HK1091592B - Information storage medium and method and system for recording data on the same - Google Patents

Description

Information storage medium, and method and system for recording data on the information storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an information storage medium and a method and system for recording data on the information storage medium, and more particularly, to an information storage medium including a plurality of recording layers having a layout structure of a lead-in area, a lead-out area, and a user data area to improve recording speed and recording performance, and a method and system for recording data on the information storage medium.

Background

Generally, an information storage medium is used in a non-contact type optical pickup apparatus for recording/reproducing data. Types of optical discs, which are examples of information storage media, are classified into Compact Discs (CDs) or Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs) based on information recording capacity. Further, examples of erasable optical disks include 650MBCD-R, CD-RW and 4.7GBDVD + RW. In addition, HD-DVDs having a recording capacity of 20GB are being developed.

In order to increase the recording capacity, a shorter wavelength is used as a recording light source, and the numerical aperture of the objective lens is increased. In addition, a plurality of information recording layers are used. U.S. patent No. 5881032, issued on 9.3.1999, discloses a DVD-ROM having a plurality of information recording layers.

Fig. 1A shows a sector address structure of a disc having dual information recording layers. The disc in fig. 1A has a first information recording layer L1 and a second information recording layer L2 having lead-in areas 1A and 2a and lead-out areas 1b and 2b, respectively. On the first information recording layer L1, the first sector address X increases in the direction from the inner circumference Rin of the disc to the outer circumference Rout of the disc. On the second information recording layer L2, the second sector address X' increases in the direction from the outer periphery Rout to the inner periphery Rin of the disc.

On the other hand, a multi-layer optical disc having more than two information recording layers can be divided into an Opposite Track Path (OTP) and a forward track path (PTP) based on the direction in which data is recorded on or reproduced from the disc. As shown in fig. 1B, the OTP reproduces data from the first information recording layer L1 in a direction from the inner circumference Rin to the outer circumference Rout, and reproduces data from the second information recording layer L2 in a direction from the outer circumference Rout to the inner circumference Rin. In other words, the track spiral direction of the OTP optical disc is alternately formed on each of the information recording layers. Further, fig. 1C shows an OTP multi-layer optical disc having first to fourth information recording layers L1, L2, L3 and L4. In the OTP multi-layer optical disc, first to fourth lead-in areas 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a and first to fourth lead-out areas 1b, 2b, 3b, and 4b are alternately formed in the inner and outer circumferential areas of first to fourth information recording layers L1, L2, L3, and L4 of the disc, respectively. Data is reproduced from the first information recording layer L1 in the direction from the inner periphery Rin to the outer periphery Rout, from the second information recording layer L2 in the direction from the outer periphery Rout to the inner periphery Rin, from the third information recording layer L3 in the direction from the inner periphery Rin to the outer periphery Rout, and from the fourth information recording layer L4 in the direction from the outer periphery Rout to the inner periphery Rin.

Fig. 2 shows a PTP dual-layer optical disc having a first information recording layer L1 and a second information recording layer L2, in which data is reproduced from the first information recording layer L1 in the direction from the inner circumference Rin to the outer circumference Rout, and data is reproduced from the second information recording layer L2 in the direction from the inner circumference Rin to the outer circumference Rout. In other words, the track spiral directions of the information recording layers are the same. The first lead-in area 1a is formed in an inner peripheral portion of the first information recording layer L1, the first lead-out area 1b is formed in an outer peripheral portion of the first information recording layer L1, the second lead-in area 2a is formed in an inner peripheral portion of the second information recording layer L2, and the second lead-out area 2b is formed in an outer peripheral portion of the second information recording layer L2.

In the case of a multi-layer recordable disc, the lead-in areas 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a and the lead-out areas 1b, 2b, 3b, and 4b include information on the disc and various conditions on recording. Accordingly, (user data can be correctly recorded, and can be correctly reproduced when the user data is reproduced from the lead-in areas 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a and the lead-out areas lb, 2b, 3b, and 4 b.

When the amount of data to be recorded on the multi-layered information storage medium is less than the capacity of the information recording layers, an empty area exists on at least one of the information recording layers.

A method of processing an empty area of an information recording layer should be determined for various information storage media. Fig. 3A illustrates a single-layer recordable information storage medium, and fig. 3B illustrates a dual-layer recordable information storage medium. The locations and capacities of the lead-in area, the lead-out area, and the user data area are fixed.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 4, data can be recorded on the entire area of the data area of the first information recording layer L1 and on a portion of the data area of the second information recording layer L2. When the light beam passes through the first information recording layer L1 and the second information recording layer L2, the light beam may pass through the portion L1R of the first information recording layer L1 where data is recorded and the portion L2N of the second information recording layer L2 where no data is recorded, or the light beam may pass through the portion L1R of the first information recording layer where data is recorded and the portion L2R of the second information recording layer L2 where data is recorded. Therefore, when the reproduction conditions of the areas through which the light beams pass are different, the reproduction performance may be affected.

