1. An optical drive apparatus comprising:
an optical head that applies laser light onto a recording medium having a plurality of information recording layers for recording andor reproduction and that detects reflected light from the recording medium;
a signal generating circuit that generates a focusing error signal, a tracking error signal, and an information signal on the basis of the reflected light detected by the optical head;
a reproduction circuit that obtains reproduction information by processing the information signal generated by the signal generating circuit; and
a servo circuit that performs focusing servo operation and tracking servo operation according to the focusing error signal and the tracking error signal generated by the signal generating circuit,
wherein the optical head includes a laser light source for emitting the laser light, an optical system that produces 0-order diffracted light, +1-order diffracted light, and \u22121-order diffracted light from the laser light emitted from the laser light source, that forms an optical path for applying the 0-order diffracted light, the +1-order diffracted light, and the \u22121-order diffracted light onto the recording medium, and that forms an optical path for guiding the reflected light from the recording medium, and a light-receiving device for receiving and detecting the reflected light guided by the optical system,
wherein the light-receiving device includes a first light-receiving section divided at least in a tangential direction of a recording track on the recording medium to detect reflected light of the 0-order diffracted light, two second light-receiving sections divided at least in the tangential direction of the recording track on the recording medium to detect reflected light of the +1-order diffracted light and reflected light of the \u22121-order diffracted light, and two third light-receiving sections provided near each of the two second light-receiving sections and at positions such as not to receive reflected light of the 0-order diffracted light, reflected light of the +1-order diffracted light, and reflected light of the \u22121-order diffracted light from a target information recording layer of the information recording layers to be accessed, the third light-receiving sections receiving stray light reflected from one or more information recording layers other than the target information recording layer,
wherein the third light-receiving sections each have an area equivalent to the area of photoreceptors of the two second light-receiving sections, and
wherein the signal generating circuit generates the tracking error signal in a differential push-pull method on the basis of detection signals from the first, second, and third light-receiving sections,
wherein the signal generating circuit generates a first push-pull signal for the 0-order diffracted light on the basis of the detection signal from the first light-receiving section, generates a second push-pull signal for the +1-order diffracted light and a third push-pull signal for the \u22121-order diffracted light on the basis of the detection signals from the second light-receiving sections, standardizes the first, second, and third push-pull signals, generates the tracking error signal by operation on the standardized first, second, and third push-pull signals, and generates, on the basis of the detection signal from the third light-receiving sections, standardization signals used to standardize the second and third push-pull signals.
2. The optical drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the standardization signals are generated by subtracting the product of the detection signal from the third light-receiving sections and a coefficient from the sum of the detection signals from the second light-receiving sections.
3. A tracking-error-signal generating method for an optical drive apparatus having an optical head, wherein the optical head includes a laser light source for emitting laser light, an optical system that produces 0-order diffracted light, +1-order diffracted light, and \u22121-order diffracted light from laser light emitted from the laser light source, that forms an optical path for applying the 0-order diffracted light, the +1-order diffracted light, and the \u22121-order diffracted light onto a recording medium having a plurality of information recording layers, and that forms an optical path for guiding reflected light from the recording medium, and a light-receiving device for receiving and detecting the reflected light guided by the optical system,
wherein the light-receiving device includes a first light-receiving section divided at least in a tangential direction of a recording track on the recording medium to detect reflected light of the 0-order diffracted light, two second light-receiving sections divided at least in the tangential direction of the recording track on the recording medium to detect reflected light of the +1-order diffracted light and reflected light of the \u22121-order diffracted light, and two third light-receiving sections provided near each of the two second light-receiving sections and at positions such as not to receive reflected light of the 0-order diffracted light, reflected light of the +1-order diffracted light, and reflected light of the \u22121-order diffracted light from a target information recording layer of the information recording layers to be accessed, the third light-receiving sections receiving stray light reflected from one or more information recording layers other than the target information recording layer,
wherein the third light-receiving sections each have an area equivalent to the area of photoreceptors of the two second light-receiving sections, and
wherein the tracking-error-signal generating method comprises the steps of:
generating a first push-pull signal for the 0-order diffracted light on the basis of a detection signal from the first light-receiving section;
standardizing the first push-pull signal;
generating a second push-pull signal for the +1-order diffracted light and a third push-pull signal for the \u22121-order diffracted light on the basis of detection signals from the second light-receiving sections;
generating, on the basis of a detection signal from the third light-receiving sections, standardization signals used to standardize the second push-pull signal and the third push-pull signal;
standardizing the second and third push-pull signals by using the standardization signals; and
generating a tracking error signal in a differential push-pull method by operating on the standardized first, second, and third push-pull signals.
4. The tracking-error-signal generating method according to claim 3, wherein the standardization signals are generated by subtracting the product of the detection signal from the third light-receiving sections and a coefficient from the sum of the detection signals from the second light-receiving sections.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A consumer electronics communication device comprising:
a first functionality adapted to enable real-time communication via the device; and
a second functionality adapted to enable automatic recording of at least part of the real time communication in response to a user of the device initiating or accepting the real time communication.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first functionality comprises at least one user interface mechanism adapted to provide real-time audio andor visual information to a user and to receive real-time audio andor visual information from the user.
3. The device of claim 1, comprising a user input to enable the user to select a portion of the real-time communication for the recording.
4. The device of claim 1, comprising at least one organizational mechanism for organizing the recorded communications in a retrievable form for the user.
5. The device of claim 1, comprising an onboard storage for storing at least part of the recorded communication.
6. The device of claim 1, comprising an output for transmitting a signal to a storage, the signal being representative of the real time communication for being recorded at the storage
7. The device of claim 1, comprising an opt-out mechanism adapted to exempt a particular communication from being recorded.
8. The device of claim 7, wherein the opt-out mechanism comprises a prompter that asks at least the user or another party involved in the real time communication to signal if there is a desire for omitting the recording.
9. The device of claim 7, wherein the opt-out mechanism comprises a distinct, respective, physically actuatable opt out selector apparatus located on an exterior of the device.
10. The device of claim 1, comprising a last-communication rewind mechanism for replay of at last part of the communication recorded most recently.
11. The device of claim 10, wherein the last-communication rewind mechanism comprises a distinct, respective, physically actuatable selector mechanism located on an exterior of the device.
12. The device of claim 1, comprising a thumbwheel for scrolling through recorded communications.
13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a mobile phone functionality.
14. A method comprising offering a service, the method comprising:
enabling automatic recording of at least part of a real-time communication initiated or accepted by at least one subscriber; and
responsive to at least one subscriber request, enabling playback of subscriber-selected ones of recorded real-time communications.
15. The method of claim 14, comprising organizing the recorded communications for retrieval and playback by at least one subscriber.
16. The method of claim 14, comprising offering subscribers andor their interlocutors an opt-out feature so that given ones of their communications will not be recorded.
17. The method of claim 14, enabling the subscriber to select a portion of the real time communication for recording.
18. The method of claim 14, comprising offering subscribers a last-communication rewind feature for enabling to retrieve at last part of a copy of the real time communication recorded most recently.
20. For use with a consumer electronics communication device that enables real-time communication via the device: a module with a storage for coupling with the device for enabling automatic recording of the real time communication in response to a user of the device initiating or accepting the real time communication.
21. The module of claim 20, for galvanic coupling with the device.
22. The module of claim 20, for coupling with the device using in a wireless manner.
23. The module of claim 20, being controllable via a user-interface of the device.
24. The module of claim 20, comprising at least one organizational mechanism for organizing the recorded communications in a retrievable form for the user.
25. The module of claim 20, comprising an opt out mechanism adapted to exempt a particular communication from recordation.