Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING DISC DEFECT AND DISC THEREFOR
Technical Field
The present invention relates to disc defect management, and more
particularly, to a disc with a temporary defect management area in which drive
& disc
information is recorded, and a disc defect management method and apparatus
therefor.
Background Art
Disc defect management is the process of rewriting data stored in a user data
area of a disc in which a defect exists to a new portion of the disc's data
area, thereby
compensating for data loss otherwise caused by the defect. In general, disc
defect
management is performed using a linear replacement method or a slipping
replacement
method. In the linear replacement method, a user data area in which a defect
exists is
replaced with a spare data area having no defects. In the slipping replacement
method, a user data area with the defect is slipped and the next user data
area having
no defects is used.
Both linear replacement and slipping replacement methods are, however,
applicable only to discs such as a DVD-RAM/RW, on which data can be repeatedly
recorded and recording can be performed using a random access method. In other
words, the conventional linear and slipping replacement methods cannot be
applied to
write once discs on which recording is allowed only once. Specifically, the
presence of
defects in a disc is generally detected by recording data on the disc and
confirming
whether the data has been recorded correctly on the disc. However, once the
data is
recorded on a write once disc, it is impossible to overwrite new data and
manage
defects therein.
After the development of write once discs Compact Disc (CD)-R and Digital
Versatile Disc (DVD)-R, a high-density write once disc with a recording
capacity of
several dozen GBs has been introduced. This type of disc can be used as a
backup
3o disc since it is not expensive and allows random access that enables fast
reading
operations. However, disc defect management is not available for write once
discs.
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
Therefore, a backup operation may be discontinued when a defective area (i.e.,
an
area where a defect exists) is detected during the backup operation. Further,
the
backup operation is performed when a system is not frequently used (e.g., at
night)
when a system manager does not operate the system. In this case, it is more
likely
that the backup operation will be discontinued because a defective area of a
write once
disc is detected.
Meanwhile, when additional data will not be recorded on a recordable disc
(i.e., when only data reproduction will be allowed), write protect information
is recorded
on the disc to prevent the data recorded on the disc from being mistakenly
erased.
1o However, once the write protect information is recorded, recording is not
further
allowed, and, thus, possible disc defects cannot be managed. That is, since
recording
is not allowed in a data area of the disc after recording of the write protect
information,
disc defect management also cannot be performed.
Disclosure of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention provides a write once disc, and a disc
defect management method and apparatus therefor.
An aspect of the present invention also provides a write once disc and a disc
defect management method and apparatus that can manage disc defects even when
a
disc defect is detected during a recording operation, allowing the recording
operation to
be performed without interruption.
An aspect of the present invention also provides a disc on which
already-recorded write protect information can be changed, and a disc defect
management method and apparatus therefor.
An aspect of the present invention also provides a disc on which disc defect
management is allowed even after recording of write protect information, and a
disc
defect management method and apparatus therefor.
An aspect of the present invention also provides a disc, and a disc defect
management method and apparatus that can increase a reliability of data stored
in a
3o disc.
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in
part in
the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the
description, or may
be learned by practice of the invention.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a write once disc includes a
single record layer having, sequentially, a lead-in area, a data area, and a
lead-out
area, a defect management area in at least one of the lead-in area and the
lead-out
area, a temporary defect management area in at least one of the lead-in area
and the
lead-out area, and a drive & disc information area in at least one of the lead-
in area and
the lead-out area, where information regarding locations of temporary defect
1o information and temporary defect management information is recorded in the
drive &
disc information area, the temporary defect information and temporary defect
management information, which includes drive & disc information, are recorded
in the
temporary defect management area, and temporary defect information and
temporary
defect management information, which are last recorded in the temporary defect
management area, are recorded in the defect management area during
finalization of
the disc.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a write once disc has a
first record layer having, sequentially, a lead-in area, a data area, and a
lead-out area, a
second record layer having, sequentially, an outer area, a data area, and a
lead-out
area, a defect management area in at least one of the lead-in area, the lead-
out area,
and the outer area; a temporary defect management area in at least one of the
lead-in
area, the lead-out area, and the outer area; and a drive & disc information
area in at
least one of the lead-in area, the lead-out area, and the outer area, where
temporary
defect information and.temporary defect management information, which includes
drive
& disc information, are recorded in the temporary defect management area,
temporary
defect information and temporary defect management information, which are last
recorded in the temporary defect management area, are recorded in the defect
management area, for disc finalization, and information regarding the
locations of the
temporary defect information and temporary defect management information is
3o recorded in the drive & disc information area.
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
According to an aspect of the invention, write protect information is further
recorded in the drive & disc information area and recorded for every recording
operation.
According to an aspect of the invention, the drive & disc information includes
at least one of the write protect information and test location information.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of
managing disc defects includes recording information regarding a defect in
data, which
is recorded in a data area of a disc according to an ith recording operation,
as ith
temporary defect information several times in a temporary defect management
area of
io the disc; recording information for managing the ith temporary defect
information as ith
temporary defect management information in the temporary defect management
area;
recording information regarding locations of the ith temporary defect
information and
the temporary defect management information in a drive & disc information area
of the
disc; repeating the recording the ith temporary defect information, recording
the ith
temporary defect management information, and the recording information
regarding the
locations at least once while increasing an index i given to each subsequent
recording operation, the temporary defect information, and the temporary
defect
management information; and recording a last recorded temporary defect
information
and temporary defect management information in a defect management area of the
disc for disc finalization.
According to an aspect of the invention, the method further includes recording
write protect information in the drive & disc information area.
During the recording the first temporary defect management information, the
ith temporary defect management information is recorded to include at least
one of test
location information and the write protect information.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a recording and/or
reproducing apparatus includes a recording/reading unit that records data on
or reads
data from a disc; and a controller that controls the recording/reading unit to
record data
in a data area of the disc and information regarding a defect in the data
recorded in the
3o data area as temporary defect information in a temporary defect management
area; to
record management information for managing the temporary defect information as
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
temporary defect management information in the temporary defect management
area,
the management information further including drive & disc information; to
record
information regarding locations of the temporary defect information and the
temporary
defect management information in a drive & disc information area of the disc;
and to
record a last recorded temporary defect information and temporary defect
management
information in a defect management area of the disc during disc finalization.
