FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the art of storage devices such as optical storage discs. More particularly, the present invention relates in general to a disc drive apparatus for writing/reading information into/from an optical storage disc; hereinafter, such disc drive apparatus will also be indicated as"optical disc drive".

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is commonly known, an optical storage disc comprises at least one track, either in the form of a continuous spiral or in the form of multiple concentric circles, of storage space where information may be stored in the form of a data pattern. Optical discs may be read-only type, where information is recorded during manufacturing, which information can only be read by a user. The optical storage disc may also be a writeable type, where information may be stored by a user. For reading/writing information from/into the storage space of the optical storage disc, an optical disc drive comprises, on the one hand, rotating means for receiving and rotating an optical disc, and on the other hand optical means for generating an optical beam, typically a laser beam, and for scanning the storage track with said laser beam. Since the technology of optical discs in general, the way in which information can be stored in an optical disc, and the way in which optical data can be read from an optical disc, is commonly known, it is not necessary here to describe this technology in more detail.

Optical discs and disc drives have been developed according to different standards or formats, such as for instance CD standard, DVD standard, etc. In these standards, several important parameters are defined. One such important parameter is the nominal linear speed with which the laser beam should scan the track; this nominal linear speed will be indicated hereinafter as Vix. For instance, in the case of CD, Vit cl is approximately 1.3 m/s; in the case of DVD, VIX, DVD is approximately 3.5 m/s.

One development of disc drives is a capability of playing (i. e. reading or writing) discs at a speed higher than the nominal linear speed. In this respect, a disc drive may operate in constant linear velocity (CLV) mode, in which case the speed can be

expressed as NX, wherein N represents the ratio between current linear track speed and nominal linear speed (e. g.: 4X, 8X, ! ou, etc). On the other hand, a disc drive may also operate in constant angular velocity (CAV) mode, in which case the rotational speed fd, sc of the disc is kept constant. For a disc controller, CAV mode is easier to control than CLV mode. It should be clear that, in CAV mode, the linear track speed can change over a factor of about 2.5 when going from inner track to outer track.

An increase of speed (be it rotational speed or linear speed) provides an increase in the data rate, i. e. the rate of data bits written to or read from disc. Usually, such increase is considered advantageous, and it is usually assumed that a user is always interested in operating at the highest data rate possible because such would give the highest performance. Therefore, disc drives typically have an operation characteristic involving, after an initiation and start up phase, a speed-up to the highest possible rotational speed as quickly as possible.

However, high disc speeds also involve some disadvantages. For instance, high disc speeds involve higher wear and tear, and a higher noise level. Also, operation at higher disc speeds involves higher power consumption and associated higher power dissipation, and possibly an associated rise of temperature.

Therefore, one general objective of the present invention is to drive a disc at an optimal speed, which is not necessarily the highest speed which the disc drive is capable to achieve. In the context of the present invention, an optimal speed is defined as the lowest or minimum speed which still provides a required data rate.

In this context, the rate of data transfer between disc and disc drive is not the only factor to consider. Typically, the disc drive is part of a data processing system, involving a host apparatus such as for instance a host computer which may run a computer program or application. Therefore, a second important factor to consider is the rate of data transfer between disc drive and host. It is not necessary for the disc to be rotated at a speed which provides a data rate higher than the data rate required (in the case of a read operation) or provided (in the case of a write operation) by the host. On the other hand, the disc speed may not become so low that the data rate required (in the case of a read operation) or provided (in the case of a write operation) by the host is not handled properly by the disc drive.

US-5.659. 799 describes a method for setting a CD-ROM speed in relation to a system performance parameter. The CD-ROM disc drive has a data buffer, for temporarily storing data read from disc. Data to be transferred to the host are taken out of the buffer.

Thus, there is no direct data transfer from disc to host, but there is data transfer from disc to

buffer and there is data transfer from buffer to host. If the buffer-to-host data transfer rate is lower than the disc-to-buffer data transfer rate, the amount of data in the buffer increases; if the amount of data in the buffer exceeds a first threshold, the disc rotation speed is reduced.

