Patent ID: 8374066
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. An optical pickup for recording or reproducing, by irradiating an optical disc recording medium with a laser beam, an information signal on or from the optical disc recording medium, comprising: a laser beam generator for selectively generating a first laser beam with a first wavelength or a second laser beam with a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; a one-plane two-wavelength diffraction grating which is irradiated with one of the first and the second laser beams generated by the laser beam generator and divides, using a same diffraction plane, the one of the first and the second laser beams into a main beam and two sub-beams; a collimating lens for converting the main beam and two sub-beams, each being a divergent beam, generated at the one-plane two-wavelength diffraction grating into parallel beams; an objective lens for condensing the main beam and two sub-beams converted into parallel beams by the collimating lens on a data recording surface of the recording medium; a condensing lens for condensing the main beam and two sub-beams reflected from the data recording surface; and a photodetector including a first light receiving element for the first laser beam which has four light receiving areas and converts, by being irradiated with the main beam of the first laser beam condensed by the condensing lens, the main beam of the first laser beam into an electrical signal, a second and a third light receiving elements for the first laser beam each of which has four light receiving areas and converts, by being irradiated with a corresponding one of the two sub-beams of the first laser beam condensed by the condensing lens, the corresponding sub-beam of the first laser beam into an electrical signal, a first light receiving element for the second laser beam which has four light receiving areas and converts, by being irradiated with the main beam of the second laser beam condensed by the condensing lens, the main beam of the second laser beam into an electrical signal, and a second and a third light receiving elements for the second laser beam each of which has four light receiving areas and converts, by being irradiated with a corresponding one of the two sub-beams of the second laser beam condensed by the condensing lens, the corresponding sub-beam of the second laser beam into an electrical signal; wherein a center position of the four light receiving areas of each of the second and the third light receiving elements for the first laser beam is shifted by a predetermined distance relative to the first light receiving element for the first laser beam, and a center position of the four light receiving areas of each of the second and the third light receiving elements for the second laser beam is shifted by a predetermined distance relative to the first light receiving element for the second laser beam, in a linear-speed direction of the optical disc relative to the optical pickup.