JPH04172686A - Drive device for optical memory - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the adhesion of dust to various kinds of optical elements by discharging air containing dust from an air discharge port in such a way that a partition plate is provided between an optical deck section and loading mechanism section in a drive device and a filter is provided at the air intake of the optical deck section. CONSTITUTION:This drive device for optical memories is constituted so that the whole body of the device can become an air leading path by providing a cooling air intake 22 and disk cartridge inserting port 3 on the front of the device and an air discharge port on the rear, with the other sections being nearly completely sealed. In addition, a partition plate 24 having no opening except those for accessing an optical head 19 and for arranging a spindle motor 16 is provided between an optical deck section and loading mechanism section and a dust removing filter 21 is installed on the place from which the optical deck section gets the cooling air so that only a cleaned air flow can pass through the optical deck section. Therefore, adhesion of dust to the optical element of the optical head 19, information recording medium, etc., can be prevented even when a sufficient amount of cooling air is led into the device, since the air containing dust is not passed through the optical deck section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an optical memory drive device for an optical information recording and reproducing apparatus that records and reproduces information using a light beam.

[Conventional technology]

Memory drive devices for information recording and reproducing devices that use optical disks, magnetic disks, and the like must be given sufficient consideration to dustproofing and heat dissipation of the device. In other words, there are various components installed inside the device, including the pickup, spindle motor, voice coil motor, etc., but if the heat from these heating elements is not radiated outside the device, the information recording and reproducing characteristics will deteriorate. There is a problem. Further, if dust adheres to pink amplifiers, optical discs, etc., a problem arises in that recording and reproducing characteristics deteriorate.

In order to solve these problems, the present applicant has applied for the
No. 92021 proposes the following. A partition plate with an opening for accessing the optical head is installed between the cartridge insertion port and the optical deck, and cooling air is introduced into the cartridge housing from the cartridge insertion port provided at the front of the device. This is to prevent intruding dust from adhering to the optical head and the guide rail on which the optical head moves.

C Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention] However, in the conventional example described above, the cooling air is guided into the space below the partition plate where the optical head, optical head guide mechanism, etc. are arranged, so it is not necessary to provide the partition plate. Even if the cooling air is cooled, dust contained in the cooling air will adhere to the optical head and guide rail, resulting in problems such as a reduction in the axle performance and deterioration of the recording and reproducing characteristics after long-term use.

On the other hand, in order to solve this problem, if the space at the bottom of the partition plate where the optical head, guide rail, etc. are arranged is sealed except for the holes for accessing the optical head, the optical head drive mechanism , the heat generated by the spindle motor, etc. is radiated from the integral surface of the cover on the outside of the device.

This causes a significant temperature rise inside the cover, resulting in problems such as shortening the life of the laser diode that is the light source of the optical head and deteriorating the recording and reproducing characteristics of the information recording medium. Also, in order to avoid these problems, it is necessary to use a drive mechanism that suppresses temperature rise.
This forces the access speed of the optical head to be reduced.

The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems.
Provides an optical memory drive device that prevents dust from adhering to the optical components of information recording media and optical storage devices, and also prevents temperature increases within the drive device to improve device durability and reliability. It is intended to.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an optical head for recording and reproducing information on an information recording medium, a drive mechanism for the optical head, and an optical head for holding and rotating the information recording medium. In an optical memory drive device that is equipped with an optical deck section that has a spindle motor, etc. for moving the disk cartridge, and a drive mechanism section that has a loading mechanism that holds and moves the disk cartridge containing the information recording medium, cooling air is taken in at the front of the device. The entire optical memory drive device is formed as an air guide path by providing an opening, a disk cartridge insertion port, an exhaust port on the rear surface of the device, and almost sealing the other parts, and connecting the optical deck portion and the loading mechanism. A partition plate with no openings except for the openings for optical head access and spindle motor arrangement is installed between the optical deck and the optical deck, and a dustproof filter is installed at least in the area where the optical deck takes in cooling air to ensure a purified air flow. This is an optical memory drive device in which only the optical disk passes through the optical deck section.