On the other hand, if the buffer-to-host data transfer rate is higher than the disc-to-buffer data transfer rate, the amount of data in the buffer decreases; if the amount of data in the buffer is below a second threshold, the disc rotation speed is increased.

A problem with this known method is that it does not function satisfactorily in all circumstances, i. e. it is not robust. The buffer contents level is only momentary information, which may change the next moment. If the system would react directly to such changes, the behaviour of the system would be very restless, which would be annoying to the user. Also, frequently changing the disc speeds involves additional power consumption.

Therefore, the system of said document needs to have a hysteresis implemented by the fact that the second threshold needs to be substantially lower than the first threshold.

Further, the system of said document has a damping factor implemented, effectively achieving the result that increase of the disc speed is done relatively late whereas decrease of the disc speed is done relatively early. Thus, this system has a characteristic favouring low speeds in relation to high speeds. This may result in an oscillating behaviour, specifically if, in the case of streaming read, the transfer rate from buffer to host has a value in between two standard values of the transfer rate from disc to buffer.

Further, the damping factor as proposed by said publication is based on the number of host requests (i. e. read commands). Thus, the actual delay depends on the combination of application and host. For instance, in a case where many read commands are issued, each command for transferring only a few blocks, a different delay results as compared to a case where a few commands are issued, each command for transferring many blocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a disc drive with improved speed-up and speed-down behaviour.

Specifically, the present invention aims to control the speed of a disc in such a way that, on the one hand, the disc is substantially rotating at an optimal speed, while on the other hand the number of speed-changes is reduced as much as possible.

According to an important aspect of the present invention, the disc speed is set on the basis of at least one operation mode parameter.

According to a further important aspect of the present invention, the disc speed is set on the basis of at least one system performance parameter. This system performance parameter preferably is a parameter which is influenced by disc speed. If performance is low, a speed which would lead to a reduction of the system performance parameter concerned is forbidden.

According to a further important aspect of the present invention, the disc speed is set in relation to the time lapsed since the previous speed change. Preferably, the minimum delay time between two speed changes in opposite direction is larger than the minimum delay time between two successive speed changes in the same direction. Due to the fact that the minimum delay time between two successive speed changes in the same direction is relatively short, for instance in the order of 1 sec, the disc speed is brought to a certain required speed relatively quickly. Due to the fact that the minimum delay time between two speed changes in opposite direction is relatively large, for instance in the order of 30 sec, the overall number of speed-change steps is reduced, and an undesirable oscillating behaviour is effectively prevented.

According to a further important aspect of the present invention, the decision to change the disc speed is based on a comparison between the current value of the average host/drive transfer rate and the disc/drive transfer rate. In case an increase of the speed is contemplated, the current value of the average host/drive transfer rate is compared to the current value of the disc/drive transfer rate, to find whether the current situation of the disc/drive transfer rate warrants a speed-up: if so, the speed-up step is executed. On the other hand, in case a step down from the current speed to a lower speed value is contemplated, the current value of the average host/drive transfer rate is compared to the disc/drive transfer rate which is expected to occur at this lower speed value. Thus, effectively, a prediction is made whether the next situation warrants a speed-up: if so, it is considered that a speed-down from the current disc speed to the lower disc speed is not appropriate, and the speed-down step is not executed. Thus, the overall number of speed-change steps is reduced, and an undesirable oscillating behaviour is effectively prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained by the following description of a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention with reference to the drawings, in which same reference numerals indicate same or similar parts, and in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows a data transfer system; Figure 2 is a flow diagram schematically illustrating a read procedure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a flow diagram schematically illustrating a write procedure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4A and 4B are timing diagrams illustrating speed changes in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 schematically shows a data transfer system 1, comprising a host system 2 and a disc drive apparatus 3. The host system 2 may be a programmable computer having an application running. The disc drive 3 is capable of reading data from a disc 4, for instance an optical disc, such as for instance a read-only disc like a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, etc, or for instance a writeable (recordable (R); rewriteable (RW) ) disc having data written in it. Data received from disc 4 is stored in a buffer 5. Data transfer from disc 4 to drive 3 is indicated as disc communication link 6; the data transfer rate over this disc communication link 6 will be indicated as Disc/Drive Transfer Rate DDTR. The disc drive 3 is further capable of transferring data from its buffer 5 to the host system 2, over a host communication link 7; the data transfer rate over this host communication link 7 will be indicated as Drive/Host Transfer Rate DHTR.

