JP2003007048A - Optical disk device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical disk device having satisfactory efficiency and provided with a cooling function excellent in effectiveness, wherein an air flowing path flexibly changed can be formed and reliability is secured. SOLUTION: The air flowing path is constituted by closing a fan 3 for exhausting the heated air in the internal part of an optical disk device 1 and a heater element 8a by using tubes 10 and 11. Thereby, the optical disk device having high reliability even under the condition of higher temperature can be provided, since the heated air from heat producing source can be directly exhausted. The operating time for the fan can be shortened and the noise of the fan can be reduced because of the enhanced efficiency of the cooling performance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical disk device, and more particularly to an optical disk device that requires local cooling of the inside of the device by a fan.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an optical disk device, a structure having relatively high airtightness is adopted to prevent dust from adhering to an optical system. On the other hand, in recent years, due to market demands for higher recording density, addition of recording function, and improvement of rotation speed and access speed, L
It is becoming a problem that the heat generated from the SI, the spindle motor, or the head causes the temperature inside the device to rise and exceeds the temperature performance limit value of each device or component. As a measure against such a situation, it is general to equip a fan to forcibly circulate and discharge hot air to lower the internal temperature of the device. However, the installation location of the fan is limited due to restrictions on the installation of the apparatus and the size of the apparatus, and it is almost limited to the upper part of the input / output connector at the rear end of the apparatus regardless of the position of the heat source. An example of this is
Instead of directly cooling the surroundings of the heat source as in JP-A-10-31678 and JP-A-6-203547, a wide range is created by the air flow path (hereinafter referred to as the air flow path) formed by the shape of the component parts of the device. The current situation is to cool the interior of such equipment gently.

The prior art will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional optical disk device 1 provided with a fan 3.

Reference numeral 1 is an optical disk device, 2 is a spindle motor for rotating the optical disk, 3 is a fan for discharging hot air, 4 is an optical disk, 5 is a head for recording and reproducing signals by applying a laser to the optical disk 4, and 6 is A feed motor for moving the head 5, 7 a partition plate for partitioning the mechanism portion of the optical disk, 8 a substrate on which a heating element is mounted, 8a a heating element, 8b an input / output connector with a personal computer, 9
Is a front panel, and 9a is an intake hole of the front panel 9.

A partition plate 7 surrounds a mechanism portion having a feed motor 6 for moving a head 5 for recording and reproducing signals by irradiating a laser on an optical disk 4 mounted on a spindle motor 2. This is for hermetically sealing the entire mechanism section in order to prevent deterioration of the laser output due to intrusion of dust. Optical disc device 1 below the partition plate 7
The substrate 8 is attached to the lower part of the.

On the other hand, it is not preferable to attach the fan 3 to the front panel 9 in terms of noise. Also,
The fan 3 cannot be installed because the area around the side surface of the optical disk device 1 is used when the optical disk device 1 is attached to a personal computer or may be blocked. Therefore, the place where the fan 3 is attached is almost limited to the upper part of the input / output connector 8b with the personal computer in the rear part of the optical disk device 1, and the intake hole for the outside air is provided in the front panel of the front part.

In the optical disk device 1, the element that generates the largest amount of heat is the element 8a on the substrate. The outside air taken into the optical disk device 1 through the filter (not shown) from the intake hole 9a of the front panel 9 by the suction by the fan 3 is
The cooling system is such that the periphery of the substrate is cooled or hot air is taken in and discharged by the fan 3. The partition plate 7 is provided with an inclination in the vicinity of the fan 3 in order to smooth the air flow to the fan 3 (hereinafter referred to as the air flow), but the other air flow paths are parts that are arranged midway. The actual condition is that the shape is not smooth. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of air.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional optical disk device 1. Since the symbols in the figure are the same as those in FIG. 3, the description thereof is omitted here. The partition plate 7 is shown by a chain double-dashed line in a perspective view of its outer shape.

The outside air sucked from each of the intake holes 9a goes around a wide area around the substrate and is gently discharged and cooled by the fan 3.

[0011]

When the heat-generating elements are concentrated, the most efficient cooling is to concentrate all the air sucked and discharged by the fan on the heat-generating elements. That is. By doing so, hot air can be efficiently discharged. However, it is not always possible to arrange the heat-generating element at the optimum position due to the restrictions on the board design. Further, it is difficult to form an air passage to the element that generates heat in terms of structure and space without a gap and to be smooth.