With this configuration, while introducing sufficient cooling air into the device, air containing dust does not pass through the optical deck, thereby preventing a rise in temperature inside the drive device.
It is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the optical elements of the optical head, the information recording medium, and the like.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the drive device with internal mechanisms omitted. The front panel 2 of the drive device 1 is provided with an insertion slot 3 for inserting and removing a disk cartridge that accommodates a magneto-optical disk, and the lower side thereof allows ventilation into the inside of the drive device 1. A vent hole 4 having a plurality of grid-like through holes formed therein, and an eject switch 5 for ejecting the disk cartridge are provided. Further, a drive mechanism, which will be described later, is attached to the drive mechanism attachment fitting 6 via an insulation 7. A first cover 8 covers this drive mechanism. A second cover 9 arranged parallel to the first cover 8 in the disk cartridge insertion direction is a circuit board cover that covers various circuits to be described later.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a circuit board 10 is used for various circuits such as control circuits for various drive units in the drive device, signal control circuits, and controller circuits for error correction and command decoding.
．． 11, 12, etc. are provided inside the drive unit W1, and the second cover 9 and third cover 13 cover these. Note that a connector 14 is provided at the bottom of the second cover 9.

In FIG. 2, internal mechanisms such as a drive mechanism are omitted and not shown.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the inside of the drive device, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view. Inside the first cover 8, a drive mechanism including a loading mechanism and an optical deck are provided. The optical deck section is provided on a substantially box-shaped base 15 made of die-cast aluminum.
An opening 22 for taking in cooling air is formed at a position near the front panel, and a filter 21 is attached thereto. In the space on the front panel 2 side of the opening 22, loading drive devices (58 to 60) are located, and a write detection switch 63 is also provided. The filter 21 is
A spindle motor 16 for holding and rotating the magneto-optical disk and a voice coil motor (VCM) 17 move the disk forward and backward via a guide rail 18, and supply clean air to the nozzle 19, etc. to the movable part optical system having an objective lens 19b. The loading drive device (58 to 60) is provided on the front panel 2 side of the filter 21. This is because if the loading drive device is provided inside the filter 21, small holes will be created due to the wiring, which will invite the intrusion of dust.

The VCM 17 has an inner yoke, an outer yoke, and a magfoot, and a short pipe made of steel is wound to form a coil body to form a magnetic circuit. And movable optical head 1
Two magnetic circuits are arranged facing each other with 9 in between,
A guide rail 18 extends in parallel between both magnetic circuits via a rail receiver. The movable optical head 19 has guide rails 18 inserted into insertion holes formed on both sides in the X direction (movement direction), and can move along the guide rails 18 via a plurality of bearings (rotating rollers). To the movable optics - A coil body is fixed with adhesive on both sides of the throat 19 in the X direction, and a part of it is located so as not to come into contact with the gap between the inner yoke and the outer yoke, and current is supplied to this coil body. This creates thrust and causes movement. Further, the carrier on which the movable optical head 19 is mounted is connected to the base 15 via an FPC 62. Note that a cover 61 that is a plastic molded product is provided on the lower outer periphery of the spindle motor 16 in order to protect the FPC 62 that comes into contact with it. Further, a fixed optical head 20 having a laser diode, a photodetector, etc. is provided on the outside of the base 15 on the side opposite to the front panel 2. Note that the light beam from the fixed optical head 20 is transmitted through the aperture 1 formed in the base 15.
5a and the cover glass 15b of this frontage 15a,
Cover glass 1.9a attached to movable optical head 19
, is reflected by a reflecting prism provided in the movable optical head 19, passes through an objective lens 19b that is moved by an actuator in the focusing direction and tracking direction, and is converged as a light spot on the magneto-optical disk 28 to reach it. It looks like this.

