JPH08138333A - Disc player - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce total power consumption by minimizing the load on a pickup feed motor. CONSTITUTION: A pickup 18 is coupled with a lead screw 72 through a power transmission means 80 comprising first and second leaf spring members 82, 83 fixed with a rack member 81 having a groove mating the groove of the lead screw 72. The second leaf spring member 8 acts to restrain the first leaf spring member 82 from being bent outward by the transferring load which increases upon depression of a switch 91 for detecting the movement of the pickup 18 to a position where a TOC area can be read out. Since a minimum necessary force for feeding the pickup is required as the pressing force of the first leaf spring member, power consumption of the pickup feed motor can be minimized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a CD player, a CD-
The present invention relates to a disc reproducing device for reproducing information recorded on an optical disc such as a ROM drive.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, disk drives such as CD-ROM drives, which use optical disks as recording media, have become smaller and lighter, and along with this, the development of disk drives of the type incorporated in a portable computer has been active. Has been done in.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the essential parts of a pickup feeding mechanism developed for the purpose of reducing the size and weight of the disk drive.

Reference numeral 101 is an optical pickup, and the pickup 101 is slidably mounted between two guide shafts 102 and 103. Of the two guide shafts 102 and 103, one guide shaft (hereinafter, referred to as a lead screw) 103 is provided with a screw-like groove on the peripheral surface over substantially the entire length. The lead screw 103 is rotatably supported by the tray base. A gear 104 is attached to one end of the lead screw 103. Reference numeral 105 denotes a pickup feed motor, and the power of the motor 105 is transmitted to the gear 104 through various transmission gears, whereby the lead screw 103 is rotationally driven. As shown in FIG. 18, the pickup 101 is connected to the lead screw 103 via a leaf spring member 107 having a rack member 106 having a groove that meshes with the groove of the lead screw 103. The leaf spring member 107 acts so as to press-fit the rack member 106 fixed thereto to the lead screw 106 with an appropriate pressure so that the groove of the lead screw 103 and the rack member 106 are pressure-bonded to each other.

Here, if the coupling force between the groove of the lead screw 103 and the rack member 106 by the leaf spring member 107 is too strong, the friction between the groove of the lead screw 103 and the rack member 106 increases, and the load of the motor 105 is increased. Will increase unreasonably. Therefore, the leaf spring member 107
Groove of the lead screw 103 and the rack member 106
As a coupling force with the pickup 101, the minimum necessary force capable of sending the pickup 101 will suffice.

However, the disc drive is provided with a switch 110 for detecting that the pickup 101 has moved to a position where the TOC area on the disc can be read by pressing the pickup 101. Is always urged by a spring force (not shown) in the direction opposite to the pressing direction from the pickup 101. Therefore, at the moment when the pickup 101 presses the switch 110, the pickup 1
Since the load for sending 01 is increased, pickup 1
As shown in FIG. 19, the leaf spring member 107 cannot withstand this load and bends outward at the minimum necessary pressure for sending 8 to disengage the groove of the lead screw 103 from the rack member 106. I will end up. Therefore, the pressure of the leaf spring member 107 must be set in consideration of the load of the switch spring, and the load of the motor 105 increases correspondingly, and the power consumption of the motor 105 also increases.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and in a disk reproducing apparatus configured to send a pickup by pressing a rack member against a lead screw, a rack for the lead screw is provided. It is possible to suppress the pressing force of the member to the minimum necessary for pick-up conveyance, thereby minimizing the load on the pick-up feed motor and providing a disk reproducing device that can reduce the total power consumption. Has an aim.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the disc reproducing apparatus of the present invention has a feed mechanism for feeding a pickup for reading information recorded on the disc in the radial direction of the disc. In the disc reproducing apparatus, the feed mechanism supports the pickup movably in the radial direction of the disc, and a pickup transport shaft having a screw-shaped groove on its peripheral surface, and the pickup transport shaft is centered on the axis. A drive source for rotationally driving, a rack member that is engaged with the groove of the pickup transfer shaft, and a rack member that is fixed to the pickup while being pressed against the groove of the pickup transfer shaft with a predetermined pressure. 1 elastic member and the first
Second elastic member for increasing the pressing force of the first elastic member when the rack member is about to move in the direction away from the groove of the pickup transport shaft against the pressing force of the elastic member. And is provided.