According to an aspect of the invention, the controller controls the
recording/reading unit to further record write protect information in the
drive & disc
information, controls the recording/reading unit to record the temporary
defect
1o information and the temporary defect management information for each
recording
operation, and controls the recording/reading unit to record the temporary
defect
management information to include test location information and write the
protect
information for each recording operation.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will
become more apparent and more readily appreciated by describing in detail
embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. I is a block diagram of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus
according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGs. 2A through 2D illustrate structures of a disc according to embodiments
of
the present invention;
FIG. 3A illustrates a data structure of the disc shown in FIGs. 2A through 2D
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3B illustrates a data structure of a disc with a drive & disc information
area,
a temporary defect management area (TDMA), and defect management areas (DMAs)
as shown in FIG. 3A;
FIGs. 4A through 4D illustrate data structures of a TDMA where disc defect
management has been performed, according to embodiments of the present
invention;
FIGs. 5A and 5B illustrate data structures of a TDMA where disc defect
management is not performed, according to embodiments of the present
invention;
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
FIGs. 6A and 6B illustrate data structures of temporary defect management
information TDDS #i according to embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 7 illustrates a data structure of a temporary defect information TDFL #i
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
s FIGs. 8A and 8B illustrate data structures of a drive & disc information
area
according to embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 9 illustrates diagrams for explaining recording of data in a user data
area A
and a spare area B according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an effective use of a data area according to
an
.io embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 illustrates data structures of temporary defect information TDFL #0
and
TDFL #1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12 illustrates a data structure of information regarding defect #i
according to
an embodiment of the present invention;
15 FIGs. 13A and 13B shown a flowchart illustrating a disc defect management
method according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGs. 14A and 14B show a flowchart illustrating a disc defect management
method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
20 Best mode for carrying out the Invention
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in a
greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like
reference
numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described
below
in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
25 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the
recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a recording/reading unit 1, a
controller
2, and a memory 3. The recording/reading unit 1 records data on a disc 100,
which is
an information storage medium according to an embodiment of the present
invention
30 the recording/reading unit 1 also reads back the data from the disc 100 to
verify the
accuracy of the recorded data. The controller 2 performs disc defect
management
according to an embodiment of the present invention and controls the
recording/reading
unit Ito record write protect information on the disc 100. In this embodiment,
the
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
controller 2 uses a verify-after-write method in which data is recorded on the
disc 100 in
predetermined units of data and the accuracy of the recorded data is verified
to detect if
an area of the disc 100 has a defect.
Specifically, the controller 2 records user data on the disc 100 in units of
recording operations, and verifies the recorded user data to detect an area of
the disc
100 in which a defect exists. Thereafter, the controller 2 creates information
that
indicates a position of the area with the defect, and stores the created
information in the
memory 3. When the stored information reaches a predetermined amount, the
controller 2 records the stored information as temporary defect information on
the disc
100. If a user will not perform the disc defect management, the controller 2
records
only the temporary defect management information(which will be explained
below) on
the disc 100.
Generally, the recording operation is an operation unit determined according
to
a user's intention or is a recording work to be performed. According to the
shown
embodiment, a recording operation indicates a process in which the disc 100 is
loaded
into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, data is recorded on the disc
100, and
the disc 100 is taken out from the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
During the
recording operation, data is recorded and verified at least once: In general,
the data is
recorded and verified several times. Defect information, which is obtained
using the
verify-after-write method, is temporarily stored as the temporary defect
information in
the memory 3. However, it is understood that the recording operation can be
otherwise defined, and/or that the data does not need to be verified several
times in all
aspects of the invention.
When a user presses the eject button (not shown) of the recording and/or
reproducing apparatus in order to remove the disc 100 after recording of data
or when a
recording operation is otherwise to end, the controller 2 expects a recording
operation
to be terminated. Next, the controller 2 reads the information from the memory
3,
provides the read information to the recording/reading unit 1, and controls
the
recording/reading unit 1 to record the read information on the disc 100.
Further, as will
3o be explained later, information regarding the temporary defect information
and the
temporary defect management information, and the write protect information are
recorded in a drive & disc information area of the disc 100.
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
When the recording of data is completed (i.e., additional data will not be
recorded on the disc 100 and the disc 100 needs to be finalized), the
controller 2
controls the recording/reading unit 1 to rewrite the recorded temporary defect
information and temporary defect management information in a defect management
area (DMA) of the disc 100 as defect management information.
During reproduction, the controller 2 controls the recording/reading unit 1 to
read information regarding a defect in the data recorded in the data area, as
temporary
defect information from a temporary defect management area (TDMA) of the disc
100.
The controller 2 further controls the recording/reading unit 1 to read
management
io information for managing the temporary defect information as temporary
defect
management information from the TDMA of the disc 100. The read management
information includes drive & disc information. The controller 2 controls the
recording/reading unit 1 to read information regarding locations of the
temporary defect
information and the temporary defect management information from a disc &
drive
information area of the disc 100. Further, in the case that the disc 100 is
finalized, the
controller 2 controls the recording/reading unit 1 to read a last recorded
temporary
defect information and a last recorded temporary defect management information
from
a defect management area (DMA) of the disc 100. The controller 2 also controls
the
recording/reading unit I to read write protect information and test location
information
from the drive & disc information.
FIGs. 2A through 2D illustrate structures of the disc 100 of FIG. 1 according
to
embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2A illustrates in detail a disc 100
having a
record layer LO (a single record layer disc). The disc 100 includes a lead-in
area, a data
area, and a lead-out area. The lead-in area is located in an inner part of the
disc 100,
and the lead-out area is located in an outer part of the disc 100. The data
area is
present between the lead-in area and the lead-out area and is divided into a
user data
area and a spare area. The user data area is an area where user data is
recorded. The
spare area is a replacement area for a user data area having a defect, and
serves to
compensate for a loss in the recording area due to the defect. That is, the
spare area
is used for the disc defect management according to an aspect of the present
invention
such that, when a defect exists in data recorded in the user data area, the
data is
recorded again in the spare area.
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
A data structure of the disc 100 shown in FIG. 2B is the same as that of the
disc 100 of FIG. 2A except that a data area includes two spare areas.
Therefore, a
description of each area shown in FIG. 2B will be omitted. In FIG. 2B, the
spare areas
are located at the sides of the user data area. In the shown embodiment, the
spare
area between the lead-in area and the user data area will be referred to as an
inner
spare area, and the spare area between the user data area and the lead-out
area will
be referred to as an outer spare area. However, it is understood that other
spare
areas can be used and/or can be disposed in areas other than the inner and
outer
areas of the user data area.
