Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Dynamic mechanism subsystem – Specific detail of storage medium support or motion production
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-14
2003-03-04
Huber, Paul W. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Dynamic mechanism subsystem
Specific detail of storage medium support or motion production
C369S271100, C369S053410
Reexamination Certificate
active
06529468
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk driving device for holding and rotating disk-like recording media such as optical disks (CDs, DVDs etc.) or optical magnetic disks (hereinafter simply referred to as “disks”) and for irradiating light beams for recording or reproducing information.
2. Description of the Background Art
Disks such as CDs or DVDs are being paid attention to as information recording media in recent years, and many such disks are being developed to be of high density and large capacity and are produced all over the world since they may be produced at low costs. There are further being suggested various optical disk driving devices for rotating such disks for the purpose of recording or reproducing information.
A conventional optical disk driving device will now be explained.
FIG. 14
is a schematic view illustrating an arrangement of a conventional optical disk driving device. In
FIG. 14
, a disk
109
is fixed in a known manner in that its central proximate portion
109
a
is mounted on a turntable
101
and in that the disk is pinched between the turntable
101
and a clamper
102
that is of substantially identical diameter as that of the turntable
101
. Some of the major methods for pinching and fixing the disk between the turntable
101
and the clamper
102
will be explained.
In one possible method, the clamper
102
is arranged at a disk lid of a box-shaped portable device in a freely rotating manner such as in so-called portable CD devices wherein the clamper
102
is moved and pressurized against the turntable
101
by closing the disk lid to fix (or hold) the disk.
In another method, which is mainly used in stationary devices of so-called tray systems, a disk
109
that is moved onto the turntable
101
by a tray is lifted from the tray by the movement of the turntable
101
and is pressurized against a freely rotating clamper
102
to fix the disk
109
.
In still another method, of a so-called slot-in system as frequently used in CD players for use in car stereos or the like, a disk that has been inserted into a slot (slot of narrow width) by a user in a known manner is moved onto the turntable
101
by a rubber-like roller or similar means and the disk
109
is pinched and held by the movement of the turntable
101
or a freely rotating clamper
102
.
As well known, a tapered portion (not shown) is provided on a surface of the turntable
101
on which the disk is mounted as a means for centering the disk so that inner peripheral end portions of the disk
109
may be pinched and held in the centered position.
Major means for pinching and holding are those employing magnetic force of a magnet. A magnet is mounted to either of the clamper or the turntable and the other member is mounted with sheet metal. Fixing is achieved through a mutually pinching and holding force in the presence of such magnetic force of the magnet. It goes without saying that both members may be comprised of magnets to achieve the same effects. However, since such an arrangement will increase manufacturing costs, it is generally the case that either one is formed with sheet metal.
In the above-described optical disk driving device in which the disk
109
is pinched and held between the turntable
101
and the clamper
102
, the disk
109
is rotated simultaneously with the rotation of the turntable
101
, and light beam L is irradiated from a pickup
103
that moves in a radial direction of the disk
109
(direction indicated by arrow R in the drawing). By the irradiation of the light beam L, information may be recorded on the disk
109
or information that has been recorded on the disk may be reproduced upon reflection by the disk
109
.
In order to perform high-density recording or reproduction of information, it is necessary to accurately irradiate the light beam onto the disk
109
and the reflected light beam needs to be accurately received. It is thus necessary to strictly define focus control of the light beam for achieving focus of the light beam on the surface of the disk (more particularly, on an information surface on an inner surface of the disk) and angles between the disk surface and the light beam.
To cope with this matter, a conventional optical disk driving device is arranged to perform the above-described focus control and to perform so-called tilt control for tilting the pickup
103
for irradiating the light beam in a manner as indicated by the arrow C in the drawing for setting the angle between the disk surface and the light beam to be within a defined value so as to also enable recording and reproduction of warped, flexed or deflected disks as illustrated in the schematic side view of FIG.
15
.
It is further generally the case with such a conventional optical disk device that the optical disk is first mounted onto a disk tray (hereinafter simply referred to as “tray”) through operations of a user, whereupon the optical disk is moved together with the tray to be retracted into the interior of the device. At this time, the clamper, which has a substantially identical radius as a radius of the turntable, is supported by a clamp plate that is fixed to bridge over the turntable and is suspended down through its own weight, and the tray had so far been designed to avoid interference with the clamper during its movement.
However, in order to precisely irradiate a light beam onto tracks of the disk and to make the light beam follow the tracks, it is required in the above-described conventional optical disk driving device that the pickup for irradiating light beam be comprised with a mechanism for accurately moving the same in the radial direction of the disk and further with a tilt mechanism for tilting the pickup to follow the warpage of the disk. A drawback was consequently presented in that the mechanism of the conventional optical disk driving device was complicated and downsizing thereof could hardly be achieved. It was another drawback that movements of the tray were hindered by a large clamper when the large clamper for pressurizing an outer peripheral portion of the disk was mounted on the conventional optical disk device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above conventional problems, and it is an object thereof to provide an optical disk driving device that is capable of accurately performing recording and reproduction also with warped disks without the provision of a tilt mechanism and that is provided with a moving means for the clamper such that movements of the tray are not hindered.
In order to achieve this object, the disk-like recording medium driving device of the present invention is arranged in that a clamper (or a turntable) for pinching and holding the disk-like recording medium is comprised of a central clamper (or a central turntable portion) for pinching and holding a proximity of an inner edge of the disk-like recording medium with the turntable (or the clamper) and an outer clamper portion (or an outer turntable portion) abutting against an outer periphery of the disk-like recording medium.
With this arrangement, it is possible to obtain a disk-like recording medium driving device that is arranged to abut and pressurize a proximity of an outer periphery of the warped disk at which no information is recorded, to thereby correct the warpage, to restrict an angle between an information recording surface of the disk and the light beam that is irradiated for recording and reproducing information to be within a specified value, and to precisely read information for accurately performing recording and reproduction.
The present invention is directed to an optical disk driving device for pinching and holding an optical disk that is mounted on a rotationally driving turntable with a clamper that is supported in a freely rotating manner, wherein the clamper of the disk-like recording medium driving device is comprised of a central clamper portion for pinching and holding a proximity of an inner edge of the optical disk with the turnt
Ariyoshi Yuji
Ishioka Kiyoshi
Koshino Katsuhiko
Noda Yosuke
Onishi Masanori
Huber Paul W.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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