Patent ID: 7872956

Claim:
An apparatus for driving an optical disc having at least two recording layers which can be optically accessed by a laser beam from one side of the disc, and which are laminated in a forward direction of the laser beam, the recording layers having trial write areas respectively and including first and second recording layers, the apparatus comprising: an optical head for generating the laser beam and applying the generated laser beam to the optical disc; first means for deciding whether or not forthcoming recording of an information signal on the optical disc is first time; second means for recording test signals on the trial write areas in the first and second recording layers by use of the optical head and the laser beam with varying powers, and reproducing the recorded test signals from the trial write areas in cases where the first means decides that forthcoming recording of information on the optical disc is first time; third means for obtaining first information representing first-time optimum recording powers of the laser beam for the respective first and second recording layers in response to the test signals reproduced by the second means; fourth means for recording the test signals on the trial write area in the first recording layer by use of the optical head and the laser beam with varying powers, and reproducing the recorded test signals from the trial write area in the first recording layer in cases where the first means decides that forthcoming recording of an information signal on the optical disc is not first time; fifth means for obtaining second information representing a new optimum recording power of the laser beam for the first recording layer in response to the test signals reproduced by the fourth means; and sixth means for obtaining third information representing a new optimum recording power of the laser beam for the second recording layer from (1) the new optimum recording power for the first recording layer which is represented by the second information obtained by the fifth means and (2) a ratio between the first-time optimum recording powers for the first and second recording layers which are represented by the first information obtained by the third means.