FIG. 2C illustrates a disc 100 having first and second record layers LO and L1
(a double record layer disc). The first record layer LO has a lead-in area, a
data area,
and an outer area sequentially formed from the inner part of the first record
layer LO to
the outer part. Also, the second record layer L1 has an outer area, a data
area, and a
lead-out area sequentially formed from the outer part of the second record
layer L1 to
the inner part. Unlike the single record layer discs shown in FIGs. 2A and 2B,
the
lead-out area is present in the inner part of the disc 100 of FIG. 2B. That
is, the disc
100 of FIG. 2B has an opposite track path (OTP) in which data is recorded
starting from
the lead-in area of the first record layer LO toward its outer area and
continuing from the
outer area of the second record layer L1 to its lead-out area. A spare area is
allotted
to each of the record layers LO and L1.
A data structure of the disc 100 shown in FIG. 2D is the same as that of the
disc 100 of FIG. 2C, except that the first record layer LO and the second
record layer L1
each further include another spare area such that the disc 100 includes four
spare
areas. Therefore, a description of each spare area will be omitted here. The
spare
areas are formed at the sides of the user data areas of the first and second
record
layers LO and L1. In this disclosure, the spare areas adjacent to an inner
part of the
disc 100 will be referred to as inner spare areas and the spare areas adjacent
to an
outer part of the disc 100 will be referred to as outer spare areas. If
necessary, a
portion of the user data area may be used as another spare area. The location
and
numbers of the spare area are not limited to the above description.
FIG. 3A illustrates structures of the disc 100 of FIGS. 2A through 2D,
according
to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, if the disc
100 is a
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
single record layer disc 100 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a drive & disc
information area,
a DMA, and a temporary DMA (TDMA) are present in at least one of the lead-in
area
and the lead-out area of the disc 100. If the disc 100 is a double record
layer disc 100
shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, the drive & disc information area, the DMA, and the
TDMA
are present in at least one of the lead-in area, the lead-out area, and the
outer area,'
and preferably are in the lead-in area and the lead-out area, which are
located in the
inner part of the disc 100, respectively. However, it is understood that the
drive & disc
information area can be otherwise located in other aspects of the invention.
In the drive & disc information area, there are recorded information regarding
a
1o drive used for a write and/or read operation, information regarding a disc
(e.g., whether
the disc is a single record layer disc or a double record layer disc), and
information
regarding a location of a test area where recording conditions are tested. In
particular,
the disc information specifies disc defect management according to an aspect
of the
present invention. For instance, the disc information may include location
information
regarding temporary defect information and temporary defect management
information,
and the write protect information. However, it is understood that the drive &
disc
information area could include additional information related to the drive &
disc
information.
In general, the DMA includes information relating to managing disc defects in
the disc 100. Such information includes the structure of the disc 100 for disc
defect
management, the recording position of defect information, whether defect
management
is performed or not, and the position and size of a spare area. In the TDMA,
information regarding disc defects is recorded before disc finalization. The
information
regarding disc defects includes the drive & disc information (i.e., the
information
regarding the location of the test area and the write protect information).
In general, when the disc 100 is loaded into a recording/reading apparatus
such as that shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus reads data from a lead-in area and
a
lead-out area of the disc 100 to determine how to manage the disc 100 and
record data
on or read data from the disc 100. However, if the amount of data recorded in
the
lead-in area and/or the lead-out area increases, a longer time is spent on
preparing the
recording or reproducing of data after the loading of the disc 100. To solve
this
problem, an aspect of the present invention uses temporary defect management
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
information and temporary defect information that are to be recorded in the
TDMA. The
TDMA is allotted to the lead-in area and/or the lead-out area of a disc, being
separated
from the DMA. That is, when additional data will not be recorded on the disc
(i.e., disc
finalization is required), only a last recorded defect information and defect
management
information are recorded in the DMA, thus enabling the recording/reading
apparatus to
read only the last recorded defect management information from the DMA.
Accordingly, it is possible to accelerate disc initialization. Further, since
the defect
management information is recorded in a plurality of areas, the reliability of
information
can be increased.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the defect management
information, the location information regarding the temporary defect
information and the
temporary defect management information, and the write protect information are
recorded in the drive & disc information area. Accordingly, the
recording/reading
apparatus reads the location information from the drive & disc information
area, and
can therefore access the DMA more rapidly based on the read location
information.
That is, the disc defect management can be more efficiently performed based on
the
location information.
Also, the drive & disc information (including location information regarding
the
test area and the write protect information) is recorded in the temporary
defect
management information. Therefore, even if a disc drive does not access the
drive &
disc information area, the location information regarding the test area and
the write
protect information can be obtained from the temporary defect management area.
Inclusion of the test location information into the temporary defect
management
information enables quick finding of a pointer to the test location
information.
In the shown embodiment, since disc defect management is performed using
the linear replacement method, the temporary defect information includes
information
indicating a position of an area of the disc 100 having a defect and
information
indicating a position of an area of the disc 100 that is replacement for the
area having
the defect. More preferably, the temporary defect information further includes
information indicating whether the defect occurs in a single defect blocks or
continuous
defect blocks. The temporary defect management information is used to manage
the
temporary defect information and includes information indicating the position
of the disc
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
100 where the temporary defect information is recorded. More preferably, the
temporary defect management information further includes the location
information
regarding the test area and the write protect information. Detailed data
structures of
the temporary defect information and the temporary defect management
information
will be explained below.
In the shown embodiment, the temporary defect information and temporary
defect management information are recorded every time when a recording
operation
ends. In the TDMA, therefore, information regarding a defect, which occurs in
data
recorded during recording operation #0, and information regarding a
replacement area
1o are recorded as temporary defect information #0. Information regarding a
defect,
which occurs in data recorded during recording operation #1, and information
regarding
a replacement area are recorded as temporary defect information #1. Further,
information for managing temporary defect information #0, #1, ... is recorded
as
temporary defect management information #0, #1, ... in the TDMA. When
additional
data cannot be recorded in the data area or when a user does not wish to
record
additional data therein (i.e., the data needs to be finalized), the temporary
defect
information recorded in the temporary defect information area and the
temporary defect
management information recorded in the temporary defect management information
area are rewritten to the DMA.
In the shown embodiment, all defect information contained in previously
recorded temporary defect information #0, #1, #2,..., #i-1 is further
contained in
temporary defect information #i. Thus, it is easy to finalize the disc 100
just by reading
defect information contained in a last recorded temporary defect information
#i and
rewriting the read temporary defect information #1 to the DMA. However, it is
understood that the temporary defect information #i need not include all prior
defect
information in all aspects of the invention.
