JP2008021363A - Optical disk device and disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain the attachment of dust onto the surface of a disk stored in a disk cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: A cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 for tilting the disk cartridge, and a magnet conveyance mechanism 60 for magnetically attracting a metal center hub fixed to the disk in the disk cartridge for conveyance are provided. The disk is guided in the disk cartridge for delivering to a clamp section by the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 and the magnet conveyance mechanism 60. An opening other than an opening for taking in and out the disk can be eliminated from the disk cartridge, thus preventing dust from entering the disk cartridge. Also, an opening is provided on the side of the disk cartridge, thus preventing the dust from entering the disk cartridge when the opening opens and restraining the attachment of dust onto the surface of the disk. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus that performs at least one of recording a signal on a disk-shaped recording medium and reproducing the recorded signal, and a disk cartridge that houses a disk used in the optical disk apparatus.

  An optical disc (hereinafter simply referred to as a disc) such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is a removable disc that is loaded into the optical disc apparatus and is used after being taken out from the optical disc apparatus. Therefore, dust such as dust or dust is likely to adhere to the disk on the signal recording surface of the signal. Further, when a disk is loaded into or removed from the optical disk device, dust tends to enter the casing from the loading port of the casing. Furthermore, when the disk is taken out from the optical disk device and stored, the operator's fingerprints, sweat, saliva, etc. are likely to adhere to the disk in addition to dust and dirt.

  In the optical disc apparatus, tracking servo and focusing servo are performed to align the objective lens with a desired position on the signal recording surface of the disc. However, if dust adheres to the disk as described above or enters the housing and floats, the servo cannot be properly performed due to the diffusion of the laser light emitted from the optical pickup, and the signal cannot be There is a problem that recording and playback errors occur.

  Therefore, there is an optical disc apparatus in which a disc is not handled as it is but stored in a disc cartridge, and the disc cartridge is loaded in a housing for recording or reproduction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, it is possible to prevent contamination caused by direct contact of a finger or the like with the disk. The disk cartridge is further provided with an opening for allowing the disk clamp member of the spindle motor to enter and exit so that the surface of the disk accommodated in the disk cartridge can be irradiated with laser light from the optical pickup. ing. The opening can be opened and closed by a shutter, and is closed by the shutter except when the disk cartridge is loaded in the housing, but when the disk cartridge is loaded in the housing, the opening floats in the housing. Dust may enter the disc cartridge from the opening and adhere to the disc. Further, since the conventional disc cartridge is provided so that the opening portion faces the signal recording surface of the disc, dust entering from the opening portion tends to adhere to the disc surface.

There is also known a disc cartridge in which an opening for inserting and removing a disc is not provided so as to face the signal recording surface of the disc, but provided on a side surface along the signal recording surface of the disc (for example, Patent Document 2). See). However, in order to insert and remove the disc from the opening on the side in this way, a rod-like object can be inserted from the side facing the side where the opening is provided and the disc can be pushed out from the opening. It is necessary to provide another opening for inserting objects. Therefore, the number of dust entrances increases.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-37355 (paragraph 0022, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-167783 (paragraph 0007, FIG. 1)

  As described above, in the conventional optical disk apparatus, there is a problem that dust easily enters the housing, and an error in signal recording or reproduction occurs due to the influence of dust floating in the housing. This intrusion of dust has a problem that it cannot be effectively eliminated even when a disk cartridge for storing a disk is employed.

  Recently, techniques for recording or reproducing signals using near-field light have been developed. In an optical disk device that uses near-field light (hereinafter referred to as “near-field optical disk device”), when a signal is recorded on or reproduced from the disk, the distance between the objective lens and the optical disk is the distance (near field) at which the near-field light is generated. ) Need to be controlled. This control is hereinafter referred to as “gap servo”. For example, when a laser beam having a wavelength of about 400 nm is used, the distance at which the near-field light is generated is generally ½ or less of the wavelength, and is practically desirably 100 nm or less.

