Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-30
2003-05-20
Nguyen, Hoa T. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06567363
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical data recording and reproducing apparatus, or more particularly, to an optical disk drive unit whose components can be assembled easily.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the processing abilities and processing speeds of personal computers have improved and the storage capacities thereof, for programs including an operating system and application software and for data, have increased. Under these circumstances, storage devices are required to be compact and cost low. Besides, there is an increasing demand for a larger storage capacity and a higher reading/writing speed.
Optical disk drive units, or in other words, optical data recording and reproducing apparatuses, have come to prevail as storage devices capable of meeting the requirements for compact design, low cost, large storage capacity, and a high reading/writing speed. The optical disk drive unit converges laser light on an optical disk and records information on the optical disk by utilizing the heat generated. Moreover, optical disks compatible with this type of optical disk drive unit are generally encapsulated in a cartridge. When an optical disk is inserted into the optical disk drive unit for the purpose of use, a shutter of the cartridge is opened. The hub of the optical disk is engaged with a turntable of a spindle motor mounted in the optical disk drive unit, whereby the optical disk is rotated. Along with the spread of the optical disk drive unit using an optical disk cartridge, ease in assembling components, stability and reliability in performance, and reduction in cost are in great demand these days.
The structures and mechanisms described below are adopted in a conventional optical disk drive unit designed to accept an optical disk cartridge.
(1) A structure for mounting a load/ejection mechanism, of which components need not be assembled highly precisely, on a reading/writing mechanism whose components must be assembled highly precisely.
(2) A structure for linking the reading/writing mechanism and load/ejection mechanism with a flexible cable or cable. Herein, a printed wiring board having a circuit for controlling the mechanisms mounted thereon is included independently of the reading/writing mechanism and load/ejection mechanism.
(3) A structure for detecting the internal temperature of a housing using a temperature sensor and setting the conditions for reading or writing data. The structure is used to detect the temperature of a medium, which is an optical disk, affecting writing of data onto an optical disk.
(4) A structure for detecting the home position of a carriage, wherein a sensor for detecting the home position of the carriage included in a movable optical assembly is incorporated in the housing.
(5) A structure for accurately aligning a center yoke with a side yoke constituting each of several magnetic circuits included in the movable optical assembly.
(6) A mechanism for adjusting the slope of an objective so that the optical axis of the objective mounted on the carriage will lie perpendicular to the surface of the turntable of the spindle motor.
(7) A structure for positioning a stationary optical assembly independently of the reading/writing mechanism, load/ejection mechanism, and printed wiring board. The stationary optical assembly includes a source of laser light incident on an optical disk, a light detector, and a light passage which guides laser light to an optical disk, splits light reflected from an optical disk and guides the split reflected light to the light detector.
(8) A structure having a switch for judging the type of cartridge, or specifically, whether a cartridge is an optical disk cartridge having a magneto-optical disk on which data can be written, or whether a cartridge is a cleaning cartridge.
The present applicant has filed an application for an optical disk drive unit having the foregoing structures and it has been granted a patent as U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,314 (comparable to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-210878).
However, the optical disk drive unit has drawbacks to be overcome as described below.
(1) The load/ejection mechanism is attached to the reading/writing mechanism that is produced highly precisely at a preceding step. There is a possibility that the precision in assembling attained at the preceding step may be impaired to be insufficient due to the assembling work performed at the succeeding step. Moreover, the reading/writing mechanism and load/ejection mechanism cannot be handled mutually independently. This leads to time-consuming assembling and repairing steps.
(2) Since the reading/writing mechanism, load/ejection mechanism, and printed wiring board are connected by the flexible cable or cable, the flexible cable or cable has a plurality of nodes. This leads to time-consuming assembling work. A decrease in the number of nodes is required.
(3) The temperature sensor is not located near an optical disk. The temperature of a medium that is the optical disk is calculated from a temperature value detected by the sensor. The precision in the detected medium temperature is therefore insufficient. The conditions for reading and writing data must be set more precisely.
(4) The home position sensor for detecting the home position of the carriage included in the movable optical assembly is incorporated independently in the housing. A dedicated cable and connector are therefore needed for transmitting a detection signal output from the sensor to the printed wiring board. This leads to a higher cost.
(5) Conventionally, the center yoke and side yoke are aligned with each other using a pin and notch. The outer dimensions of the magnetic circuit must be increased in order to ensure a large area for the joint between the yokes.
(6) The slope of the objective mounted on the carriage is adjusted so that the optical axis of the objective becomes perpendicular to the surface of an optical disk. Since the adjusted part is a movable part, the adjustment is hard to do. Moreover, since the structure required for adjustment is included in the carriage, the carriage becomes heavy.
(7) Since the stationary optical assembly is included independently of the reading/writing mechanism, it is necessary to align the optical axis of the stationary optical assembly with the optical axis of the reading/writing mechanism. Thus, assembling efficiency is poor.
(8) A switch for identifying a cleaning cartridge is also needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical data recording and reproducing apparatus, that is an optical disk drive unit, capable of meeting several requirements. The requirements include: (1) simplification of assembling and repairing steps; (2) decrease in the number of junctions between a mechanism and a printed-circuit board; (3) improvement of precision in detecting the temperature of a medium that is an optical disk; (4) reduction in cost; (5) compactness in the design of a magnetic circuit; (6) reduction in the weight of a carriage; (7) improvement of efficiency in assembling components of a stationary optical assembly; and (8) decrease in the number of switches.
The constituent features of the present invention for accomplishing the above object will be described below.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical data recording and reproducing apparatus for optically recording or reproducing information on or from a commutative medium. The optical data recording and reproducing apparatus consists of a driving mechanism and a printed wiring board. The driving mechanism assists in loading a cartridge, in which a commutative medium is incorporated, into a main unit, drives the commutative medium, and reads or writes data from or onto the commutative medium. A control circuit for driving and controlling the driving mechanism is mounted on the printed wiring board. The driving mechanism can be divided into a load/ejection mechanism and a reading/wri
Juman Shigeru
Shimura Soichi
Fujitsu Limited
Greer Burns & Crain Ltd.
Nguyen Dzung C.
Nguyen Hoa T.
LandOfFree
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