In the case of a high-density disc 100 with a recording capacity of several
dozens of GBs such as a Blu-Ray disc or an Advance Optical Disc (AOD), it is
desirable
that a cluster is allocated to an area in which the temporary defect
management
information #i is recorded and four to eight clusters are allocated to an area
in which
temporary defect information #i is recorded. This is because it is preferable
to record
new information in units of clusters to update information when a minimum
physical unit
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
of record is a cluster, although the amount of temporary defect information #i
is just
several KBs. While not required in all aspects, a total amount of defects
allowed in a
disc is preferably about 5 % of the disc recording capacity. For instance,
about four to
eight clusters are required to record temporary defect information #i,
considering that
information regarding a defect is about 8 bytes long and the size of a cluster
is 64 KBs.
However, it is understand that additional percentages of disc recording
capacity can be
used according to need, and that the new information need not be recorded in
clusters
in all aspects of the invention.
The verify-after-write method can also be performed on the temporary defect
io information #i and the temporary defect management information M. When a
defect is
detected, information recorded in an area of the disc 100 having a defect may
be either
recorded in a spare area using the linear replacement method, or recorded in
an area
adjacent to the TDMA using the slipping replacement method.
In the shown embodiment, the drive & disc information area and the TDMA are
separate areas. However, it is understood that the areas may be formed as a
single
area. In the latter case, a part of the drive & disc. information (e.g., the
location
information regarding the test area and the write protect information), which
needs to be
updated is updated and recorded together with the temporary defect management
information.
FIG. 3B illustrates a data structure of the disc 100 with a drive & disc
information area, a TDMA, and DMAs as shown in FIG. 3A. Referring to FIG. 3B,
two
DMAs, DMA 1 and DMA 2, are formed to increase the robustness of defect
management information, the defect information, and the write protect
information.
FIG. 3B also shows a temporary defect management area TDMA, a test area Test
in
which recording conditions of data are measured, and a drive and disc area
Drive and
Disc information in which the drive & disc information is recorded and which
is located
beside a buffer area Buffer 2 beside the DMA DMA1. Buffer 1, Buffer 2, and
Buffer 3
are areas acting as buffers that indicate borders of the respective areas. A
disc 100
according to embodiments of the present invention may include a plurality of
the drive &
3o disc information areas.
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CA 02550148 2004-02-27
FIGs. 4A through 4D illustrate data structures of a TDMA where disc defect
management has been performed, according to embodiments of the present
invention.
Referring to FIG. 4A, the TDMA is logically divided into a temporary defect
information
area and a temporary defect management information area. In the temporary
defect
information area, temporary defect information TDFL #0, TDFL #1, TDFL #2, ...
are
sequentially recorded starting from a start of the area toward the end, such
that the
physical or logical addresses of the temporary defect information increase.
The
temporary defect information TDFL #0, TDFL #1, TDFL #2, ... are repeatedly
recorded
several times to increase the robustness of information. In particular, FIG.
4A
1o illustrates recording the temporary defect information TDFL #0 P times. In
the
temporary defect management information area, the temporary defect management
information TDDS #0, TDDS #1, TDDS #2, ... are sequentially recorded starting
from
the start of the area. The temporary defect management information TDDS #0,
TDDS
#1, and TDDS #2 correspond to the temporary defect information TDFL #0, TDFL
#1,
and TDFL #2, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 4B, compared to FIG. 4A, the TDMA is also logically divided
into a temporary defect information area and a temporary defect management
information area. However, the sequences of recording information are not the
same.
More specifically, in the temporary defect information area, the temporary
defect
information TDFL #0, TDFL #1, TDFL #2, ... are sequentially recorded starting
from the
end of the area toward the start such that the physical or logical addresses
of the
temporary defect information decrease. Similarly, the temporary defect
information
TDFL #0, TDFL #1, TDFL #2, ... is repeatedly recorded several times to
increase the
robustness of information. In particular, FIG. 4B illustrates recording the
temporary
defect information TDFL #0 P times. In the temporary defect management
information
area, temporary defect management information TDDS #0, TDDS #1, TDDS #2, ...
are
sequentially recorded starting from the end of the area. The temporary defect
management information TDDS #0, TDDS #1, and TDDS #2 correspond to the defect
information TDFL #0, TDFL #1, and TDFL #2, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 4C, corresponding temporary defect information and
temporary defect management information are recorded as pairs of information
in the
TDMA. More specifically, the temporary management information TDMA #0, TDMA
14
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
#1, ... are sequentially recorded starting from the start of the TDMA such
that the
physical or logical addresses of the temporary management information
increase. The
temporary management information TDMA #0 contains a pair of corresponding
temporary defect management TDDS #0 and temporary defect information TDFL #0,
and temporary management information TDMA #1 contains a pair of corresponding
temporary defect management information TDDS #1 and temporary defect
information
TDFL #1. The temporary defect information TDFL #0, TDFL #1, TDFL #2, ... are
repeatedly recorded several times to increase the robustness of information.
In
particular, FIG. 4C illustrates recording the temporary defect information
TDFL #0 P
to times.
Referring to FIG. 4D, compared to the TDMA of FIG. 4C, corresponding
temporary defect information and temporary defect management information are
recorded as pairs of information in a TDMA. However, the sequence of recording
the
information is not the same. More specifically, in the TDMA, the temporary
management information TDMA #0, TDMA #1, ... are sequentially recorded
starting
from the end of the TDMA such that the physical or logical addresses of the
temporary
management information decrease. The temporary management information TDMA #0
contains a pair of corresponding temporary defect management information TDDS
#0
and temporary defect information TDFL #0, and the temporary management
information TDMA #1 contains a pair of corresponding temporary defect
management
information TDDS #1 and temporary defect information TDFL #1. Similarly, the
temporary defect information TDFL #0, TDFL #1, TDFL #2, ... are repeatedly
recorded
several times to increase the robustness of information. In particular, FIG.
4D
illustrates recording of the temporary defect information TDFL #0 P times.
FIGs. 5A and 5B illustrate data structures of a TDMA where disc defect
management is not performed, according to embodiments of the present
invention.
Referring to FIG. 5A, when a user decides not to perform disc defect
management, the
temporary defect management information is recorded in the TDMA in recording
operation units. More specifically, the temporary defect management
information
3o TDDS #0, TDDS #1, ... are recorded starting from the start of the TDMA such
that the
physical or logical addresses of the temporary defect management information
increase.
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
Referring to FIG. 5B, when the user decides not to perform disc defect
management, the temporary defect management information is recorded in the
TDMA
in recording operation units. However, unlike in the FIG. 5A, the temporary
defect
management information starting from the TDDS #0, TDDS #1, ... are recorded
starting
from the end of the TDMA such that the physical or logical addresses of the
temporary
defect management information decrease.