  As described above, in the optical disk apparatus using near-field light, the distance between the objective lens and the optical disk is very short, which is several hundred nm or less, and the influence of dust attached to the surface of the disk on recording and reproduction is even more serious. It will be something. For example, in an optical disc apparatus using such near-field light, it is not guaranteed that the distance between the objective lens and the optical disc is larger than the size of dust attached to the surface of the disc. For this reason, the dust on the surface of the disk is transferred to the surface of the objective lens, resulting in the objective lens becoming dirty.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a waveform of the time change of the gap error signal until the distance (gap length) between the objective lens and the disk at the time of pulling in the gap servo reaches the target gap value, and FIG. (B) is a waveform when the lens is dirty. The gap error signal is a signal indicating the amount of return light of the laser light incident at an angle at which the objective lens is totally reflected. As shown in FIG. 25A, when the objective lens is clean, the gap error signal quickly reaches the target gap value after changing from the far field state to the near field state. However, when dust or the like adheres to the surface of the objective lens and becomes dirty, the gap error signal is greatly disturbed as shown in FIG.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical disc apparatus and a disc cartridge that can suppress the adhesion of dust to the disc surface and can stabilize signal recording and reproduction on the disc. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, an optical disc apparatus according to the present invention accommodates a disc and opens and closes the opening so that the disc can be taken in and out along the signal recording surface of the disc. A disk cartridge holding section for detachably holding a disk cartridge having a possible opening / closing door, a disk drive section for holding and driving the disk, and a disk driven by the disk drive section by irradiating a laser beam to the signal An optical pickup that performs recording or reproduction, a door opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes an opening by operating a disk cartridge opening / closing door held by a disk cartridge holding section, and a disk that guides a disk in a non-contact manner in the disk cartridge. Disc delivery to and from the disc drive through the opening of the disc It is intended to and a mechanism.

  According to the present invention, the disc delivery mechanism guides the disc in the disc cartridge in a non-contact manner, and delivers the disc to and from the disc drive unit through the opening of the disc cartridge. The disc is transferred between a disc cartridge having a structure that does not have an opening other than the opening, for example, an opening for inserting a part that pushes out the disc to eject the disc from the disc cartridge, and the disc drive unit. be able to. Since the opening other than the opening for loading and unloading the disc can be removed from the disc cartridge in this way, dust intrusion into the disc cartridge can be reduced, and adhesion of dust to the disc surface can be suppressed. Recording and reproduction can be stabilized.

  In the optical disc apparatus of the present invention, the disc delivery mechanism may be a tilting mechanism that tilts the disc cartridge holding portion to guide the disc within the disc cartridge. Alternatively, the disk delivery mechanism may be a magnet that attracts the center hub of the disk stored in the disk cartridge and a magnet transport mechanism that transports the magnet to guide the disk in the disk cartridge.

  The optical disk device of the present invention further includes a sealing structure that substantially seals a space in which the disk drive unit, the optical pickup, and the disk delivery mechanism are disposed, and a filter unit that cleans the air in the sealed space. May be. By removing the dust floating in the space where the disk drive unit, the optical pickup, and the disk delivery mechanism are disposed by this filter unit, it is possible to more effectively suppress dust adhesion to the disk surface.

  The optical disk apparatus of the present invention further includes a second opening that allows a disk cartridge to be taken in and out of a space substantially sealed by a sealing structure, and a second opening / closing door that opens and closes the second opening. The second opening and the opening of the disk cartridge may be opened exclusively. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the disk cartridge before entering the sealed space through the opening opened and being captured by the filter unit.

  A disc cartridge according to another aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a disc to which a metal center hub is fixed, and a disk that is inserted and removed in a direction along the signal recording surface of the disc stored in the storage unit. And an opening / closing door capable of opening and closing the opening.

  Since the opening of the disk cartridge of the present invention is provided on the side surface of the disk cartridge, even if dust adheres around the opening, the dust is difficult to enter the disk cartridge when the opening is opened. As a result, adhesion of dust to the surface of the disk stored in the disk cartridge can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the optical disk device and the disk cartridge of the present invention, it is possible to suppress dust from adhering to the disk surface and to stabilize signal recording and reproduction on the disk.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an optical disc apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the optical disc apparatus 10 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the electric circuit board, wiring, and other mechanisms not related to the present invention are not shown.

