JPH07272476A - Optical recording/reproducing sub system and optical recording/reproducing library apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save a consuming power, prevent the deterioration of reliability and restrict the generation of noises, by turning ON/OFF a cooling fan depending on whether it is a recording/reproducing time or the other occasion. CONSTITUTION:At a controlling time in association with the driving of a spindle motor, a cooling fan 3 is driven only when a heater-driving circuit is turned ON. The same goes true also for a case where a laser is driven. When a CPU is controlled in a sleep mode, the cooling fan 3 is switched OFF in accordance with the sleep mode of the CPU inside the apparatus. Further, the driving of the fan 3 is controlled depending on whether an optical recording/reproducing cartridge is inserted or not, or the invention is applied to an optical recording/ reproducing library to avoid useless driving of the fan 3 when a recording/ reproducing drive is set. in the sleep mode (power save mode). In this manner, a consuming power is saved, dusts are prevented from entering the interior of the apparatus, a dust-proof filter becomes longer in service life thereby to reduce an exchanging number of times and necessary labor, and optical parts are prevented from being dirty thereby to improve the reliability of the apparatus.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical disk drive subsystem, a magneto-optical disk drive subsystem,
The present invention relates to improvement of an optical recording / reproducing subsystem and an optical recording / reproducing library device suitable for use in a CD-ROM drive subsystem, an optical disc drive library device, a magneto-optical disc drive library device, etc. By controlling the drive of the fan to the optimum state, it is possible to save power consumption and suppress the contamination of optical parts due to the mixing of dust inside the device to improve the reliability of the device. The present invention relates to a subsystem and an optical recording / reproducing library device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical disk subsystem is a type of peripheral device used as an external storage device of a host computer. Usually, this optical disc subsystem is often configured to be used by being turned on when the host computer is turned on.

However, even if the optical disk subsystem is turned on, the actual operating time, that is, the time for actually recording / reproducing information is only a very short time in the on state. Is the majority. However, in the conventional optical disk subsystem, the main power is turned on / off.
When the power is turned off, the power of the internal cooling fan is also turned on / off (JP-A-3-296985).

However, since the optical disk drive generally generates a small amount of heat except during the recording / reproducing time, as a result, the cooling fan is driven even during a useless time (a period in which cooling is unnecessary). As a result, there is an inconvenience that extra power consumption occurs. In addition, the cooling fan was also a source of noise for the disk subsystem.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above,
In the optical disk subsystem, the actual operating time is only a very short time when the power is on, but the power of the cooling fan is controlled at the same time as turning on / off the optical disk subsystem. Moreover, in the case of the optical disk subsystem, the amount of heat generated when not in operation is relatively small, so that power consumption for the cooling fan is wasted.

Moreover, the driving of the cooling fan causes dust to enter the inside of the apparatus, which is a cause of contamination of the optical components and a noise source of the subsystem. . According to the present invention, such inconvenience in the conventional optical disk subsystem, that is, in the optical disk subsystem that is operated for a very short time compared to the operating time of the host computer, if the cooling fan is turned on / off at the same time as the host computer, It not only wastes electric power, but also solves the inconvenience of contributing to contamination of optical components and system noise, and by stopping the drive of the cooling fan outside the time when cooling is required, consumption is reduced. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical recording / reproducing subsystem and an optical recording / reproducing library device capable of reducing power consumption, improving reliability, and suppressing generated noise.

[0007]

According to the present invention, firstly,
In an optical recording / reproducing subsystem including an optical recording / reproducing drive that records / reproduces information, a power supply, and a cooling fan that cools the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power supply, the optical recording / reproducing drive does not operate for a predetermined time or more. When in the operating state, it is provided with a sleep mode setting means for setting a sleep mode to be in a power save state and a sleep mode detecting means for detecting whether or not the sleep mode is set. It is configured to control the drive of the cooling fan.

Secondly, in the first optical recording / reproducing subsystem, when the optical recording / reproducing drive is in the sleep mode, the drive of the spindle motor inside the drive is off.

Thirdly, in the first optical recording / reproducing subsystem, when the optical recording / reproducing drive is in the sleep mode, the driving of the semiconductor laser inside the drive is off.

Fourth, in the first optical recording / reproducing subsystem, when the optical recording / reproducing drive is in the sleep mode, the CPU inside the drive is in the sleep mode.

Fifth, in the optical recording / reproducing subsystem including an optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power supply, and a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power supply, A drive current detection means for detecting the drive current of the drive is provided, and the drive of the cooling fan is controlled by the detected drive current.

Sixth, in the optical recording / reproducing subsystem including an optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power supply, and a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power supply, A detection means for detecting whether or not the cartridge is inserted in the drive is provided, and the cooling fan is turned on only when the cartridge is in the optical recording / reproducing drive.

Seventhly, in the sixth optical recording / reproducing subsystem, after the optical recording / reproducing drive inserts the cartridge, the cooling fan is turned on to cause the optical recording / reproducing drive to insert the cartridge. The power of the cooling fan is turned off before the operation.

