CN1879160A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

The recording medium has a data area and a spare area. The data area has at least one unit area to each of which an address is assigned. The recording device includes a processing unit for specifying the address of the unit area in the data area and a control unit for recording data in the unit area of the specified address. The processing unit judges whether data is recorded in the unit area of thefirst address and specifies the first address or the second address in the same data area according to the judgment result. When recording of data into the specified address has failed, the control unit records the data in the spare area.

Description

recording device

technical field

The present invention relates to a recording medium having a management information area in which management information for managing a recording state is recorded and a user data area in which user data is recorded. The present invention also relates to a technique for recording data on such a recording medium.

Background technique

There is an optical disc as an information recording medium compatible with a plurality of devices. Optical discs are, for example, CDs developed for music and widely used for data in recent years, DVDs developed for digital video and rapidly becoming popular, and Blue-ray discs developed for high-definition and high-quality video.

These optical discs are roughly classified into three types: a playback-only type, a recordable-once type, and a rewritable type, depending on the recording/reproducing method. One-time discs are made of materials from which data cannot be erased, and data can only be recorded once on each location on the disc. CD-R and DVD-R are recordable discs. In an overwrite type optical disc, data can be recorded many times at the same place on the medium. For example, CD-RW and DVD-RAM are rewrite type discs.

In the recordable optical disc, since data cannot be rewritten, it is necessary to manage the recorded area and the unrecorded area. In the CD-R, the recording start position and the recording end position are managed in units of music pieces, so that additional recording can be performed in units of music pieces. The unit of a music piece is a track. It should be noted that the "information track" mentioned below does not represent the "information track" of the groove shape of the optical disc.

For CD-R, data is recorded sequentially from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the disc in units of tracks. A plurality of recorded tracks is managed as a session including a plurality of recorded tracks. An area that stores management information that manages the recording state is a program management area (hereinafter also referred to as "PMA"). For DVD-R, RZone (equivalent to CD's information track), Border (equivalent to CD's session), and recording management area (hereinafter referred to as "RMA"; equivalent to CD's PMA) are defined.

In the data structure recorded in the RMA of DVD-R, the recording management data (hereinafter referred to as "RMD" 0) is defined. In field 4, field 5 to 12 of RMD, a maximum of 2302 RZones (corresponding to information tracks of a CD) are stored. location information.

In the conventional recording method for a recordable optical disc, the same area can only be recorded once, so if the recording of this area fails once, it may become damaged and cannot be additionally recorded. While corrupted states can sometimes be encountered by retrying and recovering jobs, the full reliability of the recorded data is not necessarily maintained.

In addition, it is also conceivable to provide a spare area on the disc, and when recording to the user area fails, record in the spare area to manage the alternate recording information. At this time, a predetermined area on the disc is set in advance as an alternate area, and when a plurality of alternates occurs, the alternate area may be insufficient.

In the record-once type optical disc, when it is desired to rewrite the information in the area where data has already been recorded, the recording method of alternate entry and recording in the alternate area can also be performed. However, at this time, the alternate area is consumed irrespective of the presence or absence of defects on the disk, so the alternate area is likely to be depleted.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to efficiently utilize a recording area of a recording medium. Specifically, even if a user data area and a spare area are reserved in advance on a recording medium, the spare area is alternately processed only when the user data area cannot be recorded, and a technology is provided to efficiently use the recording area.

The recording device of the present invention can record data on a recording medium. The recording medium has a data area for recording user data and a spare area for alternately recording the user data, and the data area is composed of one or more unit areas to which addresses are allocated. The recording device includes a processing unit that specifies an address in a unit area, and a control unit that records the user data in the unit area at the specified address. The processing unit determines whether or not user data is recorded in the unit area of the first address, and designates one of the first address and a second address in the area different from the first address according to the determination result. The control unit records the user data in the spare area when the recording of the user data at one of the designated first address and the second address fails.

The processing unit specifies the first address when it is determined that data is not recorded in the unit area of the first address, and specifies the second address when it is determined that data is recorded.

The processing unit generates management information associating the unit area of the first address with the spare area when recording of the user data at the designated first address fails.

The processing unit generates management information associating the unit area of the second address with the spare area when recording of the user data at the designated second address fails.

The processing unit generates management information for managing the unit area of the first address and the unit area of the second address when recording of the user data to the designated second address is successful.

An interface unit for receiving a recording request of the user data is also provided. The processing unit may designate the address in response to receipt of the recording request.

The interface section is also capable of receiving an inquiry regarding a recordable location of the user data. The control unit records the user data in the spare area after the recording of the user data fails and the inquiry is received.