Disclosure of Invention

As described above, when determining the layout of the information storage medium, the consistency and uniformity of a particular type of information storage medium should be considered, and the reproduction performance of a multi-layered information storage medium should also be considered. Further, it is important to increase the recording speed according to the increase of the recording capacity.

For example, a conventional recordable DVD has a single information recording layer and a capacity of 4.7 GB. On the other hand, the conventional DVD-ROM has a capacity of 8.5GB and dual information recording layers. However, in order to back up data from a DVD-ROM having a capacity of 8.5GB, a recordable DVD having the same capacity is required. In addition, a method of efficiently recording data is required to reduce the backup time of data.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage medium on which a layout structure of a plurality of areas is defined to minimize a recording time and to efficiently move a pickup between information recording layers, and a method and system for recording data on the information storage medium.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recordable information storage medium including a plurality of information recording layers, wherein each of the information recording layers includes a lead-in area, a user data area, a lead-out area, and a dedicated area for a drive, and an amount of user data to be recorded is divided to allocate data areas having the same capacity on each of the information recording layers.

In an aspect of the present invention, the location of the lead-out area varies according to the capacity of the data area.

In an aspect of the present invention, the dedicated area is disposed at an outermost circumference of the information storage medium.

In an aspect of the present invention, when an area remains between the lead-out area and the dedicated area, no data is recorded in that area.

In an aspect of the invention, the dedicated area is a test area, and the location of the dedicated area is fixed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recording data on a recordable information storage medium having a plurality of information recording layers, wherein each of the information recording layers includes a lead-in area, a user data area, a lead-out area, and a dedicated area for a drive, the method comprising: performing a test on the dedicated area for a driver; dividing the amount of user data to be recorded into the number of information recording layers, and recording the same amount of data on each information recording layer; and recording data having the derived attribute immediately after the user area of each information recording layer.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for recording data on a recordable information storage medium having a plurality of information recording layers, wherein each information recording layer includes a lead-in area, a user data area, a lead-out area, and a dedicated area for a drive, the system comprising: a pickup unit irradiating a light beam to an information storage medium; a recording/reproducing signal processing unit for receiving the light beam reflected on the information storage medium through the pickup unit and performing signal processing; and a control unit performing a test in the dedicated area for the drive and dividing the amount of user data to be recorded into the number of information recording layers, thereby recording the same amount of data on each information recording layer.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Information storage media according to aspects of the present invention provide a physical layout of a recordable information storage medium. The information storage medium according to aspects of the present invention includes a plurality of information recording layers having a lead-in area, a data area, and a lead-out area, and the data area is allocated such that approximately the same amount of data is recorded on each information recording layer. Further, a layout of an area remaining after recording data is provided to minimize data recording time.

Drawings

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a sector address structure of a conventional DVD-ROM dual-layer optical disc;

FIG. 1B illustrates an arrangement of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of a conventional DVD-ROM reverse track path (OTP) dual layer optical disc;

fig. 1C illustrates an arrangement of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of a conventional OTP four-layer optical disc;

fig. 2 illustrates an arrangement of a lead-in area and a lead-out area of a conventional DVD-ROM four-layer optical disc along a track path (PTP);

FIGS. 3A and 3B are layouts of a conventional single-layered information storage medium and a conventional dual-layered information storage medium, respectively;

fig. 4 illustrates an area to which a light beam is input in the case where data is recorded on portions of a conventional dual-layered information storage medium;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are layouts of a dual-layered information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are layouts of a four-layered information storage medium according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 illustrates a system for recording and/or reproducing data on and/or from an information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. Hereinafter, the embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings to explain the present invention.

An information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of information recording layers. Referring to fig. 5A, each of the information recording layers includes a data area on which user data is recorded, and a lead-in area and a lead-out area disposed at inner and outer circumferences of the data area, respectively.

The information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a recordable information storage medium, and more effectively, to a recordable information storage medium on which the amount of data to be recorded is determined before recording data.

When an information storage medium includes a plurality of information recording layers, in order to record the same amount of data on each of the information recording layers, the amount of data to be recorded is divided into the number of information recording layers. In other words, the capacity and location of the data area and the lead-out area may vary according to the amount of data to be recorded.

Fig. 5A illustrates an inverse track path (OTP) dual-layer information storage medium, and fig. 5B illustrates a forward track path (PTP) dual-layer information storage medium. Referring to fig. 5A, the dual-layered information storage medium includes a first information recording layer L1 and a second information recording layer L2, the information recording layer L1 and the information recording layer L2 respectively include lead-in areas 20-L1 and 20-L2, data areas 30-L1 and 30-L2, and lead-out areas 40-L1 and 40-L2. Further, when the amount of data to be recorded is predetermined, the amount of data is divided into two, each of which is allocated to the data areas 30-L1 and 30-L2, respectively. Reference character C indicates the maximum amount of user data to be recorded.