Eighth, an optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power source, a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power source, a plurality of cartridge storage stockers, and a cartridge for the optical unit. In an optical recording / reproducing library device including a recording / reproducing drive, a cartridge storage stocker, and a carriage for moving to the outside of the apparatus, a sleep mode in which a power save state is set when the optical recording / reproducing drive is inactive for a predetermined time or longer. A sleep mode setting means for setting, a sleep mode detecting means for detecting whether or not it is in a sleep mode, and a cartridge non-driving time for detecting whether or not the non-driving time after driving the cartridge exceeds a predetermined value. It is equipped with a detection means, and whether the sleep mode is set or not The detection result of the time, and configured to control the driving of the cooling fan.

[0015]

[Basic Configuration and Operation] In the present invention, the optical recording / reproducing drive generates a small amount of heat except during recording / reproducing, so that it is not necessary to drive the cooling fan.
By controlling (turning on / off) the drive of the cooling fan according to the time of recording / reproducing and other times, power consumption is saved and the deterioration of the reliability of the device due to contamination of optical parts is prevented, and noise is reduced. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of Here, an outline of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem will be described.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the main configuration of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, ODSS is an optical recording / reproducing subsystem,
1 is an optical recording / reproducing drive, 2 is a power supply, 3 is a cooling fan,
4 is a dustproof filter, 5 is an optical recording / reproducing drive power supply cable, 6 is a cooling fan power supply cable, and the arrow indicates the insertion direction of the cartridge.

The optical recording / reproducing subsystem ODSS of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 comprises an optical recording / reproducing drive 1, a cooling fan 3 and a power supply 2 for driving them. First, the configuration and operation common to the conventional one will be described. Power supply 2 is 100V, 120V supplied from outside
Etc. has a function of converting an AC voltage such as + into a DC voltage such as + 5V, + 1.2V.

After inserting the cartridge, the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 rotates the optical information recording medium in the cartridge by the spindle motor in the optical recording / reproducing drive 1, and irradiates the optical information recording medium with light from the semiconductor laser. By doing so, recording / reproducing of information is performed. As the optical information recording medium, there is also known a magneto-optical recording medium that performs a recording operation by simultaneously applying a magnetic field to a recording portion during recording.

With the light of the semiconductor laser, the position of an actuator equipped with an objective lens is controlled to irradiate a spot on an appropriate position of an optical information recording medium, and necessary information is recorded / reproduced. The configuration and operation described above are basically the same as those of the conventional optical recording / reproducing subsystem.

As described above, the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is turned on at the same time when the host computer is turned on, but the actual recording / reproducing time is limited. According to the present invention, even if the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the on state, the state in which recording / reproducing is not actually performed is set to the sleep mode (power save state) of the optical recording / reproducing drive to reduce the power consumption. In addition to saving, dust is prevented from mixing in and noise is avoided (the invention of claim 1).

In the sleep mode (power save state) in this case, the following control is performed. Turn off the spindle motor drive. Turn off the semiconductor laser drive. The CPU that controls the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is set to the sleep mode. The focus, track, and seek servo systems are turned off.

First, when the control is performed in accordance with the "drive of the spindle motor", for example, the ON / OFF state of the spindle motor is detected from the drive circuit of the spindle motor, and only when it is in the ON state, the cooling fan 3 is turned on. The drive is turned on (the invention of claim 2). "Driving a semiconductor laser"
Similarly, when the control is performed in accordance with the above, the drive control signal in the drive circuit is similarly monitored, and the drive of the cooling fan 3 is turned on only in the ON state (the invention of claim 3).

When controlling the "CPU in the sleep mode", the driving of the cooling fan 3 is turned off in accordance with the sleep mode of the CPU inside the apparatus (the invention of claim 4). When the control is performed in accordance with the "drive of servo system such as focus", the drive current of the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is detected, and the drive of the cooling fan 3 is turned on by the current value (the invention of claim 5). ).

Further, the drive of the cooling fan 3 is controlled to be turned on / off depending on whether or not the optical recording / reproducing cartridge is inserted (inventions of claims 6 and 7), and the invention is applied to an optical recording / reproducing library apparatus. When the optical recording / reproducing drive is in the sleep mode, the driving of the cooling fan 3 is turned off (the invention of claim 8). As described above, by avoiding unnecessary driving of the cooling fan in accordance with the sleep mode (power save state) of the optical recording / reproducing drive, power consumption is reduced and dust is prevented from entering the inside of the device. Durability of the dustproof filter has been extended and the number of replacements has been reduced to reduce labor,
Further, the prevention of contamination of the optical components improves the reliability of the device.

[0025]

Embodiment 1 Next, an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment mainly corresponds to claim 1, but also relates to the inventions of claims 2 to 7.
The hardware configuration is as shown in FIG.

The first embodiment is a basic invention to the inventions of claims 2 to 5, and as described in the above-mentioned basic structure and operation, the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 performs recording. Monitors whether the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the sleep mode or the power save state (low power consumption state) from the viewpoint that it is not necessary to drive the cooling fan because heat is not generated except during reproduction. In the sleep mode, however, the driving of the cooling fan is stopped, and the cooling fan is driven only in the normal driving state.