In order to solve such a problem, in the above-mentioned prior art, instead of directly cooling the periphery of the heat source,
In the present situation, an air flow path formed by the shapes of the components of the device is used to gently cool the interior of the device over a wide range. Also, since the air flow path from the fan to the heat generation part is almost uniquely determined, the distance from the heat generation source to the fan cannot be shortened, the air flow path becomes complicated, etc., and efficient cooling cannot be performed. Is the current situation.

In this case, since strong and direct ventilation cannot be provided to the heat source, it is necessary to constantly rotate the fan, install a fan with a large flow rate, or suppress the heat generation of the element. It is also necessary to limit the amount of heat generated by limiting the current of the element that generates heat. Therefore, in the future,
As the specifications of the device, which is more concerned about heat generation, are improved, the problems of noise and electric power due to the fan and performance deterioration due to the current limitation to the heating element become more serious.

Further, in order to secure the air flow path, it is not possible to use a solid duct or the like, and in a device in which there is no degree of freedom and the parts are densely packed, the parts for forming the duct are complicated, and the parts are complicated. There are problems such as increased points and cost.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide an optical disk device which is highly efficient and has a highly effective cooling function capable of forming an air flow passage which can be flexibly changed. It is in.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an air flow path from a fan to a heat source is formed by a flexible tube. As a result, it is possible to efficiently exhaust and supply air directly from a hot place. Further, ventilation efficiency can be further improved by sealing the air flow path from the fan to the periphery of the heat source.

The structure according to the present invention is an optical disc device having a fan for discharging the air inside the optical disc device, especially the air heated inside the device, and the air from the fan to any portion in the device. The flow path is formed by a bendable tube. Since the tube allows air to be sucked out from an arbitrary part, for example, the heat generated from the components provided in the optical disc device causes the heated air to directly flow to the outside of the optical disc device through the fan. It is possible to directly discharge the heat from the heat source and to prevent the temperature inside the optical disk device from rising.

In particular, since the air suction port of the tube can be provided in the vicinity of the heat-generating component, the efficiency of sucking the heated air can be increased.

In the conventional fan, the air flow path formed by the shape of the components of the device is used to gently cool the interior of the device over a wide range, whereas in the present invention, the periphery of the heat source can be directly cooled. This is relatively easy, and it is possible to efficiently perform the operation without increasing the temperature inside the optical disk device.

Further, since the tube connects the end surface of the fan and the end surface of the tube in an airtight continuous manner, the temperature inside the optical disk device can be efficiently prevented from rising.

Further, the tube is partially solid,
Since the remaining portion is bendable, it is possible to provide a suction port for the tube in the vicinity of any component of the optical disk device.

Further, in the past, the air was exhausted from the fan by the air flow path formed by the shape of the components of the apparatus, whereas the tube is bendable and connects the suction port and the discharge port of the fan. It is a thing.

By forming an air flow path formed by the shape of a conventional device component, the components included in the air flow path are adversely affected by the fact that dust or the like adheres due to the reverse flow of air. Sometimes occurred. However, by using the tube, it is possible to directly connect the suction port of the tube and the discharge port of the fan, and to provide an arbitrary component with a dustproof function such as avoiding adhesion of dust or the like.

The above-described structure of the present invention efficiently uses a tube to discharge the air in the vicinity of an arbitrary component to the outside through a fan. Of course, depending on the shape of the conventional component of the device. It may also include a component that is used in combination with a component that forms the formed air flow path.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Incidentally, the same symbols in the drawings indicate the same or equivalent ones, and since they have been described above with reference to FIG. 3, their explanations are omitted here.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a funnel-shaped tube for ensuring an air flow path, and 11 denotes a tube for ensuring an air flow path from the funnel-shaped tube 10 to the heat generating element 8a.

A funnel-shaped tube 10 is closely attached to the intake side of the fan 3. A tube 11 is connected to the opposite side of the funnel-shaped tube 10, and the tip of the tube 11 is arranged near the element 8a. Therefore, these funnel-shaped tubes 10
In addition, the tube 11 forms an air passage from the heat generating element 8a to the fan 3. Here, since a flexible material is selected for the funnel-shaped tube 10 and / or the tube 11, there is a degree of freedom, and an air passage having a uniform cross-sectional area can be formed while avoiding an obstacle in the middle. Easy to do. Also, since it is easy to change, it is possible to select the optimum hot air intake location.