[0009]

That is, the present invention increases the pressing force of the first elastic member when the rack member is about to move in the direction away from the groove of the pickup conveying shaft against the pressing force of the first elastic member. Therefore, the repulsive force of the second elastic member acts so that the rack member does not come off from the groove of the pickup conveying shaft. Therefore, even when the pickup is configured to press the switch for detecting the TOC area on the disc that can read the TOC area against the spring pressure, the first plate Since the pressing force of the spring member is the minimum necessary force for sending the pickup, the power consumption of the pickup feeding motor can be suppressed to the necessary minimum.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show C of an embodiment according to the present invention.
It is a perspective view showing the appearance of a D-ROM drive.

As shown in FIG. 1, this CD-ROM drive is installed by being inserted into a slot provided in a personal computer. Personal computer
It is a thin type of so-called laptop, notebook or book type, and as shown in the figure, the CD of this embodiment.
The ROM drive is installed by being inserted into, for example, a slot provided under the keyboard of a personal computer.

In the CD-ROM drive, a tray 2 for mounting a CD-ROM disc (not shown) is horizontally placed on a metal cabinet (reference numeral 1 in the drawing) (the surface of the disc mounted on the tray 2). It has a structure that allows it to be taken in and out freely (along the direction). The cabinet 1 has an opening 3 on one surface for loading and unloading the tray 2, and the opening 3
A decorative frame 4 is fitted around the.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state where the tray 2 is discharged from the cabinet 1. As shown in this figure, the tray 2 is formed with a disc mounting recess 6 for mounting the disc in a fixed position, and notches 7 are provided at opposing positions on both sides of the tray 2 so that the disc can be easily taken out from the recess 6.
Is provided. A turntable 8 directly connected to a disc motor (not shown) is arranged in the center of the recess 6, and the center of the turntable 8 is fitted with a center hole of the disc to turn the disc into a turntable. A disc chuck 9 for mounting and fixing in a fixed position on 8 is projected. Further, in the concave portion 6, the pickup lens 1 of the optical pickup arranged on the back side of the tray 2 in the figure.
A window 11 is opened to expose 0 to the mounted disk surface.

Reference numeral 13 is a front panel attached to the tray 2, and the front panel 13 is provided with an eject button 14 that is pressed when the tray 2 is ejected from the cabinet 1. Further, reference numeral 15 is an opening opened in the cabinet 1, and this opening 15 is opened at a position substantially overlapping the disc chuck 9 when the tray 2 is accommodated in the cabinet 1, as shown in FIG. Between the inner surface of the cabinet 1 and the disc chuck 9, a tray 2 is provided to reduce the overall thickness of the drive device.
There is only a small gap so that they do not come into contact with each other during insertion / ejection. Therefore, the opening 15 functions as a relief against interference between the disc chuck 9 and the cabinet 1 when, for example, vibration is applied from the outside. Further, the opening 13 contributes to the heat radiation effect in the cabinet 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the structure of the CD-ROM drive of this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the cabinet 1 is covered on one side with an upper lid 1A. In the cabinet 1, semiconductor elements such as a microcomputer and various motor drive circuits, and a printed wiring board 22 on which various electronic components such as a connector 21 for electrical connection with an external device (host computer) are mounted, A tray lock mechanism 30 and the like for locking the tray 2 housed in the cabinet 1 at a fixed position where the disc reproducing operation is possible is built in.

Further, 40 and 41 are sliders attached to both side portions of the tray 2, respectively. These sliders 40 and 41 move in the moving direction of the tray 2 (arrow Y-
Mounted so as to be slidable in the Y'direction), and its tip extends from a position substantially flush with the insertion-side tip surface of the tray 2 to a position protruding from the insertion-side tip surface as shown in the drawing. Has become. The sliders 40 and 41 are respectively configured to engage with the slider rails 50 and 51 provided in the cabinet 1 so as to be supported and guided by the slider rails 50 and 51, respectively. FIG. 7 shows the positions of the sliders 40 and 41 when the tray is ejected. As shown in the figure, each slider 4
0 and 41 are pulled out to the inside of the cabinet 1 to the full extent, and almost half of the entire length is supported by the slider rails 50 and 51. Each of the slider rails 50 and 51 has a U-shaped cross section so that the sliders 40 and 41 can be held even in the vertical direction, so that the tray 2 discharged from the cabinet 1 is supported in a cantilevered state. Work as intended.

Further, the tray 2 is provided with two long grooves 16 in parallel along the moving direction of the tray 2. These long grooves 16 and 16 stop slightly before the insertion-side tip of the tray 2. These long grooves 16, 16
The stopper pins 17, 17 projecting from the inner surface of the upper lid 1A of the cabinet 1 are inserted into this. Then, the stopper pins 17, 17 are guided by the long grooves 16, 16 as the tray 2 is taken in and out of the cabinet 1, and the stopper pins 17, 17 are guided when the tray 2 is completely discharged.
Is restricted at the ends of the long grooves 16, 16.