FIGs. 6A and 6B illustrate data structures of temporary defect management
information TDDS M. In detail, FIG. 6A illustrates a data structure of
temporary defect
management information TDDS #i recorded on a single record layer disc 100 such
as
io that shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The temporary defect management information
TDDS
#i contains an identifier for temporary defect management information TDDS #i,
and
information regarding the position of corresponding temporary defect
information TDFL
#i. As previously explained with reference to FIGs. 4A through 4D, temporary
defect
information TDFL #i according to an aspect of the present invention is
repeatedly
1s recorded several times. Thus, the information regarding the position of
temporary
defect information TDFL #i includes pointers corresponding to temporary defect
information TDFL #i, and each pointer is to the recording position of each
temporary
defect information TDFL M. Temporary defect management information TDDS #i
shown in FIG. 5A includes P pointers to temporary defect information TDFL #i
recorded
20 P times.
Also, the temporary defect management information TDDS #i recorded on the
single record layer disc 100 describes the address of user data, which is last
recorded
in a user data area of a record layer LO, and the address of the replacement
area which
is last recorded in a spare area of the record layer LO. Accordingly, a user
can easily
25 utilize the disc 100 just by referring to the last recorded user data area
and replacement
area.
The temporary defect management information TDDS #i further includes test
location information #i and write protect information M. Accordingly, even if
a disc
drive does not access the drive & disc information area or the disc defect
management
30 is not performed, it is possible to directly access a testable area without
detecting the
testable area while scanning the test area where recording conditions are
tested.
Also, it is possible to avoid recording in an undesired area.
16
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
A reason for including the test location information into the temporary defect
management information will now be described in a greater detail. As described
above, the temporary management information contains the temporary defect
management information and the temporary defect information, and further
contains
recording management information that is not shown in the drawings. According
to
an aspect, the recording management information is a space bit map (SBM). The
SBM indicates whether data is recorded in an area of a recording medium on a
recording block basis using bit values. The temporary management information
is
recorded in the temporary defect management information area (TDMA).
For effective use of the TDMA, when updating of a portion of the temporary
management information is required, only the portion is updated in the TDMA.
When
the temporary defect information needs to be updated but the SBM does not need
to be
updated, only the temporary defect information is updated in a next available
area of
the TDMA. In this case, the recording location of last recorded temporary
defect
information changes Thus, the temporary defect management information needs to
be
updated. Similarly, when updating of the SBM is required but that of the
temporary
defect information is not required, only the SBM is updated in a next
available area of
the TDMA. In this case, the updating of the temporary defect management
information is also required, since a recording location of a last recorded
SBM changes.
As described above, the temporary defect management information must also
be updated when updating only a portion of temporary management information
recorded in the TDMA since the temporary defect management information must
specify location information regarding the updated portion. In other words,
when disc
100 is loaded into a drive system, it is difficult for the drive system to
detect last
recorded temporary management information. To solve this problem, location
information regarding respective information contained in the temporary
management
information are included in the temporary defect management information and
the
temporary defect management information is recorded at an end of the TDMA.
Accordingly, the drive system can easily detect the last recorded temporary
management information by reading the location information regarding the last
recorded temporary management information from the temporary defect management
17
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
information. In this regard, the temporary defect management information is
recorded
sequentially in the TDMA.
The drive system is capable of distinguishing between an area containing data
and an area containing no data in the temporary defect management information,
and
detecting a last recorded data block. It is possible to determine whether an
area of a
disc contains data by reading a radio frequency (RF) signal from the disc 100.
Therefore, when the test location information is included into the temporary
management information, it is best to record the test location information in
the
temporary defect management information.
The test location information is recorded in the temporary defect management
information because, when the disc 100 is loaded into the drive system, the
drive
system reads temporary management information last recorded on the disc 100 by
accessing a data block last recorded in the TDMA, detecting the temporary
defect
management information from the data block, and detecting the last recorded
temporary management information from the temporary defect management
information. The drive system performs a write/read operation based on the
last
recorded temporary defect management information. For this reason, the test
location
information is contained in last recorded temporary defect management
information
TDDS #i that the disc drive must first detect in order to record data on or
read data from
the disc 100, thereby allowing easy detection of both the location information
regarding,
temporary defect information TDFL#i and the test location information at once.
Inclusion of the test location information in the temporary defect management
information TDDS#i allows the test location information to be easily detected
from the
TDMA based on an address of the last recorded temporary defect management
information TDDS #i, regardless of whether another temporary management
information is updated. If the test location information is recorded in an
area other
than the last recorded temporary defect management information TDDS #i, the
last
recorded temporary defect management information TDDS #i must further include
a
pointer to this area for detection of the test location information. In this
case, for the
3o detection of the test location information, the last recorded temporary
defect
management information TDDS #i is detected to obtain the pointer to the area
18
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
containing the test location information, and the area containing the test
location
information is detected using the pointer, thereby causing overhead.
FIG. 6B illustrates a data structure of temporary defect management
information TDDS #i recorded on a double record layer disc 100 such as that
shown in
FIGs. 2C and 2D. Temporary defect management information TDDS #i contains an
identifier for the temporary defect management information TDDS #i, and
information
regarding the recording position of corresponding temporary defect information
TDFL
#i. As previously mentioned with reference to FIGs. 4A through 4D, the
temporary
defect information TDFL #i according to an embodiment of the present invention
is
1o repeatedly recorded several times. Thus, the information regarding the
recording
position of the temporary defect information TDFL #i contains pointers to the
recording
positions of respective temporary defect information TDFL #i. In particular,
the
temporary defect management information TDDS #i shown in FIG. 5B includes P
pointers, each pointer to each of temporary defect information TDFL #i that is
repeatedly recorded P times.
Also, the temporary defect management information TDDS #i recorded on a
double record layer disc 100 describes the address of user data that is last
recorded in
a user data area of a first record layer LO, the address of replacement that
is last
recorded in a spare area of the first record layer LO, the address of user
data that is last
recorded in a user data area of a second record layer L1, and the address of
replacement that is last recorded in a spare area of the second record layer
L1.
Accordingly, a user can easily utilize the disc 100 just by referring to the
last recorded
user data and replacement.
Similarly to the single record layer disc 100, the temporary defect
management information TDDS #i further includes test location information #i
and write
protect information #i. Accordingly, even if a disc drive does not access the
drive &
disc information area or the disc defect management is not performed, it is
possible to
directly access a testable area without detecting the testable area while
scanning the
test area where recording conditions are measured. Also, it is possible to
avoid
3o recording in an undesired area.
19
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
FIG. 7 illustrates a data structure of temporary defect information TDFL M.
