Patent ID: 8385170

Claim:
An optical disc discrimination method for discriminating a type of optical disc loaded into an optical disc transport device having a loading driver that moves the optical disc relative to a turntable in a direction of an axis of rotation of the turntable, a light emitting section that directs a light beam onto the optical disc during loading, and a light detecting unit disposed in a path of diffracted light from recording tracks on the optical disc when the light beam from the light emitting section is incident thereon, said method comprising the step of discriminating the type of optical disc loaded from signal changes of detection output of the light detecting unit, due to a change in a positional relation between the optical disc and the light detecting unit during the period from a beginning of loading when the loading driver starts moving the optical disc relative to the turntable in the direction of the axis of rotation to an end of loading when the loading driver stops moving the optical disc relative to the turntable in the direction of the axis, wherein while moving the optical disc relative to the turntable in the direction of the axis of rotation of the turntable, the loading driver keeps a recording surface of the optical disc perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turntable.