Apparatus for generating seek direction detecting signal using track error and track cross signals for an optical pickup

An apparatus to generate a seek direction detectin aignal used to determine a location of a light beam incident on an optical disk, comprising

• a light dividing unit to divide a light beam into a main beam to be formed on the optical disk and a sub-beam to be formed on the optical disk and disposed in a line incident on a common track of the optical disk, the sub-beam having an optical aberration tha is not disposed on the optical disk in the line to be incident on the common track;
• light receiving portions to receive the main beam and sub-beam reflected from the optical disk, and to generate first signals from the reflected main beam and second signals from the reflected sub-beam;
• and
• a signal processing portion to generate the seek direction detecting signal using the first signals and second signals.

A method of generating a seek direction detecting signal, comprising:

• splitting a light beam into a main beam and a sub-beam disposed to be focused on an optical disk with the main beam in a line incident on a common track of an optical disk, where the sub-beam further comprises an optical aberration not disposed in the line and incident off of the common track;
• reflecting the main beam and sub-beam off the optical disk;
• and
• generating the seek direction detecting signal based upon the reflected main beam and sub-beam.

An apparatus to generate a seek direction detecting signal used to determine a location of a light beam incident on an optical disk;

• comprising
• a light dividing unit to divide the light beam into a main beam to be formed on a first track of the optical disk and a sub-beam to be formed on the first track of the optical disk, the sub-beam comprising a spot focusing on the first track without being focused on a second track disposed radially apart from the first track and an optical aberration that is focused on at least the second track on the optical disk;
• light receiving portions to receive the main beam and sub-beam reflected from the optical disk, and to generate first signals from the reflected main beam and second signals from the reflected sub-beam;
• and
• a signal processing portion to generate the seek direction detecting signal using the first signals and second signals.

An apparatus to generate a seek direction detecting signal for an optical pickup, comprising:

• a light dividing unit to divide an incident light beam into a main beam and a sub-beam to form on an optical disk a main beam spot and a sub-beam spot, the main beam and the sub-beam being focused in a track direction of the optical disk;
• an optical detector comprising
• a first optical detector having light receiving portions to receive the main beam reflected from the optical disk, and to convert portions of the reflected main beam into independent first electrical signals, and
• a second optical detector to receive the sub-beam reflected from the optical disk, and to convert portions of the received sub-beam into independent second electrical signals;
• and
• a signal processing portion to generate the seek direction detecting signal from a second electrical signal and a track error signal such that only the main and the sub-beam spots are used to generate the seek direction detecting signal, the signal processing portion comprising:
• a first signal processing portion to detect the track error signal from the first electrical signals, and
• a second signal processing portion to generate the second signal from the second electrical signals.