In the data transfer system 1 as illustrated in figure 1, the data transfer from disc to host may occur in many typical situations, involving different data transfer rates. One typical situation is a user playing an audio disc; in such case, the Drive/Host Transfer Rate DHTR corresponds to a 1X disc speed, and it would be useless for the drive 3 to try to maintain a higher data transfer rate. Another typical example is a computer program reading a data file; in such case, the Drive/Host Transfer Rate DHTR may be higher than 1X. In another typical example, the host is running a CD-ROM game, and pieces of information must be read from disc, depending on the interaction with the user. Since the user-actions are not known in advance, it is not known in advance at which address the read operation is to take place; therefore, in order to keep the access time as low as possible, the highest Drive/Host Transfer Rate DHTR is desired. In a special case, read commands received from the host system 2 relate to subsequent addresses on disc; such case is indicated as"streaming read".

Likewise, the disc drive 3 is capable of receiving data from the host system 2, and capable of writing data to the disc 4, if the disc 4 is of a writeable type (recordable (R); rewriteable (RW) ). Data received from host 2 over host communication link 7 at Drive/Host Transfer Rate DHTR is stored in buffer 5, from which the data is transferred to disc 4 over disc communication link 6 at Disc/Drive Transfer Rate DDTR.

Also in the case of writing, many typical situations may occur. For instance, when making a copy of a disc, write commands received from the host system 2 relate to subsequent addresses on disc; such case is indicated as"streaming write".

Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a preferred read procedure of the disc drive 3. After receiving the first read command in step 100, a control circuit 10 of the disc drive 3 starts in step 101 with a disc reading operation at the current disc speed, e. g. a relatively low speed, for instance 1X or 40 Hz CAV. In step 102, a speed change timer is set for measuring the time lapsed since a previous speed change.

The control circuit 10 measures the disc/drive transfer rate DDTR [step 110], the drive/host transfer rate DHTR [step 111], and counts [step 112] the number of good blocks NGB, i. e. the number of blocks which are read from disc without error. It is noted that the drive/host transfer rate DHTR as measured is an average over a predetermined time period in the past.

In step 120, the control circuit 10 checks for speed-down forcing conditions, i. e. it checks whether any conditions are present which require an immediate reduction of the disc speed. If any such condition is found, the control circuit 10 performs a speed-down operation [step 156], i. e. it reduces the disc speed, unless the disc is already rotating at a minimum speed.

If no speed-down forcing conditions are found to apply, the control circuit 10 checks [step 130] whether the host 2 is operating in a streaming read mode, i. e. whether subsequent read requests relate to consecutive addresses. If this is found to be the case, the control circuit 10 will always try to set the disc speed at the lowest possible value which is capable of accommodating the DHTR [steps 150-156], otherwise the control circuit 10 will always try to set the disc speed at the highest possible value [steps 140-142].

In step 140, the control circuit 10 checks whether all speed-up allowing conditions are met. If any speed-up allowing condition is not met, the control circuit 10 maintains the current disc speed [step 160] and operation continues at step 110. If all speed- up allowing conditions are met, the control circuit 10 performs a speed-up operation [step 142], i. e. it increases the disc speed to a next speed value, and operation continues at step

102. Preferably, in increasing the disc speed, the control circuit 10 selects one speed value from a collection of predetermined disc speeds, for instance a CLV series expressed in nominal speed, such as 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X, etc. , and/or a CAV series expressed in disc rotation frequency, such as 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 40 Hz, 80 Hz, 120 Hz, etc.

In step 150, the control circuit 10 checks the filling level of buffer 5. If the buffer filling level BFL is below a first predetermined low threshold, for instance 30% of the maximum buffer capacity, an increase of the disc speed is contemplated. In this consideration, the relation between DHTR and DDTR is taken into account in step 151. If the DHTR is relatively low as compared to DDTR, the control circuit 10 considers that the current disc speed is adequate and maintains the current disc speed [step 160] and operation continues at step 110. On the other hand, if the DHTR is relatively high as compared to DDTR, the control circuit 10 continues to check the speed-up allowing conditions at step 140.