  The optical disk device 10 has a housing 5. The housing 5 includes a base plate 1 that forms the bottom of the housing 5, a front panel 2 and a back panel 3 that are disposed on the base plate 1 so as to face each other in the Y-axis direction, and the base plate 1, the front panel 2, and the back The panel 3 includes an outer cover 4 that covers a surface other than the three surfaces. The front panel 2 is provided with a slot 9 having an opening 9a through which a disk cartridge 41 containing an optical disk (hereinafter referred to as “disk”) D can be inserted and removed. The slot 9 is provided with a slot door 6 for opening and closing the opening 9a. The slot door 6 is opened and closed by a slot door opening / closing mechanism (not shown) so that the opening 9a of the slot 9 is opened only when the disk cartridge 41 is inserted and removed, and is closed at other times.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a recording / reproducing unit 15 is disposed in the housing 5. The recording / reproducing unit 15 is mounted on an inner base 22 that is floatingly supported on the base plate 1. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the base plate 1 and the inner base 22. As shown in the figure, the inner base 22 is supported on the base plate 1 via a plurality of dampers 30 as buffer parts. The damper 30 is made of, for example, resin or rubber. As a result, most of the external vibration applied to the housing 5 is absorbed by the damper 30, and the vibration is not easily transmitted to the recording / reproducing unit 15 on the inner base 22, so that the servo operation is appropriately performed and stable. The signal can be recorded or reproduced.

  Next, returning to FIG. 2, the configuration of the recording / reproducing unit 15 will be described. The recording / reproducing unit 15 includes a clamp unit 17 that clamps the disc D, a spindle motor 18 (see FIG. 9) that is a power source that drives the clamp unit 17, and a disc D that rotates while being clamped by the clamp unit 17. An optical pickup 11 capable of at least one of recording and reproduction of a signal by irradiating a signal recording surface with a laser beam and a disk loading unit 40 are provided. The optical pickup 11 includes a biaxial actuator 7 on which a condensing element such as an objective lens is mounted, and an optical system 8 including a light source, a photodetector, a lens system, and the like. The optical system 8 is covered by the cover member 19, but in FIG. 2, a part of the upper surface of the cover member 19 is cut away so that the internal structure can be seen.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the biaxial actuator 7. As shown in the figure, the biaxial actuator 7 has a base member 25. On the base member 25, a wire support base 29 that supports one end of each of the plurality of wires 28 and a bobbin 24 that supports the other ends of the plurality of wires 28 are placed. A tracking coil 31 and a focusing coil 32 are wound around the bobbin 24 and mounted in predetermined directions. The bobbin 24 is equipped with an objective lens holder 23 that holds the objective lens 26. Further, the bobbin 24 is supported on the base member 25 so as to be movable in the tracking direction (Y-axis direction) and the focusing direction (Z-axis direction). Magnets 27 and 27 are respectively disposed at the front end and substantially the center of the base member 25, and these magnets 27 and 27 generate a magnetic field.

  The base member 25 is made of, for example, a magnetic material. The base member 25 stands up so as to be inserted into two magnet attachment portions 25a and 25a to which the magnets 27 and 27 are attached, and holes 24a and 24a provided through the bobbin 24 in the Z-axis direction. The provided two pieces 25b and 25b are provided, and the magnet mounting portions 25a and 25a and the pieces 25b and 25b are also made of, for example, a magnetic material. That is, a magnetic circuit is composed of the magnet mounting portions 25a and 25a, the piece portions 25b and 25b, and the magnets 27 and 27. In the biaxial actuator 7 configured in this way, current is supplied to the tracking coil 31 and the focusing coil 32, whereby the tracking direction (Y-axis direction) and the focusing direction (Z-axis direction) of the objective lens 26 are respectively applied. Driven.

  Instead of the biaxial actuator 7, a triaxial actuator in which an axis in the tilt direction (the inclination of the objective lens 26 or the signal recording surface of the disk D with respect to the XY plane) is further added to the biaxial direction may be used. Absent.

  As the light source (not shown) included in the optical pickup 11, for example, a light source that emits laser light having a wavelength of about 400 nm is used. However, the design can be appropriately changed according to the type of the disk.

  Further, since the optical disk apparatus 10 of this embodiment records or reproduces signals using near-field light, NA (Numerical Aperture) is used as the objective lens 26 in the optical system 8 of the optical pickup 11. One or more are used.

  The present invention is not limited to an optical disk device that records or reproduces a signal using near-field light, and any one of reproduction and recording on an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). The present invention can also be applied to an optical disc apparatus that performs either one of them.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the objective lens 26 employed in the optical system 8 of the optical pickup 11. As shown in the figure, the objective lens 26 is, for example, a SIL (Solid Immersion Lens) and has a shape of a part of a sphere having a diameter of about 0.8 to 1.0 mm. The upper portion 26a of the objective lens 26 has a conical shape, and the apex of the cone forms a small plane having a diameter of, for example, several tens of μm. The plane of the apex of the cone is the end surface 26b of the objective lens 26 that faces the signal recording surface of the disk D. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the end face 26b of the objective lens 26. As shown in FIG. The distance between the end surface 26b of the objective lens 26 and the signal recording surface of the disk D is the “gap” in the present embodiment.

