a detection signal.

In such a structure, when the optical card 2 is set on the mounting table 1 and the optical card device is activated,
The initial processing operation is executed. In this initial processing operation, the internal control means 22 causes the three read light receiving elements 5 to read.
3 corresponding information tracks 5 by 1, 52, 53
Information is read out collectively from at least two information tracks 502 of 02.
Recognize the position on the top.

Next, the internal control means 22 outputs the read track address and a signal indicating the corresponding light receiving element to the track address direction determination means 21. The track address direction discriminating means 21 discriminates the track address allocation direction of the optical card 2 by comparing the two input track addresses with the corresponding two light receiving elements.

In this case, (track address read by light receiving element 51)-(track address read by light receiving element 52) = 1 or (track address read by light receiving element 52)-(track address read by light receiving element 53) ) = 1 or (track address read by the light receiving element 51)-(track address read by the light receiving element 53) = 2, it is determined that the track address allocation direction is in accordance with the polarity defined by the device, Internal control means 22
A signal indicating that the polarities are matched with is output.
On the other hand, (track address read by the light receiving element 51)-(track address read by the light receiving element 52) =-1 or (track address read by the light receiving element 52)-(track address read by the light receiving element 53) =- If 1 or (track address read by the light receiving element 51)-(track address read by the light receiving element 53) =-2, it is determined that the allocation direction of the track address is opposite to the polarity defined by the device. Internal control means 22
A signal indicating that the polarity is opposite to is output. Then, in response to the discrimination signal from the track address direction discrimination means 21, the internal control means 22 does nothing if the polarities are the same, and if the polarities are opposite, the process for the current card is performed thereafter. Until the end, the target track address output to the drive unit control means 6 is converted so that the relative directions are opposite and output.

In this state, the internal control means 22 outputs to the external control means 9 a signal indicating that the information on the information track can be read or the information can be written on the information track. It comes to wait for a command from the external control means 9.

Hereinafter, in response to a signal from the external control means 9, the target track address is set on the basis of the polarity set in the initial processing when the optical card is set, so that the reading and writing processing is executed, and these operations are performed. Is repeated to record / reproduce information on / from the optical card 2.

Therefore, in this way, the track address direction discriminating means 21 is provided on the apparatus side to discriminate the track address direction at the time of initial processing. In this case, at the time of initial processing, track addresses from at least two or more information tracks 502 are read, and the track address allocation direction of the optical card used this time is determined from the positional relationship of the detectors and the magnitude relationship of the track addresses that have been read. After that, the value set in the drive system is converted and set until the processing for the current card is completed. As a result, in the initial processing operation at the time of setting the optical card, the apparatus side alone can read the information from a plurality of information tracks at a time and determine the allocation direction of the track address, so that the initial processing time can be shortened. Therefore, high-speed processing becomes possible, and it is possible to wait for a command from the external control means in a state where the polarity of the drive signal in the subsequent processing is set, and stable and highly reliable processing can be expected. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying it without changing the gist.

[0070]

According to the present invention, the track address direction discriminating means discriminates the track address allocation direction of the recording medium, the target track address is set based on the discrimination result, and the information track corresponding to the target track address is set. Since the movement of the light beam to the target is performed, information can be recorded and reproduced normally regardless of the track address allocation direction of the medium used, and stable high-speed processing can be performed. A highly reliable and reliable optical information recording / reproducing apparatus can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a switching circuit used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of third to fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical card used in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a photodetector used in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventionally used optical card.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of another conventionally used optical card.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Mounting table, 2 ... Optical card, 3 ... Mounting table control means, 4 ...
Head section, 5 ... Head control means, 6 ... Drive section control means,
Reference numeral 7 ... Internal control means, 8 ..., 9 ... External control means, 11 ... Track address direction determination means, 12 ... Switching circuit, 12
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Excitation coil, 122 ... Switching contact piece, 21 ... Track address direction discrimination means, 22 ... Internal control means, 51, 5
2, 53 ... Light receiving element for reading.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical information recording / reproducing apparatus for optically recording / reproducing information by irradiating a light beam to an information track of a recording medium, wherein a track address for determining an address allocation direction of the information track of the recording medium. An optical system comprising: a direction discriminating means; and a control means for moving the light beam to an information track corresponding to a target track address based on the track address allocation direction discriminated by the track address direction discriminating means. Information recording / reproducing apparatus.