Further, in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the portion indicated by 60 is the printed wiring board 2 in the cabinet 1.
2 and a printed wiring board (not shown) in the tray 2 are supported by the flexible wiring board 61, and when the tray 2 is housed in the cabinet 1, the flexible wiring board 61 is placed in the tray 2 It is a guide member for guiding so as to be accommodated in a predetermined accommodation space (a portion indicated by 77 in FIG. 12) therein.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the details of the disk drive mechanism provided in the tray 2 and a plan view thereof.

As shown in the figure, the disk drive mechanism is
It is composed of a disk motor 53 and a turntable 8 fixed to the motor shaft of the disk motor 53. At the center of the turntable 8, a disc chuck 9 for positioning the disc D on the turntable 8 and detachably fixing the disc D is integrally and projectingly provided. On the outer peripheral portion of the disc chuck 9, three chuck chips 9a are embedded along the peripheral surface of the disc chuck 9 at equal intervals so as to partially project from the peripheral surface of the disc chuck 9. Each chuck tip 9
A is pressed in the radial direction from the center of the disk chuck 9 by a compression spring 9b in the disk chuck 9, and is supported so as to be able to move back and forth within a predetermined stroke length along the radial direction. That is, each chuck tip 9a is pushed back by the wall surface of the center hole of the disk when the disk D is mounted, and once retracts, and thereafter, as the disk D is dropped on the turntable 8, it moves forward by the force of the compression spring 9b. As a result, the disk D is elastically pressed by the lower spherical surface of each chuck tip 9a and is stably set on the turntable 8.

In the present embodiment, each chuck tip 9a
In order to retract the tip 9a into the chuck 9 by pressing from the wall surface of the center hole of the disc D when the disc D is mounted, the flat surface A having its upper end parallel to the disc surface is formed. The acting portion is constituted by a flat surface (tapered surface) B inclined with respect to the disk surface. The portion that acts to press the disc D from above and stably mount it on the turntable 8 is formed as a spherical surface C as before.

Therefore, if the height of the disc chuck 9 is determined so that the upper end surface of the disc chuck 9 is evenly aligned with the flat surface A at the upper end of each chuck tip 9a, the result shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the height dimension of the disc chuck 9 can be reduced by h as compared with the conventional one using a metal ball (shown by the one-dot chain line in the figure), which contributes to the thinning of the entire disc drive. be able to.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, the details of the tray lock mechanism and the operation at the time of inserting / ejecting the tray 2 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a state when the tray is discharged. At this time, the stopper pins 17, 17 projecting from the inner surface of the upper lid (not shown) of the cabinet 1 are attached to the tray 2
Are located at the ends of the long grooves 16, 16 provided in the, and this defines the position of the tray 2 at the time of ejection. Thus, in this embodiment, the stopper pins 17, 1
7 and the long grooves 16 and 16 realize a positioning mechanism for discharging the tray with a simple structure, and the device can be made small and thin.

When the tray 2 is pushed into the cabinet, as shown in FIG. 8, the flexible wiring board 61 is inserted into the accommodation space 77 of the flexible wiring board provided under the tray 2 together with the guide member 60. When the tray 2 is finally housed in the cabinet 1, it is housed in the housing space 77 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the accommodation space 7 for the flexible wiring board 61 is provided.
7 is provided in an elongated shape along the moving direction of the tray 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the depth of the tray 2, and the size and thickness of the entire disc drive can be reduced.

Further, when the tray 2 is inserted further deeply from the state shown in FIG. 8, the rear end surface 2A of the tray 2 comes into contact with the tray ejection lever 78 provided in the cabinet 1. The tray discharge lever 78 is slidably supported within a certain distance along the moving direction of the tray 2,
The force of the spring 79 urges the arrow Y'direction, that is, the tray discharge direction. Therefore, the rear end surface 2 of the tray 2
At A, move the tray eject lever 78 to the tray insertion direction (Y direction).
The spring 79 gradually expands by pushing to, and its repulsive force increases.

Further, when the tray 2 is inserted to the state shown in FIG. 9, the lock pin 68 provided so as to vertically project from the lower surface of the tray 2 comes into contact with the tapered surface 69a of the lock lever 69 provided in the cabinet 1. Contact. Here, the lock lever 69 has two guide shafts 57, 57 projecting from the cabinet 1 inserted into the two parallel guide grooves 55, 55 so that the movement range thereof is restricted, that is, the lock lever 69. Is supported so that it can move back and forth in the direction of arrow XX '. In addition, the lock lever 69 is the spring 5
It is pulled in the direction of the arrow X by the force of 9.

When the lock pin 68 comes into contact with the tapered surface 69a of the lock lever 69 when the tray 2 is inserted, the tray 2 is inserted further deeply so that the lock lever 69 is spring 59 in the direction of the arrow X '. Move in parallel against the force of. Then, when the lock pin 68 gets over the end of the tapered surface 69a, the lock lever 69 slides in the direction of the arrow X by the spring force, and as shown in FIG.
The lock pin 68 is inserted into the hook portion (lock portion) 69b. As a result, the tray 2 is locked at a fixed position in the cabinet 1 by the lock mechanism 30.

When ejecting the tray 2 from the cabinet 1, as shown in FIG. 11, the eject button 14 is pressed in order to unlock the tray 2. In the tray stored state, the eject button 14 is in contact with the tip of one of the sliders 41, and by pushing the eject button 14, the slider 41 is slid in the tray insertion direction (arrow Y direction). The tip of the slider 41 is in contact with the second tapered surface 69c of the lock lever 69, and the slide movement of the slider 41 in the tray insertion direction causes the lock lever 69 to oppose the force of the spring 59 in the arrow X'direction. Moving. This allows the tray 2
Of the lock pin 68 is the hook portion 69b of the lock lever 69.
Then, the tray 2 is pushed slightly forward (in the direction of the arrow Y ') by the tray discharge lever 78 biased by the spring 79. This state (almost as shown in FIG. 9)
Then, the user can pull out the tray 2 by putting his / her finger on the front panel 13 of the tray 2, and then the user can pull out the tray 2 to the full extent.

Next, the internal structure of the tray 2 will be described.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the inside of the tray with a metal cover (not shown) covering the back side surface of the tray 2 removed.

In the figure, 18 is an optical pickup, and this pickup 18 has two guide shafts 71,
It is erected slidably between 72. One guide shaft (hereinafter, referred to as a lead screw) 72 of the two guide shafts 71 and 72 has a screw-like groove formed on the peripheral surface thereof over substantially the entire length. The lead screw 72 is rotatably supported by the tray base 2. A gear 73 is attached to one end of the lead screw 72. Reference numeral 74 is a pickup feed motor, and the power of the motor 74 is transmitted to the gear 73 through various transmission gears, whereby the lead screw 72 is rotationally driven. The pickup 18 is connected to the lead screw 72 via a power transmission means 80, which will be described later, and is configured to be fed and driven by the rotation of the lead screw 72.

In FIG. 12, 75 is a motor support base for supporting the disc motor 53, and 76 is a standby position near the disc motor of the pickup 18 or a region on the disc where the disc management information is recorded, TO.
A ground spring for contacting the pickup 18 and grounding the pickup 18 when the C (Table of Contents) area is in a position where it can be read. further,
Reference numeral 77 denotes an accommodation space for the flexible wiring board 61 when the tray 2 is accommodated in the cabinet 1. As described above, in this embodiment, the accommodation space 77 for the flexible wiring board 61 is provided in an elongated shape along the moving direction of the tray 2.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the details of the pickup feed mechanism, and FIG. 14 is an exploded view showing the structure of the connecting portion (power transmission means 80) between the lead screw and the pickup in this pickup feed mechanism.

As shown in these figures, the pickup 1
Reference numeral 8 denotes a first leaf spring member 82 and a second leaf spring member 82 to which a rack member 81 having a groove that meshes with the groove of the lead screw 72 is fixed.
It is connected to the lead screw 72 via a power transmission means 80 composed of a leaf spring member 83. The first plate spring member 82 presses the rack member 81 fixed to the first plate spring member 82 into the groove of the lead screw 72 with an appropriate pressure (minimum necessary pressure capable of sending the pickup 18), whereby Groove and rack member 81
It works by pressing and bonding.

By the way, in this disc drive, the pickup 1 moves when the pickup 18 moves to a position where the TOC area on the disc can be read.
A switch 91 is provided for detecting by pressing from 8 itself. The switch 91 is constantly urged by a spring force (not shown) in a direction against the pressure from the pickup 18. Therefore, the pickup 18
When the switch presses the switch 91, the pickup 18
Since the load for sending the spring increases by the repulsive force of the spring,
As shown in FIG. 15, the first leaf spring member 82 does not withstand this load and bends outward, so that the lead screw 72
The engagement between the groove and the rack member 81 is about to come off. But,
At this time, the second plate spring member 82 is placed outside the second plate spring member 82.
Due to the repulsive force of the plate spring member 83, the rack member 81 maintains the meshed state without being disengaged from the groove of the lead screw 72. That is, the second plate spring member 83 is not in contact with the first plate spring member 82 during normal traveling of the pickup 18, or the pressing force from the second plate spring member 83 is applied to the first plate spring member 82. The first plate spring member 82 exerts its elastic force only when the first plate spring member 82 is bent outward so that the pressing force of the rack member 81 against the groove of the lead screw 72 is increased. The rack member 81 acts so as not to come off from the groove of the lead screw 72.