The processing unit designates a third address in the data area that is different from both the first and second addresses before the recording of the user data fails and the inquiry is received. The control section may record the user data in a unit area of the designated third address.

According to the present invention, when the recording area in the user data area can be used as the spare area, the user area is used as the spare area in response to a request for logical rewriting of the recorded area of the primary recording medium. Also, when a recording error occurs, the user area is used as a spare area. According to this, it is possible to prevent a significant increase of alternate entrances.

In addition, according to the present invention, alternate recording is performed at the time of logic rewriting and at the time of recording error by using the user area before there is inquiry of the next recording start position from the control state. Accordingly, alternate recording when there is an error in the recording before the inquiry can be performed using the user area closer to the spare area, and the processing time for alternate recording can be shortened.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings are briefly described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of functional blocks of a recording device 210 according to the first embodiment.

2( a ) is a diagram showing the logical data structure of the optical disc 101 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2( b ) is a diagram showing the optical disc 101 with a spare area 107 reserved for alternate recording.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the management information 106 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the data structure of management information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing management information of RZone of DVD-R.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing management information of RZone of DVD-R.

7( a ) to ( c ) are diagrams showing transitions between unrecorded areas and recorded areas on the optical disc 101 .

8(a) to (c) are diagrams showing the state of the entry of the recording area defined corresponding to the recording area in FIGS. 7(a) to (c).

9( a ) to ( c ) are diagrams showing examples in which alternate areas are secured in the recording state of FIG. 7( c ).

10( a ) to ( c ) are diagrams showing the state of the entry of the recording area defined corresponding to the recording area in FIGS. 9( a ) to ( c ).

FIG. 11 is a program flowchart showing the processing procedure of the command of the recording device 210 .

FIG. 12 is a program flowchart showing the procedure of recording processing in the first embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a program flowchart showing the procedure of recording processing in the second embodiment.

14(a) to (c) are diagrams showing the logical data structure of the optical disc of the second embodiment.

15(a) to (c) are diagrams showing user data areas where alternate recording is performed using different algorithms.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the state of the entry of the recording area defined corresponding to the recording area of Fig. 15(a) to (c).

Fig. 17 is a program flowchart showing the procedure of recording processing in the third embodiment.

In the figure: 101—disc; 102—read-in area; 103—user data area; 104—read-out area; 105—management information area; 106—management information; 107—alternative area; 201—superior control device; 202—driver I/F bus; 210—recording device; 211—I/F control unit; 212—data buffer; 213—access control unit; 214—control bus; 220—management information processing unit; 221—reading processing unit; 222 —Update unit; 223—Writing processing unit; 224—Location management memory; 225—Management information buffer.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1)

First, the structure of the recording device of this embodiment will be described, and then the logical structure of the optical disc loaded in the recording device will be described.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of functional blocks of the recording device 210 of this embodiment. The recording device 210 is an optical disc drive that records data on the optical disc 101 and can reproduce the data recorded on the optical disc 101 . The recording device 210 is connected to an upper-level control device 201 such as a host computer, communicates with the upper-level control device 201 , and operates according to commands from the upper-level control device 201 . The above-mentioned recording and reproduction of data are also performed in accordance with commands from the upper-level control device 201 .

The recording device 210 has a drive I/F bus 202 , an I/F control unit 211 , a data buffer 212 , an access control unit 213 , a control bus 214 , a management information processing unit 220 , and a management information buffer 225 .

The function of each component is as follows. The drive I/F bus 202 connects the host control device 201 and the recording device 210 to ensure communication. The I/F control unit 211 transmits and receives commands and data to and from the host control device 201 . The data buffer 212 is a memory that temporarily stores recording data or reproduction data. The access control unit 213 performs processing for recording data on the optical disc 101 and reproducing data from the optical disc 101 . The management information processing unit 220 generates management information through processing described later, or manages management information read from the optical disc 101 . The management information buffer 225 stores generated or read management information. The control bus 214 is an internal bus for connecting each component in the recording device 210 and ensuring communication.

Here, the management information processing unit 220 will be further described in detail. The management information processing unit 220 includes a read processing unit 221 , an update unit 222 , a write processing unit 223 , and a location management memory 224 .

The read processing unit 221 reads out the management information 106 recorded last among the management information 106 recorded in the management information area 105 , and stores it in the management information buffer 225 . The update unit 222 updates the management information 106 stored in the management information buffer 225 in accordance with an instruction from the higher-level control device 201 . The write processing unit 223 records the management information 106 stored in the management information buffer 225 into the management information area 105 . The location management memory 224 holds location information where the latest management information 106 exists. It should be noted that, in each embodiment, the "location" means the "physical address" assigned to the optical disc 101 .