Referring to FIG. 7, temporary defect information TDFL #i contains an
identifier for
temporary detect information TDFL #i, and information regarding defects #1,
#2,.., #k.
The information regarding defects #1, #2,.., #k is state information
indicating the
positions of defects and replacements, and whether a defective area includes a
single
defect block or continuous defect blocks.
FIGs. 8A and 8B illustrate data structures of a drive & disc information area
according to embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8A, write
protect
information #i, a pointer to the location of temporary defect information TDFL
#i, and a
io pointer to the location of temporary defect management information TDDS #i
are
recorded in recording operation units in the drive & disc information area,
when the
temporary defect information TDFL #i and the temporary defect management
information TDDS #i are separately recorded in a TDMA as shown in FIG. 4A or
4B.
Referring to FIG. 8B, write protect information #i and a pointer to the
location of
temporary management information area TDMA#i are recorded in recording
operation
units in the drive & disc information area, when the temporary defect
information TDFL
#i and temporary defect management information TDDS #i are recorded to be
included
in the temporary management information area TDMA #i in the TDMA as shown in
FIG.
4C or 4D.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the write protect
information (which is recorded in the drive & disc information area and the
temporary
defect management information TDDS #i) does not allow additional data to be
recorded
on the disc 100. The write protect information may include flag information
that
indicates whether write protection is enabled or disabled on the entire disc
100, and
information that indicates recordable areas even if write protection is
enabled. For
instance, a first bit of the write protect information is set as the flag
information that
indicates whether write protection is enabled or disabled, and each of the
other bits is
set to indicate whether at least one predetermined area is recordable or not.
If the
write protection is enabled, a second bit of the write protect information may
indicate
whether the drive & disc information area is recordable or not. Otherwise, the
second
bit may indicate whether the drive & disc information area is recordable or
not, and a
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
third bit may indicate whether a DMA is recordable or not. The third and
fourth bits may
indicate whether the DMA and a spare area are recordable or not.
When the write protect information is recorded, the following areas can be
recordable according to aspects of the invention.
In one area, data recording is allowed in the drive & disc information area,
even if the write protect information is recorded on the disc 100 and
additional data
cannot be further recorded. In other words, the drive & disc information area
is not
affected by the write protect information recorded to enable write protection.
Accordingly, it is possible to change the write protect information.
In another area, even if the write protect information is recorded to enable
write protection, a part of the drive & disc information area allocated for
the write protect
information is not affected by the write protection. In other words, data
recording is
allowed in the part of the drive & disc information area Thus, the write
protect
information can. be changed.
In a further area, even if the write protect information is recorded to enable
write protection, a temporary defect management area (TDMA), the drive & disc
information area, and a spare area are not affected by the write protection
(i.e., data
recording is allowed in these areas). Thus, the write protect information can
be
changed. Further, disc defect management can be performed even after recording
of
the write protect information.
If a rate of error correction in a data block of a user data area is lower
than a
predetermined reference value when reproducing data stored in the user data
area,
disc defect management can be performed such that the data block is regarded
as an
area where the probability of error occurrence is higher, data stored in the
data block is
rewritten to the spare area before reproduction of the data, and the data
block is
determined to be a defective area.
If the disc 100 includes more than one spare area, at least one area of the
spare areas is determined to be a recordable area according to an aspect of
the
invention.
21
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
Areas in which data recording is allowed even if the write protect information
is
recorded, are not limited to the above description.. That is, the number and
type of the
areas can be adjusted if necessary.
FIG. 9 is a reference diagram illustrating in detail recording of data in a
user
data area A and a. spare area B, according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
Data can be processed in units of sectors or clusters. A sector denotes a
minimum unit
of data that can be managed in a file system of a computer or in an
application. A
cluster denotes a minimum unit of data that can be physically recorded on a
disc at
once. In general, one or more sectors constitute a cluster.
io There are two types of sectors: a physical sector and a logical sector. The
physical sector is an area on a disc where a sector of data is to be recorded.
An
address for detecting the physical sector is called a physical sector number
(PSN). The
logical sector is a unit in which data can be managed in a file system or an
application.
An address for detecting the logical sector is called a logical sector number
(LSN). A
disc recording/reading apparatus detects the recording position of data on a
disc using
the PSN. In a computer or a data application, the entire data is managed in
units of
the LSNs and the position of data is detected using an LSN. The relationship
between
the LSN and the PSN is changed by a controller of the recording/reading
apparatus,
based on whether the disc contains a defect and an initial position of
recording data.
Referring to FIG. 9, A denotes a user data area and B denotes a spare area in
which PSNs are sequentially allocated to a plurality of sectors (not shown).
In general,
each LSN corresponds to at least one PSN. However, since LSNs are allocated to
non-defective areas, including replacements recorded in the spare area, the
correspondence between the PSNs and the LSNs is not maintained when the disc
100
has a defective area. This is true even if the size of the physical sector is
the same as
that of the logical sector.
In the user data area A, user data is recorded either in a continuous
recording
mode or a random recording mode. In the continuous recording mode, the user
data
is recorded sequentially and continuously. In the random recording mode, user
data is
3o randomly recorded. In the data area A, sections 1001 through 1007denote
predetermined units of data in which the verify-after-write method is
performed. A
22
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
recording and/or reproducing apparatus records user data in section 1001,
returns to
the start of section 1001, and checks if the user data is appropriately
recorded or a
defect exists in section 1001. If a defect is detected in a portion of section
1001, the
portion is designated as defect #1. The user data recorded in defect #1 is
also recorded
on a portion of the spare area B. Here, the portion of the spare area B in
which data
recorded in defect #1 is rewritten is called replacement #1. Next, the
recording and/or
reproducing apparatus records user data in section 1002, returns to the start
of section
1002, and checks whether the data is properly recorded or a defect exists in
section
1002. If a defect is detected in a portion of section 1002, the portion is
designated as
io defect #2. Likewise, replacement #2 corresponding to defect #2 is formed in
the spare
area B. Further, defect #3 and replacement #3 are designated in section 1003of
the
user data area A and the spare area B, respectively. In section 1004, a defect
does
not occur and a defective area is not designated.
The recording and/or reproducing apparatus records information regarding
defect #1, #2, and #3 occurring in sections1001 through 1004as temporary
defect
information TDFL #0 in the TDMA, when recording operation #0 is expected to
end,
after the recording and verifying of data to section 1004(i.e., when a user
presses the
eject button of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus or recording of user
data
allocated in a recording operation is complete). Also, management information
for
managing temporary defect information TDFL #0 is recorded as temporary defect
management. information TDDS #0 in the TDMA.
