Real-time recording/reproduction on an information recording medium including a defective region

An information recording method for recording data on an information recording medium for recording and reproducing data on a sector-by-sector basis, the recorded data being managed as at least one file by using a file structure, the method comprising:

• a recording region allocation step for allocating a recording region for recording the data;
• a skip recording step for recording the data in the recording region allocated during the recording region allocation step while skipping a defective region in the recording region allocated during the recording region allocation step, the defective region being detected as defective during a recording operation;
• and
• a file management information generation step for registering a portion of the recording region in which the data was recorded without skipping, as an extent in file management information, registering the portion as an used region in unused space management information, and nevertheless registering the skipped defective region as an unused region in the unused space management information so as to be identified in the unused space management information as unallocated during a subsequent recording operation.

An information recording method for recording the data on an information recording medium for recording and reproducing data thereon on a sector-by-sector basis, comprising ECC blocks as units for performing an error correction process, each ECC block comprising a plurality of sectors, wherein at least one sector having data recorded therein is managed as an extent, and at least one extent is managed as a file, at least one file being managed by using a file structure, the method comprising:

• a recording region allocation step for allocating a recording region for recording the data;
• a skip recording step for recording the data in the recording region allocated during the recording region allocation step while skipping a defective region in the recording region allocated during the recording region allocation step, the defective region being detected as defective during a recording operation;
• and
• a file management information generation step for registering a portion of the recording region in which the data was recorded without skipping, as an extent in file management information, registering the portion as a used region in unused space management information, and nevertheless registering the skipped defective region as an unused region in the unused space management information so as to be identified in the unused space management information as unallocated during a subsequent recording operation,
• wherein, in a case where an end of an extent falls in the middle of one of the ECC blocks, a remaining portion of the one ECC block is registered as a padding extent in the file management information, thereby indicating that the remaining portion of the one ECC block is an allocated but unused portion of the at least one file.

An information recording method for recording the data on an information recording medium for recording and reproducing data thereon on a sector-by-sector basis, wherein at least one sector having data recorded therein is managed as an extent, and at least one extent is managed as a file, at least one file being managed by using a file structure, the method comprising:

• a recording region allocation step for allocating a recording region for recording the data;
• a skip recording step for recording the data in the recording region allocated during the recording region allocation step while skipping a defective region;
• in the recording region allocated during the recording region allocation step, the defective region being detected as defective during a recording operation;
• and
• a file management information generation step for registering a portion of the recording region in which the data was recorded without skipping, as an extent in file management information, registering the portion as a used region in unused space management information, and nevertheless registering the skipped defective region as an unused region in the unused space management information so as to be identified in the unused space management information as unallocated during a subsequent recording operation,
• wherein, the file management information generation step comprises an AV file attribute registration step for, if the recorded file is an AV file containing at least one of video information and audio information, registering file attribute information for identifying the AV file in the file management information.

A disk recording drive for recording data on a disk for recording and reproducing data on a sector-by-sector basis, the disk recording drive comprising:

• an instruction processing section for processing processing requests;
• and a disk recording control section for controlling a recording process for the disk in accordance with a request from the instruction processing section,
• wherein the instruction processing section comprises:
• a skip recording instruction processing section for receiving a skip recording instruction and requesting the disk recording control section to perform recording, the skip recording instruction comprising a recording start location, a recording length, and an allowable skip number;
• and
• a recording location requesting instruction processing section for receiving recording location information of the recorded data from the disk recording control section and reporting the recording location information, and
• wherein the disk recording control section comprises:
• a recording control information memory for storing recording control information upon receiving the skip recording instruction, the recording control information including the recording start location, the recording length, and the allowable skip number;
• a defective region detection section for detecting a defective region on the disk during a recording operation;
• a skip recording control section for beginning a recording operation in accordance with the recording control information stored in the recording control information memory, wherein, in a case where a defective region is detected by the defective region detection section during the recording operation, the skip recording control section
• i) stops recording in the defective region and records a remainder of the data in a subsequent region, the remainder of the data including the data which would otherwise have been recorded in the defective region, if the number of defective regions is equal to or smaller than the allowable skip number, or
• ii) terminates the recording operation and reports an error to the skip recording instruction processing section, if the number of defective regions is larger than the allowable skip number;
• and
• a defective region recording location storing memory for storing location information of the defective region skipped by the skip recording control section.