Next, the logical structure of the optical disc will be described, and then the data structure of the management information recorded on the optical disc will be described.

FIG. 2(a) shows the logical data structure of the optical disc 101 of this embodiment. The optical disc 101 is a recordable type. The optical disc 101 has a read-in area 102 , a user data area 103 and a read-out area 104 . In order to prevent the laser beam from the optical head from being deviated from the user data area 103 and falling into an uncontrollable state when the unshown optical head approaches the edge of the user data area 103, a read-in area 102 and a read-out area 104 are provided. The user data area 103 includes at least one recording area. User data is recorded in the user data area 103 .

The read-in area 102 is further described in detail. In the read-in area 102, a management information area 105 is set. In the management information area 105, one or more management information 106 for managing the state of recording on the optical disc 101 is recorded. The management information 106 includes positional information on the recording area of the user data area 103 . In addition, alternate information of a position where alternate recording is performed due to an error during management recording is included. It should be noted that FIG. 2(b) shows an optical disc 101 in which a spare area 107 for alternate recording is secured. FIG. 3 shows an example of the data structure of the management information 106 of this embodiment. The management information 106 includes a management information header 10, an entry number array 11 of additionally recordable recording areas, and entries 12 of information on a plurality of recording areas. A management information header 10 is defined to identify one of the plurality of management information 106 . An entry number array 11 is defined to identify a recording area in which additionally recordable data can be recorded. Each recording area information entry 12 includes a start position 13 of the recording area. Each recording area entry includes a next recording start position 15 and a recording area end position 16 .

The management information 106 also includes replacement management information. The replacement management information includes a header 17 and a replacement entry 18 of 0 or more. The swap entry 18 includes a start address 19 of a swap source and a start address 20 of a swap target.

It should be noted that the data structure of the management information 106 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and other data structures can also be adopted. FIG. 4 shows another example of the data structure of the management information. In this example, an unrecorded area management information header 21 and one or more unrecorded area entries 22 are provided on the optical disc 101 . Furthermore, as the unrecorded area entry 22, the next recording start position 15 and the end position 23 of the unrecorded area are specified. Accordingly, the unrecorded area can be managed.

The recording area in this embodiment corresponds to the track of CD-R or the RZone of DVD-R. 5 and 6 show the management information of RZone of DVD-R. For example, the entry number array 11 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to byte 0 to byte 5 shown in FIG. 5 . That is, each field of the entry number array 11 represents the last recording area number, the number 1 of the additional recording area, and the number 2 of the additional recording area in order from top to bottom. With these recording area numbers, the information of the recordable area can be managed. For example, in DVD-R, the maximum number of recording areas is 2302, and the maximum number of additional recordable areas is 3. By referring to the contents of each field of the entry number array 11, the additional recordable area is specified. In addition, each recording area entry 12 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to byte 15 to byte 2047 shown in FIG. 5 and byte 0 to byte 2047 shown in FIG. Complete address.

Next, the management of the unrecorded area in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 as appropriate.

7( a ) to ( c ) show transitions between unrecorded areas and recorded areas on the optical disc 101 . In FIG. 7(a), the user data area 103 includes the recording area #1. Recording area #1 is in an unrecorded state. FIG. 8(a) shows the state of the entry of the recording area defined corresponding to the recording area of FIG. 7(a). In the uppermost field in the entry number array 11 in the drawing, "1" is recorded as the final record area number, and in other places of the entry number array 11, a record indicating that there is no other additionally recordable recording area of the record area #1 is registered. number "0". In recording area entry #1, P1 is set at the start position 13 of recording area #1. This position indicates the beginning of the user data area 103 . On the other hand, "0" is set in the recording end position 14, indicating that it is not recorded. In addition, P1 is set at the start end position 15 of the unrecorded area, and P0-1 is set at the end end position 16 . It should be noted that the position P0 represents the start address of the readout area 104 .

One of the main features of this embodiment is that newly set fields 15 and 16 describe the start end position and end end position of the unrecorded area, respectively. Specific instructions are given below. In the recording area entry #1 and the recording area entry #3, the starting position of the recording area #2 and the recording area #3, the recording end position 14, the starting end position 15 of the unrecorded area, and the ending end position 16 of the unrecorded area Set "0". It indicates that each recording area does not exist.

