JPH0982002A - Optical disk drive - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: An optical disk drive device that can be installed substantially vertically is disclosed. The optical disk drive device includes a tray (28) for transferring an optical disk between a first position for loading / unloading the optical disk (22, 22 ′) and a second position for reading information stored in the optical disk. ), And one or more disc clamping means (21) provided with an elastic member (24) for removably clamping the optical disc placed on the tray at its outer peripheral portion. The disk clamp means holds the optical disk on the mounting surface (29, 30) of the tray at least during transfer of the optical disk, and
At the position and the second position, the clamp can be released by applying a force component in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface. With such a configuration, the optical disc can be held on the mounting surface of the tray at least during the transfer of the optical disc, so that the optical disc drive can be installed vertically.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical disc driver such as a compact disc ROM driver for computers and a disc driver for audio / video compact disc players.
iv) device, and in particular, an optical disk drive including a moving tray for mounting and moving the optical disk between a first position for loading or unloading the optical disk and a second position for reading information stored in the optical disk. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Compact disk ROM driver (c
ompact disk ROM driver)
It is an auxiliary storage device of a computer and is usually used by being built in the computer body. The computer includes some various input / output devices and peripheral devices in addition to the essential components such as the main body, monitor, and keyboard, but when used in an office or home,
The expansion of the space occupied by these peripheral devices has caused inconvenience in use.

Recently, various attempts have been made to improve the consumer's purchasing desire by variously modifying the external design of a computer. For example, as a typical example in which the external appearance of a personal computer is modified, there is a case where the computer main body is modified in a vertical type or a tower type. In the early days of the popularization of personal computers, most computer manufacturing companies adopted a method in which a rectangular parallelepiped computer body was placed horizontally, but when using such a computer placed on a desk. Has a problem that a large area is occupied. In order to solve such a problem, a so-called tower type computer in which a computer main body is placed vertically is used.

By the way, in such a tower type computer, it is necessary to change the position of the floppy disk driver or the position of the compact disk ROM driver incorporated in the computer body. However, there is a limitation that the CD-ROM driver must always be kept in a horizontal state regardless of whether it is built in the computer or provided in another peripheral device. Therefore, when the compact disc is used in the CD-ROM driver, it is necessary to move the disc to the drive position by the transfer device after placing the disc on the moving tray. Since there is no mechanism for clamping on the tray, CD-R
The OM driver could not be installed vertically.

The above points can be more clearly understood with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a conventional CD-ROM driver, showing a state in which the disc tray 11 projects to the outside, and FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG. When loading the disk 12 on a turntable (not shown),
In the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (first position), the user places the disk 12 on the mounting surface on the tray 11. The disk 12 is transferred to a drive position (second position) by a disk loading device (not shown) having a transfer function. The disk 12 is rotated by the spindle motor 13 at the drive position, and the data recorded on the disk 12 is read by the optical pickup device 14 that moves linearly according to the guide rail 15.

The conventional CD-RO configured as described above
In the M driver, when the disc is driven on the turntable, it is rotatably fixed, but when the tray is projected to the outside of the driver, there is no clamp device, so the driver is installed vertically in the computer. I can't. Such a point is the same in the disk driver used in the audio / video optical disk player, which is also a problem.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional optical disk drivers such as the CD-ROM driver and the audio / video compact disk player disk driver as described above. An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved optical disk driver device equipped with a disk clamp means capable of fixing a disk to a tray even when the optical disk driver is installed vertically.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention described in claim 1 provides an optical disk (22, 2).
2 ') a first position for loading or unloading and a second for reading the information stored on the optical disc (22, 22')
The optical disc (22, 22 ') between the position and
In an optical disk drive device equipped with a tray (28) for mounting and moving the optical disks (22, 22 ') mounted on the tray (28), an elastic member (for clamping the optical disk (22, 22') at its outer peripheral portion in a detachable manner ( The present invention is characterized in that one or more disc clamping means (21) including 24) are provided.

Incidentally, the disc clamping means (21) provided on the tray (28) has the optical disc (22, 22 ') at least during the transfer of the optical disc (22, 22'). ) Is held on the mounting surface (29, 30) of the tray (28), and a force component in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface (29, 30) is applied at the first position and the second position. Is preferably configured such that the clamp can be released. With such a configuration, at least the optical disc (22, 2,
Since the optical disk (22, 22 ') can be held on the mounting surface (29, 30) of the tray (28) during the transfer of 2'), the optical disk drive can be installed vertically.