  Returning to the description of FIG. In the recording / reproducing unit 15, the clamp portion 17, the spindle motor 18, and the like are provided on two guide shafts 16, 16 whose both ends are held by shaft holding portions 16 a, 16 b (see FIG. 9) provided on the inner base 22. It is mounted on a movable base frame 48 that is supported so as to be movable back and forth in the Y-axis direction. Further, the movable base frame 48 is partially ejected from the disk cartridge 41 (see FIG. 8) containing the disk D and guided to a position where it can be clamped by the clamp portion 17 of the spindle motor 18, On the contrary, support rails 21 and 21 are provided for supporting the disc loading unit 40 provided with a disc delivery mechanism for releasing the clamp of the disc D at the clamp portion 17 and returning it to the disc cartridge 41. The disc loading unit 40 is disposed between the front panel 2 and the clamp portion 17. A detailed description of the disk loading unit 40 will be given later. The movable base frame 48 can move in the Y-axis direction along the two guide shafts 16 and 16 by the power of the sled motor 49 (see FIG. 9).

  The movable base frame 48 is provided with a position sensor 12 for detecting the moving position of the movable base frame 48 in order to detect the position of the disk D due to the sled operation of the optical pickup 11 during recording or reproduction. The position sensor 12 is supported by the guide rail 13 and is movable in the Y-axis direction.

  The optical pickup 11 is fixed on the inner base 22 or is fixed to a member such as a frame (not shown) fixed to the inner base 22.

  Further, on the inner base 22, an internal air cleaning filter unit 14 a and an external air cleaning filter unit 14 b are attached via a vibration absorbing damper 33. The internal air cleaning filter unit 14 a performs air cleaning of a space covered by an internal cover 61 described later, and the external air cleaning filter unit 14 b is a space between the internal cover 61 and the external cover 4. To clean the air. These filter units 14a and 14b are general fan filter units, and are configured to remove dust while circulating air in the housing by a fan. As the filter (not shown), for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a quasi-HEPA type that can secure a flow rate may be used. Further, if the flow rate of the fan is sufficiently large, an ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filter may be used. Alternatively, a chemical filter such as activated carbon that adsorbs a chemical gas or the like may be used by being superimposed on a HEPA or ULPA filter or the like.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the optical disk apparatus 10 of FIG. As shown in the figure, the optical disc apparatus 10 includes an internal cover 61 that covers the recording / reproducing unit 15 (see FIG. 2). The inner cover 61 together with the front panel 2 substantially seals the space in which the recording / reproducing unit 15 is disposed. The inner cover 61 divides the internal air cleaning filter unit 14a (see FIG. 2) and the internal air cleaning filter unit 14b, and is placed on the inner base 22 (see FIG. 2). The opening 9a of the slot 9 is an opening for taking the disk cartridge 41 into and out of the space sealed by the internal cover 61 or the like. According to such a configuration, the cleanliness of the air in the housing 5, particularly in the inner cover 61, is further increased, and noise leakage by the servo mechanism of the recording / reproducing unit 15 and the spindle motor 18 can be suppressed. it can.

  In the case 5, when cables connected to the recording / reproducing unit 15 are passed from the outside to the inside of the inner cover 61, a sealing material is provided between the inner cover 61 and the cable by packing or the like. That's fine. Thereby, dust intrusion into the inner cover 61 can be prevented.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing the configuration of the disk cartridge 41 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the disc cartridge 41 is provided with a storage portion 41b capable of storing the disc D. Also, an opening 41 a is provided on one side surface of the disk cartridge 41 so that a part including the center hole of the disk D can be taken in and out along the signal recording surface of the disk D. Further, the disk cartridge 41 is provided with a door 42 for opening and closing the opening 41a in order to improve the internal sealing performance. At both ends in the X-axis direction of the door 42, hinge portions 422 and 422 having cam holes 421 and 421 for rotatably supporting support pins 411 and 411 provided protruding from the side surface of the main body of the disk cartridge 41 are provided. ing. The door 42 is supported by the support pins 411 and 411 held in the cam holes 421 and 421 of the hinge portions 422 and 422 so as to be rotatable between a position where the opening 41 a is closed and a position where the opening 41 a is opened. .

