Blank sector detection for optical disk drive

An optical disk drive for detecting blank sectors in an optical disk having a plurality of sectors, each sector having a plurality of data fields, each sector having further location information for locating a target sector and a target data field, comprising:

• detector means for generating readback signals in response to optical signals reflected from sampled data positions of a sector on the optical disk;
• read channel circuitry, coupled to said detector means, for generating read peak signals that are proportional to said readback signals;
• signal processing circuitry, responsive to said read peak signals, for comparing a number of said sampled data positions in said sector for which said read peak signals have an amplitude exceeding an amplitude threshold value to a sample threshold value based upon media characteristics of the optical disk and adverse factors which may potentially corrupt said read peak signal;
• and
• a digital signal processor, coupled to said read channel circuitry, for setting a read channel gain for amplifying said readback signals received from said detector means, for initializing a blank sector detection process, and for processing the sector location information.

An optical disk drive for detecting blank sectors in an optical disk media, comprising:

• a laser source for generating a laser beam at a discrete power level for reading binary data from an optical disk;
• a digital signal processor coupled to said laser source;
• laser beam guidance means for directing said laser beam from the laser source through an objective lens toward a location on the reflective surface of the optical disk, said location being determined by said digital signal processor;
• an optical detector positioned to detect reflected laser light from the reflective surface and for generating readback signals in response to optical signals reflected from sampled data positions of a sector on the optical disk;
• read channel means, coupled to the optical detector for amplifying said readback signals generated by the optical detector and for generating read peak signals based on an average amplitude of said read back signals;
• and
• signal processing circuitry, responsive to said read peak signals, for comparing a number of said sampled data positions in said sector for which said read peak signals have an amplitude exceeding an amplitude threshold value to a sample threshold value based upon media characteristics of the optical disk and adverse factors which may potentially cause said read peak signals to be corrupt.