The disc clamping means (21)
The elastic member (24) provided at the horizontal portion (24a) that is separably supported by the mounting surface (29, 30) of the tray (28) and the end of the horizontal portion (24). And an inclined portion (24b, 24b '), the disc clamping means (21) has an inclined portion (24b, 24b).
rollers (23, 2) rotatably supported at the end of b ')
3 ') is preferably further provided. According to this structure, the clamp mechanism for the optical disk (22, 22 ′) can be realized with a simple structure. Further, an inclined portion (2) extending obliquely upward from an end portion on the outer side in the radial direction of the horizontal portion (24).
4b), and an inclined portion (24 ') extending obliquely downward from the inner end of the horizontal portion (24) in the radial direction, thereby forming an optical disc (22, 22') having a different outer diameter.
It is possible to realize a mechanism for clamping the above with one elastic member (24).

Further, a plurality of disc clamping means (2
By arranging 1) along the outer circumference of the optical disk (22, 22 ′) at equal intervals (for example, three at 120 ° intervals), the mounted optical disks (22, 22 ′) are separated from each other at the outer circumference. From the above points, it is possible to clamp with substantially equal force, and the optical disk (22, 2
2 ') can be retained.

[0012]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A preferred embodiment of an optical disk drive constructed according to the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a tray 28 provided with a disc clamp means 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the disc clamp means 21. Has been done. Disc clamp means 2
1 is mainly composed of a leaf spring 24 and a roller 23. The leaf spring 24 includes a horizontal portion 24a and inclined portions 24b, 24.
b ', and the horizontal part 24a is attached to the tray 28 with screws 26
Fixed by.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 28 has planes 29 and 30 forming stairs so that two discs 22 and 22 'having different diameters can be placed. That is, it is possible to place a smaller diameter disc 22 ′ on the lower plane 30 of the tray 28 and a larger diameter disc 22 on the upper plane 29 of the tray 28.
Can be arranged. Horizontal part 24 of leaf spring 24
a is a tray 2 on which a disc 22 having a large diameter is arranged
It is fixed to the lower surface of the upper flat surface 29 of 8 with screws 26. Inclined portions 24b and 24b 'are vertically formed on both sides of the horizontal portion 24a, and rollers 23 and 23' are rotatably provided at ends of the inclined portions 24b and 24 '. That is, as will be described later, an inclined portion 24b extending obliquely upward is formed at an end portion on the outer side in the radial direction of the horizontal portion 24, and a clamp mechanism for the large-diameter optical disc 22 placed on the upper flat surface 29 is provided. On the other hand, an inclined portion 24 ′ extending obliquely downward is formed at the end of the horizontal portion 24 on the inner side in the radial direction, and the inclined portion 24 ′ for the small-diameter optical disc 22 ′ mounted on the lower plane 30 is formed. A clamp mechanism is configured.

Now, both inclined portions 24b, 24 of the leaf spring 24 are
Rollers 23, 23 'are provided on b'rotatably around shafts 27, 27', respectively. In the illustrated example, the shafts 27, 27 ′ are the inclined portions 24 b, 2 of the leaf spring 24.
It is welded to the tip of 4b '. However, roller 23,
The sloping portion 24, 24 'of the leaf spring 24 is rolled to form a bearing for the shaft 27, 27' of the 23 'and is configured to support the shaft 27, 27' of the roller 23, 23 '. You can also The rollers 23, 23 'are made of an elastic material such as synthetic resin or rubber,
It is desirable that the surfaces of the disks 22 and 22 'are not scratched when the 2, 22' are clamped.

The roller 23 for supporting the large-diameter optical disk 22 is installed so that the inner surface thereof is slightly inside the outer peripheral surface of the optical disk 22 placed on the upper flat surface 29. Similarly, the roller 23 ′ for supporting the small-diameter optical disc 22 ′ is installed so that the inner surface thereof is slightly inside the outer peripheral surface of the optical disc 22 ′ mounted on the lower plane 30. Therefore, the optical disks 22, 2
When 2'is placed on the upper flat surface 29 or the lower flat surface 30 of the tray 28, the rollers 23, 23 'are set to the optical disk 2
The outer peripheral surfaces of 2, 22 'are pushed elastically. Then, when pressure is applied to the rollers 23, 23 ', the rollers 23, 23' make an elastic rotational movement around the shafts 27, 27 'according to the elastic deformation of the inclined portions 24b, 24b'.

Therefore, when the optical discs 22 and 22 'are loaded into the optical disc drive device with the tray 28 of the optical disc drive device protruding to the outside (first position), the upper surfaces of the optical discs 22 and 22' are manually inserted. By pressing from above, the optical disks 22 and 22 'can be clamped by being pushed under the rollers 23 and 23'. When unloading the optical disks 22 and 22 'from the optical disk drive device,
For example, by putting a finger on the outer peripheral portion of the optical discs 22 and 22 'and applying a pulling force to the surfaces of the optical discs 22 and 22' in a substantially vertical direction, the rollers 23 and 2 '
The optical disc 22, 22 'that was clamped under 3'
Can be easily taken out.

The tray 2 of the optical disk drive device
8 is retracted inward, the optical discs 22 and 22 'are rotationally driven on a turntable (not shown), and the information stored in the optical discs 22 and 22' is read by an optical pickup (not shown) (second Position), the optical disks 22, 22 'are pushed out from under the rollers 23, 23' by the mechanical force applied when the optical disks 22, 22 'are fixed to the turntable, and the clamped state is released. When the optical disks 22 and 22 'are removed from the turntable, the optical disks 22 and 2'
A mechanical force that presses the 2'on the rollers 23, 23 'acts to cause the optical disks 22, 22' to move to the rollers 23, 2 '.
It is pushed under 3'and clamped.

The elastic force of the leaf spring 24 causes the optical disk 2 to be fixed when the optical disk 22 or 22 'is fixed on the tray 28 or when the disk 22 or 22' is rotationally driven.
It is desirable to set the rollers 2, 22 'to the rollers 23, 23' so that they can be easily fixed or easily separated. That is, the user can select the optical disk 22, 22 '.
When loading the optical disc into the optical disc drive device, the optical discs 22 and 22 'are usually placed on the tray 28 by hand, so that the elastic force of the leaf spring 24 is manually applied to the optical discs 22 and 22'.
It needs to be set so that it can be overcome by pushing force.

Next, the operation of the optical disk drive device constructed as described above will be briefly described.
When the tray 28 of the optical disk drive device is projected to the outside (first position), the user can read the optical disks 22, 2
2'is placed on the tray 28 and pressed downward by hand,
The leaf spring 24 bends and the rollers 23, 23 ′ rotate outward while opening, allowing the optical disks 22, 22 ′ to enter. Then, when the optical discs 22 and 22 'come into contact with the upper plane 29 or the lower plane 30 of the tray 28, the rollers 2
3 is returned to its original position again by the elastic force of the leaf spring 24,
The optical disks 22, 22 ′ are clamped on the tray 28.

Next, the optical disk drive device moves the tray from the first position for loading or unloading the optical disks 22, 22 'to the second position for reading the information stored in the optical disks 22, 22'. According to the present embodiment, the optical discs 22 and 22 ′ move into the driver while being clamped on the tray 28, so that, for example, even when the optical disc drive device is installed in the vertical direction. , Optical disks 22, 22 '
Is firmly clamped on the vertically installed tray 28 and moves to the second position without dropping.

The optical discs 22 and 22 'are loaded on the turntable in the second position. that time,
By moving the tray 28 by a predetermined distance in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface of the turntable on which the optical disks 22 and 22 'are mounted, the optical disks 22 and 22' are easily separated from the rollers 23 and 23 '. . The optical discs 22 and 22 'whose clamps have been released in this way are rotationally driven on the turntable and the upper side is read by the optical pickup.

In the above embodiment, the method of releasing the clamp of the optical discs 22 and 22 'by moving the tray 28 with respect to the turntable has been described. However, conversely, the optical discs 22 and 22' are released. By moving the turntable on which "is fixedly mounted" toward the optical disk mounting surfaces 29 and 30 of the tray 28 by a predetermined distance in a substantially perpendicular direction, the optical disks 22 and 22 'are moved to the roller 2
It can also be configured to be detached from 3, 23 '. In short, according to the present embodiment, a force in a substantially vertical direction is applied to the optical disk mounting surfaces 29, 30 of the tray 28 to relatively separate the optical disks 22, 22 ′ and the tray 28 by a predetermined distance. The optical discs 22 and 2
The 2'clamp is easily released.

