Patent ID: 7515513

Claim:
An optical disc device that records information on a recordable optical disc having a power calibration area (PCA) for optimum recording power control, comprising: forced optimum recording power control means that, if inputted a finalize instruction command under which a finalizing process of an optical disc is performed, causes execution of an optimum recording power control prior to the finalizing process; autonomous optimum recording power control means that causes, during recording, the optical disc device to monitor an operating environment of the optical disc device such as an increase of an ambient temperature of an optical pickup, and to execute an optimum recording power control based on an operating environment change, the control means automatically performing an optimum recording power control when a user inputs an instruction of a finalizing process, and when the optical disc device detects by itself an operating environment change of the optical disc device; power calibration enable area detecting means that detects, before the autonomous optimum recording power control means performs an optimum recording power control, whether an unused area remaining in the power calibration area is not less than an amount of a power calibration area which is used during finalizing process; optimum recording power control operation stopping means that stops an optimum recording power control when a result of detection by the power calibration enable area detecting means indicates that an unused area remaining in a power calibration area is less than the above-mentioned amount; and finalize-time optimum recording power control means that causes the power calibration enable area detecting means and the optimum recording power control operation stopping means to be inoperable after the forced optimum recording power control means executes an optimum recording power control, wherein no optimum recording power control is executed when a result of detection by the power calibration enable area detecting means indicates that an unused area remaining in the power calibration area is less than the above-mentioned amount during recording, and an unused area amount required for a finalizing process is left in a power calibration area during finalizing process.