Recording/reproducing apparatus

Claim 2

A recording/reproducing apparatus for recording information on an optical recording medium by means of a laser beam of a recording power level, and for reproducing recorded information from the optical recording medium by means of a laser beam of a reproducing power level, which is lower than the recording power level, said optical recording medium having a recording layer selected from various types of recording layers, and including a first area on which information is recorded and from which information is reproduced, and a second area for storing data representing the power levels for recording and reproducing of the selected recording layer, said recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: means for generating laser beams of various power levels, including laser beams of recording power levels and laser beams of reproducing power levels, and for applying the laser beams to the selected recording layer; means for moving said generating means from said second area to said first area; means for detecting data representing the power levels stored in said second area on the basis of light reflected from said second area, the detecting means including photoelectric conversion means for converting the light reflected from said second area into electric signal data representing the detected power levels; means for causing said generating means to generate a laser beam having a power level which is equal to a lower one of the detected reproducing power levels, when said generating means is in said second area, and for causing said generating means to generate a laser beam having a selected power level, when said generating means is in said first area; wherein said detecting means further includes: lower-level detector means for detecting a peak of a dark level of the electric signal output by said photoelectric conversion means and for outputting a lower-level detection signal representing the detected peak of the dark level; binary value producing means for comparing said lower-level detection signal with a delay signal produced by delaying said lower-level detection signal by a predetermined amount, and for producing a binary signal representing the difference between the lower-level detecting signal and the delay signal, and corresponding to recorded and unrecorded portions; and interval-determining means for determining the intervals at which said recorded portions are arranged, based on said binary signal produced by said binary value producing means.

Claim 3

A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data stored in the second area of said optical recording medium is constituted by a bar code consisting of bars each formed of dots arranged in rows and columns.

Claim 4

A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second area is provided on an inner track side on said optical disk.

Claim 5

A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein plural pieces of identical data are stored in a plurality of tracks of said second area.

Claim 6

The optical disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said binary value producing circuit comprises a comparator.

Claim 7

An optical disk apparatus for recording data on an optical disk and for reading data from an optical disk, said apparatus comprising: an optical disk having a data recording area in which data is to be recorded, and from which data is to be read, and a specifications data recording area which is surrounded by the data recording area and consists of a plurality of tracks, in each of which three items of specifications data are recorded, each item representing specifications of the optical disk, such as the reflection factor of the optical disk, laser powers required for writing data from and for reading data in the data recording area, and the number of sectors of the optical disk; an optical head, including laser means for generating a low-power laser beam and a high-power laser beam, both laser beams being used for reading data, and photoelectric conversion means for converting light which is reflected from the specifications data recording area when the low-power leaser beam is applied to the specifications data recording area into an electric signal; head-moving means for moving said optical head in a radial direction of said optical disk from said specifications data recording area to the data recording area; first control means for controlling the laser beams generated by the laser means of the optical head to have a low power level when the laser means irradiates the specifications data recording area; specification-determining means for determining the specifications of the optical disk from the specifications data recording area; second control means for controlling said optical head so that the laser means generates one of a lower-power laser beam and a high-power laser beam on said data recording area in accordance with the specifications determined by said specification-determining means; and sensing means for sensing recorded portions and unrecorded portions of the data recording area when said optical head is in said data recording area; wherein said specification determining means further includes: lower-level detector means for detecting a peak of a dark level of the electric signal output by said photoelectric conversion means and for outputting a lower-level detection signal representing the detected peak of the dark level; binary value producing means for comparing said lower-level detection signal with a delay signal produced by delaying said lower-level detection signal by a predetermined amount, and for producing a binary signal representing the difference between the lower-level detecting signal and the delay signal, and corresponding to said recorded and unrecorded portions; and interval-determining means for determining the intervals at which said recorded portions are arranged, based on said binary signal produced by said binary value producing means.

Claim 8

An optical disk apparatus for recording data on an optical disk and for reading data from an optical disk, said apparatus comprising: an optical disk having a data recording area in which data is to be recorded, and from which data is to be read, and a specifications data recording area which is surrounded by the data recording area and consists of a plurality of tracks, in each of which three items of specifications data are recorded, each item representing specifications of the optical disk, such as the reflection factor of the optical disk, laser powers required for writing data from and for reading data in the data recording area, and the number of sectors of the optical disk; an optical head, including laser means for generating a low-power laser beam and a high-power laser beam, both laser beams being used for reading data, and photoelectric conversion means for converting light which is reflected from the specifications data recording area when the low-power leaser beam is applied to the specifications data recording area into an electric signal; head-moving means for moving said optical head in a radial direction of said optical disk from said specifications data recording area to the data recording area; first control means for controlling the laser beams generated by the laser means of the optical head to have a low power level when the laser means irradiates the specifications data recording area; specification-determining means for determining the specifications of the optical disk from the specifications data recording area; second control means for controlling said optical head so that the laser means generates one of a lower-power laser beam and a high-power laser beam on said data recording area in accordance with the specifications determined by said specification-determining means; and sensing means for sensing recorded portions and unrecorded portions of the data recording area when said optical head is in said data recording area; wherein said specification determining means further includes: lower-level detector means for detecting a peak of a dark level of the electric signal output by said photoelectric conversion means and for outputting a lower-level detection signal representing the detected peak of the dark level; binary value producing means for comparing said lower-level detection signal with a delay signal produced by delaying said lower-level detection signal by a predetermined amount, and for producing a binary signal representing the difference between the lower-level detecting signal and the delay signal, and corresponding to said recorded and unrecorded portions; and interval-determining means for determining the intervals at which said recorded portions are arranged, based on said binary signal produced by said binary value producing means.

Claim 9

The optical disk apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said specifications data to be recorded in said specifications data recording area of said optical disk is constituted by a bar code consisting of bars each formed of dots arranged in rows and columns.

Claim 10

The optical disk apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said binary value producing circuit comprises a comparator.