By refusing to increase the disc speed if the DHTR is relatively low as compared to DDTR, the control circuit 10 effectively predicts that the low value of the buffer filling level is only temporary, and will rise in the (possibly near) future even when the current disc speed is maintained. If a speed-up would now be performed, the buffer filling level would probably rise very quickly, and a speed-down may be expected to be required shortly. Thus, a speed-up action and subsequent speed-down action are prevented. In this respect, the control circuit 10 may decide to maintain the disc speed [step 160] if DHTR is lower than DDTR, or, to be on the safe side, if DHTR is lower than a-DDTR, wherein a is a factor between 0 and 1, for instance 0.95 or 0.9, which takes measurement inaccuracies into account.

If in step 150 it appears that the buffer filling level BFL is above a second predetermined high threshold higher than the first threshold, for instance 70% of the maximum buffer capacity, a decrease of the disc speed is contemplated. In this consideration, the relation between DHTR and DDTRex is taken into account in step 152, wherein DDTRex indicates the expected DDTR after speed-down, i. e. the DDTR that is expected to result once the speed-down operation is completed. If the DHTR is relatively high as compared to DDTRex, the control circuit 10 considers that the current disc speed is adequate and maintains the current disc speed [step 160] and operation continues at step 110. On the other hand, if the DHTR is relatively low, the control circuit 10 continues to check for speed-down allowing conditions at step 154.

By refusing to decrease the disc speed if the DHTR is relatively high as compared to DDTRex, the control circuit 10 effectively predicts that, after speed-down, the buffer level will probably drop very quickly, and a speed-up may be expected to be required shortly. Thus, a speed-down action and subsequent speed-up action are prevented. In this respect, the control circuit 10 may decide to maintain the disc speed [step 160] if DHTR is higher than DDTRex, or, to be on the safe side, if DHTR is higher than P-DDTRex, wherein ß is a factor between 0 and 1, for instance 0.95 or 0.9. ß may be equal to a, but this is not necessary.

In step 154, the control circuit 10 checks whether all speed-down allowing conditions are met. If any speed-down allowing condition is not met, the control circuit 10 maintains the current disc speed [step 160] and operation continues at step 110. If all speed- down allowing conditions are met, the control circuit 10 performs a speed-down operation [step 156], i. e. it decreases the disc speed to a next speed value, and operation continues at step 102. Preferably, in decreasing the disc speed, the control circuit 10 selects one speed value from a collection of predetermined disc speeds, as explained above in relation to increasing the disc speed.

If in step 150 it appears that the buffer filling level BFL is between the first and second predetermined thresholds, the control circuit 10 considers that the current disc speed is adequate and maintains the current disc speed [step 160] and operation continues at step 110.

Speed-down forcing conditions are conditions which, if present, force the control circuit 10 to immediately speed-down the disc motor 4. For instance, when a temperature is above a certain level, or when mechanical vibrations are above a certain level, such may be considered as speed-down forcing conditions. Also, when a block read error occurs such may be considered as a speed-down forcing condition. It will be clear that each of such condition indicates that something may be wrong, so that the speed of the disc motor should be reduced if even one of such conditions is found to be present. It is possible that speed reduction is done stepwise, but it is also possible that speed is reduced to the lowest possible value, for instance IX or 40 Hz. It is also possible that speed is reduced to a certain value above the lowest possible value, in order to profit from the cooling effect of the rotating disc.

Speed-down allowing conditions are conditions which must all be met for a speed-down to be allowable. In a preferred embodiment, the following speed-down allowing conditions are considered at least:

a) the current speed is higher than the minimum disc speed; b) the time which has lapsed since the previous speed-down must be more than a certain minimum time, for instance 1 sec; c) the time which has lapsed since the previous speed-up must be more than a certain minimum time, for instance 30 sec.