At the top of the optical deck part, there is an upper and lower partition formed with a substantially rectangular hole 23a through which one movable optical head can move, and a substantially circular hole 23b in which a part of the spindle motor 16 is placed continuously. A plate 24 is provided. This prevents dust from entering the spindle motor 16, the movable optical head 19, the optical head drive mechanism, etc. from above. A loading mechanism section is provided above the partition plate 24, and an opening 2 communicating with the cartridge insertion port 3 is provided on the front surface of the first cover 8 that covers the loading mechanism section.
5 and an opening door 26 are provided, and a first exhaust port 2 is provided on the rear surface.
7 is provided. Inside the disk cartridge 29 installed in the loading mechanism section, there is a magneto-optical disk 2.
A bias field access opening of 3° is formed on the upper surface of this disk cartridge 29.
An optical head access opening 31 is formed on the lower surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, a bias magnetic field applying device 41 is provided on the lower surface of the bias field holder 4o near the end in the X direction (close to the end in the insertion direction of the disk cartridge 29).
A rectangular hole is provided on both sides of the X direction at the corresponding top surface location,
A filter 38 is provided there respectively. Also,
Vertically bent side walls are formed on both sides of the bias field holder 40 in the X direction, and guide pins 42 protruding inward are attached to both ends of the side walls, two on each side.

A cartridge holder 43 is arranged below the bias field holder 40. On the upper surface of the cartridge holder 43, there are an engagement pin 47, a lever 48, a guide pin 49, which operate along guide grooves 45 and 46 formed in the cartridge holder 43 in order to open and close the shutter 44 of the disk cartridge 29. A coil spring 50 is provided. Further, a window 51 is formed at a location corresponding to the bias magnetic field applying device 41 to receive this device. Further, vertically bent side walls are formed on both sides of the cartridge holder 43 in the X direction, and guide grooves 52 with which the guide pins 42 of the bias field holder 40 engage are provided in two places on each side. Furthermore, guide pins 53 protruding outward are provided at the center of the side walls, one on each side.

A partition plate 24 is provided below the cartridge holder 43. A drive plate 5 is provided on the top surface of the partition plate 24.
4 is placed thereon, and can be moved in the X direction via a cartridge guide pin 55 and a plate guide pin 56 provided on the partition plate 24. After the drive plate 54 has moved relative to the partition plate 24, it can be returned to its original position by a spring 57 provided between the drive plate 54 and the partition plate 24. In the embodiment, the spring 57 has one spring on one side.
Although only one is provided, it goes without saying that two may be provided on both sides. In addition, these guide pins 55.5
Reference numeral 6 serves for positioning when the disk cartridge 29 is installed. In addition, at a position near the insertion direction of the disk cartridge 29 in the approximate center of the partition plate 24, there is a substantially rectangular hole 23a so that the cover does not come into contact with the optical head 19 even if the optical head 19 moves. A substantially circular hole 23b is formed so as not to contact each other. The vicinity of the hole of the partition plate 24 is formed to be slightly raised from the surrounding area, and the periphery of the raised part has a substantially U-shape, and the drive plate avoids this raised part and forms a U-shape. Furthermore, a loading drive device including a loading motor 58, a worm gear 59, and a cam 60 is provided at the bottom of the partition plate 24.

Drive device 1 of this embodiment configured as described above
Explain the operation. First, when the disk cartridge 29 is inserted through the insertion slot 3, it is conveyed into the apparatus by a loading mechanism, is attached to a drive mechanism, and the magneto-optical disk 28 is rotated by the spindle motor 16. In addition,
To take out the disc cartridge 29 after recording and playing back information, press the eject switch 5 while it is installed in the drive mechanism, and a part of the disc cartridge 29 will pop out from the insertion slot 3 and be held in the insertion slot 3 in that state. You can remove it by hand.

Next, a method of cooling the device when the disk cartridge 29 is installed in the drive device 1 and information is being recorded and reproduced will be described. The drive device 1 is in a sealed state, with no parts in the optical deck section and loading mechanism section that communicate with outside air, except for the insertion port 3 of the front panel 2, the ventilation port 4, and the first exhaust port 27 on the rear surface. ing. Further, the drive device 1 is formed with a space between the hem 15 and the third cover 13 provided below it as a duct that guides outside air introduced from the vent 4 to the rear of the drive device I. Note that a circuit board 10 is disposed in this duct, and a first cover 8
A circuit board 11, 12 is disposed inside the second cover 9, which is arranged parallel to the rear of the second cover 9.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drive device 1 is incorporated into a housing 32 of a subsystem or a personal computer.
A fan 33 is provided at the rear of the drive unit 2 to suck outside air from the insertion port 3 and the ventilation port 4 of the drive device 1.

