US 5,255,260 AGranted

Optical recording apparatus employing stacked recording media with spiral grooves and floating optical heads

AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

InventorsNoboru Yamada, Isao Satoh, Sadao Mizuno, Yasuhiro Gotoh

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Abstract

The apparatus includes optical recording media each of which includes a single plate substrate with recording layers and spiral grooves formed on both sides of the substrate and which are available for recording and reproduction or for recording, erasing and reproduction via irradiation with laser beams. Both surfaces of the recording media are available for simultaneous access, and a plurality of thin floating-type optical heads are provided to irradiate laser beams onto the recording media. The optical heads are respectively provided at each side of the recording media and float, responsive to rotation of the recording media, above the respective surfaces of the recording media at a distance of at most hundreds of microns. The combination of these optical recording media and optical heads makes it possible to stack plural pairs thereof within an ultra-thin space, thus greatly improving the on-line capacity of the optical recording apparatus.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

(a) an optical recording body comprising plural stacked optical recording media each comprising a single plate substrate and overwritable thin recording films which are formed on opposite surfaces of said substrate, each surface of said substrate having a continuous groove or a row of signal pits arranged along a spiral line so as to guide a laser beam, serving as recording and reproducing means, to a desired position, directions of the spiral lines of the opposite surfaces of said substrate being opposite to each other, wherein said single laser beam is used to produce optically detectable phase changes between plural states corresponding to irradiating conditions of the laser beam, said single laser beam being used to perform recording and reproducing on said recording films, said plural stacked optical recording media being stacked such that a distance between opposed surfaces of adjacent recording media is 5 mm or less;
and directions of the spiral lines on likewise facing surfaces of the plural recording media being the same as each other;
(b) means for rotating said recording body;
and
(c) a plurality of floating type optical heads which are respectively provided adjacent both sides of said optical recording media and each of which comprises a movable part and a stationary part, said movable part comprising (i) a slider, (ii) one of a mirror or a prism, and (iii) an objective lens, said slider being subjected to resistance of surrounding air upon the rotation of said recording media in a predetermined direction to convert said resistance into a gliding force thereby causing the movable part to glide relative to the respective surfaces of said recording media at a predetermined distance therefrom, said mirror or said prism serving to deviate at an angle of 90 degrees a laser beam emanating from said stationary part, said objective lens serving to focus said laser beam from said mirror or said prism onto said recording media, and
whereby said laser beam is irradiated on respective recording surfaces of said recording body for recording and reproducing of information signals.

3 more elements

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

(a) an optical recording body comprising an optical recording medium comprising a single plate substrate and overwritable thin recording films which are formed on opposite surfaces of said substrate, wherein a single laser beam is used to produce optically detectable phase changes between plural states corresponding to irradiating conditions of the laser beam, said single laser beam being used to perform recording and reproducing on said recording films;
each surface of said substrate having a continuous groove or a row of signal pits arranged along a spiral line so as to guide said laser beam, serving as recording and reproducing means, to a desired position, directions of the spiral lines on oppositely facing surfaces of said optical recording media being opposite to each other;
(b) means for rotating said recording body;
and
(c) a plurality of floating type optical heads which are respectively provided adjacent both sides of said optical recording medium and each of which comprises a movable part and a stationary part, said movable part comprising (i) a slider, (ii) one of a mirror or a prism, and (iii) an objective lens, said slider being subjected to resistance of surrounding air upon the rotation of said recording media in a predetermined direction to convert said resistance into a sliding force thereby causing the movable part to glide relative to the respective surfaces of said recording media at a predetermined distance therefrom, said mirror or said prism serving to deviate at an angle of 90 degrees a laser beam emanating from said stationary part, said objective lens serving to focus said laser beam from said mirror or said prism onto said recording media, and
whereby said laser beam is irradiated on respective recording surfaces of said recording body for recording and reproducing of information signals.

3 more elements

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

(a) an optical recording body comprising plural stacked optical recording media each comprising a single plate substrate and overwritable thin recording films which are formed on opposite surfaces of said substrate, each surface of said substrate having a continuous grove or a row of signal pits arranged along a spiral line so as to guide a laser beam, serving as recording and reproducing means, to a desired position, directions of the spiral lines of the opposite surfaces of said substrate being opposite to each other, wherein said single laser beam is used to produce optically detectable phase changes between plural states corresponding to irradiating conditions of the laser beam, said single laser beam being used to perform recording and reproducing on said recording films, said plural stacked optical recording media being stacked such that a distance between opposed surfaces of adjacent recording media is 5 mm or less;
and directions of the spiral lines on likewise facing surfaces of the plural recording media being the same as each other;
(b) means for rotating said recording body;
(c) a plurality of floating type optical heads which are respectively provided adjacent both sides of said optical recording media and each of which comprises a movable part and a stationary part, said movable part comprising (i) a slider, (ii) one of a mirror or a prism, and (iii) an objective lens, said slider being subjected to resistance of surrounding air upon the rotation of said recording media in a predetermined direction to convert said resistance into a sliding force thereby causing the movable part to glide relative to the respective surfaces of said recording media at a predetermined distance therefrom, said mirror or said prism serving to deviate at an angle of 90 degrees a laser beam emanating from said stationary part, said objective lens serving to focus said laser beam from said mirror or said prism onto said recording media;
and
(d) an airtight box for encasing therein said optical recording body, said rotating means, and said optical heads,
whereby said laser beam is irradiated on respective recording surfaces of said recording body for recording and reproducing of information signals.

4 more elements

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

(a) an optical recording body comprising an optical recording medium comprising a single plate substrate and overwritable thin recording films which are formed on opposite surfaces of said substrate, wherein a single laser beam is used to produce optically detectable phase changes between plural states corresponding to irradiating conditions of the laser beam, said single laser beam being used to perform recording and reproducing on said recording films;
each surface of said substrate having a continuous groove or a row of signal pits arranged along a spiral line so as to guide said laser beam, serving as recording and reproducing means, to a desired position, directions of the spiral lines on oppositely facing surfaces of said optical recording media being opposite to each other;
(b) means for rotating said recording body;
PG,43
(c) a plurality of floating type optical heads which are respectively provided adjacent both sides of said optical recording media and each of which comprises a movable part and a stationary part, said movable part comprising (i) a slider, (ii) one of a mirror or a prism, and (iii) an objective lens, said slider being subjected to resistance of surrounding air upon the rotation of said recording media in a predetermined direction to convert said resistance into a sliding force thereby causing the movable part to glide relative to the respective surfaces of said recording media at predetermined distance therefrom, said mirror or said prism serving to deviate at an angle of 90 degrees a laser beam emanating from said stationary part, said objective lens serving to focus said laser beam from said mirror or said prism onto said recording media;
and
(d) an airtight box for encasing therein said optical recording medium, said rotating means and said optical heads,
whereby said laser beam is irradiated on respective recording surfaces of said recording body for recording and reproducing of information signals.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/555,639Filed 23 Jul 1990
Priority: JP 1-19774128 Jul 1989
Granted: 19 Oct 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

G11B 7/254
Of layers other than recording layers: of protective topcoat layers
G11B 7/00454
Recording: involving phase-change effects
G11B 7/12
Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation by modifying optical properties or the…:…
G11B 7/122
Heads, e.g. forming of the optical beam spot or modulation of the optical beam: flying-type heads, e.g. analogous to Winchester type in magnetic…