  On the other hand, a metal center hub 43 is fixed to a center hole (not shown) of the disk D. The metal center hub 43 is magnetically attracted to a magnet 64 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) that is moved by a magnet transport mechanism 60 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) provided in the disk loading unit 40. The disk D is moved along with the magnet 64.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 21, a center protrusion 17 a provided at the center of the clamp portion 17 is provided on the back surface of the center hub 43 for clamping with the clamp portion 17 connected to the spindle motor 18. Center projection fitting hole 43a into which four are inserted, and four peripheral projection fitting holes 43b into which peripheral projections 17b provided at four positions around the center projection 17a are respectively fitted. Moreover, the clamp part 17 consists of magnets. As described above, the clamp portion 17 and the center hub 43 of the disk D are engaged with the center projection 17a and the center projection fitting hole 43a, with the four peripheral projections 17b and the four peripheral projection fitting holes 43b. In addition, by the magnetic force adsorption, the disc D is stably coupled to the clamp portion 17 that rotates at a high speed so as not to come off. If sufficient coupling force can be obtained by engaging the center protrusion 17a with the center protrusion fitting hole 43a and attracting magnetic force, the four peripheral protrusions 17b of the clamp part 17 and the four peripheral protrusions of the center hub 43 can be obtained. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the fitting hole 43b is excluded.

  As the disk D, for example, a disk on which signals are recorded or reproduced by near-field light is used. When using near-field light, a recording density of 80 GB (gigabytes) per square inch or more is achieved.

  Next, the details of the disk loading unit 40 will be described. The operation in which the disk D is partially removed from the disk cartridge 41 by the disk loading unit 40 and clamped to the clamp unit 17 is hereinafter referred to as “loading”, and the clamp of the disk D at the clamp unit 17 is released and the disk cartridge 41 is released. The operation of returning to the inside is hereinafter referred to as “unloading”.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the disk loading unit 40 and its periphery. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the disk loading unit 40 of FIG. 9 with a part of the cartridge holder 44 removed. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the disk loading unit 40 of FIG. FIG. 12 is a side view of the disk loading unit 40 of FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the disk loading unit 40 includes a unit base 46 supported on the support rail 21, and a cartridge holder 44 mounted on the unit base 46 and detachably holding the disk cartridge 41. With.

  An opening 44F through which the disk cartridge 41 can be inserted and removed is provided on the front side of the cartridge holder 44 (front panel 2 side in FIG. 2), and the opening 44F is provided in the front panel 2 (see FIG. 2). It is provided in close proximity to the opening 9 a of the slot 9. That is, the disk cartridge 41 is inserted into the cartridge holder 44 from the opening 9 a of the slot 9 provided in the front panel 2 through the opening 44 F of the cartridge holder 44. On the other hand, on the rear side of the cartridge holder 44 (on the clamp portion 17 side), an opening 44R through which the disc D can be inserted and removed from the disc cartridge 41 is provided.

  Next, a disk delivery mechanism provided in the disk loading unit 40 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, as the disc delivery mechanism, the cartridge holder 44 is tilted to move the disc D by gravity within the disc cartridge 41 held by the cartridge holder 44, and the center hole of the disc D is provided. A magnet transport mechanism 60 that moves the disk D by moving the magnet 64 by magnetically attracting the metal center hub 43 fixed to the magnet 64 to the magnet 64 is provided. Further, the disk loading unit 40 has a door opening / closing mechanism 70 that opens and closes the door 42 so as to open the opening 41a of the disk cartridge 41 when the disk D is transferred between the disk cartridge 41 and the clamp portion 17. Is provided.

  Next, details of the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 will be described.

  Support shafts 45-1, 45-2, 45-3, and 45-4 are provided at a total of four locations on both ends in the Y-axis direction on both side surfaces of the cartridge holder 44 facing in the X-axis direction. Of these support shafts, the two support shafts 45-1 and 45-2 provided on the rear side are fixed to the bearing portions 46-1 and 46-2 provided integrally with the unit base 46. It is supported so that it can rotate freely. On the other hand, the two support shafts 45-3 and 45-4 provided on the front side are rotatably supported by bearing portions 46-3 and 46-4, respectively. Of the two bearing parts 46-3 and 46-4 on the front side, one bearing part 46-3 is connected to the drive system of the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 as described below.