As the control procedure, the CPU of the system monitors whether the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the sleep mode (power save state), and if it is in the sleep mode, the cooling fan The drive is stopped (turned off), and if it is not in the sleep mode, the drive of the cooling fan is started (turned on).

Optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) in this case
Is a sleep mode.When the sleep mode is entered, the current consumption of the optical recording / reproducing drive is reduced. And accurate detection is possible. The above operation is shown by a flowchart.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow of drive control of the cooling fan according to the first embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 1 to # 4 indicate steps.

At step # 1, the optical recording / reproducing drive (O
Turn on the power of DD). In the next step # 2, it is checked whether the sleep mode is set. If it is not the sleep mode, the process proceeds to step # 3 and the cooling fan 3
Hold the power of the ON state.

On the other hand, in the sleep mode,
In step # 4, the power of the cooling fan 3 is turned off, the process returns to step # 2, and the same process is performed. Through the above processing, when the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) is in the sleep mode, the power of the cooling fan 3 is turned off.

As described above, the optical recording / reproducing drive is cooled according to a state in which recording / reproducing is not actually performed, that is, a so-called sleep mode (or a power save state) and a state in which recording / reproducing is actually performed (normal mode). By controlling the drive of the fan on / off, the power consumption for driving the cooling fan can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the drive of the cooling fan at the time when cooling is not required, it is possible to extend the life of the dustproof filter that prevents the intrusion of dust into the optical recording / reproducing drive and reduce the number of filter replacements. As a result, the amount of dust filter used can be reduced and the time and labor required for replacement (time for maintenance work) can be saved.

In addition, since the cooling fan is not driven during non-recording (in the power save mode or the sleep mode), the dust adhering to the dustproof filter is reduced and the occurrence of clogging is reduced. The temperature rise value of is also reduced. Therefore, invasion of dust into the device by the cooling fan is suppressed, contamination of optical components is prevented, and reliability of the optical recording / reproducing drive is improved.

[0034]

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to claim 2, but is also related to the invention of claim 1. The second embodiment is based on the first embodiment.
When the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the sleep mode (power save mode), the drive of the cooling fan is turned off and the spindle motor is also turned off. It has features.

In other words, the drive of the cooling fan and the drive of the spindle motor are controlled in conjunction with each other, the ON / OFF of the spindle motor is detected from the state of the drive circuit of the spindle motor, and the spindle motor is turned on. Turn on the cooling fan only in the state. The hardware configuration is
Basically, it is as shown in FIG. 1 above, but a case where a cable connection for supplying electric power is partially changed will be described.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the essential parts of the second embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. The reference numerals in the figure are the same as those in FIG. 1, 7 is a cooling fan on / off switching unit, and 8 is a cooling fan on / off on the power source 2 side
The cooling fan on / off switching cable output from the off switching unit 7 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 3, the external structure is as follows.
Basically the same as FIG. 1 described above, except that a cooling fan on / off switching unit 7 and a cooling fan on / off switching cable 8 are added to the power supply 2 side of the cooling fan power supply cable 6. There is. Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.
A flow chart will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow in drive control of the spindle motor and cooling fan according to the second embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 11 to # 20 indicate steps.

In step # 11, the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 performs a recording / reproducing operation. In step # 12,
When the recording / reproducing operation is completed, the CPU measures the non-recording / reproducing time with a timer and compares it with a preset time.

Then, if it is within a predetermined time set in advance, the process proceeds to step # 13, and the spindle motor is kept in the rotating state. In step # 14, the presence / absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored, and if it is a recording / reproducing instruction, the process returns to step # 11 again and the same processing is performed.

When the cartridge eject command is received in step # 14, the process proceeds to the next step # 18 to eject the cartridge from the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1. On the other hand, when the predetermined time set in advance is exceeded in the previous step # 12 (when the next command is not received within the predetermined time), step # 15
Then, the rotation of the spindle motor is stopped (in this case, the semiconductor laser and the servo system are also turned off at the same time. The inventions of claims 3 and 4).

At the next step # 16, the driving of the cooling fan is stopped. Proceeding to step # 17, the presence / absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored. If the command from the host computer is a cartridge ejection command, the process proceeds to step # 18 to eject the cartridge.

If the command from the host computer is recording / reproducing, the process proceeds to step # 19 to restart the rotation of the spindle motor (in this case, the semiconductor laser and the servo system are simultaneously turned on. 3 and claim 4
Invention). In the next step # 20, the driving of the cooling fan is restarted, the process returns to the previous step # 11, and the same processing is performed.

By the above steps # 11 to # 20, the cooling fan drive is turned on / off in conjunction with the spindle motor on / off control according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
The off control is executed. In this way, the drive of the cooling fan can be controlled in conjunction with the on / off control of the spindle motor.

Therefore, as in the first embodiment,
When the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 does not need to be cooled, power consumption for driving the cooling fan is reduced. Moreover,
Since the power consumption of the entire optical recording / reproducing subsystem is further reduced and the maximum starting current is reduced, it becomes possible to employ a small and inexpensive power source as the system power source.