When recording operation #1 starts, data is recorded in sections 1005through
.1007,and defects #4 and #5 and replacements #4 and #5 are formed in the user
data
area A and the spare area B, respectively, as explained in sections 1001
through 1004.
Defects #1, #2, #3, and #4 occur in the single blocks, whereas defect #5
occurs in
continuous defect blocks. Replacement #5, which is replacement for defect #5,
is.
recorded in continuous replacement blocks. Here, a block refers to a physical
or
logical record unit, a range of a unit block being not limited. If the second
recording
operation is expected to end, the recording and/or reproducing apparatus
records
information regarding defects #4 and #5 as temporary defect information TDFL
#1, and
records the information contained in the defect information DFL #1 once again.
23
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
Thereafter, management information for managing temporary defect information
TDFL
#1 is recorded as temporary defect management information #1 in the TDMA.
For disc finalization, last recorded temporary defect information and
temporary
defect management information are recorded as defect information and defect
management information in a defect management area (DMA), respectively. Also,
information regarding the recording positions of the last recorded temporary
defect
information and temporary defect management information, and the above write
protect
information are further recorded in the TDMA.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an effective use of a user data area
according
io to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 10 reveals that an available
portion of a
user data area can easily be detected with the address of user data that is
lastly
recorded in the user data area and the address of replacement that is lastly
recorded in
the spare area. In particular, the available portion can be more easily
detected when
the user data is recorded from the inner part/outer part of the user data area
to its outer
is part/inner part and data, which is a replacement for a defect, is recorded
from the outer
part/inner part of the spare area to its inner part/outer part, respectively.
In other
words, the user data and the data for replacement are preferably recorded in
opposite
recording directions.
When the physical addresses of the user data are increased from the inner
20 part of the record layer LO to the outer part and increased from the outer
part of the
record layer L1 to the inner part, the physical address of the data which is
lastly
recorded in the user data areas of record layers LO and L1 has the largest
number.
Also, the last recorded replacement has the physical address with the smallest
number,
when physical addresses of replacements are reduced from the outer part to the
inner
25 part in a spare area of the record layer LO and increased from the inner
part to the outer
part in a spare area of the record layer L1. Accordingly, if the addresses of
the last
recorded data and replacement areas are included in the temporary defect
management information TDDS #i, as shown in FIGs. 6A and 6B it is possible to
detect
the positions of data and replacement that are to be newly recorded, without
completely
3o reading temporary defect information TDFL #i and estimating the positions
of the defect
and replacement. Further, available portions of the user data area and the
spare area
are located continuously, thereby enabling effective use of the user area. For
this
24
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
reason, additional data can be recorded or changed even after recording write
protect
information during disc finalization, and disc defect management can be more
effectively performed.
FIG. 11 illustrates data structures of temporary defect information TDFL #0
and
TDFL #1. Referring to FIG. 11, temporary defect information TDFL #0 contains
information regarding defects #1, #2, and #3. The information regarding defect
#1
indicates the position of an area in which defect #1 exists and the position
of an area in
which replacement #1 is recorded. The information regarding defect #1 may
further
include information indicating whether defect #1 occurs in continuous defect
blocks or a
io single defect block according to aspects of the invention. Likewise, the
information
regarding defect #2 indicates whether defect #2 occurs in continuous defect
blocks or a
single defect block, the position of an area in which defect #2 exists, and
the position of
an area in which replacement #2 is recorded. The information regarding defect
#3
indicates whether defect #3 occurs in continuous defect blocks or a single
defect block,
the position of an area in which defect #3 exists, and the position of an area
in which
replacement #3 is recorded.
In the shown embodiment, the temporary defect information TDFL #1 further
contains information regarding defects #4 and #5 in addition to the
information
contained in temporary defect information TDFL #0. More specifically, the
temporary
2o defect information TDFL #1 includes the information regarding defect #1,
the
information regarding defect #2, the information regarding defect #3, the
information
regarding defect #4, and the information regarding defect #5. However, this
cumulative recording is not required in all aspects of the invention.
FIG. 12 illustrates a data structure of information regarding defect A.
Referring to FIG. 12, information regarding defect #i includes state
information
indicating whether defect #i occurs in continuous defect blocks or a single
defect block,
a pointer to defect #i, and a pointer to replacement #i. When the defect #i is
determined to occur in the continuous defect blocks, the state information
further
represents whether pointer to defect #i points to the start or end of the
continuous
3o defect blocks and whether pointer for the replacement #i points out the
start or end of a
replacement block that replaces the defect #i. When the state information
indicates
the pointer for defect #i as the start of the continuous defect blocks and the
pointer for
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
replacement #i as the start of the replacement block, the pointer for defect
#i represents
a starting physical sector number of the continuous defect blocks and the
pointer for
replacement #i represent a starting physical sector number of replacement M.
In
contrast, when the state information indicates the pointer for defect #i as
the end of the
continuous defect blocks and the pointer for replacement #i as the end of the
replacement block, the pointer for defect #i represents an ending physical
sector
number of the continuous defect blocks and the pointer for replacement #i
represent an
ending physical sector number of replacement #i. The definition of continuous
defect
blocks using state information enables effectively recording of information
and saves a
io space of recording, even if information regarding defects is not recorded
in units of
blocks.
The pointer for defect #i specifies a starting and/or ending point(s) of the
defect #i. The pointer for defect #i may include the starting PSN of defect #1
according
to an aspect of the invention. The pointer for replacement #i specifies
starting and/or
ending points of replacement #i. The pointer for replacement #i may also
include the
starting PSN of the replacement #i.
Hereinafter, a disc defect management method according to an embodiment
of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart
shown in FIGs.
13A and 13B Referring to FIGs. 13A and 13B, a recording and/or reproducing
apparatus such as that shown in FIG. 1 records defect information regarding
data,
which is recorded according to a first recording operation, as first temporary
defect
information in a TDMA of the disc 100 (operation 1301). This process serves to
manage the disc defects. The controller 1 of the recording and/or reproducing
apparatus controls the recording/reading unit 2 to record management
information for
managing the first temporary defect information as first temporary defect
management
information in the TDMA (operation 1302). As described above, the first
temporary
defect management information includes drive & disc information (i.e., test
location
information or write protect information) according to an aspect of the
invention. Next,
information regarding the locations of the first temporary defect information
and the first
temporary defect management information is recorded in the drive & disc
information
area (operation 1303). Then, the write protect information is further recorded
in the
drive & disc information area (operation 1304).
