Abstract:
An apparatus and method to control a disc driving speed where apparatus includes processor to set a disc driving speed and to transmit information of the disc driving speed according to a predetermined protocol; a disc drive to receive and to store the information of the disc driving speed, and to drive a disc at the disc driving speed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
         [0001]    This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-38523, filed on Jun. 14, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to an apparatus and method to control a disc driving speed, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method to control a disc driving speed such that the disc driving speed is constant even after a corresponding disc tray opens/closes and/or a disc is changed.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    In line with the wide spread use of high storage capacity discs, computers generally come equipped with disc drives. A computer and a disc drive provided to the computer communicate with each other according to a communication protocol, e.g., AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) protocol.  
           [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a computer system including a main computer  100  and a disc drive  110 .  
           [0007]    In order to communicate with the disc drive  110 , the computer includes a hard disc  101 , a controller  102 , and a first ATAPI interface unit  103 . The hard disc  101  contains a disc drive program and a related user interface. The controller  102  has a signal processor, for example, a microprocessor, to execute programs stored on the hard disc  101 . The first ATAPI interface unit  103  enables communication between the main computer  100  and the disc drive  110  according to the ATAPI protocol.  
           [0008]    The disc drive  110  includes an optical pick-up  111 , a data processor  112 , a servo unit  113 , a micom  114 , a motor drive  115 , and a second ATAPI interface unit  116 . The optical pick-up  111  detects signals from a disc  11 , and the data processor  112  processes the signals detected by the optical pick-up  111 . The servo unit  113  generates a control signal to control the positions of the optical pick-up  111  over the disc  11 . The micom  114  generates a control signal to control the servo unit  113 . The motor drive  115  controls the optical pick-up  111  so that the optical pick-up  111  is positioned over the disc  11  according to the control signal from the servo unit  113 , and also controls a spindle motor (not shown) to drive the disc  11  at a predetermined speed. The second ATAPI interface unit  116  transmits data from the data processor  112  or information from the micom  114  to the main computer  100  according to the ATAPI protocol, and receives data or information sent from the main computer  100 .  
           [0009]    In order to control the disc driving speed, with reference to FIG. 1, a user selects a speed by which to drive the disc  11  using the disc drive program on the hard disc  101 , and corresponding information of the speed is sent to the disc drive  110  through the first ATAPI interface unit  103 . The second ATAPI interface unit  116  receives the speed information and forwards the same to the micom  114 . The micom  114  processes the speed information and forwards a result to the servo unit  113 . According to the speed information, the servo unit  113  controls the motor drive  115  to drive the spindle motor (not shown) at the corresponding speed.  
           [0010]    According to the above described apparatus and method to control the disc driving speed, a computer program to control the speed of the disc in the disc drive is required. Thus, when using the program, the disc driving speed returns to a fundamental speed set in the disc drive whenever a disc tray of the disc drive is opened and/or closed or when a disc is changed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    An aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus and method to control a disc driving speed, according to which the disc driving speed is not changed even when a disc tray is opened or closed, and/or a disc is changed.  
           [0012]    According to an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus to control a disc driving speed is provided. The apparatus to control the disc driving speed comprises: a processor to establish the disc driving speed and transmit information of the disc driving speed according to a predetermined protocol; a disc drive to receive and store the information of the disc driving speed, and to drive a disc at the disc driving speed. According to an aspect of the present invention, the processor may be a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a microprocessor, a consumer device such as a digital versatile disc (DVD) player and/or any other similar programmable machine.  
           [0013]    Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
           [0014]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the computer comprises a screen interface to allow a user to select a desired disc driving speed, and to establish the selected disc driving speed as the disc driving speed.  
           [0015]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the screen interface includes up and/or down buttons to allow the user to increase and/or decrease the desired disc driving speed within a predetermined range.  
           [0016]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the screen interface allows the user to directly input the desired disc driving speed.  
           [0017]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the predetermined protocol is an AT attachment packet interface (ATAPI).  
           [0018]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the disc drive maintains the disc driving speed until the disc driving speed is replaced with another disc drive speed.  
           [0019]    According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus to control a disc driving speed is provided. The apparatus comprises: a processor having a speed setting unit to establish a disc driving speed, and a transmitting unit to transmit information of the disc driving speed according to a predetermined communication protocol; and a disc drive having a receiving unit to receive the information of the disc driving speed from the transmitting unit of the computer, a speed alternation unit to replace information of a current disc driving speed with the information of the disc driving speed, and a speed storing unit to store the information of the disc driving speed and replace the current disc driving speed in the speed alternation unit, where the disc drive drives a disc at the disc driving speed based on the information of the disc driving speed stored in the speed storing unit.  
           [0020]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the speed setting unit of the computer comprises: a screen interface to allow a user to select a desired disc driving speed, and to establish the selected disc driving speed as the disc driving speed.  
           [0021]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the screen interface includes up and down buttons to allow the user to increase or decrease the desired driving speed within a predetermined range.  
           [0022]    According to an aspect of the present invention, the screen interface allows the user to directly input the desired disc driving speed.  
           [0023]    According to an aspect of the present invention, communication protocol is an AT attachment packet interface (ATAPI) protocol.  
           [0024]    According to one aspect of the present invention, the storing unit maintains the information of the disc driving speed until replaced with information of another disc driving speed even when a disc tray of the disc drive is opened and/or closed, or a disc in the disc tray is changed.  
