Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Inphase Technologies, Inc.

Shigeki Hori

Kenji Nakao

Kenji Torazawa

Kenji Asano

Kevin R Curtis

Yoshihiro Hori

Hiroshi Watanabe

Kenji Tanase

Yoichi Tsuchiya

Toshiaki Hioki

Seiji Kajiyama

Satoshi Sumi

Yoshihisa Suzuki

Noboru Mamiya

Aaron Wegner

Yasuyuki Kanou

Koichi Tada

Hisashi Matsuyama

Katsutoshi Hibino

Seizo Kato

Yoshiharu Uchihara

Yasuyuki Kano

Sayoko Tanaka

A lens fixing device includes a lens holder having a lens (lens area) made of a resin, and a mounting portion. The lens holder has two projections. Each of the two projections is formed with a guide surface and a mounted surface. A line of intersection of an extension of the guide surface of the projections and an extension of the mounted surface of the projections in a plane direction is aligned with an optical axis of the lens area. The lens holder is positioned with respect to a plane direction orthogonal to the optical axis by contact of the guide surfaces with receiving surfaces of the mounting portion. The lens holder is fixedly attached by an adhesive.

Lens fixing device and optical pickup device

To provide an optical recording apparatus capable of effectively suppressing useless fixation to an information-unrecorded area during a fixing process with a simple structure, and an optical head. Upon recording information, a movable lens of an expander lensis positioned in an information recording position. In an information fixing process, the movable lens of the expander lensis positioned in a fixing-process position. In this case, a range of irradiation to the recording medium with the data light becomes somewhat wider than that in the information recording process. Accordingly, it is possible to fix the information to an area irradiated with the data light in the information recording process without fail. In addition, the irradiation range is only somewhat wider than that in the information fixing process, making it possible to minimize the region uselessly subjected to the fixing process.

Optical recording apparatus and optical head

A magneto-optical record medium and a reproducing apparatus for the same allow data reproduction having good characteristics by a simple structure. The magneto-optical record medium includes a plurality of first grooves ( ) each having sidewalls, at least one of which is wobbled in accordance with address information; an address mark ( ) formed by changing a width of a land located between second grooves connected to the first grooves; and third grooves wobbled cyclically, formed in a data portion magnetically storing data and connected to the second grooves. The reproducing apparatus reproduces the data from the magneto-optical record medium.

Record medium and reproducing apparatus of the same for detecting an offset correction

An optical pickup apparatus including a polarization plane rotary unit arranged between a semiconductor laser and an objective lens, and a polarizing film arranged between the polarization plane rotary unit and the objective lens. The polarization plane rotary unit includes liquid crystal, two glass plates sandwiching the liquid crystal, and transparent electrodes patterned to a predetermined configuration on an inner face of these glass planes. The polarization plane rotary unit permits passage of the laser beam without rotating the plane of polarization of the entire laser beam at the time of recording, and permits passage of the laser beam with the plane of polarization of the center portion of the laser beam rotated and the plane of polarization of the remaining outer portion of the laser beam not rotated at the time of reproduction. Only the outer portion of the laser beam is focused on a magneto-optical disk in a reproduction mode, so that a main beam of a small spot is formed by mutual interference. Since the plane of polarization of the laser beam directed on the magneto-optical disk is not rotated, the Kerr angle of rotation can be detected at high accuracy. As a result, the reproducibility is improved.

Superresolution optical pickup apparatus

The present invention is provided with a cartridge holder for installation of a cartridge which houses an optical disk, and a tray which is located below said cartridge holder and in which an unhoused optical disk is placed, and which can move to-and-fro between a position in which information are recorded and/or played back and a position in which the optical disk is exchanged, a center shaft which rotates by means of a rotating drive means, and a holding mechanism including a turntable which is secured to the shaft and is provided with a magnetic body, an optical disk centering means and a support surface which supports the optical disk; and a clamper which can be brought into contact with and separated from the support surface of said turntable and which maintains in contact with the support surface of the turntable optical disks which do not have hubs. The optical information recording/playback device allows installation of a variety of optical information recording media such as optical disk with or without hubs and optical disks which are housed in a cartridge or unhoused.

Optical disk recording/playback device with means to recognize, read

Growing community of inventors

Ogaki, Japan

Shigeki Hori