Further, lead-out areas 40-L1 and 40-L2 are disposed at the outer circumferences of the data areas 30-L1 and 30-L2 of the information recording layer, so that data is recorded in a pattern having lead-out area properties. Therefore, the positions of the lead-out areas 40-L1 and 40-L2 vary depending on the amount of data recorded.

In this case, the lead-in area and the lead-out area located in the middle in the data recording direction may be referred to as a middle area or a linking area. In other words, the lead-out area 40-L1 of the first information recording layer L1 and the lead-out area 40-L2 of the second information recording layer L2, and the lead-out area 40-L1 of the first information recording layer L1 and the lead-in area 20-L2 of the second information recording layer L2 in FIG. 5A may be referred to as an intermediate area or a linking area.

On the other hand, in order for a recording and/or reproducing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a drive) to read recording information before recording user data, an information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a dedicated area used by the drive. The dedicated area may include, for example, a test area for performing a test for detecting an optimum recording power of the recording medium and/or an area in which information about a recording history of the drive is recorded.

However, the test in this drive is performed before recording user data, and thus the amount of data to be recorded cannot be recognized. Therefore, the driver cannot determine the location where the test is performed. Therefore, the position of the test zone should be fixed.

Referring to fig. 5A and 5B, dedicated areas such as test areas 45-L1 and 45-L2 used by the drive may be fixed at the outermost peripheries of the information recording layers L1 and L2. When the information storage medium is loaded in the drive, the drive performs a test using the test areas 45-L1 and 45-L2 and records data. Thereafter, the drive records patterns having the lead-out attribute at the outer circumferences of the data areas 30-L1 and 30-L2, which outer circumferences of the data areas 30-L1 and 30-L2 are set depending on the size of data to be recorded. The lead-out property is a data pattern that prevents the pickup from being separated from the information storage medium.

In the case where spatio-temporal regions exist in test areas 40-L1 and 40-L2 when recording of patterns having lead-out attributes is completed, a region 43-L1 between lead-out area 40-L1 and test area 45-L1 and a region 43-L2 between lead-out area 40-L2 and test area 45-L2 are respectively kept empty. Since the empty areas 43-L1 and 43-L2 exist, the recording time can be reduced as compared with the case where a pattern having a lead-out attribute is recorded in the outermost periphery of the recording medium. Further, in order to effectively move the pickup between the recording layers, recording may be performed according to the OTP type.

Fig. 6A and 6B illustrate an OTP multi-layered information storage medium and a PTP multi-layered information storage medium, respectively, which include first to fourth information recording layers L1, L2, L3, and L4, respectively.

The first information recording layer L1 includes a lead-in area 20-L1, a data area 30-L1, a lead-out area 40-L1, and a dedicated area 45-L1 for a drive; the second information recording layer L2 includes a lead-in area 20-L2, a data area 30-L2, a lead-out area 40-L2, and a dedicated area 45-L2 for a drive; the third information recording layer L3 includes a lead-in area 20-L3, a data area 30-L3, a lead-out area 40-L3, and a dedicated area 45-L3 for a drive; the fourth information recording layer L4 includes a lead-in area 20-L4, a data area 30-L4, a lead-out area 40-L4, and a dedicated area 45-L4 for a drive.

The amount of data to be recorded is divided into data areas 30-L1, 30-L2, 30-L3 and 30-L4 each having the same capacity, which are approximately equally distributed on the first to fourth information recording layers L1, L2, L3 and L4, respectively. Further, the lead-out areas 40-L1, 40-L2, 40-L3, and 40-L4 are disposed immediately after the data areas 30-L1, 30-L2, 30-L3, and 30-L4, in which user data is recorded. Reference symbol C indicates the maximum amount of user data that can be recorded. Patterns having lead-out attributes are recorded on the lead-out areas 40-L1, 40-L2, 40-L3, and 40-L4.

The dedicated areas 45-L1, 45-L2, 45-L3, and 45-L4 may be disposed at the outermost peripheries of the information recording layers L1, L2, L3, and L4. When regions remain between the derived regions 40-L1, 40-L2, 40-L3, and 40-L4 and the dedicated regions 45-L1, 45-L2, 45-L3, and 45-L4, these regions are empty 43-L1, 43-L2, 43-L3, and 43-L4.