Speed-up allowing conditions are conditions which must all be met for a speed-up to be allowable. In a preferred embodiment, the following speed-up allowing conditions are considered at least : a) the current speed is lower than the maximum disc speed; b) the number of blocks NGB which have previously been read without error must be more than a certain minimum count, for instance NGB > 1000 ; c) the time which has lapsed since the previous speed-up must be more than a certain minimum time, for instance 1 sec; d) the time which has lapsed since the previous speed-down must be more than a certain minimum time, for instance 30 sec.

In the above, the invention has been explained for a read operation. However, the invention is not restricted to read, but is also applicable to write, as will be explained with reference to figure 3.

Figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a preferred write procedure of the disc drive 3. After receiving the first write command in step 200, the control circuit 10 of the disc drive 3 starts in step 201 with a disc writing operation at an initial speed. In step 202, a speed change timer is set for measuring the time lapsed since a previous speed change.

The control circuit 10 measures the disc/drive transfer rate DDTR [step 210] and the drive/host transfer rate DHTR [step 211]. It is noted that the drive/host transfer rate DHTR as measured is an average over a predetermined time period in the past.

In step 220, the control circuit 10 checks for speed-down forcing conditions, i. e. it checks whether any conditions are present which require an immediate reduction of the disc speed. If any such condition is found, the control circuit 10 performs a speed-down operation [step 256], i. e. it reduces the disc speed, unless the disc is already rotating at a minimum speed.

If no speed-down forcing conditions are found to apply, the control circuit 10 checks [step 230] whether the host 2 is operating in a streaming write mode, i. e. whether subsequent write requests relate to consecutive addresses. If this is found to be the case, the control circuit 10 will always try to set the disc speed at the lowest possible value which is

capable of accommodating the DHTR [steps 250-256], otherwise the control circuit 10 will always try to set the disc speed at the highest possible value [steps 240-242].

In step 240, the control circuit 10 checks whether all speed-up allowing conditions are met. If any speed-up allowing condition is not met, the control circuit 10 maintains the current disc speed [step 260] and operation continues at step 210. If all speed- up allowing conditions are met, the control circuit 10 performs a speed-up operation [step 242], i. e. it increases the disc speed to a next speed value, and operation continues at step 202. Preferably, in increasing the disc speed, the control circuit 10 selects one speed value from a collection of predetermined disc speeds, for instance a CLV series expressed in nominal speed, such as IX, 2X, 4X, 8X, etc. , and/or a CAV series expressed in disc rotation frequency, such as 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 40 Hz, 80 Hz, 120 Hz, etc.

In step 250, the control circuit 10 checks the filling level of buffer 5. If the buffer filling level BFL is below a first predetermined low threshold, for instance 30% of the maximum buffer capacity, a decrease of the disc speed is contemplated. In this consideration, the relation between DHTR and DDTRex is taken into account in step 252. If the DHTR is relatively high as compared to DDTRex, the control circuit 10 considers that the current disc speed is adequate and maintains the current disc speed [step 260] and operation continues at step 210. On the other hand, if the DHTR is relatively low, the control circuit 10 continues to check the speed-down allowing conditions at step 254.

By refusing to decrease the disc speed if the DHTR is relatively high as compared to DDTRex, the control circuit 10 effectively predicts that, after speed-down, the buffer level will probably rise very quickly, and a speed-up may be expected to be required shortly. Thus, a speed-down action and subsequent speed-up action are prevented. In this respect, the control circuit 10 may decide to maintain the disc speed [step 260] if DHTR is higher than DDTRex, or, to be on the safe side, if DHTR is higher than 8'DDTRex, wherein 8 is a factor between 0 and 1, for instance 0.95 or 0.9.

If in step 250 it appears that the buffer filling level BFL is above a second predermined high threshold higher than the first threshold, for instance 70% of the maximum buffer capacity, an increase of the disc speed is contemplated. In this consideration, the relation between DHTR and DDTR is taken into account in step 251. If the DHTR is relatively low, the control circuit 10 considers that the current disc speed is adequate and maintains the current disc speed [step 260] and operation continues at step 110. On the other hand, if the DHTR is relatively high, the control circuit 10 continues to check for speed-up allowing conditions at step 240.

