Patent ID: 8000185

Claim:
A drive signal generation circuit comprising: a tracking signal output circuit configured to output a tracking signal based on an error signal, the tracking signal being a signal for driving a motor to move an optical pickup in a radial direction of an optical disc to reduce a track deviation of laser light output from the optical pickup, the error signal being a signal indicating the track deviation, the track deviation being a deviation of the laser light with respect to a track; a stop signal output circuit configured to output a stop signal for driving the motor to stop moving the optical pickup in the radial direction; a switch circuit configured to output the tracking signal as a drive signal for driving the motor when a level of an output signal obtained by photoelectric conversion in the optical pickup is higher than a predetermined level, and output the stop signal as the drive signal when the level of the output signal is lower than the predetermined level; and a comparison circuit configured to output a comparison signal of one logic level when a period during which the level of the output signal is lower than the predetermined level is shorter than a predetermined reference period, and output the comparison signal of the other logic level when the period during which the level of the output signal is lower than the predetermined level is longer than the reference period, wherein when the level of the output signal is higher than the predetermined level, the switch circuit outputs the tracking signal as the drive signal in a case where the comparison circuit outputs the comparison signal of the one logic level, and outputs the tracking signal as the drive signal after a predetermined period elapses in a case where the comparison circuit outputs the comparison signal of the other logic level.