FIG. 7(b) shows the state after recording area #1 and recording area #2 are reserved. This reservation is made by receiving a RESERVE TRACK command from the upper-level control device 201. Commands from the host control device 201 such as the RESERVE TRACK command are defined by general host command specifications. For example, refer to Recording for DVD-R media in Section 4.16 of the SFF 8090i specification "Mt.Fuji Command for Multimedia Devices".

In FIG. 7( b ), the management information 106 is changed so as to be divided into recording area #1 from position P1 to position P2 and recording area #2 from position P2 to position P3. The position P2 is the value obtained by adding the size specified by the RESERVE TRACK command to the position P1, and has not been recorded in any recording area.

FIG. 8(b) shows the state of the entry of the recording area defined corresponding to the recording area of FIG. 7(b). In the uppermost field of the entry number array 11 in the drawing, "3" is registered as the last recording area number, and "2" and "1" are registered as additional recording area numbers in the remaining fields. The order of the recording area numbers registered in the remaining fields and the positional relationship of the corresponding recording areas are not particularly relevant. On the other hand, "2" is registered in one field, and "1" is registered in the other field. It should be noted that "0" is registered when there is no additional recordable area. The start position 13 of recording area #2 is set at position P2, and the start position 13 of recording area #3 is set at position P3. In addition, position P2 and position P3 are respectively set at the start end position 15 of the unrecorded area of recording area #2 and recording area #3, and the unrecorded area of recording area #1, recording area #2 and recording area #3 The end position 16 is set to a position P2-1, a position P3-1, and a position P0-1, respectively.

Fig. 7(c) shows the state when user data is recorded in recording area #1 and recording area #2. At this time, the recording end position of recording area #1 is P4, and the recording end position of recording area #2 is P5. FIG. 8(c) shows the state of the recording area entry defined corresponding to each recording area in FIG. 7(c). As the recording end position 14 of the recording area #1, set the position P4-1, set the position P4 as the starting end position of the unrecorded area of the recording area #1, and set the recording end position 14 of the recording area #2 The position P5-1 sets the position P5 to the start end position of the unrecorded area of the recording area #2.

9( a ) to ( c ) each show an example in which an alternate area is secured in the recording state of FIG. 7( c ). Here, it is assumed that the recording from the additional recording position P4 in the recording area #1 fails, and alternate recording is necessary.

FIG. 9(a) shows an example of using the unrecorded recording area #3 as a spare area. FIG. 10(a) shows the state of the record entry corresponding to FIG. 9(a). When alternate recording is performed in this embodiment, fields 19 and 20 are newly provided to describe an alternate source address and an alternate destination address, respectively. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail.

If used as an alternate area, position P6 is set as the start end position 15 of the unrecorded area of recording area #3. As the replacement entry 18 (FIG. 3), P4 is set in the replacement source address 19, and P3 is set in the replacement destination address. In addition, a position P9 is set at the start end position of the unrecorded area in the recorded area #1. This setting means that even when the recording from the position P4 fails, it is regarded as being recorded. It should be noted that the amount of data from position P4 to position P9 is equal to the amount of data recorded from P3 to P6 of recording area #3, which is the unit area of recording failure (for example, 1 sector or a given number of consecutive sectors ) of the region length.

FIG. 9(b) shows an example in which the end portion of the recording area in the recordable state is used as an alternate area. FIG. 10(b) shows the state of the recording area entry corresponding to FIG. 9(b). As the end position 16 of the unrecorded area of the recorded area #1, a position P7-1 is set. At this time, the rear end of the area where user data can be recorded in recording area #1 is from position P2-1 to position P7-1, and the amount of data recordable in recording area #1 decreases. At this time, as the replacement entry 18 , P4 is set in the replacement source address 19 , and P7 is set in the replacement destination address 20 . It should be noted that, according to the amount of data to be recorded, the position P7 is obtained by inverse calculation from the end position P2-1 of the recording area #1. As a result, the data amount from the position P7 to the position P2-1 is equal to the data amount of the data that should be recorded.

FIG. 9(c) shows an example of using the recording area #2 recorded on the way before as an alternate area. FIG. 10(c) shows the state of the recording area entry corresponding to FIG. 9(c). As the start end position 15 of the unrecorded area in the recorded area #2, a position P8 is set. In addition, as the replacement entry 18 , P4 is set in the replacement source address 19 , and P5 is set in the replacement destination address 20 .

As the management information, information indicating the start end position of the unrecorded area and the end end position of the unrecorded area of each recorded area is held, so that an alternate target area can be set and used in each recorded area.