[0046]

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to claim 3, but is also related to the invention of claim 1. Although the second embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the ON / OFF state of the spindle motor is detected from the state of the drive circuit for the spindle motor and the drive of the cooling fan is turned on only when the spindle motor is in the ON state. The third embodiment is characterized in that the driving of the cooling fan 3 for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is controlled in accordance with the ON / OFF state of the driving state of the semiconductor laser.

FIG. 5 is an external view of an essential part showing a third embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. Reference numerals in the drawing are the same as those in FIG. 1, and 11 indicates a cooling fan power supply and current control cable output from the optical recording / reproducing drive 1.

In FIG. 5, power supply to the cooling fan 3 can be performed via the optical recording / reproducing drive 1.
The hardware configuration is basically as shown in FIG. 5, and the power supply to the cooling fan 3 is performed via the optical recording / reproducing drive 1. The operation is as follows.

The output of the light receiving element for receiving the reflected light of the light applied to the optical information recording / reproducing medium and the driving section of the semiconductor laser to detect whether it is a read or a write / erase are detected. The cooling fan 3 is driven with a reference voltage and an appropriate current, and the current value is suppressed by a current limiter during reading. As described above, the power supply to the cooling fan 3 can be performed via the optical recording / reproducing drive 1. According to the configuration as shown in FIG. 5, the cooling fan 3 can be turned on / off.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cable connection for supplying electric power to the cooling fan 3 may be partially changed in order to switch the drive current of the cooling fan 3.
With the configuration shown in FIG. 3, it is necessary to add an element for controlling the drive current to the power source 2 side, and therefore the circuit configuration of the power source 2 becomes somewhat complicated.

However, in the third embodiment, the cooling fan 3 is interlocked with the on / off control of the semiconductor laser.
Since it only turns on / off the drive of
As a drive source of the above, there is no particular inconvenience whether it is supplied from the power source 2 (FIG. 3) or from the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 (FIG. 5). Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described with a flowchart.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow of on / off control of the cooling fan 3 according to the third embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 21 to # 30 indicate steps.

First, in step # 21, the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 performs a recording / reproducing operation. Step # 2
When the recording / reproducing operation is completed in 2, the CPU measures the non-recording / reproducing time by the timer and compares it with the preset time.

Then, if it is within a predetermined time set in advance, the process proceeds to step # 23, and the semiconductor laser (LD) is kept in a driven state. In step # 24, the presence / absence of a command from the host computer is monitored. If the command is a recording / reproducing command, the process returns to the previous step # 21 and the same processing is performed.

On the other hand, when the cartridge eject command is received in step # 24, the process proceeds to step # 28, and the cartridge is ejected from the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1. On the other hand, in step # 22, when the preset fixed time has passed (when the next command is not received within the fixed time), the process proceeds to step # 25.

In step # 25, the driving of the LD (semiconductor laser) is turned off. In this case, the servo system is also turned off at the same time.

At the next step # 26, the driving of the cooling fan 3 is stopped. In step # 27, the presence or absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored. If the command from the host computer is a cartridge ejection command, the process proceeds to step # 28, the servo system and the spindle motor are turned off, and then the cartridge is ejected.

If the command from the host computer is recording / reproducing, the process proceeds to step # 29 to restart the driving of the semiconductor laser. In this case, the servo system is turned on at the same time. In the next step # 30, the driving of the cooling fan is restarted, the process returns to the previous step # 21, and the same processing is performed.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the driving of the cooling fan is controlled in association with the driving (on / off) of the semiconductor laser. Therefore, when the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the sleep mode, the driving of the semiconductor laser is stopped and the driving of the cooling fan is stopped.

When it is detected that the sleep mode is not set, the driving of the semiconductor laser is restarted and the driving of the cooling fan is restarted. As another embodiment of this embodiment, when the semiconductor laser is oscillating, the cooling fan 3 is turned on, and when the semiconductor laser is off, the cooling fan 3 is also turned off. It is also possible to configure.

According to the third embodiment, the driving start time of the semiconductor laser is quicker than the driving start time of the spindle motor (the rising edge is faster), and therefore, compared with the second embodiment. , More prompt response is possible. As described above, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, it is possible to more promptly deal with the restart of the drive from the sleep mode of the system. The effect is obtained.

[0062]

Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to claim 4, but is also related to the invention of claim 1. The fourth embodiment is characterized in that the drive of the cooling fan 3 for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1 is turned off in accordance with the sleep mode of the CPU inside the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1. have.

The hardware structure is basically the same as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5 above. Here, the sleep mode of the CPU that controls the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 will be described. The CPU generally has a built-in internal clock frequency dividing circuit.

Therefore, the sleep mode is selected by operating in the enhanced mode. In this case, since the reset output of the CPU and the test input are short-circuited so that the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 operates in the enhanced mode, the sleep mode can be used without changing the hardware configuration. .

The sleep mode is provided with a circuit capable of selecting the frequency division ratio of the internal clock from several types, and is configured so that the trade-off between operation speed and power consumption can be measured. In the fourth embodiment, the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 measures the time after the end of recording / reproducing by the timer in the CPU, and nothing is accessed for several minutes (for example, 7 minutes). In that case, the CPU is set to the sleep mode.

