System and method for controlling time critical operations in a control system for an optical disc drive
View Patent ↗A system, method, and apparatus for coordinating tasks in a control system for an optical disc drive for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten. The optical disc drive includes a first processor operable to communicate with a second processor, wherein the first processor includes instructions for performing non-time-critical tasks, and the second processor includes instructions for performing time-critical tasks, such as reading from and writing to optical media in the disc drive. The first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor and transmits commands to perform operations in the second processor. The first processor also controls power mode, manages recovery from errors, controls focus, tracking/seeking, spin, physical sector address (PSA), a laser, adjusts gains, and monitor cartridge load/eject. The first processor can be used to perform other tasks while it is waiting to receive a notice of a new command, a notify event, or a performance event.
1. A system for coordinating time-critical tasks in a control system for an optical disc drive for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten, comprising:
a first processor operable to communicate with a second processor; and
instructions operable to control handling of a new command, a notify event, or a performance event comprising at least one of:
a set of power mode state machine instructions operable to control the power mode of the optical disc drive;
a set of recovery manager instructions operable to attempt recovery from an error detected while performing a command;
a set of focus control state machine instructions operable to control closing focus in the optical disc drive;
a set of tracking/seeking control state machine instructions operable to control closing track in the optical disc drive;
a set of spin control state machine instructions operable to control the spin speed of optical media in the optical disc drive;
a set of physical sector address (PSA) state machine instructions operable to determine the position of an actuator arm in relation to grooved and pitted areas in the optical media;
a set of laser control state machine instructions operable to control the power mode of a laser in the optical disc drive;
a set of adjust gains state machine instructions operable to adjust control system gains in the optical disc drive;
a set of performance monitor state machine instructions operable to monitor the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor; and
a set of monitor load/eject state machine instructions to determine whether the optical media has been loaded or ejected from the optical disc drive;
wherein the first processor includes:
instructions operable to wait to receive a notice of at least one of: the new command being issued to the second processor, the notify event, or the performance event; and
instructions operable to control the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor.
2. The system, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the instructions in the first processor increase the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor upon receiving the new command, the notify event, or the performance event.
3. The system, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the instructions in the first processor decrease the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor.
4. The system, as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the instructions in the first processor decrease the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor once the new command, the notify event, or the performance event has been handled.
5. The system, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the power mode state machine instructions are further operable to:
disable issuing an interrupt related to an error condition in the second processor when entering a second processor only power mode or a minimum power mode.
6. An apparatus for coordinating time-critical tasks in a control system for an optical disc drive for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten, comprising:
means for a first processor to communicate with a second processor; and
means for controlling handling of a new command, a notify event, or a performance event comprising at least one of:
means for controlling the power mode of the optical disc drive;
means for attempting recovery from an error detected while performing a command;
means for controlling closing focus in the optical disc drive;
means for controlling closing track in the optical disc drive;
means for controlling the spin speed of optical media in the optical disc drive;
means for determining the position of an actuator arm in relation to grooved and pitted areas in the optical media;
means for controlling the power mode of a laser in the optical disc drive;
means for adjusting control system gains in the optical disc drive;
means for monitoring the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor; and
means for determining whether the optical media has been loaded or ejected from the optical disc drive;
wherein the first processor includes:
means for waiting to receive a notice of at least one of: the new command being issued to the second processor, the notify event, or the performance event; and
means for controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor.
7. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the means for controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor increases the rate upon receiving the new command, the notify event, or the performance event.
8. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the means for controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor decreases the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor.
9. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the means for controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor decreases the rate once the new command, the notify event, or the performance event has been handled.
10. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising means for controlling the power mode of a laser in the optical disc drive include means for disabling issuing an interrupt related to an error condition in the second processor when entering a second processor only power mode or a minimum power mode.
11. A method for coordinating time-critical tasks in a control system for an optical disc drive for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten, the optical disc drive including a first processor operable to communicate with a second processor, the method comprising:
controlling handling of a new command, a notify event, or a performance event comprising at least one of:
controlling the power mode of the optical disc drive;
attempting recovery from an error detected while performing a command;
controlling closing focus in the optical disc drive;
controlling closing track in the optical disc drive;
controlling the spin speed of optical media in the optical disc drive;
determining the position of an actuator arm in relation to grooved and pitted areas in the optical media;
controlling the power mode of a laser in the optical disc drive;
adjusting control system gains in the optical disc drive;
monitoring the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor; and
determining whether the optical media has been loaded or ejected from the optical disc drive; and
waiting to receive a notice of at least one of: the new command being issued to the second processor, the notify event, or the performance event; and
controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor.
12. The method, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor includes increasing the rate upon receiving the new command, the notify event, or the performance event.
13. The method, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor includes decreasing the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor.
14. The method, as set forth in claim 13 , wherein controlling the rate at which the first processor monitors the status of time critical tasks in the second processor includes decreasing the rate once the new command, the notify event, or the performance event has been handled.
15. The method, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein controlling the power mode of a laser in the optical disc drive includes disabling issuing an interrupt related to an error condition in the second processor when entering a second processor only power mode or a minimum power mode.