It should be noted that the information held as the management information is not limited to include both information indicating the start end position 15 of the unrecorded area and the end end position 16 of the unrecorded area of each recording area. When only the end of the unrecorded area of the recorded area is used as the alternate area, the same purpose can be achieved by holding only the information indicating the end position 16 of the unrecorded area of each recorded area.

Also, when only the start end of the unrecorded area of the recorded area is used as the alternate area, the same object can be achieved by holding only the information indicating the start end position 15 of the unrecorded area of each recorded area.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the information for managing the unrecorded area is gathered in the management information 106, including the unrecorded area management information header 21 and the unrecorded area entry 22, and the same purpose can be achieved. At this time, each unrecorded area entry 22 includes a start end position 15 of an unrecorded area and an end end position 23 of an unrecorded area.

In addition, referring to FIG. 9 , an example in which recording fails and alternate processing is performed for a recording request from an additional recording position in recording area #1 will be described. Assuming that a recording request occurs at a location other than the recording request starting from the additional recording position, for example, a recording request for a position in the recorded area P1 to P4 of the recording area #1, an alternate entry is generated and recording is performed on the alternate area, and the same purpose can be achieved. .

Next, the recording process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 .

FIG. 11 shows the processing procedure of the commands of the recording device 210. As shown in FIG. First, in step 901, the optical disc 101 is loaded into the recording device 210, and if the start-up process is executed, the read processing section 221 searches for the position of the management information, stores the latest management information 106 in the management information buffer 225, and The location of the latest management information 106 is stored in the location management memory 224 .

In step 902, the I/F control unit 211 receives a command from the host control device 201, and the access control unit 213 executes processing corresponding to the content of the command. The command processing is executed until the optical disc 101 is ejected, or the power of the recording apparatus 210 is turned off. As received commands, a RESERVE TRACK command, a CLOSE command, and a WRITE command are assumed.

In step 903, when the RESERVE TRACK command is received from the upper-level control device 201, the management information processing unit 220 executes the process of adding a recording area.

In step 904, upon receiving the CLOSE command from the host control device 201, the management information processing unit 220 executes the closing process of the recording area. By executing the closing process, the recording area becomes impossible to perform recording from the additional recording position.

In step 905 , upon receiving the WRITE command from the upper-level control device 201 , the access control unit 213 performs recording processing to the recording area while referring to information in the management information buffer 225 .

In step 906 , the update unit 222 updates the management information 106 according to the execution result of the command received from the higher-level control device 201 .

An example of execution from step 903 to step 906 is shown below.

Under the state of Fig. 7 (a) of loading unrecorded optical disc 101, as shown in Fig. 7 (b), receive the RESERVE TRACK command for securing recording area #1 from position P1 to position P2, for Secure the RESERVE TRACK command for recording area #2 from position P2 to position P3. At this time, the update unit 222 updates the start position 13 of each recorded area, the start position 15 of the unrecorded area, and the end position 16 of the recorded area, so that the final management information 106 is stored in the management information as shown in FIG. Buffer 225.

In the state of Fig. 7(b), as shown in Fig. 7(c), a WRITE command for recording from position P1 to position P4 in recording area #1 is received, and a WRITE command for recording from position P4 in recording area #2 is received. WRITE command for position P2 position P5. At this time, the access control unit 213 performs data recording on a given area on the optical disc 101, and the updating unit 222, as shown in FIG. In the information buffer 225.

FIG. 12 shows the procedure of recording processing in this embodiment. In step 1001 , the access control unit 213 receives a recording request specified by a logical address from the higher-level control device 201 .

In step 1002, the logical address specified by the access control unit 213 is converted into a physical address. The logical address refers to an address space grasped by the host control device 201 on the user data area 103 of the optical disc 101 . Normally, the start location of the user data area is handled as logical address 0. And the physical address indicates an absolute position on the optical disc 101 . Generally, if the value of the logical address is added to a certain offset value, it becomes the value of the physical address. For example, in DVD0-R, the offset value is 30000h.

In step 1003, the access control unit 213 judges whether or not the converted physical address is an address of a recorded area. That is, it is determined which recording area information 12 the converted physical address is included in. Specifically, it is determined which recording area start position 13 and recording start position 15 the physical address is located between. The unrecorded area is managed by a recording area start position 13 and a recording start position 15 . Therefore, when the physical address does not exist in the recording area, the access control unit 213 judges that the converted physical address is an address in the recorded area.

In step 1004, when it is determined in step 1003 that the recording has not been completed, the update unit 222 sets the physical address converted in step 1002 as the recording physical address.