In the case where the hardware configuration described above is as shown in FIG. 1 or 3, the power supply to the cooling fan 3 is performed from the power source 2 side. In this case, the power on / off control (switch switching control) to the cooling fan 3 is performed depending on whether the CPU inside the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the sleep mode. In the case of FIG. 5, the optical recording / reproducing drive 1
The internal CPU directly controls. The above operation will be described with a flowchart.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow of the on / off control of the cooling fan 3 according to the fourth embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 31 to # 40 indicate steps.

First, in step # 31, the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 performs a recording / reproducing operation. Step # 3
When the recording / reproducing operation is completed in 2, the CPU measures the non-recording / reproducing time by the timer and compares it with the preset time.

Then, if it is within the preset fixed time, the process proceeds to step # 33 to keep the CPU in the driven state. In step # 34, the presence or absence of a command from the host computer is monitored, and if the command is a recording / reproducing command,
The process returns to the previous step # 31 again, and the same processing is performed.

On the other hand, when the cartridge eject command is received in step # 34, the process proceeds to step # 38 to eject the cartridge from the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1. On the other hand, in the previous step # 32, when the preset fixed time is exceeded (when the next command is not received within the fixed time), the process proceeds to step # 35 and C
Put the PU in power save mode. In this case, CP
Enable the internal clock divider in U.

At the next step # 36, the driving of the cooling fan 3 is stopped. In step # 37, the presence or absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored. If the command from the host computer is a cartridge eject command,
The process proceeds to step # 38, the servo system and the spindle motor are turned off, and then the cartridge is ejected.

If the command from the host computer is recording / reproducing, the process proceeds to step # 39 to return the CPU to the normal mode. In the next step # 40, the driving of the cooling fan is restarted, the process returns to the previous step # 31, and the same processing is performed.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, when the CPU inside the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1 is in the non-recording / reproducing state (sleep mode) for a certain time or longer, the optical recording / reproducing drive ( The drive of the cooling fan 3 for cooling the ODD) 1 is turned off.

In this case, the CPU itself can easily detect whether the CPU is in the sleep mode. Also, in the fourth embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0075]

Fifth Embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to the invention of claim 5, but is also related to the invention of claim 1. In this fifth embodiment,
It is characterized in that the drive current of the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1 is detected and the drive of the cooling fan 3 for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1 is turned off.

The hardware structure is basically as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 above. When the drive current of the recording / reproducing drive 1 is measured, when the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) is in the sleep mode (power save state), the current consumption of the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) is reduced. When the value becomes less than a predetermined value, the driving of the cooling fan is turned off.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow of on / off control of the cooling fan 3 according to the fifth embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 41 to # 49 indicate steps.

First, in step # 41, the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 performs a recording / reproducing operation. Step # 4
In step 2, the drive current of the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 is detected.

At step # 43, the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 is kept in a driven state. In step # 44, the presence / absence of a command from the host computer is monitored. If the command is a recording / reproducing command, the previous step # 4
Returning to 1, the same processing is performed.

On the other hand, when a cartridge ejection command is received in step # 44, the process proceeds to step # 47 to eject the cartridge from the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1. On the other hand, as a result of detecting the drive current of the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 in the previous step # 42, when the drive current is equal to or less than the constant current, the sleep mode is determined and the process proceeds to step # 45.

In step # 45, the driving of the cooling fan 3 is stopped. In step # 46, the presence or absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored. If the command from the host computer is a cartridge eject command,
Proceed to step # 47 to eject the cartridge.

If the command from the host computer is recording / reproducing, the process proceeds to step # 48 to return the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 to the normal mode. That is, the sleep mode is released. In the next step # 49,
Restart the cooling fan drive and repeat the previous step # 41.
Return to and perform the same processing.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, O
The drive of the cooling fan is controlled in accordance with whether or not the drive current of the DD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 is equal to or higher than a certain value. Therefore, when the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is in the sleep mode, the driving of the cooling fan is also stopped, and the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0084]

Sixth Embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to the invention of claim 6, but is also related to the invention of claim 7. In this sixth embodiment,
Optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1 Only when a cartridge is inserted inside the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1
It is characterized in that the driving of the cooling fan 3 for cooling is turned on.

The hardware structure is the same as that shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. When there is no cartridge in the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1, cooling of the optical recording / reproducing drive is
It is completely unnecessary. Therefore, in the sixth embodiment, the presence / absence of a cartridge in the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is detected, and when there is no cartridge, unnecessary driving of the cooling fan is stopped to save power consumption.

The presence / absence of the cartridge can be determined by the state of the media-in sensor. That is, when the output of the media-in sensor is on, the cartridge exists, and when it is off, the cartridge does not exist.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow of on / off control of the cooling fan 3 according to the sixth embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 51 to # 54 indicate steps.

At step # 51, the optical recording / reproducing drive system is powered on. In step # 52, ODD
It is determined whether the media-in sensor in the (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 is on or off. If the output of the media-in sensor is off, the process proceeds to step # 53.