When the optical disks 22 and 22 'are taken out, the tray 28 is operated in the reverse order of the above. That is, first, the tray 28 is brought close to the planes of the optical disks 22, 22 ′ in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical disks 22, 2 ′.
The force applied to the rollers 23, 23 ′ by 2 ′ overcomes the elastic force of the leaf spring 24, so that the optical disc 22,
22 ′ is clamped by the disc clamping means 21 arranged on the tray 28. In such a state, the tray 28 is moved from the inner second position to the outer first position. At that time, according to the present embodiment, the optical discs 22 and 22 'are moved.
Is fixed on the tray 28 by the disk clamp means 21, so that even if the optical disk drive device is installed in the vertical direction and the tray 28 supports the optical disks 22, 22 'in the vertical direction, The optical discs 22 and 22 'are not dropped during the movement.

At the first position where the tray 28 is projected to the outside of the optical disc drive apparatus, the user puts his / her finger on the peripheral portion of the optical disc 22, 22 ', for example, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of the optical disc 22, 22'. By applying a pulling force, the clamping by the disc clamping means 21 can be easily released, and the optical discs 22 and 22 'can be removed (unloaded).

FIG. 3 shows the disk clamping means 21 of FIG.
The figure shows the arrangement of the trays on the tray 28. It is desirable that one or more disc clamping means 21 be disposed on the tray 28 along the circumferential surface on which the optical discs 22 and 22 'are disposed, but in the embodiment shown, three disc clamping means 21 are provided at 120 ° intervals. ing. Of course, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and any number of disc clamping means 21 can be used.
Can be arranged along the circumferential surface on which the optical discs 22 and 22 'are arranged, and the disc clamping means are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential surface.
It is preferable that the optical discs 22 and 22 'are clamped by an even force with respect to the optical disc 22', and according to this configuration, the optical discs 22 and 22 'can be held more stably.

Although the optical disk drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and of course, these are also technical aspects of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs to the range.

For example, in the above embodiment, the optical disk drive device handling two kinds of optical disks having different diameters has been described. However, in the disk drive device handling only disks having the same diameter, only one end of the spring 24 is provided. One roller 23 is formed by the inclined portion 24b.
It is also possible to provide only one.

[0029]

As described above, by using the disc clamp means (21) according to the present invention, the arrangement state of the optical disc drive device can be freely set. That is, conventionally, the optical disc drive device had to be installed in a horizontal state, but by using the disc clamp means (21) according to the present invention, the optical disc drive device can be installed in a computer or other peripheral device, or an audio device. It can be installed in any direction with respect to the device. In addition, CD-
There is an advantage that the purchase desire of consumers can be increased by freely changing the appearance of the main body of the computer or the peripheral device in which the ROM driver is built.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of an optical disk drive device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the disc clamp means of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an arrangement example of disc clamp means.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a conventional optical disc drive device.

5 is a schematic side view of the device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 Disc Clamping Means 22 Large Diameter Disc 22 'Small Diameter Disc 23 Roller 23' Roller 24 Leaf Spring (Elastic Member) 24a Horizontal Part 24b Inclined Part 24b 'Inclined Part 27 Shaft 27' Shaft 29 Upper Plane 30 Lower Plane 28 Tray

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An optical disk drive device comprising a tray for mounting and moving the optical disk between a first position for loading or unloading the optical disk and a second position for reading the information stored in the optical disk. In the optical disc drive device, the tray includes one or more disc clamp means having elastic members that detachably clamp the mounted optical disc on an outer peripheral portion thereof. 2. The disc clamp means holds the optical disc on a mounting surface of the tray at least during transfer of the optical disc, and at the first position and the second position, with respect to the mounting surface. 2. The optical disk driver device according to claim 1, wherein the clamp can be released by applying a force component in a substantially vertical direction. 3. The elastic member includes a horizontal portion that is separably supported with respect to the mounting surface of the tray, and an inclined portion that extends from an end portion of the horizontal portion. The optical disk driver device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a roller rotatably supported at an end of the inclined portion. 4. The disc clamping means is arranged at equal intervals along the outer peripheral portion of the optical disc so as to clamp the mounted optical disc at substantially two or more points on the outer peripheral portion thereof with substantially equal force. The optical disk driver device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein