Optical recording medium recording and reproducing device

Abstract: A recording and reproducing device providing control data recording area on erasable type optical recording medium wherein control data are recorded thereof, character­ ized in that there are provided control data recording area forming means for forming control data recording area com­ prising more than two control recording blocks where more than one record unit are composed and said control data can be recorded independently, and control data updating means for recording a new control data in the control data record­ ing blocks excepting the one where the control data just prior to updating was recorded, when updating the control data in said control data recording area. Even though device electric power supply may unexpect­ edly fail, this device is structured to minimize damage caused by such a failure.

Description: This invention relates to recording and updating of control data, such as an error map, on an erasable or overwritable type optical recording medium, for example, an optical modulation type magneto-optical disk. Among recording and reproducing devices for erasable type optical disks possessing commutability (portability), there are units in which an error map can be written to an individual optical disk. Written in this error map is control data for defective sector and track data, for example, and for writing data to alternate locations when defective sectors/tracks exist on the disk. A recording and reproducing device like this is structured so that an error map is read to RAM in the device when the optical disk is inserted. In this manner error map access is performed on the optical disk. As a consequence, when a host device and host program accesses an optical disk via this recording and reproducing device, even if accessing a defective sector, this will not cause problems to the host device because processing automatically shifts to an alternate sector or the like. When a new defective sector is discovered during accessing, or when it becomes necessary to perform new alternate processing, this recording and reproducing device erases and updates the error map. In conventional optical recording medium recording and reproducing devices, the aforementioned error map has been recorded to one specific location on the optical disk. Now, when rewriting recorded data in an optical modulation type magneto-optical disk recording and reproducing device, it is necessary to erase the record area first. Because of this, when an error map is updated in conventional recording and reproducing devices, it is also necessary to record the new error map after erasing the prior error map, which was recorded in the record area of the error map. Therefore, after erasing the prior error map and before recording the new error map, when, for some unexpected reason, electric power to the device fails, all contents of the error map will be lost. Such problems have occurred. If the content of the error map is lost, this may offer no problems concerning defective sectors or tracks, but it is extremely difficult to recover alternate data, and may be impossible to read data recorded at an alternate location. Even with magnetic modulation type magneto-optical disks, or in phase transition type optical disk recording and reproducing devices, if electric power fails during error map erase processing, possibly the same problem can occur. From DE-A-3 728 857, the disclosure of which is reflected in the preambule of claim 1, there is known an optical disk apparatus in which data relating to defects on the disk is doubly recorded and updated on the disk for improved reliability of error management information. An object of this invention is to provide an optical recording medium recording and reproducing device that can minimise the damage caused by electric power failure et cetera, by storing control data in the recording medium, without being erased or overwritten, even when the electric power to the device fails. Another object of this invention is to provide an optical recording medium recording and reproducing device that can shorten update processing time. Still another object of this invention is to provide an optical recording medium recording and reproducing device that can minimise damage caused by electric power failure when control data is updated. A further object of this invention is to provide an optical recording medium recording and reproducing device that can easily specify a control data recording block, where the newest control data is recorded, out of more than two control data recording blocks. Still a further object of this invention is to provide an optical magnetic medium recording and reproducing device which can unfailingly record control data. In one aspect, the invention provides a recording and reproducing device capable of providing a control data recording area on an erasable type optical recording medium wherein control data are recorded therefor, the device comprising control data recording area forming means for forming said control data recording area and control data updating means for recording new control data in said control data recording area, characterised in that : said control data recording area forming means is arranged to form a said control data recording area which comprises two or more control data recording blocks (#O - #N); in updating the recorded control data, said control data updating means is arranged to record new control data in a recording block (e.g. #N-2) other than the one where, just prior to updating, the latest control data was recorded; and, after updating, if no unrecorded recording block exists, said control data updating means is arranged to erase the control data recorded in a recording block other than the recording block which stores the newly recorded control data. Each recording block may be composed of more than one record unit in which control data can be recorded independently. The aforementioned control data updating means can be arranged to record the new control data in an unrecorded recording block, if available. Also, the aforementioned control data updating means can be structured so that when an unrecorded control data recording block does not exist, after new control data was recorded, it erases control data recorded in the control data recording block where the oldest control data was recorded. Also, the aforementioned control data updating means can be structured so that it records corresponding cyclic code for more than two control data recording blocks in the optical recording medium, together with the control data. Also, the aforementioned control data updating means can be structured so that it records the number of control data recording times in the optical recording medium, together with the control data. Also, the aforementioned control data updating means can be structured so that it records the total number of control data to the recording and reproducing device, together with the control data. Also, the aforementioned control data recording area forming means can be arranged to form recording blocks that comprise more than two record units, and the control data updating means can be arranged to record the same control data in said more than two record units of a recording block. In another aspect, the invention provides a method for recording control data on an erasable or overwritable type optical recording medium, said control data relating to defects on said medium, the method comprising forming a control data recording area in which said control data are recorded and recording new control data in said recording area in an updating process, characterised in that said recording area comprises more than two recording blocks (#O-#N) and in that, in said updating process, said new control data is recorded in one of said recording blocks other than the one in which, just prior to updating, the latest control data was recorded. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating control data updating operation in an embodiment of the device of this invention. Fig. 2 (a), (b) are individual maps indicating control data recording areas on a magneto-optical disk. The embodiment examples of this invention based on Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are described below. These indicated embodiment examples concern the optical modulation type recording and reproducing device in which a magneto-optical disk is used as the optical recording medium. The means for forming the control data recording area is designed to form control data recording area 1, where N+1 units of control data recording blocks are set, as indicated in Fig. 2 (a), (b), on the magneto-optical disk. In the individual control data recording blocks, addresses #O - #N are attached. Here, Fig. 2 (b) indicates a case in which updating of each control data recording block in the control data recording area is done in at least one cycle. Each aforementioned control data recording block comprises multiple sectors of sector 2, which is a record unit, as indicated in Fig. 2 (a), concerning control data recording block of address #2. In each of these individual sectors 2, the same content of control data is to be recorded, allowing improved reliability. Also, the aforementioned individual sector 2 can perform independent erase record processing, so N+1 units of control data recording blocks also can individually and independently perform control data recording. The control data to be recorded in this control data recording block comprises an error map which indicates magneto-optical disk conditions and includes alternated addresses, when alternate processing is done, and alternate addresses. The aforementioned alternate processing is a process performed when a defective sector is discovered when access executing is done from the host device or host program. The alternated address is the address which indicates a discovered defective sector. The alternate address indicates the normal sector of an alternate location, which will actually be accessed instead of the defective sector when the host device tries to access the defective sector again. When alternated address and alternate address are determined after alternate processing is done, the control data update processing can be done by the control data updating means. In this case, the control data updating means will record new control data to the control data recording block, excepting control data recording blocks of recording control data just prior to updating. Here the hatched control data recording blocks indicate blocks where control data is already recorded. Consequently, in Fig. 2 (a), control data recording blocks after address #N-3 are unrecorded. In Fig. 2 (b), only address #2 control data recording block is unrecorded. The program which controls the control data recording area 1 in the aforementioned control data updating means is designed to read out to RAM. The newest control data, in this embodiment example, is always recorded in a control data recording block located just before the unrecorded control data recording block. For example, in Fig. 2 (a), the control data recording block address #N-3 is the control data recording block where the latest control data is recorded, and in Fig. 2 (b), the control data recording block address #1 is indicated. Based on the Fig. 1 flow chart, the control data update process operation of the above structured magneto-optical disk recording and reproducing device is explained. This control data update process, first, in step S1, makes new control data by adding a new alternated address and alternate address to control data in RAM. This sets up the pointer to the first address #O of the control data recording block in the control data recording area 1 on the magneto-optical disk (S2). If a pointer is set up, it examines if the control data recording block of the pointer-located address is unrecorded or not (S3). If this control data recording block is recorded, the pointer advances to the next address by 1, and moves the pointer to the next control data recording block (S4). Then it returns to S3, thereafter it repeats S3, processing until the unrecorded control data recording block is discovered. In the case of Fig. 2 (a) and Fig. 2 (b), by repeating S3 processing N-1 times, or 3 times respectively, the pointer reaches address #N-2, or address #2, which indicates the unrecorded control data recording block. In this embodiment example, control data recording area 1 always has at least one unrecorded control data recording block, this to be explained later. In S3, if the control data recording block is determined to be unrecorded, the new control data in previously mentioned RAM is recorded in the pointer-indicated control data recording block (S5). Usually when recording data on optical modulation type magneto-optical disks by rewriting, it is necessary to erase the prior-recorded part first. However, recording in this embodiment example is done in the already unrecorded control data recording block, so an erase operation becomes unnecessary. Even if new control data in RAM is lost, because of electric power failure immediately after alternate processing, the control data thus far is always stored in control data recording area 1. When new control data recording is completed, S5 ends confirming this data. When new control data recording and confirmation ends, it is determined if the present address pointer indicates the last address #N or not (S6). If not the last address, the pointer address advances by 1, and moves to the next control data recording block (S7). It is then examined if control data recording block of the pointer-indicated address that advanced by 1 in the above S7 is unrecorded or not (S8). If recorded, the control data recording block of the pointer-indicated address will be erased (S9). In other words, the oldest control data recording block is erased, and the update process ends. For example, in Fig. 2 (b), if new control data is recorded in the control data recording block of address #2, the control data recording block of address #3 is recorded. So it advances from S8 to S9, and the control data recording block of address #3 will be erased. In S8, if the control data recording block is unrecorded, it completes update processing as it is. For example, in Fig. 2 (a), if new control data is recorded in the control data recording block of address #N-2, address #N-1 is unrecorded, so according to the decision of S8, update processing is immediately terminated. On the other hand, in previously mentioned S6, if the address pointer indicates the last address #N when new control data recording and confirmation ends, in other words, when new control data is recorded in the control data recording block of last address #N in S5, and control data recording block of the next address does not exist, it moves to S10. In S10, after returning the pointer to initial address #0, it moves to S9, and this control data recording block of the first address #0 is erased. In this case as well, the oldest control data recording block is erased. In this way, according to the embodiment example, the oldest control data recording block is erased every time control data is updated. Hence, at least one unrecorded control data recording block always exists, as was previously mentioned. When control data in control data recording area 1 is updated, the recording and reproducing device of this embodiment example can store the previous maximum number of units (N-1 units) updated data, including those prior to updating. Especially in the case of optical modulation type magneto-optical disks, as in this embodiment example, it is necessary to erase first when recording is to be rewritten. However, if previous control data is stored as mentioned above, even if an unexpected electric power failure occurs, damage can be minimised. At the same time, since the erase operation of the control data recording block is not required until it goes to and returns from control data recording area 1, the update processing time can be shortened. Examples of the aforementioned overwriting type optical recording medium include magneto-optical disks, phase transition type optical disks and magneto-optical cards et cetera. The control data recording area is an area where control data, for example an error map, is to be recorded. Therefore, the control data recording area forming means forms the control data recording area, where more than two control data recording blocks can independently record control data at optical recording medium format time on the optical recording medium. The control data recording block comprises more than one record unit, so that more than two control data recording blocks will not process erasing or rewriting at one time. This record unit usually becomes a sector unit. When the control data of the control data recording area is updated, the control data updating means records new control data in a control data recording block, excepting the control data recording blocks where control data previously updated was recorded. Hence, when control data is updated, the control data just previously updated is stored in the optical recording medium, without being erased or overwritten. Consequently, if the recording and reproducing device of this invention is used, even in cases of electric power failure during update time, since previously updated control data is stored in the optical recording medium, damage can be minimised. Additionally, when there are no unrecorded control data recording blocks for control data recording, except control data recording blocks where control data was just previously updated, the control data recording block of oldest recorded control data can be used. In this case, if designated in advance that when all unrecorded control data recording blocks are gone at update time, the oldest control data recorded in control data recording block will be erased, the control data recording block to be recorded will be easily specified at next update time, only by searching the unrecorded sector. In these cases as well, by recording cyclic codes that correspond to more than two control data recording blocks together in the optical recording medium, the unrecorded control data recording block, or the control data recording block where the oldest control data was recorded, can be easily specified. At the same time, if the number of control data recordings is recorded in the optical recording medium, the unrecorded control data recording block or the control data recording block where the oldest control data was recorded can easily be specified by determining the remainder of total control data recording blocks from the number of recording times. Also, in cases where total control data always increases every time an update process is performed, if the total control data is recorded in the optical recording medium recording and reproducing device together with control data, the control data recording block where the newest control data was recorded can easily be specified by searching control data with the largest total number. Concerning the number of control data recording blocks, it is sufficient if there are more than two. When the number of control data recording blocks are only two, these blocks can be alternately used for the control data recording blocks to record new control data at every update time. In addition, the optical recording medium recording and reproducing device of this invention usually comprises an optical recording medium driver device and a program to control it.

Claims: A recording and reproducing device capable of providing a control data recording area (1) on an erasable type optical recording medium wherein control data are recorded therefor, the device comprising control data recording area forming means for forming said control data recording area and control data updating means for recording new control data in said control data recording area, characterised in that : said control data recording area forming means is arranged to form a said control data recording area (1) which comprises two or more control data recording blocks (#O - #N); in updating the recorded control data, said control data updating means is arranged to record new control data in a recording block (e.g. #N-2) other than the one where, just prior to updating, the latest control data was recorded; and, after updating, if no unrecorded recording block exists, said control data updating means is arranged to erase the control data recorded in a recording block other than the recording block which stores the newly recorded control data. A recording and reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein said control data updating means is arranged to record the new control data in an unrecorded recording block, if available. A recording and reproducing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said control data updating means is arranged to erase control data recorded in the recording block where the oldest control data is recorded when an unrecorded recording block does not exist after new control data has been recorded. A recording and reproducing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said control data updating means is arranged to record corresponding cyclic code for more than two control data recording blocks in said optical recording medium, together with said control data. A recording and reproducing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said control data updating means is arranged to record the number of control data recording times in said optical recording medium, together with said control data. A recording and reproducing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said control data updating means is arranged to record the total number of said control data to the recording and reproducing device, together with said control data. A recording and reproducing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said control data recording area forming means is arranged to form recording blocks that comprise more than two record units (2), and said control data updating means is arranged to record the same control data in said more than two record units of a recording block. A method for recording control data on an erasable or overwritable type optical recording medium, said control data relating to defects on said medium, the method comprising forming a control data recording area (1) in which said control data are recorded and recording new control data in said recording area in an updating process, characterised in that said recording area (1) comprises more than two control data recording blocks (#O-#N) and in that, in said updating process said new control data is recorded in one of said control data recording blocks other than the one in which, just prior to updating, the latest control data was recorded. The method of claim 8, wherein the new control data is recorded in an unrecorded recording block, if available. The method of claim 9, wherein, if no unrecorded recording block is available, the new control data is recorded in a recording block which contains the oldest recorded control data. The method of claim 10, wherein said oldest recorded control data is erased from the recording block before the new control data is recorded.

Inventors: DEGUCHI TOSHIHISA, FUJIWARA TSUNEO, IWAKI TAKASHI, MAEDA SHIGEMI, TERASHIMA SHIGEO, YAMAGUCHI TAKESHI, DEGUCHI, TOSHIHISA, FUJIWARA, TSUNEO, IWAKI, TAKASHI, MAEDA, SHIGEMI, TERASHIMA, SHIGEO, YAMAGUCHI, TAKESHI
Applicants: SHARP KK, SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G11B20
IPC codes: G11B7, G11B20, G11B27