           [0025]    According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method to control a disc driving speed of a disc drive coupled with a computer is provided. The method comprises: establishing a disc driving speed and transmitting information of the disc driving speed to the disc drive according to a predetermined communication protocol; and receiving and storing the information of the disc driving speed, and driving a disc according to the information of the disc driving speed.  
           [0026]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method to control a disc driving speed of a disc drive that is combined with a computer is provided. The method comprises: establishing a disc driving speed; transmitting information of the disc driving speed according to a predetermined communication protocol; receiving and storing the information of the disc driving speed; and reproducing a disc according to the information of the disc driving speed.  
           [0027]    According to one aspect of the present invention, the method to control the disc driving speed further comprises: providing a screen interface to allow a user to determine a desired disc driving speed, and establishing the determined disc driving speed as the disc driving speed.  
           [0028]    According to one aspect of the present invention, the screen interface includes up and/or down buttons to allow the user to increase and/or decrease a value of the desired disc driving speed within a predetermined range.  
           [0029]    According to one aspect of the present invention, the screen interface allows the user to directly input the desired disc driving speed.  
           [0030]    According to one aspect of the present invention, the communication protocol is AT attachment packet interface (ATAPI) protocol.  
           [0031]    According to one aspect of the present invention, the disc driving speed is maintained until replaced with another disc driving speed, even when a disc tray of the disc drive is opened and/or closed, or a disc is alternated. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]    The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent, and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings of which:  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a computer and a disc drive that use an ATAPI protocol;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus to control a disc driving speed according to an aspect of the present invention; and  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 3 is a flowchart to illustrate a method to control a disc driving speed according to an aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0036]    Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus to control a disc driving speed according to an aspect of the present invention. The apparatus includes a computer  200  and a disc drive  210 .  
         [0038]    In order to control the disc driving speed, the computer  200  includes a speed setting unit  201  and an information transmitting unit  202 , and the disc drive  210  includes a receiving unit  211 , a speed alternation unit  212 , and a speed storing unit  213 .  
         [0039]    The speed setting unit  201  sets a disc driving speed input by a user. According to an aspect of the present invention, the computer includes a display screen (not shown) through which the user inputs a desired disc driving speed. The display screen includes up and/or down button functions to allow the user to select a disc driving speed within a predetermined range of speeds. Accordingly, clicking the up or down buttons respectively increases or decreases the speed within the predetermined range. In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, the user selects the desired disc driving speed from a plurality of disc driving speeds provided by a program and displayed on the display screen. Alternatively, the user directly inputs the desired disc driving speed on the display screen according to another aspect of the present invention. The disc driving speed selected/input by the user is set by the speed setting unit  201 . The transmitting unit  202  transmits the disc driving speed set by the speed setting unit  201  to the disc driver  210  according to a communication protocol defined between the computer  200  and the disc drive  210 .  
         [0040]    The receiving unit  211  of the disc drive  210  receives the disc driving speed from the transmitting unit  202  of the computer  200 . Further, the speed alternation unit  212  changes a current disc driving speed according to the disc driving speed received from the information receiving unit  211 . The speed storing unit  213  stores the disc driving speed changed by the speed alternation unit  212 . A disc driving servo unit  214  drives a disc  215  at the disc driving speed stored in the speed storing unit  213 . Accordingly, because the disc driving servo unit  214  drives the disc  215  according to the disc driving speed stored in the speed storing unit  213 , even after a disc tray of the disc drive  110  is opened and/or closed, or the disc  215  is changed, the disc driving speed is maintained. According to an aspect of the present invention, the disc driving speed is changed by changing the speed stored in the speed storing unit  213 . Here, the new disc driving speed is input by the user, set by the speed setting unit  201 , transmitted by the transmitting unit  202 , received by the receiving unit  211 , and changed from the old speed by the speed alternation unit  212 .  
         [0041]    The transmitting unit  202  and the receiving unit  211  correspond to a transmitting/receiving interface between the computer  200  and the disc drive  210  according to the predetermined communication protocol, e.g., the ATAPI protocol.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 3 illustrates a method to control a disc driving speed of a disc drive combined with a computer. Accordingly, a new disc driving speed to be set is determined by software in the computer in operation  300 . To facilitate input of the new disc driving speed, the computer provides a screen interface to the user. Through the screen interface, the user selects a desired disc driving speed within a predetermined range of disc driving speeds by using up and/or down button functions, which are provided in combination with the screen interface. Alternatively, the computer provides a plurality of disc driving speeds on the screen interface to allow the user to select from the plurality of disc driving speeds. Alternatively, the user directly inputs the desired disc driving speed through an entry window on the screen interface provided by the computer. The disc driving speed selected or directly input by the user is established as the new speed to be set. The new disc driving speed is transmitted to the disc drive according to a predetermined communication protocol in operation  310 . The predetermined communication protocol generally corresponds to the ATAPI protocol. The new disc driving speed replaces the old speed and is stored in a memory of the disc drive in operation  320 . The disc drive drives a disc at the new disc driving speed in operation  330 . The new disc driving speed is maintained until it is changed again by the above method, regardless of change in the state of a disc tray or disc alternation.  
         [0043]    According to an aspect of the present invention, a user selects a desired disc driving speed using a computer screen interface, and the desired disc driving speed is maintained by a disc drive even when a disc tray is opened and/or closed, or a disc is changed.  
         [0044]    Although a few embodiments of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.