In step 1005, when it is determined in step 1003 that the recording is completed, the update unit 222 sets the address of the next recording start position 15 in the arbitrary recording area information 12 as the replacement target address of the converted physical address. Alternatively, an address in the replacement area 107 is set as the replacement destination address. How the alternate physical address is chosen is arbitrary.

In step 1005, when the next recording start position 15 is set as the replacement target address, in step 1006, the update unit 222 updates the next recording start position 15 in the recording area information 12 to the position after recording.

In step 1007, the access control unit 213 performs recording of the set physical address.

In step 1008, the access control unit 213 obtains the result of the recording process executed in step 1007, and if the recording is successful, proceeds to step 1009, and if the recording fails, proceeds to step 1005.

In step 1009, the replacement management information in the management information area 105 is updated when the recording process to the replacement destination is performed. Furthermore, regardless of the presence or absence of alternate processing, the next recording start position 15 in the recording area is updated with respect to the recording area where recording is performed. When the alternate recording shown in FIG. 9( a ) is successful, the update unit 222 updates the management information 106 to the state shown in FIG. 10( a ), and stores it in the management information buffer 225 .

It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 9(b), as the replacement target physical address, the end end of the recording area #1 can be used. When the recording of the replacement destination is successful, in step 1009 the update unit 222 updates the management information 106 to the state shown in FIG. 10( b ), and stores it in the management information buffer 225 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9(c), as the replacement target physical address, the start end of the recording area #2 can be used. If alternate recording to the beginning end of recording area #2 is successful, update unit 222 updates management information 106 to the state shown in FIG.

It should be noted that by selecting the recording area selected as the replacement target from the vicinity of the recording area that should be originally recorded, the access time at the time of recording and reproduction can be shortened.

It should be pointed out that FIGS. 9( a ) to ( c ) are examples, and the positional relationship between the recording area where user data is recorded and the recording area where alternate recording is performed is not limited.

According to this embodiment, the recording area in the user data area can be used as a spare area, and the start end information and end end information of the unrecorded area of each recording area can be set as management information. According to this, it is possible to arrange the spare area according to the need, and it is possible to efficiently perform alternate recording using the spare area.

(Example 2)

In this embodiment, another example of the recording process (FIG. 12) described in the previous embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. In this embodiment, the processing will be described using the recording device 210 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 shows the procedure of recording processing in this embodiment. This recording processing corresponds to step 905 of the command processing procedure shown in FIG. 11 .

In relation to each step in FIG. 12 , step 1801 , step 1802 , and step 1803 in FIG. 13 are different. Specifically, steps 1801 and 1802 are provided instead of steps 1005 and 1006 of FIG. 12 . In addition, in step 1008 in FIG. 12 , the branch destination of the processing when recording failed is step 1005 , but in FIG. 13 , it is changed to step 1803 .

In the following, the processing in FIG. 13 that is different from that in FIG. 12 will be mainly described. The other steps are the same as those in Fig. 12, so descriptions are omitted.

In step 1801, the update unit 222 sets an additional recordable position in an arbitrary recording area. In order to alternately record the data recorded to the physical address converted in step 1002, an additional recordable position is set. The reason for alternate recording is that the physical address converted in step 1002 has already recorded user data, and further recording cannot be performed. In step 1802, the update unit 222 updates the set additional recordable position to the position after the recording is executed.

Step 1803 is executed when the recording in step 1008 fails. In step 1803, the update unit 222 sets an additional recordable position in the alternate area as an area for alternate recording. The reason for alternate recording is that the recording performed in step 1008 failed due to a recording error. Furthermore, the original physical address and the physical address of the recording destination are registered as alternate entries. Then the process goes back to step 1007.

Here, the transition of the recording state on the optical disc 101 based on the recording method described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 .

First, the optical disc of this embodiment has the data structure shown in FIG. 2(b). That is, in this optical disc, a spare area for alternate recording is reserved before the read area. The other structures are the same as those in Fig. 2(a).

14(a) to (c) show the logical data structure of the optical disk of this embodiment. Secure the spare area before reading the area. The rest of the structure is the same as the relationship in Fig. 7(a) to (c).

From the state of FIG. 14( a ), the update unit 222 reserves recording area #1 and recording area #2 as shown in FIG. 14( b ). Then, as shown in FIG. 14(c), the access control unit 213 performs recording from the position P2 to the position P5-1 in the recording area #1. Here, if the start address of the spare area is the position P0, the management information 106 of the recording state in FIG. 14(c) becomes as shown in FIG. 8(c).

