JPS6113220A - Object lens cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate automatically foreign matters on the surface of an object lens by blowing air to the surface of the object lens provided at the front end of an optical head. CONSTITUTION:When a disc 2 is inserted to an optical recording and reproducing device horizontally from its front 1, the disc 2 is brought into contact with a transmission plate 5. When the disc 2 is inserted furthermore, an air holding member 6 is contracted by the transmission plate 5, and air charged in the air holding member 6 passes a tube 12 and blows away foreign matters such as rubbish and dust stuck to the surface of an object lens 11. Since a valve 14 provided in a tube 13 is closed at this time, air in the air holding member 6 is not leaked. When the disc 2 is taken out from the optical recording and reproducing device, the disc 2 is separated from the transmission plate 5, and the air holding member 6 is expanded by springs 7, and the valve 14 is opened to charge air into the member 6 from the tube 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention is used in an optical reproducing device that uses a laser as a light source to record or reproduce information by focusing light onto a recording track formed on a disc-shaped recording medium. This invention relates to an objective lens cleaning/cleaning device.

Conventional configurations and their problems In general, in optical recording and reproducing devices that use laser light to record or reproduce information signals at high density, dirt, scratches, etc. can occur on the surface of the objective lens installed in the optical head. It has the characteristic that even if there is dust, there is relatively little hindrance to recording and reproducing signals. However, if large dirt or dust adheres to the surface of the objective lens and condenses, it will adversely affect signal recording and reproduction. For this reason, recently, the need for an objective lens cleaning device that removes foreign matter such as dust from the surface of the objective lens has been emphasized. However, in the past, such an objective lens cleaning device did not exist, and foreign substances on the surface of the objective lens were manually removed using cloth such as gauze.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an objective lens cleaning device that can automatically remove foreign substances on the surface of an objective lens that adversely affect recording and reproduction of signals in an optical recording and/or reproduction device.

Structure of the Invention The objective lens cleaning device of the present invention performs five steps in conjunction with the operation of inserting a case containing a recording medium into an optical recording/reproducing device.
This device is equipped with an air blowing means that is driven by the optical head, and is configured to blow air to remove dust from the surface of the objective lens provided at the tip of the optical head.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are side views of an objective lens cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the case before the case containing the recording medium is attached to the main device, and FIG. This is a diagram after it has been attached to the main body device and subjected to y-ning.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes the front housing part of the optical recording/reproducing apparatus. 2 is a case (hereinafter referred to as a disk) that houses a recording medium.

3 is a lid that opens only when disc 2 is inserted and taken out. 4 is a cap that holds down the disc 2 when the disc number is on the turntable 8. Reference numeral 6 denotes a transmission plate that transmits the force to the cleaning member 6 when the disk 2 is inserted into contact with the disk 2 and the air retaining member 6. The air retaining member 6 is bag-shaped and has air stored therein, and when the disk 2 is fixed on the turntable 8, the air within the air retaining member 6 is strongly blown against the objective lens due to the transmission force at that time. It has become. 7 is an elastic material, and a spring is used here. This spring 7 is an air retaining member 6
Care was taken to maintain a constant volume. 8 is a turntable that directly transmits the driving force of the disc motor 9;
The disk 2 is installed coaxially.

A disk motor 9 drives the disk 2 to rotate. 1
0 is an optical head for recording or reproducing information. 11
An objective lens is disposed at the tip of the optical head 1o and focuses the laser beam onto a recording medium housed in the disk 2. Reference numeral 12 denotes a tube for blowing air toward the objective lens 8, and the tube has a sharpened tip to blow strong air to remove foreign matter adhering to the objective lens 8.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a pipe that sends air into the air holding member 6 when the disc 2 is taken out from the turntable 8. A valve 14 inside the pipe sends air only in the direction opposite to the X direction while the disc 2 is being removed from the turntable 8. do not have.

The operation of the objective lens cleaning device configured as described above will be explained below.

First, in FIG. 1, when the disk 2 is manually fed horizontally in the X-axis direction in the figure from the front surface 1 of the optical recording/reproducing apparatus, the disk 2 comes into contact with the transmission plate 6.

When the disk 2 is further pushed in the X direction in the figure by applying force to the hand, the air retaining member 6 is contracted by the transmission plate 5, and the air contained in the air retaining member 6 passes through the tube 12. It is designed to blow away and remove foreign substances such as large dirt and dust that have adhered to the surface of the objective lens 11.

At this time, the valve 14 in the pipe 13 is closed, so that the air in the air retaining member 6 does not leak. Furthermore, when the center of disc 2 comes to the middle of turntable 8,
The disk moves in the Y direction in the figure, and the cap 4 presses and fixes the disk 2 from above, completing preparations for recording and reproduction. At this time, this objective lens cleaning device does not operate. Next, when the recording/reproduction ends and the disk 2 is taken out from the optical recording/reproducing apparatus, when the disk 2 leaves the transmission plate 5, the spring 7 tries to return to its original state and moves in the opposite direction to the X direction in the figure. As a result, the air pressure inside the air retaining member 6 decreases, the valve 14 opens and air enters from the tube 13, returning the disk 2 to its original state before being inserted into the optical recording/reproducing device.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an objective lens cleaning device in another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are given the same numbers and lowercase letters, and their explanations will be omitted.

In FIG. 3, the air retaining member 6a can remove foreign matter on the surface of the first objective lens 11a when the disk 2a is lowered in the Y direction in the figure.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, air is strongly blown against the objective lens in conjunction with the insertion operation of inserting the case containing the recording medium into the main body of the optical recording/reproducing device. This provides an excellent effect of automatically removing foreign substances on the surface.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an objective lens cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention before disk mounting, FIG. 2 is a side view after mounting, and FIG. 3 is a side view of an objective lens cleaning device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2.2a...Case containing the recording medium, 4゜4a...Cap, 5,5a...Transmission plate, 6,6d...Air retention Parts, 7, 7a...
...Spring, 8,8a...Turntable,
9, 9a...Disc motor, 10, 10
a...Optical head, 11.11a...
Objective lens, 12.12 &... tube, 13,13
a...Pipe, 14,14a...Valve. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Figure □X Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An objective lens provided at the tip of an optical head of an optical recording/reproducing device configured to record and/or reproduce information on a recording medium such as a disc-shaped recording medium using an optical system using a light source such as a semiconductor laser. An objective characterized in that it has an air blowing means for blowing air to the object, and is configured to drive the air blowing means in conjunction with the operation of inserting the case containing the recording medium into the optical recording and reproducing device. Lens cleaning device. (2) The air blowing means includes an air retaining member containing air to be blown onto the objective lens, an elastic member for introducing air into the air retaining member, and an air retaining member that directs the air contained in the air retaining member onto the objective lens surface. The objective lens according to claim (1), characterized in that it is equipped with a blowing pipe for blowing forcefully, and a valve that takes air into the air retaining member and prevents the built-in air from flowing out. cleaning equipment.