In step # 53, the cooling fan 3 is turned off. If the output of the media-in sensor is on, the process proceeds to step # 54 to turn on the cooling fan 3.

As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the drive of the cooling fan is stopped when the cartridge does not exist in the optical recording / reproducing drive. In the state where this cartridge does not exist, cooling of the optical recording / reproducing drive is not necessary at all, and the detection of the presence or absence of the cartridge is extremely simple, so that unnecessary power consumption can be surely saved.

[0091]

Seventh Embodiment Next, a seventh embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to the invention of claim 7, but is also related to the invention of claim 6. The hardware configuration is similar to that shown in FIGS.

In the sixth embodiment, the case where the drive of the cooling fan 3 for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 is turned on only when the cartridge is inserted into the optical recording / reproducing drive (ODD) 1. As described above, the power consumption of the optical recording / reproducing drive 1 increases when the cartridge is loaded / unloaded. Therefore, in the seventh embodiment, when loading / unloading the cartridge,
It is characterized in that the cooling fan 3 is not driven, the maximum output current is suppressed, and the power supply 2 is downsized and the cost is reduced.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow of on / off control of the cooling fan 3 according to the seventh embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention. In the figure, # 61 to # 72 indicate steps.

At step # 61, the power of the optical recording / reproducing drive system is turned on. In step # 62, ODD
It is determined whether the media-in sensor in the (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 is on or off. If the output of the media-in sensor is off, the process proceeds to step # 63.

At step # 63, the cooling fan 3 is turned off. In step # 64, the cartridge is inserted into the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 and step # 6
Go to 5.

If the output of the media-in sensor is on, the process proceeds to step # 65. In step # 65, the spindle motor and servo system are turned on. In step # 66, the cooling fan 3 is turned on.

In step # 67, the presence / absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored. If the instruction is a recording / reproducing instruction, the process proceeds to step # 68 to perform ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive).
Recording / reproduction of 1. On the other hand, step # 67
As a result of the judgment in step 3, if the instruction is to eject the cartridge, the process proceeds to step # 69, the power of the cooling fan 3 is turned off, and the driving is stopped.

In step # 70, the LD (semiconductor laser) and the servo system are turned off. In step # 71, OD
The cartridge is ejected from the D (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 (the unload operation is performed).

At step # 72, the power supply of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem is turned off and the flow of FIG. 10 is terminated. As described above, in the seventh embodiment, the cooling fan 3 is controlled not to be driven when the cartridge is loaded / unloaded.

Therefore, the load on the power source 2 for driving the ODD (optical recording / reproducing drive) 1 and the cooling fan 3 is reduced. As a result, the maximum output current value of the power supply 2 can be suppressed to a low value, and in addition to the effect of the sixth embodiment, it is possible to use a small and inexpensive power supply 2.

[0101]

Eighth Embodiment Next, an eighth embodiment will be described. This embodiment mainly corresponds to the invention of claim 8, but is also related to the inventions of claims 2 to 5. The first to seventh embodiments described above are all cases of optical recording / reproducing subsystems, but the eighth embodiment relates to an optical recording / reproducing library device.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing an embodiment of the main configuration of the optical recording / reproducing library device of the present invention. In the figure, OLS is an optical recording / reproducing library device, 21 is an optical recording / reproducing drive, 22 is a power supply, and 23.
Is a cooling fan, 24 is a dustproof filter, 25 is an optical recording / reproducing drive power supply cable, 26 is a cooling fan power supply cable, 27 is a cooling fan on / off switching unit,
28 is a cooling fan on / on the optical recording / reproducing drive 21 side
A cooling fan on / off switching cable output from the off switching unit 27, 29 is a carriage, 30 is a cartridge storage stocker, and 30a is a cartridge insertion port.

The optical recording / reproducing library device OLS shown in FIG. 11 is basically the same in construction as the conventional device, and has a CPU (not shown) for controlling the entire system.
However, it is characterized in that it is controlled according to the flow of FIG. 12 described later. The configuration and operation will be briefly described. The carriage 29 is vertically movable, and a cartridge inserted into the cartridge insertion opening 30a from outside the library apparatus OLS is stored in the cartridge storage stocker 30.
The optical recording / reproducing drive 21 can be accessed.

In the eighth embodiment, the optical recording / reproducing drive 21 is in the sleep mode and the carriage 29 is in the sleep mode.
When the non-driving time has passed a certain time, the driving of the cooling fan 23 is stopped. Also in this embodiment, the sleep mode of the optical recording / reproducing drive 21 is, as described in the first embodiment (the details are second to fifth embodiments),
It is possible to control in four cases.

The non-driving time of the carriage 29 can be measured by, for example, a timer in the CPU that controls the driving of the carriage 29. The above operation will be described with a flowchart.

FIG. 12 shows a cooling fan 23 according to an embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing library device of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow of on / off control of FIG. In the figure, # 81 to # 87 indicate steps.