Assume now that user data is recorded in recording area #1 and recording area #2 as shown in FIG. 14(c). In this recording state, the recording device 210 receives a recording request for one recording unit from the position P from the host control device 201 , and receives recording requests to the positions P6 and P7 before the recording process corresponding to the request ends.

First, the update unit 222 of the recording device 210 sets the next recording start of the recording area #1 to 15 as the position P6, and starts recording data from the position P4. As long as there is no recording failure, the access control unit 213 records data at each designated location (address). When recording fails, the recording device 210 performs the following processing. Here, recording of data from the first position P fails.

15(a) to (c) show the user data areas that are alternately recorded using different algorithms. FIG. 15(a) shows an example in which alternate recording is performed at position P4 at the additional recording position set in recording area #1. In this example, the recording device 210 performs alternate recording at the position P4 at the position P6. Regarding the recording request to the position P6, the recording to the position P6 cannot be performed. Therefore, the recording device 210 records the data required for recording to the position P6 in another position P7. In this way, subsequent recording to the recording request to the position P6 cannot be performed. Therefore, the recording device 210 records the data required for recording to the position P7 in another position P8.

As a result, the update unit 222 generates alternate entries as shown in FIG. 16( a ). That is, the update unit 222 generates an entry where the replacement source address 19 is at position P4 and the replacement target address 20 is at position P6, the replacement source address 19 is at position P6 and the replacement target address 20 is the entry at position P7, the replacement source address 19 is at position P7, and alternates Target address 20 is the entry to location P8. According to the alternate recording shown in FIG. 15(a), the alternate entry becomes complicated and the amount of data increases.

As shown in FIG. 15( a ), when a recording request is issued for an additional recording location, it is necessary to confirm the additional recording location and record the next data in each recording process. Such processing significantly slows down the execution speed. Since the chances of recording large-capacity data such as image data increase, an algorithm for confirming an additional recordable position at each recording process is not practical.

On the other hand, FIG. 15(b) shows an example in which alternate recording is performed at a position P4 in the alternate area 107 at a position P0. Alternate recording at the position P4 is not performed in the recording area #1, so the recording request to the position P6 and the recording request to the position P7 can be executed at the execution position. As a result, the update unit 222 generates alternate entries as shown in FIG. 16( b ). That is, the update unit 222 generates only the entry whose replacement source address 19 is the position P4 and whose replacement destination address 20 is the position P0. The number of colloid inlets is one, and if compared with the example in Fig. 16(a), its complexity and number are greatly reduced.

It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 15(c), when there is a recording request to a recorded area such as position P, alternate recording at position P10 can be performed from the additional recording position of recording area #1. The reason is that when the higher-level control device 201 sends a recording request to the recorded position, it can control so that after the recording process is completed, additional recording can be performed from the additional recording position. That is, in response to a recording request to the position P10, the access control unit 213 performs alternate recording to the position P10 from the positions P4 to P6-1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16(c), the update section 222 can generate only an entry in which the replacement source address 19 is the position P10 and the replacement destination address 20 is the position P4. At this point, the additional recordable position is set to P6.

Then, the upper-level control device 201 confirms that the additional recordable position of the recording area #1 is P6 according to the Read Track Information command. This means that subsequent recording is not performed for position P4. Therefore, the higher-level control device 201 does not request execution of the next recording from the position P4, but requests from the positions P6 and P7. According to this request, replacement recording is not performed, so the update unit 222 does not need to create a new replacement entry. Therefore, the number of entries does not change from the state shown in FIG. 16(c).

(Example 3)

In this embodiment, another example of the recording process (FIG. 13) of the previous embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. In this embodiment, the processing will be described using the recording device 210 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows the procedure of recording processing in this embodiment. This recording processing corresponds to step 905 of the command processing procedure shown in FIG. 11 .

In relation to each step in FIG. 13 , step 1901 and step 1902 in FIG. 17 are different. Specifically, instead of step 1803 in FIG. 13 , steps 1901 and 1902 are provided in FIG. 17 .

In the following, the processing in FIG. 17 that is different from that in FIG. 13 will be mainly described. The other steps are the same as those in Fig. 13, so descriptions are omitted.

First, step 1901 is executed when the record fails in step 1008 . Since the recording failed, it is necessary for the recording device 210 to determine an area to perform alternate recording. Therefore, in this embodiment, the processing is changed according to the presence or absence of an inquiry from the upper-level control device 201 .

In step 1901, the I/F control unit 211 confirms whether or not there is an inquiry about the next recording start position of each currently managed recording area by using the Read TrackInformation command from the host control device 201. When there is an inquiry, transfer to step 1902, and when there is no query, transfer to step 1801.