By refusing to increase the disc speed if the DHTR is relatively low as compared to DDTR, the control circuit 10 effectively predicts that the high value of the buffer filling level is only temporary, and will drop in the (possibly near) future even when the current disc speed is maintained. If a speed-up would now be performed, the buffer filling level would probably drop very quickly, and a speed-down may be expected to be required shortly. Thus, a speed-up action and subsequent speed-down action are prevented. In this respect, the control circuit 10 may decide to maintain the disc speed [step 260] if DHTR is lower than DDTR, or, to be on the safe side, if DHTR is lower than (p-DDTR, wherein (p is a factor between 0 and 1, for instance 0.95 or 0.9. (p may be equal to 6, but this is not necessary.

In step 240, the control circuit 10 checks whether all speed-up allowing conditions are met. If any speed-up allowing condition is not met, the control circuit 10 maintains the current disc speed [step 260] and operation continues at step 210. If all speed- up allowing conditions are met, the control circuit 10 performs a speed-up operation [step 242], i. e. it increases the disc speed to a next speed value, and operation continues at step 202. Preferably, in increasing the disc speed, the control circuit 10 selects one speed value from a collection of predetermined disc speeds, as explained above.

If in step 250 it appears that the buffer filling level BFL is between the first and second predetermined thresholds, the control circuit 10 considers that the current disc speed is adequate and maintains the current disc speed [step 260] and operation continues at step 210.

From the above explanations, it follows that a factor having major importance in the decision to set the disc speed at a certain value is the question whether or not the host system 2 is operating in a streaming mode (steps 130 and 230). If not, the control circuit 10 always tries to set the disc speed to the highest possible value as soon as possible. This "streaming mode"is an example of an operation mode parameter, i. e. a parameter indicating a mode of operation of the drive-host system. Due to the nature of such parameter, the value of such parameter is not likely to change often. If a change is experienced, it is expected to have a long-lasting effect. Thus, taking such operation mode parameter into account when setting the disc speed has an advantageous effect on the performance of the data transfer system 1.

Further, it follows that a factor having major importance in the decision to set the disc speed at a certain value is the question whether or not data blocks are read without errors. This"error-free operation"is an example of a system performance parameter, i. e. a

parameter indicating how the system has performed in the recent past. Error-free operation is influenced by disc speed: the higher the disc speed, the higher the chance on errors. Also, drive/host transfer rate and drive/disc transfer rate are examples of system performance parameters. Taking into account these parameters when setting the disc speed has an advantageous effect on the performance of the data transfer system 1.

Further, it follows that a factor having major importance in the decision to set the disc speed at a certain value is the amount of time lapsed since the previous speed change.

By taking a certain minimum time between successive changes, restless operation of the system is prevented. The waiting time between successive speed-up steps is relatively short, e. g. in the order of a few seconds; the same applies to the waiting time between successive speed-down steps. In contrast, the waiting time between successive speed changes in opposite direction is relatively long, e. g. in the order of 30 sec or even longer. This, also, has an advantageous effect on the performance of the data transfer system 1.

Figure 4A and 4B are timing diagrams illustrating this feature of the invention in more detail. The horizontal axis represents time, while the vertical axis represents disc speed. Figure 4A illustrates a situation where the disc 4 is initially being rotated at a certain first speed Vl, until a first time tl, when the disc speed is increased to a second speed V2 higher than V I. Should a further increase of the speed be or become required, then such is prohibited until a predetermined first minimum waiting time Twl has passed since the said first time tl of the previous speed change. Line 41 illustrates the case of a second speed-up step from said second speed V2 to a third speed V3 higher than the second speed V2, at a time t2, wherein t2-tl>Tw,.

In contrast, should, after the speed-up step at tl, a decrease of the speed be or become required, then such is prohibited until a predetermined second minimum waiting time TW2 has passed since the said first time tl of the previous speed change. Line 42 illustrates the case of a speed-down step from said second speed V2 to a third speed V3'lower than the second speed V2, at a time t2', wherein t2'-tl>Tw2.

