Patent ID: 6091679
Filing Date: 2000-07-18
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A tracking error signal generating method comprising:a light irradiating process of irradiating a plurality of tracks, which are on an information record medium and adjacent to each other with an interval smaller than a size of a light beam in a radial direction of the information record medium, with the light beam, while relatively moving the light beam in the radial direction and a tangential direction of the tracks with respect to the tracks;a light receiving process of receiving a reflection light from the tracks irradiated with the light beam, and generating a detection signal based on the received reflection light;a judging process of performing a judgment of a recording portion and a non-recording portion on at least one of the tracks irradiated with the light beam, on the basis of the detection signal;a signal acquiring process of acquiring a specific signal, which indicates a change of the detection signal in correspondence with a displacement in the radial direction of the light beam relative to the tracks and whose changing direction is varied depending on a direction of the displacement, on the basis of a judgment result by said judging process; anda polarity switching process of switching over a polarity of the specific signal on the basis of the judgment result.