# US 7,613,097 B2 · Optical pickup apparatus with bilaterally divided light beams > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,613,097 B2 - Document ID: US7613097B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/275,701 - Filed: 2006-01-25 - Published: 2006-07-27 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2005-01-26 - Assignees: Panasonic Corporation - Inventors: Hideyuki Nakanishi; Toshihiro Kuroda; Kazumasa Nagano; Daisuke Furukawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613097B2 ## CPC - G11B 7/1353: Diffractive elements, e.g. holograms or gratings {(diffraction gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms per se G02B5/32; grating systems G02B27/44)} - G11B 7/123: Integrated head arrangements, e.g. with source and detectors mounted on the same substrate - G11B 7/1275: Two or more lasers having different wavelengths - G11B 2007/0006: {adapted for scanning different types of carrier, e.g. CD & DVD} - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract An optical pickup apparatus which carries out recording/reproduction or deletion of information on an optical disc, including a semiconductor laser device in which at least two light sources are integrated, and a hologram optical element which has a plurality of outgoing light areas that divide light reflected from the optical disc, each light being emitted from the semiconductor laser device; the hologram optical element has division lines which divide the outgoing light areas at a position intersecting with each optical axis of the reflected light. The optical pickup apparatus is able to detect a signal corresponding to a light beam divided almost equally in two, even when any one of the plurality of light sources are operating. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical pickup apparatus which performs recording/reproduction or deletion of information on an optical recording medium, said apparatus comprising: a light-emitting unit, in which n sources are integrated, n being equal to or greater than 2; a light-condensing unit operable to condense, onto the optical recording medium, each light emitted by said light-emitting unit; an optical unit which includes a plurality of outgoing light areas each outgoing light area divides a corresponding one of lights condensed and reflected from the optical recording medium; and a light-receiving unit operable to detect the divided reflected light, wherein said optical unit includes n division lines each of which extends in a tangential direction of the optical recording medium with respect to a corresponding one of the light sources, and each of which serves as a boundary between outgoing light areas at a position where the division line intersects an optical axis of the reflected light, said optical unit is divided into n+1 light outgoing areas by the n division lines, and said light-receiving unit includes n+1 received light detection areas each of which independently detects the reflected light divided by each of the n+1 light outgoing areas, and is operable to determine, for each light source, a differential signal based on a difference between a signal from a received light detection area which detects a light divided by a light outgoing area included in one of two sets of the light outgoing areas and a signal from a received light detection area which detects a light divided by a light outgoing area included in the other one of the two sets of the light outgoing areas, the two sets of the light outgoing areas being located at a different side of the division lines corresponding to each light source. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said optical unit is a hologram optical element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The optical pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the n division lines of said optical unit are arranged at an interval equal to an interval between the light sources within said light-emitting unit, and each reflected light associated with the corresponding one of the light sources is incident on only two areas adjacent to each division line associated with the corresponding one of the light sources. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The optical pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said optical unit is located between said light-emitting unit and said condensing unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The optical pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a diffraction unit operable to diffract each light reflected from the optical recording medium, the light being emitted from the corresponding one of the light sources, and to condense the diffracted light onto said light receiving unit, wherein each optical axis is a corresponding one of optical axes of reflected lights diffracted by said diffraction unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The optical pickup apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said optical unit is located between said light receiving unit and said diffraction unit. ### Claim 7 An optical pickup apparatus which performs recording/reproduction or deletion of information on an optical recording medium, said apparatus comprising: a light-emitting unit, in which at least two light sources are integrated; and an optical unit which is divided into a plurality of outgoing light areas by a plurality of division lines which intersect with optical axes of each light reflected from the optical recording medium, the light being emitted from each of the light sources, and the plurality of outgoing light areas dividing reflected light of each of the light sources, wherein the plurality of division lines are spaced at an interval equal to an interval of the light sources within said light-emitting unit.