A disk recording drive for recording data on a disk for recording and reproducing data on a sector-by-sector basis, the disk recording drive comprising:

• an instruction processing section for processing processing requests;
• and a disk recording control section for controlling a recording process for the disk in accordance with a request from the instruction processing section,
• wherein the instruction processing section comprises:
• a recording region designation instruction processing section for processing a recording region designation instruction which designates location information of a recordable region;
• a split recording instruction processing section for processing a split recording instruction which instructs transferring data to be recorded in a recording region designated by the recording region designation instruction, the data being transferred in a split manner;
• and
• a recording location requesting instruction processing section for reporting recording location information of the recorded data, and
• wherein the disk recording control section comprises:
• a recording control information memory for storing location information of the recording region designated by the recording region designation instruction, as recording control information;
• a defective region detection section for detecting a defective region on the disk during a recording operation;
• a skip recording control section for beginning a recording operation in accordance with the recording control information stored in the recording control information memory, wherein, in a case where a defective region is detected by the defective region detection section during the recording operation, the skip recording control section
• i) stops recording in the defective region and records a remainder of the data in a subsequent region, the remainder of the data including the data which would otherwise have been recorded in the defective region, if the recording location information indicates a location within the recording region as stored in the recording control information memory, or
• ii) terminates the recording operation and reports an error to the split recording instruction processing section, if the recording location information indicates a location past the recording region as stored in the recording control information memory;
• and
• a defective region recording location storing memory for storing location information of the defective region skipped by the skip recording control section.

A data recording method for recording data on a disk for recording and reproducing data on a sector-by-sector basis, the data recording method comprising:

• an instruction processing step for processing processing requests;
• and a disk recording control step for controlling a recording process for the disk,
• wherein the instruction processing step comprises:
• a recording region designation instruction processing step for processing a recording region designation instruction which designates location information of a recordable region;
• a split recording instruction processing step for processing a split recording instruction which instructs transferring data to be recorded in a recording region designated by the recording region designation instruction, the data being transferred in a split manner;
• and
• a recording location requesting instruction processing step for reporting recording location information of the recorded data, and
• wherein the disk recording control step comprises:
• a recording control information storing step for storing location information of the recording region designated during the recording region designation step as recording control information;
• a defective region detection step for detecting a defective region on the disk during a recording operation;
• a skip recording control step for beginning a recording operation in accordance with the recording control information stored during the recording control information storing step, wherein, in a case where a defective region is detected by the defective region detection step during the recording operation, the skip recording control step
• i) stops recording in the defective region and records a remainder of the data in a subsequent region, the remainder of the data including the data which would otherwise have been recorded in the defective region, if the recording location information indicates a location within the recording region as stored during the recording control information storing step, or
• ii) terminates the recording operation and reports an error to the split recording instruction processing step, if the recording location information indicates a location past the recording region as stored during the recording control information storing step;
• and
• a defective region recording location storing step for storing location information of the defective region skipped by the skip recording control step.

A disk reproduction drive for reproducing data from an information recording medium for recording and reproducing data on a sector-by-sector basis, the recorded data being managed as at least one file by using a file structure, the disk reproduction drive comprising:

• an instruction processing section for receiving and processing processing requests, and a reproduction control section for continuously reading the data from the disk and transferring the read data,
• wherein the instruction processing section comprises:
• a reproduction region setting instruction processing section for, prior to a reproduction operation, processing a reproduction region setting instruction which sets location information of at least one reproduction region;
• and
• a read data transfer instruction processing section for processing a read data transfer instruction which requests transfer of read data, and
• wherein the reproduction control section comprises:
• a read region information storing memory for storing location information of the at least one read region received by the reproduction region setting instruction processing section;
• a read data storing memory for temporarily storing read data;
• and
• a continuous read-ahead processing section for performing a read-ahead process and, even if an error occurs during the read operation, continuing with a read operation for a subsequent region without stopping the read-ahead operation, the read-ahead process comprising previously reading the data from the disk and storing the read data in the read data storing memory,
• wherein, upon receiving the read data transfer instruction, the read data transfer instruction processing section transfers the read data stored in the read data storing memory.