At step # 81, the optical recording / reproducing drive 2
Check mode 1. In the normal mode, the process proceeds to step # 82, the cooling fan 23 is turned on, and the process returns to step # 81.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step # 81 is sleep mode or power save mode,
Go to step # 83. In step # 83, the timer in the CPU that controls the drive of the carriage 29 causes
Check its undriven time.

If the non-driving time of the carriage 29 is within the fixed time, the process proceeds to step # 82, the cooling fan 23 is turned on, and the process returns to the previous step # 81.
On the other hand, if a certain time is exceeded, step #
At 84, the cooling fan 23 is turned off.

At the next step # 85, the presence or absence of an instruction from the host computer is monitored. If the command from the host computer is a recording / reproducing command, the process proceeds to step # 86, the mode of the optical recording / reproducing drive 21 is returned to the normal mode, and the cooling fan 23 is operated in step # 87.
Turn on.

If it is determined in step # 84 that the command from the host computer is the command to move the cartridge, the process proceeds to step # 87 to cool the fan 23.
Turn on. Then, the process returns to step # 81. With the above operation, in the optical recording / reproducing library device, the time during which the recording / reproducing operation in the optical recording / reproducing drive and the movement of the cartridge are not performed,
When the cooling fan is present for a predetermined time or longer, the driving of the cooling fan is stopped.

As a result, as in the first to fifth embodiments described above, the drive of the cooling fan is stopped during an unnecessary time, and the power consumption of the optical recording / reproducing drive in the optical recording / reproducing library device is reduced. Is reduced. In addition, it is possible to extend the life of the dustproof filter that prevents the intrusion of dust into the optical recording / reproducing drive, reduce the number of times of filter replacement, reduce the amount of dustproof filter used, and reduce the labor of maintenance (maintenance work). (Time) is saved.

In addition, since the cooling fan is not driven during non-recording, the amount of dust adhering to the dustproof filter is reduced and the occurrence of clogging is reduced, so that the temperature rise value in the apparatus is also reduced and the cooling fan is reduced. Ingress of dust into the device is suppressed and contamination of optical components is prevented. Furthermore, since it is possible to raise the maximum external environmental temperature of the optical recording / reproducing library device, many excellent effects such as improvement in performance in terms of device environment can be obtained.

[0114]

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving of the cooling fan is controlled depending on whether the sleep mode is set or not. Therefore, the power consumption of the optical recording / reproducing drive can be reduced, and the driving of the cooling fan is stopped at an unnecessary time, so that the life of the dustproof filter for preventing the intrusion of dust into the optical recording / reproducing drive is extended. It is possible to reduce the number of times of filter replacement, reduce the amount of dust filter used, and save time and effort for replacement.

In addition, since the cooling fan is not driven during non-recording, the amount of dust adhering to the dustproof filter is reduced and the occurrence of clogging is reduced, so that the temperature rise value in the apparatus is also reduced. As a result, many excellent effects can be obtained, such as preventing dust from entering the cooling fan device, preventing contamination of optical components, and improving reliability of the optical recording / reproducing drive.

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 2,
The spindle motor of the optical recording / reproducing drive is stopped, and the drive of the cooling fan is also stopped accordingly. Therefore, similarly to the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of claim 1, during non-recording / reproducing of the optical recording / reproducing drive (when cooling is unnecessary), power consumption for driving the cooling fan can be reduced, and The overall power consumption of the recording / playback subsystem is also saved.

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 3,
The driving of the semiconductor laser inside the optical recording / reproducing drive is stopped, and the driving of the cooling fan is also stopped accordingly. Therefore, similar to the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of claim 1,
At the time of non-recording / reproducing of the optical recording / reproducing drive (when cooling is not required), power consumption for driving the cooling fan can be reduced and, compared with the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 2, from the sleep state. The restart time is reduced.

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 4,
The CPU inside the optical recording / reproducing drive is set to the sleep mode, and the driving of the cooling fan is also stopped accordingly. Therefore, similar to the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of claim 1,
The non-recording / reproducing of the optical recording / reproducing drive (when cooling is not required) can reduce the power consumption for driving the cooling fan, and, compared with the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 3, changes from the sleep state. The time required for restarting is further reduced.

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 5,
By detecting the drive current of the optical recording / reproducing drive, it is determined whether the optical recording / reproducing subsystem is in the sleep mode, and the drive of the cooling fan is controlled accordingly. Therefore, as compared with the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of claim 1, the sleep mode can be detected easily and surely, and the same effect as that of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of claim 1 can be obtained.

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 6,
When there is no cartridge in the optical recording / reproducing drive, the driving of the cooling fan is stopped. In the state where this cartridge does not exist, cooling of the optical recording / reproducing drive is not necessary at all, and the detection of the presence or absence of the cartridge is extremely simple, so that unnecessary power consumption can be surely saved.

In the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 7,
When loading / unloading a cartridge that consumes a large amount of current in an optical recording / reproducing drive and has a large power supply burden,
The driving of the cooling fan is stopped. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to the sixth aspect, the load on the power source for driving the optical recording / reproducing drive and the cooling fan is reduced.

