Hitachi-LG Data Storage Assigned Seven Patents

Controlling power in optical disc apparatus
Hitachi-LG Data Storage Korea, Inc., Seoul, Korea, has been assigned a patent (9,087,526) developed by Lee, Heejung, Kwon, Seungho, Ko, Seokil, and Youn, Jeongchae, Seoul, Korea, for a “method of controlling power in optical disc apparatus.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method of controlling power in an optical disc apparatus is provided. A method of controlling power in an optical disc apparatus includes: measuring a temperature of an inside of the optical disc apparatus, calculating, based on the measured temperature, a driving value with which a laser diode, (LD) outputs target power, and driving the LD with the calculated driving value. The driving value uses a function in which a temperature acts as a variable and may be calculated for a read channel and a write channel in a divided manner. In the read channel, a driving value of read power in a read mode and a driving value of read power in a record mode may be calculated using different functions, and in the write channel, a driving value of at least one segment of record power divided into two or more segments may be calculated using different functions.“ 

The patent application was filed on December 11, 2014 (14/567,265).

Data archive system and quality inspection method
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,082,431) developed by Miura, Masayoshi, Tokyo, Japan, for a “data archive system and quality inspection method.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Disclosed is a data archive system that executes inspection of a recording quality of an optical disc, estimates a recording quality deterioration factor, and informs it to a user, and a method for estimating the recording quality deterioration factor. The data archive system has a server and a data library device. The server has a whole control part, a data library I/F part, and a recording medium. The data library device has multiple recording media, a recording medium storing part, multiple recording/reproducing parts, and a library control part. The recording medium stores attribute information about the recording medium. The whole control part executes first quality inspection on a first recording medium, executes second quality inspection on a second recording medium, refers to attribute information of the recording media recorded on the information recording medium, and controls so that a factor deteriorating the qualities of the recording media may be estimated.“ 

The patent application was filed on February 28, 2014 (14/194,097).

Optical information recording
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, and Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,082,417) developed by Neo, Atsushi, Ilzuka, Junya, Nakamura, Yusuke, and Tajima, Kazuyuki, Tokyo, Japan, for a “optical information recording apparatus and optical information recording method.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”An optical information recording apparatus configured to record information into an information recording medium by using holography, the apparatus including: a signal generation unit configured to generate two-dimensional data, and a two-dimensional spatial light modulator unit configured to display the two-dimensional data and to spatially modulate a transmitted or reflected beam, wherein the two-dimensional spatial light modulator unit includes a signal region and an external region, the signal region displays two-dimensional data based on user data, the external region displays two-dimensional data not including the user data, and the signal generation unit generates two-dimensional data in such a manner that a frequency of the two-dimensional data displayed on the external region becomes equal to or larger than a frequency of the two-dimensional data displayed on the signal region.“ 

The patent application was filed on August 6, 2014 (14/452,599).

Optical information recording/reproducing
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,076,461) developed by Ishii, Toshiki, Nishimura, Koichiro, Ikeda, Naohito, and Yamazaki, Kazuyoshi, Tokyo, Japan, for a “optical information recording/reproducing apparatus and optical information recording/reproducing method.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”An optical information recording/reproducing apparatus for recording an interference pattern between signal light and reference light information-multiplexed as a hologram in an optical information recording medium and for reproducing information recorded in the optical information recording medium on the basis of the recorded hologram with use of the reference light. The apparatus includes a light source for emitting light and a coherency controller for controlling a coherency of the light source. The apparatus controls the coherency controller in such a manner as to switch between a coherency required in a recording mode and a coherency required in a reproducing mode.“ 

The patent application was filed on April 3, 2014 (14/244,620).

Channel bitword processor, PRML decoder,
and optical information recording/reproducing device
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, and Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,070,412) developed by Kikugawa, Atsushi, Tokyo, Japan, for a “channel bitword processor, PRML decoder, and optical information recording/reproducing device.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”It is an objective of the present invention to provide a technique, when using fixed-length run-length limit codes based on enumeration, that generates fixed-length channel bit words satisfying maximum run-length limitation using a simple configuration. A channel bit word processor according to the present invention includes an avoidance list that describes a difference between a user bit word satisfying a maximum run-length limitation of run-length limit code and a user bit word not satisfying the maximum run-length limitation. The channel bit word processor, if a user bit word does not satisfy the maximum run-length limitation, generates a channel bit word using a user bit word after the difference is added.“ 

The patent application was filed on August 7, 2014 (14/453,643).

Evaluating information reproduction performance, information reproduction device,
and information recording medium
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,070,376) developed by Eto, Soichiro, and Morimoto, Yoshitaka, Tokyo, Japan, for a “method for evaluating information reproduction performance, information reproduction device, and information recording medium.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method for evaluating a reproduction performance which reproduces a specific pattern recording signal to measure a reproduced signal noise, and calculates an evaluated value of a reproduction performance on the basis of a frequency characteristic of the measured reproduced signal noise.“ 

The patent application was filed on December 9, 2013 (14/100,359).

Library system
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,009,744) developed by Nakazawa, Kazuki, and Takeuchi, Yuzo, Tokyo, Japan, for a “library system.”

 The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”The present invention relates to a library system including a disc recording/reproducing unit, a disc container, and a disc transport unit for transporting a disc between the disc recording/reproducing unit and the disc container. In order to improve the reliability of the operation of moving the disc from the disc recording/reproducing unit to the disc transport unit, a disc transport controller determines the situation in both the disc recording/reproducing unit and the disc transport unit, and error-stops the operation according to the result of the determination. Alternatively, the disc transport controller retries the movement of the disc, by pulling the disc into the disc transport unit or returning the disc to the disc recording/reproducing unit, and by finely adjusting the relative positions of the disc recording/reproducing unit and the disc transport unit if necessary, in order to solve the problem of damage to a surface of the disc.“ 

The patent application was filed on September 9, 2013 (14/020,917).