Record medium and its reproducer, reproducing method, record medium manufacturing apparatus, record medium manufacturing method, and recorder

A recording medium formed as an optical disk from which data is read by an optical pickup head, the recording medium having:

• a first recording area where basic data is recorded;
• a second recording area where a plurality of additional data to be processed with the basic data recorded in the first recording area is recorded in a format different from that in the first recording area are recorded,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to the first recording area and being external to the second recording area and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• and
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data recorded in the first recording area and additional data recorded in the second recording area being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data recorded in the first recording area.

A playback apparatus for reading information from a recording medium, the recording medium comprising:

• a first recording area where basic data is recorded;
• a second recording area where a plurality of additional data which is information to be processed with the basic data recorded in the first recording area are recorded,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to the first recording area and being external to the second recording area and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• and
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data recorded in the first recording area and additional data recorded in the second recording area being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data recorded in the first recording area,
• the playback apparatus comprising:
• a first data acquisition means for acquiring the basic data from the first recording area of the recording medium;
• a second data acquisition means for acquiring the additional data from the second recording area of the recording medium;
• and
• a playback means for generating the read information on the basis of the basic data and additional data acquired by the first and second data acquisition means, respectively.

A playback apparatus in which there is to be loaded a recording medium the recording medium comprising:

• a recording layer where basic data is recorded by pits;
• a step-like portion formed in a part of each pit in the recording layer, laser light which is to be focused in a position not included in the recording layer being irradiated from the step-like portion and a plurality of additional data to be processed with the basic data being read by detecting a reflected light of the laser light,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• and
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data, the playback apparatus comprising:
• a laser light irradiating means for irradiating laser light to the recording medium;
• a reflected light detecting means for detecting a reflected light of the laser light irradiated from the laser light irradiating means from the recording medium;
• a focus control means for selecting, based on the result of reflected light detection from the reflected light detecting means, either a first mode in which the laser light irradiated from the laser light irradiating means is focused on the recording layer of the recording medium or a second mode in which the laser light is focused in a position not included in the recording layer of the recording medium;
• a tracking control means for guiding the laser light irradiated from the laser light irradiating means to a recording track on the recording medium on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light from the reflected light detecting means;
• a first decoding means for decoding the basic information from the basic data on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light from the reflected light detecting means;
• a second decoding means for decoding the additional information from the additional data on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light from the reflected light detecting means when the focus control means has selected the second mode;
• and
• a playback means for reading the read information on the basis of the basic and additional data decoded by the first and second decoding means, respectively.

A playback apparatus in which there is to be loaded a recording medium, the recording medium comprising:

• a recording layer where basic data is recorded by pits;
• a step-like portion formed in a part of each pit in the recording layer, laser light which is to be focused in a position not included in the recording layer being irradiated from the step-like portion and a plurality of additional data to be processed with the basic data being read by detecting a reflected light of the laser light,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• and
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data, the playback apparatus comprising:
• a laser light irradiating means for irradiating laser light to the recording medium;
• detecting a reflected light of the laser light from the recording medium;
• selecting, based on the result of detection the reflected light, either a first mode in which the laser light is focused on the recording layer of the recording medium or a second mode in which the laser light is focused in a position not included in the recording layer of the recording medium;
• decoding the basic information from the basic data on the basis of the result detection of reflected light;
• decoding the additional information from the additional data on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light when the second mode is selected.

A recording medium production apparatus comprising:

• an encoding means for encoding basic information to provide basic data while encoding a plurality of additional information to be processed with the basic data to provide additional data;
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• a reflected light calculation means for calculating the shape of pits by which the basic data is recorded to a recording layer of a recording medium,
• calculating the shape of the step-like portions formed in the recording layer and by which the additional data is recorded and calculating, on the basis of the results of calculation of pit and step-like portion shapes, a reflected light resulted from a laser beam to be focused in a position not included in the recording layer in which the pits and step-like portions are formed is irradiated to the recording layer;
• a comparison means for making a comparison between data read from the reflected light calculated by the reflected light calculation means and the additional data;
• an additional data control means for controlling the additional data on the basis of the comparison result from the comparison means to correct the step-like portion shape and provide coincidence between the data read from the reflected light calculated by the reflected light calculation means and the additional data;
• a synthetic data generating means for generating synthetic data by combining the basic data and the additional data controlled by the additional data control means;
• and
• a recording means for forming the pits and step-like portions in a recording layer of a master disk on the basis of the synthetic data generated by the synthetic data generating means.

