Patent ID: 7486595

Claim:
A tracking error detector for receiving laser light that is irradiated onto tracks on a disc surface and that is reflected from the tracks by using a light-receiving device having divided portions, for binarizing signals output from the light-receiving device having divided portions in accordance with the amount of tracking error by using a signal processing circuit including a binarization circuit, and for outputting a tracking error signal for tracking control on the basis of a phase difference between the binarized signals, the tracking error detector comprising: an inter-signal amplitude difference adjustment circuit for determining an amplitude difference between signals output from the light-receiving device, for adjusting the amplitude difference between the signals, the amplitude difference being binarized by the signal processing circuit, on the basis of the detection result, for equalizing the phase offset of each of the signals, based on the waveform distortion that occurs in each of the signals in the binarization circuit, and for suppressing the phase offset with respect to the tracking error signal that is output on the basis of the phase difference between the signals; wherein the inter-signal amplitude difference adjustment circuit includes an amplitude difference detection circuit for detecting an amplitude difference between signals output from the light-receiving device, and based on the amplitude detection result between the signals, the amplitude detection result being detected by the amplitude difference detection circuit, the inter-signal amplitude difference adjustment circuit changes a parameter for allowing only the gain to change without influencing the phase characteristics of a gain control amplifier provided for each of the signals, sets the gain of the gain control amplifier, and eliminate the amplitude difference between the signals, binarized by the signal processing circuit.