26
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
Next, it is checked whether disc finalization is required (operation 1305). If
it
is determined in operation 1305 that disc finalization is not required,
operations 1301
through 1304 are repeated while increasing indexes i given to a recording
operation,
temporary defect information, and temporary defect management information by I
(operation 1306). However, if it is determined in operation 1305 that disc
finalization is
required, the last recorded temporary defect management information and
temporary
defect information are recorded in the DMA (operation 1307). That is, the last
recorded temporary defect management information and temporary defect
information
are recorded as final defect management information and defect information in
the
io DMA, respectively. The final defect information and defect management
information
may be repeatedly recorded to increase the reliability of data detection.
Further, while not required in all aspects of the invention, the verify-after-
write
method may be performed on the final defect management information and defect
information. If a defect is detected from the final defect management
information, an
is area of the disc 100 having the defect and the following area containing
data may be
regarded as being unavailable (i.e., they are designated as a defective area),
and the
final temporary defect management information and temporary defect information
are
again recorded after the defective area. Alternatively, the write protect
information,
which is recorded in the drive & disc information area or included in lastly
recorded
20 temporary defect management information TDDS#i, may further be recorded in
the
DMA according to another aspect of the invention.
FIGs. 14A and 14B show a flowchart illustrating a disc defect management
method according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to
FIGs.
14A and 14B, a recording and/or reproducing apparatus such as that shown in
FIG. 1
25 records user data in a data area of a disc in units of data to facilitate
the
verify-after-write method (operation 1401). The data recorded in operation
1201 is
verified to detect an area of the disc 100 having a defect (operation 1402).
Controller
2 of FIG. I designates the area having the defect as a defective area,
controls the
recording/reading unit 1 to rewrite data recorded in the defective area to a
spare area
30 so as to create a replacement area the controller 2 further controls the
recording/reading unit1 to create state information specifying whether the
defective
area includes a single defect block or continuous defect blocks, and pointer
information
27
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
that points the positions of the defective area and the replacement area
(operation
1403). The state information and the pointer information are stored as first
temporary
defect information in memory (operation 1404). It is checked whether the first
recording operation is expected to end (operation 1405).
If it is determined in operation 1405 that the first recording operation is
not
expected to end, operations 1401 through 1404 are repeated. If it is
determined in
operation 1405 that the first recording operation is likely to end (i.e., when
the recording
of the user data is complete by user input or according to the first recording
operation),
the stored temporary defect information is read and repeatedly recorded as
first
io temporary defect information TDFL #0 in the TDMA several times (operation
1406).
Next, management information for managing the first temporary defect
information
TDFL #0 is recorded as first temporary defect management information TDDS #0
in the
TDMA (operation 1407). The first temporary defect management information TDDS
#0
further includes test location information and write protect information.
Thereafter, a
pointer to the location of the first temporary defect information TDFL #0, a
pointer to the
location of the first temporary defect management information TDDS #0, and the
write
protect information are recorded in the drive & disc information area of the
disc 100
(operations 1408 and 1409).
Alternatively, a pointer for temporary management information TDMA #i, other
than the temporary defect information TDFL #i and the temporary defect
management
information TDDS #i, may be recorded in operation 1408.
Next, it is checked whether the data needs to be finalized (operation 1410).
If
it is determined in operation 1410 that the finalizing of the disc 100 is not
required,
operations 1401 through 1409 are repeated. Whenever operations 1401 through
1409
are repeated, indexes i given to each recording operation, temporary defect
information
TDFL, and temporary defect management information TDDS are increased by 1
(operation 1411). If it is determined in operation 1410 that the finalizing of
the disc 100
is needed, a last recorded temporary defect information TDFL #i and a last
recorded
temporary defect management information TDDS #i are recorded as final defect
information DFL and the final defect management information DDS in the DMA
(operation 1412). The final defect information.DFL and the final defect
management
information DDS may be recorded several times to increase the reliability of
data
28
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
detection. Similarly, the verify-after-write method may be performed on the
final
recorded defect information and defect management information. If a defect is
detected in this information, an area of the disc 100 having the defect and
the following
area containing data may be regarded as being unavailable (i.e., the areas are
collectively designated as a defective area), and the final temporary defect
management information and temporary defect information may be again recorded
after the defective area. Alternatively, the write protect information, which
is stored in
the drive & disc information area or included in lastly recorded temporary
defect
management information TDDS #i, may further be recorded in the DMA. While
io described as being increased by 1, it is understood that the index in the
methods shown
in FIGs. 13A through 14B could instead be based on other numbers.
The aforementioned defect management may be embodied as a computer
program that can be run by a computer, which can be a general or special
purpose
computer. Thus, it is understood that the controller 2 can be such a computer.
Codes and code segments, which constitute the computer program, can be easily
reasoned by a computer programmer in the art. The program is stored in a
computer
readable medium readable by the computer. When the program is read and run by
a
computer, the defect management is performed. Here, the computer-readable
medium may be a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium,
a.carrier
wave, firmware, or other recordable media.
During reproduction, the recording and/or reproducing apparatus utilizes the
defect information and the defect management information in the defect
management
area and/or the temporary defect management area in order to access the
recorded
user data. While described in terms of a recording and/or reproducing
apparatus as
shown in FIG. 1, it is understood that the apparatus can be an individual
recording or
reproducing apparatus or a recording and reproducing apparatus.
While described in terms of use with write-once disks, it is understood that
the
present invention can be used with other writeable discs, including re-
writeable
recording media.
As described above, an aspect of the present invention provides a disc defect
management method suitable for use with write once discs. According to an
aspect of
29
CA 02550148 2004-02-27
the present invention, at least one temporary defect information area is
present in a
lead-in area of a disc and/or a lead-out area, so that information regarding a
defect that
exists in the disc can be accumulatively recorded. Also, it is easy to
finalize the disc
by reading only lastly recorded temporary defect information from a temporary
defect
information area and recording the read information in a defect management
area,
thereby enabling effective use of the DMA. Accordingly, user data can be
recorded on
discs (even on write once discs) while performing disc defect management,
thereby
allowing backup operations to be performed without interruptions. Further, it
is
possible to change write protect information or perform disc defect management
even
1o after recording the write protect information in a disc. Also, even if a
disc drive does
not access a drive & disc information area and test location information or
write protect
information is not obtained, the temporary defect management information
further
includes the test location information and the write protect information.
Accordingly, it
is possible to directly access a test area and prevent data from being
recorded in an
improper area. In addition, it is possible to increase the reliability of a
system by
recording the test location information and the write protect information as
temporary
defect management information even if a user does not desire to perform disc
defect
management.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference
to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various
changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the
spirit and
scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims and equivalents
thereof.