With this configuration, the outside air taken in through the insertion port 3 by the rotation of the fan 33 flows inside the drive device 1 as shown by the solid line. On the other hand, some of the outside air taken in through the vents becomes purified air as shown by the broken line and flows out.
The flow progresses through the duct as shown by the solid line. Then, the fan 33 exhausts the air to the outside of the housing 32 .

Further, such air flow will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. Here, the air flow shown by the solid line is in a state containing dust, and the air flow shown by the broken line is in a cleaned state. First, a portion of the outside air 34 taken in from the vent 4 travels almost directly inside the duct toward the fan. And the circuit board 1 arranged in the duct
Cool down 0.

Although this outside air 34 contains dust because it has not passed through a filter, it passes through the duct with little pressure loss, so it is possible to effectively suppress the temperature rise of the circuit board 10. Note that even if the circuit board 10 comes into contact with air containing dust, there is no problem as the function will not deteriorate due to the dust.

Next, another flow 35 of outside air taken in from the vent 4
By passing through the filter 21 provided in the front opening 22 of the optical deck section, the air becomes purified air 35a and enters the optical deck section. After cooling the drive mechanisms such as the spindle motor 16, VCM 17, and optical head 19, the opening 2 formed in the partition plate 24 is
3a and 23b, the bias magnetic field access opening 30 and the optical head access opening 31 formed in the disk cartridge 29, and then are discharged from the first exhaust port 27.

Next, the outside air 36 taken into the loading mechanism through the insertion port 3 travels along the inside of the upper surface of the first cover 8 while containing dust, and is discharged through the exhaust port 27 . Circuit board 1 arranged inside the
1.12 is designed to be cooled. Note that the loaded disc cartridge 2 is inside the loading mechanism.
A pankin 37 is provided at the bottom of 9. Therefore, air containing dust enters the lower surface of the disk cartridge 29, and the openings 23a, 23 formed in the partition plate 24
There is no possibility that dust will enter the optical deck section from b and adhere to various optical elements. Furthermore, the bias field access opening 41 formed on the top surface of the disk cartridge 29 is closed by a filter 38 provided on the bottom surface of the bias field holder, and the negative pressure generated as the magneto-optical disk 28 rotates allows the insertion. This is to prevent outside air containing dust entering through the opening 3 from flowing back into the optical deck section.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even if outside air is introduced into the device in order to discharge the heat generated from the various drive members in the drive device, the inside of the optical deck part where dust should be avoided is Since only clean air circulates, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the various optical elements forming the optical head and also to the magneto-optical disk. Therefore, even during long-term use, it is possible to avoid a situation where the amount of light decreases. Furthermore, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the recording and reproducing characteristics of the magneto-optical disk due to a rise in temperature within the apparatus.

On the other hand, since there is no need to provide a filter in the cooling air passage for cooling the circuit board, a small cooling fan is sufficient, and there is a large degree of freedom in designing the housing in which the drive device is installed. be.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a drive device according to a second embodiment of the invention. Components corresponding to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, a second
The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that an exhaust port 39 is provided.

The second exhaust port 39 is located near the optical path opening 15a between the fixed optical head 2o and the movable optical head 16, and the size and shape of the opening are such that the air flow is smaller than that of the first exhaust port 27. It is formed to have a large pressure loss.

That is, the exhaust port 39 is formed so as to satisfy at least the following conditions. The intake air amount per unit time of the insertion port 3 is vl, the intake air amount per unit time of the filter 21 is v2, the exhaust amount per unit time of the first exhaust port 27 is v3, and the second exhaust port If the displacement per unit time of 39 is v4, then V3-V,>O(v,-
v,>o).

