Light scanner

Details Light scanner Light scanner

2002-10-03

2004-07-20

Cherry, Euncha P. (Department: 2872)

Optical: systems and elements

Mirror

With support

C248S475100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06764188

ABSTRACT:

CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 with respect to Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-310754 filed on Oct. 5, 2001, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a light scanner used to write information onto a disk and read information on a disk using a light beam and in particular to a light scanner having an optical system unit including a half mirror.
2. Description of the Related Art
This kind of light scanner applies a light beam to a rotating disk, thereby reading or writing information from or onto the disk, wherein an optical system unit for applying a light beam can be moved in a direction along the radius direction of the disk and optical parts such as a half mirror are built in the optical system unit.
FIG. 5
is a partial plan view of an optical system unit adopted for a light scanner in a related art,
FIG. 6
is a sectional view taken on line VI—VI of
FIG. 5
, and
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of a mirror fixture. A light scanner in a related art will be discussed with reference to
FIGS. 5
to
7
.
In the light scanner, an optical system unit
1
made of a synthetic resin molded substance is formed with through holes
2
and
3
for forming an optical path, and a half mirror
4
facing the through holes
2
and
3
is attached to the optical system unit
1
. Specifically, the optical system unit
1
is formed with a recess space
5
, the left and right end parts of the rectangular half mirror
4
are placed on an inclined mirror attachment reference face
6
formed stepwise in the inside of the recess space
5
, and the half mirror
4
is pressed against and fixed to the mirror attachment reference face
6
by the action of a mirror fixture
7
.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the mirror fixture
7
is made of a metal steel and has a pair of left and right arm-like press parts
71
and
71
and an attachment part
72
and the attachment part
72
comprises a pair of left and right protrusion piece parts
73
and
73
and retention claws
74
and
74
cut and raised. The attachment part
72
is inserted into a groove-shaped recess part
8
formed on the rear of the recess space
5
of the optical system unit
1
, the front end margins of the left and right protrusion piece parts
73
and
73
of the attachment part
72
are abutted against a front wall
81
of the groove-shaped recess part
8
, edge-like end margins
74
a
and
74
a
of the retention claws
74
and
74
are retained on a rear wall
82
of the groove-shaped recess part
8
in a press state, and the left and right press parts
71
and
71
overlap the left and right end parts of the half mirror
4
for pressing and fixing the half mirror
4
against and to the mirror attachment reference face
6
.
On the other hand, JP-A-3-174108 describes use of a plate spring and an adhesive to fix a half mirror to an optical system main body (corresponding to the above-described optical system unit) in an optical information record and playback apparatus, fitting a positioning hole of the plate spring into a resin boss part placed in the optical system main body to fix the plate spring to the optical system main body, etc.
JP-A-2000-235158 describes a configuration for attaching a plate spring to a mirror holder screwed into an optical box of a light scanner and holding a half mirror on the mirror holder by the plate spring.
Further, JP-A-2-135922U describes a configuration for using a plate spring to position a half mirror placed in an optical parts holder of an optical pickup.
In the light scanner in the related art described with reference to
FIGS. 5
to
7
, the attachment part
72
of the mirror fixture
7
is inserted into the narrow groove-shaped recess part
8
and the end margins
74
a
of the retention claws
74
cut and raised in the attachment part
72
are retained on the rear wall
82
of the groove-shaped recess part
8
in a press state. Thus, the retention claws
74
are retained on the rear wall
82
of the groove-shaped recess part
8
, whereby the removal prevention effect of the mirror fixture
7
is exerted. However, after the mirror fixture
7
is once attached to the optical system unit
1
, it is difficult to remove the mirror fixture
7
and if the mirror fixture
7
is forcibly pulled out for removal, the end margins
74
a
of the retention claws
74
scratch or cut away the rear wall
82
of the groove-shaped recess part
8
. Therefore, even if the attachment state becomes defective in the attachment process of the mirror fixture
7
to the optical system unit
1
, it is difficult to remove the mirror fixture
7
from the optical system unit
1
and again attach the mirror fixture
7
thereto, and it is made impossible to again use the optical system unit
1
from which the mirror fixture
7
is removed because the optical system unit
1
is scratched, etc.; this is a problem.
The arts described above in JP-A-3-174108, JP-A-2000-235158, JP-A-2-135922U, etc., do not fix the mirror fixture to the optical system unit by retaining the edge-like end margins of the retention claws on the wall of the optical system unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a light scanner wherein although a mirror fixture can be attached to an optical system unit by simple operation similar to that in the related art described with reference to
FIGS. 5
to
7
, the once attached mirror fixture can be easily removed from the optical system unit and moreover it is made possible to reuse the removed mirror fixture and reuse the optical system unit from which the mirror fixture is removed.
In a light scanner according to the invention, an attachment part of a mirror fixture comprising press parts to press and fix a half mirror against and to a mirror attachment reference face of an optical system unit is fixed to the optical system unit.
The attachment part of the mirror fixture is housed in a recess part of the optical system unit, edge-like end margins of a pair of opposed engagement piece parts of the attachment part are retained on a pair of opposed walls in the recess part in a press state, and the engagement piece parts comprise operational piece parts for elastically deforming the engagement pieces parts inward for releasing the retention state of the end margins and the walls of the recess part.
In the configuration, simply by inserting the attachment part of the mirror fixture into the recess part of the optical system unit, the edge-like end margins of the engagement piece part pair of the attachment part can be retained on the pair of opposed walls in the recess part in a press state, so that the attachment workability of the mirror fixture to the optical system unit becomes equal to that in the related art described with reference to
FIGS. 5
to
7
. To remove the mirror fixture from the optical system unit, the operational piece parts can be operated for inward elastically deforming the engagement piece parts engaging the walls of the recess part in a press state for releasing the retention state of the end margins of the engagement piece parts and the walls of the recess part. Thus, it is possible to take out the attachment part from the recess part and remove the mirror fixture from the optical system unit without scratching or cutting away the wall of the recess part. Thus, it is possible to reuse the removed mirror fixture and reuse the optical system unit from which the mirror fixture is removed.
In the invention, preferably the operational piece parts are projected backward from the engagement piece parts and the optical system unit is provided with an operational jig insertion recess-in part for housing the operational piece parts and being wider than the recess part. Accordingly, the operational piece parts can be operated in a state in which the tip of the operational jig such as tweezers is inserted into the recess-in part and as the operational piece parts are operated, the ret

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