Patent ID: 6373793
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
An optical disk readout method wherein n adjacent tracks, n being an integer of 3 or greater, of an optical disk (1) are illuminated simultaneously by separate n light beams (31, 32, . . . , 3n) arranged in the radial direction of the optical disk in order to read recorded data in the tracks illuminated by the n light beams from outputs obtained by detecting reflected ones of the n light beams through n light beam-read channels (21i, 24ii, 26i, 31i, 32i, 33i with i=1to n), CHARACTERIZED BY,detecting the relative positions in said radial direction of light beams associated with the light beam-read channels capable of reading recorded data from the optical disk; designating a set of said light beam-read channels which are capable of reading recorded data from the optical disk to be used for reading and determining the number of tracks to be jumped, according to the detected radial positions of the light beams associated with the capable light beam-read channels; continuously reading data from said disk with said set of light beam-read channels and storing the readout data and corresponding addresses of the optical disk during the continuous reading by said set of light beam-read channels designated for reading; and if said set comprises more than one light beam-read channel, executing the track jump by the determined number of tracks when the stored corresponding frame addresses show that said stored readout data correspond to a continuous block of data recorded on the optical disk, whereby the reading of the optical disk is performed by alternating between the continuous readings and track jumps in the forward direction.