If the configuration is not made to satisfy these conditions, the air 36 containing dust will pass through the openings formed in the bias magnetic field holder and disk cartridge and flow back into the optical deck, damaging optical elements, etc. There is a risk of dust adhering.

Since this embodiment is configured as described above, the ventilation port 4
A portion of the outside air taken in from the fan travels almost directly inside the duct toward the fan. Next, the other flow 35 of the outside air taken in from the vent 4 passes through the filter 21 provided in the front opening 22 of the optical deck section, and becomes purified air 35a into the optical deck section. Invading.

Openings 25a, 25 formed in the partition plate 24
b. After passing through the bias magnetic field access opening 30 and the optical head access opening 31 formed in the disk cartridge 29, it is discharged from the first exhaust port.

At the same time, a portion of the purified air that has entered the optical deck section is also exhausted from the second exhaust port 39. Next, the outside air 36 taken into the loading mechanism through the insertion port 3 travels along the inside of the upper surface of the first cover 8 while containing dust, and is discharged from the first exhaust port 27 .

As described above, according to this embodiment, the heat generated from the various drive mechanisms within the drive device is exhausted outside the device as in the first embodiment, but it can also be exhausted from the second exhaust port 39. Therefore, even if the heat load inside the optical deck section is large, the temperature rise inside the device can be suppressed. Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, the cooling effect inside the device is greater, the life of the magneto-optical disk is extended, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified and modified in many ways. For example, in the embodiment described above, the optical head is a so-called separated optical system that is separated into a movable part and a fixed part, but it may be an integrated optical head. When using an integrated optical head like this, there is no need for a dust-proof cover glass installed at the exit port of the fixed optical head or a dust-proof cover glass installed at the entrance port of the movable optical head. The number of attached optical members is reduced, and deterioration of information recording and reproducing characteristics due to a decrease in the amount of light can be further avoided.

Further, although a magneto-optical disk is used as a recording medium in the embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a rewritable optical disk using a phase change medium and various write-once optical disks.

In addition, in the embodiment, the open rotor 26 provided inside the insertion slot 3 is configured to remain half-open when the disc cartridge 29 is in the loading state, but this is connected to the loading operation to open the disc cartridge 29. By configuring the insertion port 3 to be sealed after the 29 is installed inside the device, the amount of dust-laden air sucked into the loading mechanism is reduced, further preventing dust from adhering to internal components. can.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a partition plate is provided between the optical deck section and the loading mechanism section in the drive device, and a filter is further provided at the air intake port of the optical deck section.
The structure is such that the air containing dust is exhausted from the air exhaust port without passing through the optical deck, so if the optical memory drive device is installed in a case with a cooling fan, there will be no air from the various drive components. It is possible to prevent dust from adhering to various optical elements while efficiently discharging the generated heat.

Therefore, even during long-term use, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the amount of light or a decrease in the recording and reproducing characteristics of the magneto-optical disk.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is an external perspective view of a drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the drive device with internal mechanisms omitted; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the drive device; 4 is an exploded perspective view of the drive device, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the drive device assembled into a housing, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the drive device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is. 1...Drive device 3...Insertion port 4...Vent hole 16...Spindle motor 17...VCM 19...Movable optical head 21...Filters 23a, 23b -=hole 24...・Partition plate 27...First exhaust port 28...Magneto-optical disk 29...Disk cartridge 38...Filter Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical deck section having an optical head for recording and reproducing information on an information recording medium, a drive mechanism for the optical head, a spindle motor for holding and rotating the information recording medium, and information recording. In an optical memory drive device equipped with a drive mechanism having a loading mechanism for holding and moving a disk cartridge containing a medium, a cooling air intake and a disk cartridge insertion port are provided on the front of the device, and an exhaust port is provided on the rear of the device. The entire optical memory drive device is formed as an air guide path by substantially sealing the other parts, and there is a space between the optical deck section and the loading mechanism section for accessing the optical head and for arranging the spindle motor. A partition plate having no openings except for the openings is provided, and a dustproof filter is provided at least at a location where the optical deck section takes in cooling air, so that only purified airflow passes through the optical deck section. optical memory drive device.