  The drive system of the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 is mounted on a first motor / gear support 46-5 provided integrally with the unit base 46. That is, the first motor / gear support portion 46-5 is equipped with a motor 51 which is a power source of the drive system of the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50. A drive gear 53 is fixed to the drive shaft 52 of the motor 51. The drive gear 53 is connected to a gear 57 provided coaxially with the pulley 56 via transmission gears 54 and 55. A connecting pin 58 projects from the eccentric position of the end face of the pulley 56 in the axial direction. The connecting pin 58 is connected to the support shaft 45-3 of the cartridge holder 44 through the bearing portion 46-3.

  In the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 having such a configuration, the power of the motor 51 is transmitted to the pulley 56 through the drive shaft 52, the drive gear 53, the transmission gear 54, the transmission gear 55, and the like. The position of the connected connecting pin 58 changes continuously. When the position of the connecting pin 58 changes, the cartridge holder 44 connected to the connecting pin 58 via the front side bearing portion 46-3 and the support shaft 45-3 becomes the rear side bearing portions 46-1, 46. -2 is tilted about the pivots 45-1 and 45-2 held rotatably. When the motor 51 rotates in the forward direction, the cartridge holder 44 takes an inclined posture in which the rear side is lowered from the front side. Conversely, when the motor 51 rotates by a certain amount in the reverse direction, the cartridge holder 44 conversely It is configured to take an inclined posture in which the rear side is raised from the front side. The inclination angle of the cartridge holder 44 is such an angle that the disk D can slide down under its own weight while receiving contact resistance with the inner surface of the disk cartridge 41 in the disk cartridge 41.

  The disc loading unit 40 determines a stop position on the rear side when the disc cartridge 41 is inserted into the cartridge holder 44 from the slot 9 of the front panel 2, and the rear side of the cartridge holder 44 is more gravitational than the front side. A stopper (not shown) is provided to prevent the disk cartridge 41 from dropping from the opening 44R of the cartridge holder 44 when the orientation is low. This stopper can be realized, for example, by adding a member for receiving the rear end face of the disk cartridge 41 to the unit base 46.

  Next, details of the magnet transport mechanism 60 will be described.

  A magnet mounting slider 63 is attached to the cartridge holder 44 so as to be slidable in the Y-axis direction along the back surface of the top plate of the cartridge holder 44. Specifically, the following configuration is adopted. That is, the top plate of the cartridge holder 44 and the side plates opposed to the X-axis direction are respectively provided with slots 47-1, 47-2, 47-3 (however, the slot 47-1 provided on one side plate is not shown). (Not shown) is provided along the Y-axis direction. Of these slots 47-1, 47-2, 47-3, pins 67 provided on the magnet mounting slider 63 are inserted into slots 47-3 provided in the top plate of the cartridge holder 44. Yes. In addition, slots 47-1 and 47-2 provided on both side plates facing the X-axis direction of the cartridge holder 44 are inserted into both end portions 65-1 and 65-2 (in the X-axis direction of the magnet mounting slider 63). , One end 65-2 is not shown). That is, according to this configuration, both end portions 65-1, 65-2 and the pin 67 in the X-axis direction of the magnet-mounted slider 63 are respectively in the slots 47-1, 47-2, 47-3 of the cartridge holder 44. The magnet mounting slider 63 slides in the Y-axis direction along the top plate of the cartridge holder 44, and the slidable range is limited.

  Further, a magnet 64 is attached to the back surface of the magnet mounting slider 63. The magnet 64 is disposed so as to face the metal center hub 43 fixed to the center hole of the disk D accommodated in the disk cartridge 41. Thus, the magnet-mounted slider 63 can slide in the Y-axis direction with the magnet 64 attracting the center hub 43 of the disk D to the magnet 64 via the top plate of the disk cartridge 41.

  A flange portion 68 is provided coaxially with the pin 67 of the magnet mounting slider 63, and this flange portion 68 is disposed on the front side of the top plate of the cartridge holder 44. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the rear end of the slot 47-3 provided in the top plate of the cartridge holder 44, projections 69, 69 that interfere with the back surface of the flange portion 68 are provided. When the magnet-mounted slider 63 is in the vicinity of the rear limit position, the flange portion 68 rides on the protrusions 69 and 69, so that the magnet-mounting slider 63 together with the magnet 64 and the height of the protrusions 69 and 69 are increased. As a result, the distance between the magnet 64 and the center hub 43 of the disk D increases, and the mutual magnetic force attracting force decreases.