Fig. 7 illustrates a system for recording or reproducing data on or from an information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The system for recording/reproducing data includes: a pickup unit 50, a recording/reproducing signal processing unit 60, and a control unit 70. More specifically, the system comprises: a laser diode 51 emitting a light beam, a collimator lens 52 collimating the light beam emitted from the laser diode 51, a beam splitter 54 converting a path of the incident light beam, and an objective lens 56 condensing the light beam from the beam splitter 54 on the information storage medium D.

The light beam reflected from the information storage medium D is reflected on the beam splitter 54 and received by an optical detector, for example, a four-quadrant optical detector 57. The light beam received by the optical detector 57 is converted into an electric signal by passing through the arithmetic circuit unit 58 and output as an RF signal. In other words, the channel Ch1 detects the sum of signals, and the differential signal channel Ch2 detects a push-pull signal.

Referring to FIG. 5A, as an example, before data is recorded on the information storage medium D, the control unit 70 performs tests in the test areas 45-L1 and 45-L2 of the information storage medium D. Further, the control unit 70 records approximately the same amount of user data on each of the information recording layers L1 and L2 of the information storage medium D. The control unit 70 controls the pickup unit 50 to emit a recording beam having an appropriate power obtained through the test to record user data on the information storage medium D. When the recording of the user data is completed, a pattern of lead-out attributes is recorded in at least one of the lead-out areas 40-L1 or 40-L2.

Further, when the areas 43-L1 and 43-L2 remain between the data area and the test areas 45-L1 and 45-L2, the control unit 70 completes recording without recording data in the areas 43-L1 and 43-L2 (i.e., these areas are left empty).

In order to reproduce data from the information storage medium D, a light beam reflected from the information storage medium D is input to the optical detector 57 via the objective lens 56 and the beam splitter 54. The signal input to the optical detector 57 is converted into an electric signal by the arithmetic circuit unit 58, and is output as an RF signal.

When an information storage medium is loaded in a drive, a method of recording data according to an aspect of the present invention identifies an amount of data to be recorded on the information storage medium, and performs a test on a dedicated area for the drive, for example, a test area of the information storage medium. Thereafter, the data amount is divided to allocate data areas having about the same amount on each of the information recording layers. Then, data is recorded based on the allocated data amount, and data having a lead-out attribute is recorded immediately after the data area on the information recording layer.

On the other hand, when areas remain between the lead-out area and the dedicated area for the drive, these areas are empty.

Claims (12)

1. A method of recording data on a recordable information storage medium having a plurality of information recording layers, wherein each of the information recording layers includes a lead-in area, a user data area, a lead-out area, and a dedicated area for a drive, the method comprising:

performing a test for a driver using the dedicated area;

dividing the amount of user data to be recorded into the number of information recording layers, and recording the same amount of user data on each information recording layer; and

data having the lead-out attribute is recorded immediately after the user data area of each information recording layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated area is disposed at an outermost periphery of each information recording layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when an area remains between the lead-out area and the dedicated area of each information recording layer, no data is recorded in the area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a location of the dedicated area is fixed.

5. A system for recording data on a recordable information storage medium having a plurality of information recording layers, wherein each of the information recording layers includes a lead-in area, a user data area, a lead-out area, and a dedicated area for the system, the system comprising:

a pickup unit irradiating a light beam to an information storage medium;

a recording/reproducing signal processing unit for receiving the light beam reflected on the information storage medium through the pickup unit and performing signal processing; and

a control unit which performs a test in a dedicated area of each information recording layer for the system and divides the amount of user data to be recorded into the number of information recording layers so as to record about the same amount of data on each information recording layer.

6. A method of improving recording and/or reproducing of data on an information storage medium, comprising:

determining a size of data to be recorded on the information storage medium;

determining operation information regarding a test area of each recording layer of the information storage medium;

dividing the data so that about the same amount of data will be recorded in the data area of each recording layer;

recording the divided data in a data area of each recording layer of the information storage medium; and

a lead-out attribute pattern is recorded to delineate a data area of each recording layer of the information storage medium.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each test area is disposed near an outermost circumference of the information storage medium.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein additional data is not recorded in an area between the test area of each recording layer and the recording area of the derived attribute pattern.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical pickup for recording or reproducing data on or from a recording layer of an information storage medium; and

a controller for determining operation information of the information storage medium by controlling the optical pickup to perform a test in a fixed area of each recording layer of the information storage medium, determining a size of data to be recorded on the information storage medium, dividing the size of the data approximately equally in the recording layer, controlling the optical pickup to record the divided data in a data area of each recording layer, and recording a lead-out attribute pattern detailing the data area.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the lead-out attribute pattern is recorded in a lead-out area, a location of the lead-out area varying according to a division size of the data.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein the fixed area is located at an outermost circumference of the information storage medium.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the additional data is not recorded in an area between the recording area and the fixed area of the lead-out attribute pattern.