Method and related apparatus for storing program code and optimized power calibration data in the same non-volatile memory

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a method for accessing data from a optical disc recorder and related apparatus, and more particularly, to a method for storing program codes and optimized power calibration data into the same non-volatile memory of the optical disc recorder.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a conventional optical disc recorder.

#FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an OPC data accessing process according to the prior art.

#FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an optical disc recorder according to the present invention.

#Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a functional block diagram of an optical disc recorder 30 according to the present invention. The optical disc recorder 30 comprises an optical module 34A, a motor 34B for spinning a optical disc 32, a controller 36, a RAM 38 (a second memory), and a programmable non-volatile flash memory 40 (a first memory) with a program code 42 therein. The optical module 34A generates laser beams and projects them onto the optical disc 32. The optical module 34A also generates information signals by detecting the light reflected by the optical disc 32. The controller 36 reads the program code 42 and then manages the optical disc recorder 30 according to the program code 42. The RAM 38, which can be a dynamic random access memory or a static random access memory, is a volatile memory and is used for registering the data needed for the controller 36 to function normally. For example, after analyzing the information signals generated by the optical module 34A, the controller 36 adjusts the rotational speed of the motor 34A according to a predetermined algorithm stored in the program code 42 and controls the optical module 34A to use a predetermined power to record data onto the optical disc 32.

#The flash memory 40 also comprises an information table 44. The information table 44 comprises a plurality of entries 46A, 46B, and 46C. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of identification codes T1, T2, T3 respectively correspond to a plurality of optimized power calibration (OPC) data OPC1, OPC2, and OPC3. The optical disc 32 also has an identification code 48. As mentioned previously, optical discs having different identification codes have different physical and optical characteristics, and consequently different OPC data. Contrary to the prior art, the present invention stores the OPC data of the optical discs along with the program code 42 in the programmable non-volatile flash memory 40.

#Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an OPC data accessing process 200 according to the present invention. The OPC data accessing process 200 comprises following steps: