Optical recording medium driving apparatus and focusing method

1. An optical recording medium driving apparatus that records and/or plays back data on an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, the apparatus comprising:

head means for radiating laser light on the optical recording medium and detecting reflected light from the optical recording medium at least to read out a signal, the head means having at least a mechanism of focusing the laser light and a spherical aberration correction mechanism;

focusing control means for driving the focusing mechanism based on the reflected light detected by the head means to perform focusing control on each recording layer of the plurality of recording layers on the optical recording medium;

spherical aberration correcting means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism based on a spherical aberration correction value to correct spherical aberration; and

control means for, when a condition for a focusing operation targeted for a target layer of the plurality of recording layers other than a first recording layer most proximal to a side on which the laser light is incident is satisfied, controlling the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for a midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer by a desired value in the spherical aberration correcting means and controlling the focusing control means so as to perform focusing control on the target layer with the spherical aberration correction value resulting from the shift being set.

2. The optical recording medium driving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

evaluation value generating means for generating an evaluation value used as an evaluation index of the quality of a playback signal based on the reflected light detected by the head means,

wherein, when the condition for the focusing operation on a predetermined recording layer on the optical recording medium is satisfied for a first time, the control means acquires a correction shift value corresponding to the difference between an initial value of the spherical aberration correction value set in advance for the predetermined recording layer and the spherical aberration correction value providing a predetermined evaluation value among the evaluation values that are generated by the evaluation value generating means by varying the spherical aberration correction value with respect to the initial value, and

wherein, when the condition for the focusing operation targeted for the target layer other than the first recording layer is satisfied, the control means controls the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for the midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer by the correction shift value in the spherical aberration correcting means.

3. The optical recording medium driving apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, when the condition for the focusing operation targeted for the target layer other than the first recording layer is satisfied, the control means controls the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for the midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer based on a predetermined offset value in the spherical aberration correcting means.

4. The optical recording medium driving apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein, when the condition for the focusing operation targeted for the target layer other than the first recording layer is satisfied, the control means controls the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for the midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer based on the correction shift value and a predetermined offset value in the spherical aberration correcting means.

5. The optical recording medium driving apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the focusing control means is configured to perform focus jump control to each recording layer of the plurality of recording layers on the optical recording medium, and

wherein, when a condition for a focus jump operation is satisfied, the control means controls the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for the midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer by the desired value in the spherical aberration correcting means and controls the focusing control means so as to perform the focus jump control with the spherical aberration correction value resulting from the shift being set.

6. A focusing method in an optical recording medium driving apparatus that records and/or plays back data on an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, the optical recording medium driving apparatus including head means for radiating laser light on the optical recording medium and detecting reflected light from the optical recording medium at least to read out a signal, the head means having at least a mechanism of focusing the laser light and a spherical aberration correction mechanism; focusing control means for driving the focusing mechanism based on the reflected light detected by the head means to perform focusing control on each recording layer of the plurality of recording layers on the optical recording medium; and spherical aberration correcting means for driving the spherical aberration correction mechanism based on a spherical aberration correction value to correct spherical aberration, the method comprising the steps of:

controlling, when a condition for a focusing operation targeted for target layer of the plurality of recording layers other than a first recording layer most proximal to a side on which the laser light is incident is satisfied, the focusing control means so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for a midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer by a desired value in the spherical aberration correcting means; and

controlling the focusing control means so as to perform focusing control on the target layer with the spherical aberration correction value resulting from the shift being set.

7. An optical recording medium driving apparatus that records and/or plays back data on an optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, the apparatus comprising:

a head unit configured to radiate laser light on the optical recording medium and to detect reflected light from the optical recording medium at least to read out a signal, the head unit having at least a mechanism of focusing the laser light and a spherical aberration correction mechanism;

a focusing control unit configured to drive the focusing mechanism based on the reflected light detected by the head unit to perform focusing control on each recording layer of the plurality of recording layers on the optical recording medium;

a spherical aberration correcting unit configured to drive the spherical aberration correction mechanism based on a spherical aberration correction value to correct spherical aberration; and

a control unit, when a condition for a focusing operation targeted for a target layer of the plurality of recording layers other than a first recording layer most proximal to a side on which the laser light is incident is satisfied, controls the focusing control unit so as to set the spherical aberration correction value given by shifting the spherical aberration correction value appropriate for a midpoint between the target layer and the first recording layer by a desired value in the spherical aberration correcting unit and controls the focusing control unit so as to perform focusing control on the target layer with the spherical aberration correction value resulting from the shift being set.