With this configuration, as the pressing force of the first leaf spring member 81, even if the pickup 18 comes to a position where the TOC area on the disk can be read and receives the reaction force from the switch spring, The minimum force required for sending the pickup 18 is sufficient, and the load on the motor 74 for sending the pickup 18 is also required minimum.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the pickup 18 is in its standby position, or in a position where the TOC area on the disk can be read, as shown in FIG.
Is configured to elastically contact with. FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of the tray 2. As shown in this figure, the earth spring 76 is a metal plate 92 attached to the tray base 2.
It is stuck to. The metal plate 92 is a metal cover 7 that covers the back side of the tray 2 through a set earth spring 93.
It is electrically coupled to 0. Further, the metal cover 70 is electrically coupled to the metal cabinet 1 via a conductive member (not shown).

Therefore, with this configuration, the pickup 18 is grounded each time it moves to the standby position, and the electric charge accumulated by the high voltage discharge from the outside can be released to the outside, and the laser diode or the like can be released. The risk of electrostatic breakdown can be greatly reduced.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the rack member is about to move in the direction away from the groove of the pickup conveying shaft against the pressing force of the first elastic member, the first
In order to increase the pressing force of the elastic member, the repulsive force of the second elastic member acts to prevent the rack member from coming off the groove of the pickup transport shaft, or the pickup is in a state of not moving due to load. However, even when it is further urged in the moving direction, the pressing force of the first leaf spring member is the minimum force required to feed the pickup, and the power consumption of the pickup feed motor is the minimum required. You can keep it to the limit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a CD-ROM drive according to an embodiment of the present invention when a tray is inserted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the CD-ROM drive of FIG. 1 when a tray is ejected.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an exploded configuration of the CD-ROM drive of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a flexible wiring board connected between a tray and a cabinet.

5A and 5B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view showing details of a disk drive mechanism built in a tray.

6 is a sectional view showing details of a disc chuck in the disc drive mechanism of FIG. 5 in comparison with a conventional example.

7 is a plan view showing a state of the CD-ROM drive shown in FIG. 1 when a tray is ejected.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which the tray is inserted halfway from the state of FIG.

9 is a plan view showing a state when the tray is inserted further deeply from the state of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state where tray insertion is completed (tray storage state).

FIG. 11 is a plan view for explaining the operation when the tray is discharged.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the tray.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing details of a pickup feeding mechanism.

14 is an exploded view showing a configuration of a connecting portion between a lead screw and a pickup in the pickup feeding mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the connecting portion between the lead screw and the pickup shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a tray side sectional view for explaining an earth spring in the tray.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a main part of a pickup feed mechanism in a conventional disc drive.

18 is an exploded view showing a configuration of a connecting portion between a lead screw and a pickup in the conventional pickup feeding mechanism shown in FIG.

19 is a plan view showing how the groove of the lead screw and the rack member shown in FIG. 18 are disengaged from each other.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Cabinet, 2 ... Tray, 18 ... Pickup,
72 ... Lead screw, 81 ... Rack member, 82 ... First leaf spring member, 83 ... Second leaf spring member, 91 ... Switch.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A disc reproducing apparatus having a feed mechanism for feeding a pickup for reading information recorded on a disc in a radial direction of the disc, wherein the feed mechanism moves the pickup in a radial direction of the disc. A pickup carrier shaft which is freely supported and has a screw-shaped groove on its peripheral surface, a drive source for rotationally driving the pickup carrier shaft around an axis, and a groove which is engaged with the groove of the pickup carrier shaft. A rack member, a first elastic member for fixing the rack member to the pickup in a state where the rack member is pressed against the groove of the pickup transport shaft with a predetermined pressure, and the first elastic member resists the pressing force of the first elastic member. When the rack member is about to move in the direction away from the groove of the pickup transport shaft, the pressing force of the first elastic member is applied. A disk reproducing device comprising a second elastic member for increasing the number. 2. The disc reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switch for detecting that the pickup has been sent to a predetermined position by pressing the pickup, and the pickup presses the switch. The disk reproducing device is characterized in that, at this time, the rack member starts to move in a direction away from the groove of the pickup transport shaft.