Patent ID: 7366080

Claim:
A laser control unit which executes control so that a light-emission power value of an optical pulse which is used to form a record mark on a recording track of an optical disk becomes a target power value, comprising: an outputting circuit for converting, into an electric signal, the optical pulse which is generated by a semiconductor laser, and outputting a photo-detection signal; an average-value calculating circuit for calculating an average value of the optical pulse, based on the photo-detection signal which is outputted by the outputting circuit; an arithmetic-operation executing circuit for executing an arithmetic operation of the light-emission power value, based on the average value of the optical pulse which is calculated by the average-value calculating circuit and a duty of the optical pulse, and calculating the difference between the light-emission power value and the target power value; a correction-value storing circuit for storing a correction value for correcting an arithmetic operation which is executed by the arithmetic-operation executing circuit; a correcting circuit for correcting the arithmetic operation which is executed by the arithmetic-operation executing circuit, based on the correction value which is stored in the correction-value storing circuit; a controlling circuit for controlling an electric-current value which is supplied to the semiconductor laser, based on the arithmetic result which is corrected by the correcting circuit; and a laser driving circuit for driving the semiconductor laser, based on the electric-current value which is controlled by the controlling circuit.