A recording medium production method comprising the steps of:

• encoding basic information to provide basic data while encoding a plurality of additional information to be processed with the basic data to provide additional data,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• selecting the additional data from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• calculating the shape of pits by which the basic data is recorded to a recording layer of a recording medium, calculating the shape of step-like portions formed in the recording layer and by which the additional data is recorded and calculating, on the basis of the results of calculation of pit and step-like portion shapes, a reflected light resulted from a laser beam to be focused in a position not included in the recording layer in which the pits and step-like portions are formed is irradiated to the recording layer;
• comparing data read from the calculated reflected light and the additional data;
• controlling the additional data on the basis of the comparison result from the comparison means to correct the step-like portion shape and provide coincidence between the data read from the reflected light calculated in the reflected light calculation step and the additional data;
• generating synthetic data by combining the basic data and the controlled additional data;
• and
• forming the pits and step-like portions in a recording layer of a master disk on the basis of the generated synthetic data.

A recording medium having:

• a first recording layer having formed thereon pits corresponding to basic data, where the basic data is recorded by the pits and from which the basic data is read as a change in amount of a reflected light of a light beam irradiated to the first recording layer;
• a second recording layer formed on the first recording layer, where a plurality of additional data to be processed with the basic data is recorded as a change in transmittance of the second recording layer and from which the additional data is read as a change in amount of reflected light resulted from the irradiated light beam passing through the second recording layer, being reflected by the first recording layer and passing again through the second recording layer,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• and
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data.

A playback apparatus for a recording medium the recording medium comprising:

• a first recording layer where basic data is recorded and a second recording layer formed on the first recording layer and where a plurality of information to be processed with the basic data is recorded,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data,
• the playback apparatus comprising:
• a laser light irradiating means for irradiating laser light to the recording medium;
• a reflected light detecting means for detecting a reflected light of the laser light irradiated from the laser light irradiating means from the recording medium;
• a first decoding means for reading the basic data on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light from the reflected light detecting means to decode the basic information from the basic data;
• a second decoding means for decoding the additional data on the basis of the result of detecting of reflected light from the reflected light detecting means to decode the additional information from the additional data;
• and
• a playback means for reading the read information on the basis of the basic and additional data decoded by the first and second decoding means, respectively.

A recording apparatus for a recording medium the recoding medium comprising:

• a first recording layer where basic data is recorded;
• and
• a second recording layer formed on the first recording layer and where a plurality of additional data to processed with the basic data is to be recorded,
• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data,
• the recording apparatus comprising:
• an encoding means for encoding the basic information to provide the basic data while encoding the additional information to be added to the basic data to provide the additional data;
• a first recording means for recording the basic data to the first recording layer of the recording medium by irradiating a light beam to the first recording layer;
• and
• a second recording means for recording the additional data to the second recording layer of the recording medium by irradiating a light beam to the second recording layer,
• wherein the first recording means recording the basic data as digital data having a predetermined length of channel bits along a recording track formed on the first recording layer.

A playback apparatus for a recording medium having a recording track where basic data is recorded by pits and a plurality of additional data, to be processed with the basic data, is to be recorded as a change in direction of magnetization,

• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and the additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data, the playback apparatus comprising:
• a rotation drive means for rotating the recording medium;
• a laser light irradiating means for irradiating laser light to the recording medium;
• a reflected light detecting means for detecting the intensity and polarized direction of a reflected light of the laser light irradiated from the laser light irradiation means from the recording medium;
• a first decoding means for reading the basic data on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light intensity from the reflected light detecting means to detect the basic information from the basic data;
• a second decoding means for reading the additional data on the basis of the result of detection of reflected light deflected from the reflected light detecting means to decode the additional information from the additional data;
• and
• a playback means for generating the read information on the basis of the basic information and additional information decoded by the first and second decoding means, respectively.

A recording apparatus for a recording medium having a recording track where basic data is recorded as pits and a plurality of additional data to be processed with the basic data is to be recorded as a change in direction of magnetization,

• wherein the basic data is processed with respect to each basic data;
• the additional data is selected from among the plurality of additional data in accordance with a nature of the each basic data and external selected signal, the external selected signal being external to a first recording area for recording the basic data and being external to a second recording area for recording the plurality of additional data and the selected additional data is processed with the each basic data, wherein the external selected signal comprises bodily information and/or environmental information;
• read information generated by a predetermined processing corresponding to the external selected signal, based on the basic data and additional data being superior in quality to basic information generated from the basic data, the recording apparatus comprising:
• an encoding means for encoding the basic information to provide the basic data while encoding the additional information to be added to the basic data to provide the additional data;
• a first recording means for recording the basic data as pits to the recording track on the recording medium by irradiating a light beam to the recording track;
• and
• a second recording means for recording the additional data by magneto-optical spots to the recording track on the recording medium by irradiating a light beam to the recording track.