That is, after the optical recording / reproducing drive inserts the cartridge, the power of the cooling fan is turned on, and before the optical recording / reproducing drive inserts the cartridge, the power of the cooling fan is turned off. Therefore, the maximum output current value can be kept low. As a result, the burden on the power source is reduced, so
An inexpensive power supply can be used, and the cost of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem can be reduced.

In the optical recording / reproducing library device according to the present invention, the driving of the cooling fan is stopped when the recording / reproducing operation in the optical recording / reproducing drive and the cartridge movement are not performed for a predetermined time or more. is doing.
Therefore, in the optical recording / reproducing library device, the power consumption of the optical recording / reproducing drive can be reduced, and the driving of the cooling fan is stopped at an unnecessary time, similarly to the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of claim 1. As a result, it is possible to extend the life of the dustproof filter that prevents dust from entering the optical recording / reproducing drive, reduce the number of filter replacements, reduce the amount of dustproof filter used, and save time and effort for replacement. To be achieved.

In addition, since the cooling fan is not driven during non-recording, the amount of dust adhering to the dustproof filter is reduced and the occurrence of clogging is reduced, so that the temperature rise value in the apparatus is also reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the cooling fan device, prevent contamination of optical parts, and increase the maximum external environmental temperature of the optical recording / reproducing library device, thus improving the environmental performance of the device. And the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention.
It is a side view which shows one Example of the principal part structure.

FIG. 2 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
6 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow during drive control of the cooling fan according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
It is a principal part external view which shows a 2nd Example.

FIG. 4 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
9 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow during drive control of a spindle motor and a cooling fan according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
It is a principal part external view which shows a 3rd Example.

FIG. 6 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
It is a flow chart which shows the flow of the main processing of ON / OFF control of cooling fan 3 by the 3rd example.

FIG. 7 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
It is a flow chart which shows the flow of the main processing of ON / OFF control of cooling fan 3 by the 4th example.

FIG. 8 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
It is a flow chart which shows the flow of the main processing of ON / OFF control of cooling fan 3 by the 5th example.

FIG. 9 shows an optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention,
It is a flow chart which shows the flow of the main processing of ON / OFF control of cooling fan 3 by the 6th example.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing flow of on / off control of the cooling fan 3 according to the seventh embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing subsystem of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing an embodiment of the main configuration of the optical recording / reproducing library device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow of on / off control of the cooling fan 23 according to an embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing library device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Optical recording / reproducing drive 2 Power supply 3 Cooling fan 4 Dust filter 5 Optical recording / reproducing drive power supply cable 6 Cooling fan power supply cable 7 Cooling fan on / off switching unit 8 Cooling fan on / off switching cable 11 Cooling fan power supply Supply and current control cable

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An optical recording / reproducing subsystem comprising an optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power supply, and a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power supply, wherein the optical recording / reproducing drive is A sleep mode setting means for setting a sleep mode in which a power save state is set when a non-operation state is present for a predetermined time or more, and a sleep mode detection means for detecting whether or not the sleep mode is set. The optical recording / reproducing subsystem is characterized in that the drive of the cooling fan is controlled depending on the presence or absence of the above. 2. The optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 1, wherein when the optical recording / reproducing drive is in a sleep mode, the drive of a spindle motor inside the drive is off. 3. The optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 1, wherein when the optical recording / reproducing drive is in a sleep mode, the driving of the semiconductor laser inside the drive is off. 4. The optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 1, wherein the CPU in the optical recording / reproducing drive is in a sleep mode when the optical recording / reproducing drive is in a sleep mode. 5. An optical recording / reproducing subsystem comprising an optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power supply, and a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power supply, wherein An optical recording / reproducing subsystem characterized by comprising drive current detection means for detecting a drive current, wherein the drive of the cooling fan is controlled by the detected drive current. 6. An optical recording / reproducing subsystem comprising an optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power source, and a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power source, wherein the optical recording / reproducing drive comprises: An optical recording / reproducing subsystem characterized by comprising a detection means for detecting whether or not a cartridge has been inserted, and turning on the cooling fan only when the cartridge is in the optical recording / reproducing drive. 7. The optical recording / reproducing subsystem according to claim 6, wherein after the optical recording / reproducing drive inserts the cartridge, the cooling fan is turned on and before the optical recording / reproducing drive inserts the cartridge. The optical recording / reproducing subsystem is characterized in that the cooling fan is turned off. 8. An optical recording / reproducing drive for recording / reproducing information, a power source, a cooling fan for cooling the optical recording / reproducing drive and the power source, a plurality of cartridge storage stockers, and a cartridge for the optical recording / reproducing. In an optical recording / reproducing library device including a drive, a cartridge storage stocker, and a carriage for moving to the outside of the device, a sleep mode is set in which a power save state is set when the optical recording / reproducing drive is inactive for a predetermined time or longer. Sleep mode setting means, a sleep mode detecting means for detecting whether or not it is in a sleep mode, and a cartridge non-driving time detecting means for detecting whether or not the non-driving time after driving the cartridge exceeds a predetermined value. ,,, and whether the sleep mode is set or the cartridge is not driven. And the detection result by the optical recording reproducing library apparatus characterized by controlling the driving of the cooling fan.