In step 1902, the update unit 222 registers the original physical address and the recorded physical address in the replacement entry.

On the other hand, step 1801 when there is no inquiry means setting an additional recordable position in the user data area. Performing alternate processing using the user data area instead of the alternate area can bring about the following advantages. Compared with the movement of the optical head for recording data on the optical disc to the alternate area, the moving distance and the moving time are shorter when moving in the user data area. This means that the time until the end of the alternate process is shortened. Likewise, the data readout time during playback processing is also shortened.

In order to enjoy the above-mentioned advantages, it is necessary to perform the process of step 1801 when there is no possibility of the upper-level control device 201 issuing the following recording command, that is, when there is no inquiry about the recording start position from the upper-level control device 201 .

On the other hand, if alternate processing is performed in the user data after an inquiry about the next recording start position currently managed, data cannot be recorded from the corresponding next recording start position. The next recording start position managed by the higher-level control device 201 does not match the actual next recording start position, and additional processing such as registration of an alternate entry is necessary.

Therefore, the recording device 210 performs alternate processing using the user data area until there is an inquiry from the upper-level control device 201 . Moreover, after an inquiry is made, alternate processing is not performed in the user data area, and alternate processing is performed using the alternate area. This work is very effective in increasing the processing speed.

Next, referring to Fig. 14(c), the alternate processing of this embodiment will be specifically described. The higher-level control device 201 issues a request to the recording device 210 to record data in one recording unit (sector) from the position P4. Then, the recording in the recording device 210 fails. At this time, the recording device 210 sets the next recording start position 15 of the recording area #1 to the position of P6.

After receiving the recording failure from the position P4, the I/F control unit 211 determines whether there is an inquiry about the currently managed additional recording position through the Read Track Information command from the superior control device 201.

When there is an inquiry, the update unit 222 sets the replacement target address of the position P4 where the recording failed as the position P0 of the replacement area 107 . And when there is no query, the update unit 222 sets the replacement target address of the position P4 as the position P in the user data area, more specifically, the same recording area #1. The update unit 222 sets the additional recordable position of the recording area #1 to the position P7, and records data in the position P6.

According to the recording method of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent alternate recording from being performed on recording positions where the higher-level control device 201 may next issue a recording command, thereby preventing an increase in alternate entries.

Industrial availability

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a recording device that performs alternate recording for the purpose of alternate recording or overwrite recording based on a defect in a recordable-once type recording medium. Since the recording device secures spare areas as necessary, it is useful from the viewpoint of efficiently utilizing the capacity of the recording medium.

According to this recording device, it is possible to obtain a recording medium on which alternate recording is performed by securing alternate areas as necessary. The recording medium is not limited to a recordable type, and may be a rewritable type, for example. Utilizing a rewritable type recording medium as a recordable one-time type recording medium enables efficient use of capacity.

Claims (8)

1. A recording device for recording data on a recording medium, wherein: The recording medium has: a data area for recording user data, and a spare area for alternately recording the user data, wherein the data area is composed of one or more unit areas to which addresses are allocated; The recording device has: the processing department at the address of the designated unit area; and a control unit that records the user data in the specified unit area of the address, The processing unit determines whether or not user data is recorded in the unit area of the first address, and designates one of the first address and a second address in the data area different from the first address according to the determination result. ; The control unit records the user data in the spare area when the recording of the user data at one of the designated first address and the second address fails. 2. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing unit specifies the first address when it is determined that user data is not recorded in the unit area of the first address, and specifies the second address when it is determined that it is recorded. 3. The recording device according to claim 2, wherein: The processing unit generates management information associating the unit area at the first address with the spare area when recording of the user data at the designated first address fails. 4. The recording device according to claim 2, wherein: The processing unit generates management information associating the unit area of the second address with the spare area when recording of the user data at the designated second address fails. 5. The recording device according to claim 2, wherein: The processing unit generates management information associating the unit area of the first address with the unit area of the second address when recording of the user data at the designated second address is successful. 6. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein: An interface unit that receives a recording request of the user data is also provided; The processing unit designates the address in response to receipt of the recording request. 7. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein: The interface unit is also capable of receiving inquiries about recordable locations of the user data; The control unit records the user data in the spare area after the recording of the user data fails and the inquiry is received. 8. The recording device according to claim 7, wherein: The processing unit designates a third address in the data area that is different from both the first and second addresses before the recording of the user data fails and the query is received; The control unit records the user data in a unit area of the designated third address.

Images