Optical disk drive apparatus for searching a target track

Claim 2

An optical disk drive apparatus comprising: a coarse tracking actuator for driving an optical head; a fine tracking actuator for driving an objective lens on said optical head; tracking error detecting means for generating a tracking error signal indicating a positional difference between an optical spot irradiated on an optical disk and a target disk; means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the number of remaining tracks from the current track to the target track and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on a relative position error signal if the number of remaining tracks is not smaller than a predetermined number; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on said relative position error signal and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction under velocity control based on said tracking error signal if the number of remaining tracks is smaller than the predetermined number.

Claim 3

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a track counter for indicating the number of remaining tracks from the current track to the target track; means for determining whether the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter is smaller than the predetermined number; and lens position detecting means for generating said relative position error signal indicating a position of said objective lens relative to said optical head.

Claim 4

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: estimation means for estimating a position, a velocity, and external forces of said coarse tracking actuator; means for providing a corrected estimated velocity and external forces of said coarse tracking actuator based on a difference between an actual position of said coarse tracking actuator, obtained from the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter, and an estimated position of said coarse tracking actuator, obtained from said estimation means; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the corrected estimated velocity and external force.

Claim 5

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: switching means, responsive to said tracking error signal, for outputting a switching signal; and means for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction under velocity control based on said tracking error signal in response to said switching signal from said switching means.

Claim 6

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 4, wherein said switching means comprises means for outputting the switching signal when a frequency of said tracking error signal becomes smaller than a predetermined value during deceleration of said optical head.

Claim 7

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 4, wherein said switching means comprises means for outputting the switching signal when a velocity represented by said tracking error signal becomes smaller than a predetermined value during deceleration of said optical head.

Claim 8

The optical disk drive apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: estimation means for estimating a position, a velocity, and external forces of said coarse tracking actuator; means for providing corrected estimated velocity and external forces of said coarse tracking actuator based on a difference between an actual position of said coarse tracking actuator, obtained from the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter, and an estimated position of said coarse tracking actuator, obtained from said estimation means; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the corrected estimated velocity and external force.

Claim 9

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for integrating a difference between a current velocity derived from said tracking error signal and a reference velocity and for generating a value upon which velocity control of said fine tracking actuator is based.

Claim 10

An optical disk drive apparatus comprising: a coarse tracking actuator for driving an optical head; a fine tracking actuator for driving an objective lens on said optical head; tracking error detecting means for generating a tracking error signal indicating a positional difference between an optical spot irradiated on an optical disk and a target track; a track counter for indicating the number of remaining tracks from the current track to the target track; means for determining whether the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter is smaller than a predetermined number; lens position detecting means for generating a relative position error signal indicating a position of said objective lens relative to said optical head; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on said relative position error signal if the number of remaining tracks is not smaller than the predetermined number; and means for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction under velocity control based on said tracking error signal and for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on said relative position error signal if the number of remaining tracks is smaller than the predetermined number.

Claim 11

An optical disk drive apparatus comprising: a coarse tracking actuator for driving an optical head; a fine tracking actuator for driving an objective lens on said optical head; tracking error detecting means for generating a tracking error signal indicating a positional difference between an optical spot irradiated on an optical disk and a target track; a track counter for indicating the number of remaining tracks from the current track to the target track; means for determining whether the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter is smaller than a predetermined number; lens position detecting means for generating a relative position error signal indicating a position of said objective lens relative to said optical head; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the number of remaining tracks indicated by said track counter and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on said relative position error signal if the number of remaining tracks is not smaller than the predetermined number; and means for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction under velocity control based on said tracking error signal and for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on said relative position error signal if the number of remaining tracks is smaller than the predetermined number.

Claim 12

An optical disk drive apparatus comprising: a coarse tracking actuator for driving an optical head; a fine tracking actuator for driving for driving an objective lens on said optical head; tracking error detecting means for generating a tracking error signal indicating a positional difference between an optical spot irradiated on an optical disk and a target track; switching means, responsive to said tracking error signal, for outputting a switching signal; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on a relative position error signal and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction under velocity control based on said tracking error signal in response to said switching signal from said switching means being in a first state indicative of a short seek operation of said optical head; means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the number of remaining tracks from the current track to the target track and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on a relative position error signal in response to said switching signal from said switching means being in a second state indicative of long seek operation of said optical head.

Claim 13

An optical disk drive apparatus comprising: a coarse tracking actuator for driving an optical head; a fine tracking actuator for driving for driving an objective lens on said optical head; tracking error detecting means for generating a tracking error signal indicating a positional difference between an optical spot irradiated on an optical disk and a target track; switching means, responsive to said tracking error signal, for outputting a switching signal; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on a relative position error signal and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction under velocity control based on said tracking error signal in response to said switching signal from said switching means being in a first state indicative of a short seek operation of said optical head; means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the number of remaining tracks from the current track to the target track and for driving said fine tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on a relative position error signal in response to said switching signal from said switching means being in a second state indicative of long seek operation of said optical head.

Claim 14

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 10, wherein said switching means comprises means for outputting the switching signal in the first state when a frequency of said tracking error signal becomes smaller than a predetermined value during deceleration of said optical head.

Claim 15

The optical disk drive apparatus of claim 10, wherein said switching means comprises means for outputting the switching signal in the first state when a velocity represented by said tracking error signal becomes smaller than a predetermined value during deceleration of said optical head.

Claim 16

The optical disk drive apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: estimation means for estimating a position, a velocity, and external forces of said coarse tracking actuator; means for providing a corrected an estimated velocity and external forces of said coarse tracking actuator based on a difference between an actual position of said coarse tracking actuator, obtained from the positional difference generated by said tracking error detecting means, and an estimated position of said coarse tracking actuator, obtained from said estimation means; and means for driving said coarse tracking actuator in the tracking direction based on the corrected estimated velocity and external force.