Optical pickup with an optical system controlled by an actuator with respect to one of the information recording layers

Abstract

An optical pickup apparatus for reproduction of an information record medium in which information record layers are multiply formed is provided with: a light source for emitting a light beam; a light detector for detecting a reflection light beam and outputting a light detection signal corresponding to the detected reflection light beam; an optical system for condensing the emitted light beam onto one of the information record layers and condensing the light beam reflected from one of the information record layers as the reflection light beam onto the light detector; and an actuator for at least partially actuating the optical system in a focus servo direction to focus-servo-control the emitted light beam with respect to one of the information record layers on the basis of a focus error signal generated from the light detection signal outputted by the light detector. The optical system is designed so as to satisfy the expression of S<0.63 d/n wherein S represents a distance between two focal points of the actuated optical system which respectively give maximum and minimum values of the focus error signal, d represents an interval between the information record layers, and n represents a refractive index of a spacer medium between the information record layers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.