The fan 3 operates so as to exhaust the hot air inside the optical disk device 1, and the hot air around the element 8a that generates heat is generated by the air passage formed by the funnel-shaped tube 10 and the tube 11. Can be directly exhausted to the outside of the device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1, in which the partition plate 7 is a perspective view so that the cooling structure can be easily seen. 1 and 2
As shown in, the exhaust by the fan 3 is performed directly by the element 8a.
Since it is performed in the vicinity, efficient cooling can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce fan noise and electric power without lowering device performance by adopting a low-noise fan with a small air flow, or operating the fan only when heat is high, even in the future trend of increasing heat generation. I can.

Here, the funnel-shaped tube 10 and the tube 11 are separate members, but there is no problem even if they are airtight and integrated.

Further, the element 8a side of the tube 11 can be made into a funnel shape so that the hot air around the tube can be easily sucked.

FIG. 5 shows a structure in which, in addition to the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outside air intake port 9a to the heating element 8a are connected by an intake tube 12 via a filter (not shown).
By doing so, the dust that has entered through the filter is discharged together with the hot air, so the partition plate 7 can be simplified as a dustproof measure, and since it is released from the hermetically closed state, the hot air on the mechanism side is also removed. Easily discharged.

FIG. 6 shows an optical disk device 1 with a fan 3.
The outside air is sucked into the inside, and the outside air is blown directly to the heat-generating element 8a by the air passage formed by the funnel-shaped tube 10 and the tube 11. Since the outside air can be directly and positively applied to the heat source, the efficiency is high, and the filter 13 is used for the fan 3
Since it can be prevented from entering dust by attaching it to, it is efficient in terms of dust protection.

In this embodiment, the case of the optical disk device has been described, but the applicable device is not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, the case where there is one heat generating element has been described. However, when there are a plurality of heat generating elements, the tube 11 may have a branching structure on the heat generating element side. .

In the present embodiment, the tube that secures the air passage has been described as a tube. However, the tube is not limited to this and may be a flexible tube.

Further, both the funnel-shaped tube 10 and the tube 11 do not need to be made of a flexible material, and either one may be used.

Further, in consideration of the ease of fixing the tube, a material which is solidified by heating or the like after determining the air flow path may be adopted as the tube material.

In the above embodiment, the tube is
It mainly describes cooling of the device by discharging heated air inside the device to the outside of the device. However, since the tube freely connects the air flow path directly to the tube and the fan, it is possible to provide a dustproof function.

By forming the air flow path formed by the shape of the conventional component parts of the apparatus, the component parts included in the air flow path are adversely affected by the flow of air and the reverse attachment of dust or the like. There was an occasion. That is, in the conventional method, the dust-containing air may flow along the formed air flow path to attach the dust to any component on the air flow path. However, by using the tube, the suction port of the tube and the discharge port of the fan are directly connected, and air containing dust does not flow in any component, so dust is prevented from adhering. It is possible to have a function.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, a highly efficient cooling system can be realized when a fan is mounted, so that an optical disk device which is highly reliable against the tendency of high heat generation due to performance improvement under high temperature environment is realized. it can.

In the conventional fan, the air flow path formed by the shape of the components of the device is used to gently cool the interior of the device over a wide range. However, in the present invention, the periphery of the heat source can be directly cooled. This is relatively easy, and it is possible to efficiently perform the operation without increasing the temperature inside the optical disk device.

Therefore, power consumption and noise can be reduced by shortening the fan operation time. Alternatively, since the cooling can be performed with high efficiency, the fan to be used can be of a smaller size or a type with lower power consumption than the conventional fan.

Further, since the tube directly connects the suction port of the tube and the discharge port of the fan, air containing dust does not flow to any component, so that dust is prevented from adhering to the component. Will also be effective.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical disc device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional optical disc device having a fan.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical disk device, 3 ... Fan, 8 ... Substrate, 8a ... Element, 9 ... Front panel, 9a ... Intake hole, 10 ... Funnel-shaped tube, 11 ... Tube.

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hironori Saito             1-26 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Stock market             Hitachi Hitachi LG Data Storage (72) Inventor Yoichi Narii             1-26 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Stock market             Hitachi Hitachi LG Data Storage (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Fukagawa             292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa             Ceremony company Hitachi Image Information System

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical disk device having a fan for discharging internal air, wherein an air flow path from the fan to an arbitrary part in the device is formed by a bendable tube. 2. The optical disk device according to claim 1, wherein
An optical disk device, characterized in that an end face of the fan and an end face of the tube are airtightly and continuously connected. 3. The optical disk device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the tube is solid and the remaining part is bendable.