In this respect it is noted that, if the further increase of the speed becomes required before said predetermined first minimum waiting time Twl has passed, then no speed-up step is executed until time tl+Tw,. At that time, it may be that the speed-up step is executed immediately, such that t2=tl +Twl, for reason that the further increase of the speed has already been required during said predetermined first minimum waiting time Twl.

However, it may also be that this fact is not"remembered", and that the speed-up step is only executed at the first occasion after tl+Twl when control performs the step of checking the

speed-up allowing conditions (for instance step 140) and finds that all speed-up allowing conditions are fulfilled, including the passing of said predetermined first minimum waiting time Twi. In that case, t2 may be larger than tl+Twl, as illustrated. The same principle applies, mutatis mutandis, to speed-down steps.

Figure 4B illustrates a situation where the disc 4 is initially being rotated at a certain first speed Vl, until a first time tl, when the disc speed is decreased to a second speed V2 lower than V I. Should a further decrease of the speed be or become required, then such is prohibited until a predetermined first minimum waiting time Tw3 has passed since the said first time tl of the previous speed change. Line 43 illustrates the case of a second speed- down step from said second speed V2 to a third speed V3 lower than the second speed V2, at a time t2, wherein t2-tl>Tw3.

In contrast, should, after the speed-down step at tl, an increase of the speed be or become required, then such is prohibited until a predetermined second minimum waiting time Tw4 has passed since the said first time tl of the previous speed change. Line 44 illustrates the case of a speed-up step from said second speed V2 to a third speed V3'higher than the second speed V2, at a time t2', wherein t2'-tl>Tw4.

It is noted that Tws may be equal to TW3, but this is not necessary. Likewise, TW2 may be equal to Tw4, but this is not necessary.

It should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments discussed above, but that various variations and modifications are possible within the protective scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.

For instance, the present invention has been explained in the context of optical storage discs. However, the gist of the present invention is not restricted to optical storage discs, but is generally applicable to storage devices which comprise a movable data carrier, wherein the carrier speed is variable, and wherein a drive-to-carrier data transfer rate and/or a carrier-to-drive data transfer rate depends on the carrier speed.

Further, the step of setting the timer (steps 102 ; 202) may be implemented as part of the speed-up procedure (steps 142; 242) or the speed-down procedure (steps 156 ; 256).

In the above, the present invention has been explained by discussing method steps performed by the control circuit 10 of the disc drive 3. This means that the invention is implemented by suitable adaptation of the disc drive, for instance by suitably programming the control circuit 10 of the disc drive 3. Thus, a disc drive is one embodiment of the present

invention. However, it is also possible that the method steps are performed by the host 2: typically, disc drives have a set of instructions, including instructions for setting the disc speed, and hosts are typically capable of sending to the disc drive commands including a disc speed setting instruction. Thus, a host is also an embodiment of the present invention.

In the above, the present invention has been explained for the case of a preferred embodiment, where the average drive/host transfer rate DHTR is compared to the current disc/drive transfer rate DDTR when a speed-up step is contemplated (steps 151 ; 251), whereas the average drive/host transfer rate DHTR is compared to the expected disc/drive transfer rate DDTRex when a speed-down step is contemplated (steps 152 ; 252). However, within the scope of the present invention it is also possible that the average drive/host transfer rate DHTR is compared to the expected disc/drive transfer rate DDTRex when a speed-up step is contemplated. The result of such comparison indicates whether it is to be expected that a speed-change is to be counteracted by a speed-change in the opposite direction in the near future. Likewise, it is also possible that the average drive/host transfer rate DHTR is compared to the current disc/drive transfer rate DDTR when a speed-down step is contemplated. The result of such comparison indicates whether it is to be expected that the buffer level tends to approach a middle level above the said low threshold and below the said high threshold in the near future.

In the above, the present invention has been explained with reference to block diagrams, which illustrate functional blocks of the device according to the present invention.

It is to be understood that one or more of these functional blocks may be implemented in hardware, where the function of such functional block is performed by individual hardware components, but it is also possible that one or more of these functional blocks are implemented in software, so that the function of such functional block is performed by one or more program lines of a computer program or a programmable device such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, etc.