  The unit base 46 is provided with a second motor / gear support 46-6 that supports the drive system of the magnet transport mechanism 60. A motor 61 that is a power source of the magnet transport mechanism 60 is mounted on the second motor / gear support 46-6. A ball screw 62 is coaxially connected to the drive shaft of the motor 61, and both ends of the ball screw 62 are rotatably supported by a second motor / gear support portion 46-6. A cylindrical body 35 provided at one end of the magnet mounting slider 63 in the X-axis direction is externally fitted to the ball screw 62, and is screwed into a screw groove provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 35. That is, when the ball screw 62 rotates, the cylinder 35 connected to the ball screw 62 by screwing is conveyed in the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the ball screw 62, and the magnet mounting slider 63 moves. Yes.

  Next, a disk cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 that opens and closes the door 42 of the disk cartridge 41 when the disk D is inserted into and removed from the disk cartridge 41 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the disk cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 is provided at the rear end of the cartridge holder 44. The disc cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 includes an operation rod 71 that can be moved back and forth in the Z-axis direction so as to open and close the door 42 of the disc cartridge 41 that has been moved to the rear side movement limit in the cartridge holder 44, and the operation rod 71. And a motor 72 for driving in the Z-axis direction.

  Next, the operation of the optical disc apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described focusing on the operation of the disc loading unit 40.

  First, the loading operation in which the disk D is partially removed from the disk cartridge 41 and clamped by the clamp unit 17 will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a side view showing a state in which the disk cartridge 41 is manually inserted into the cartridge holder 44 through the opening 9a of the slot 9 of the front panel 2 through the opening 44F on the front side.

  At this time, the slot door 6 of the slot 9 of the front panel 2 is in a state where the opening 9a is opened. Further, the door 42 of the disc cartridge 41 is closed, and the inside of the disc cartridge 41 is in a sealed state. The cartridge holder 44 is set in a horizontal posture with respect to the disc clamp surface of the clamp portion 17. Further, the position of the magnet 64 mounted on the magnet mounting slider 63 of the magnet transport mechanism 60 in the Y-axis direction is such that the disk D stored in the disk cartridge 41 is loaded when the disk cartridge 41 is loaded in the cartridge holder 44. It is set to match the center position. Further, in the disc cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70, the operation rod 71 is in the retracted position.

  FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state when the insertion of the disk cartridge 41 into the cartridge holder 44 is completed. For example, the disk cartridge 41 is pushed into the cartridge holder 44 by pushing the disk cartridge 41 into the cartridge holder 44 until the rear end surface of the disk cartridge 41 hits a stopper (not shown) provided on the rear side of the cartridge holder 44. Insertion is complete. In this state, the door 42 of the disk cartridge 41 is positioned directly above the operation rod 71 of the disk cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70. Further, at this time, the metal center hub 43 fixed to the center hole of the disk D accommodated in the disk cartridge 41 is the largest due to the magnetic force of the magnet 64 mounted on the magnet mounting slider 63 of the magnet transport mechanism 60. Adsorbed by force.

  The completion of the insertion of the disk cartridge 41 into the cartridge holder 44 is detected by a detection means such as an optical sensor or a mechanical switch and sent to the system controller. The system controller receives this detection signal and controls a slot door opening / closing mechanism (not shown) to operate the slot door 6 of the slot 9 and close the opening 9 a of the slot 9. As a result, the space surrounded by the inner cover 61 in the optical disc apparatus 10 is almost sealed. Since the air in this sealed space is constantly washed by the internal air cleaning filter unit 14a (see FIG. 2), the dust that has entered when the disk cartridge 41 is taken in and out through the opening 9a of the slot 9 of the front panel 2 Dust adheres to the surface of the disk D that is captured by the internal air cleaning filter unit 14 a and is taken out from the disk cartridge 41, or is transferred from the surface of the disk D to the objective lens 26 of the biaxial actuator 7. Can be prevented.

  Thereafter, the system controller controls the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50, the magnet transport mechanism 60, and the disc cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 as follows.

  FIG. 16 is a side view showing a state in which the cartridge holder 44 is tilted. As shown in the figure, the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 rotates the pulley 56 by a certain amount in the R1 direction by rotating the motor 51 by a certain amount in the normal rotation direction under the control of the system controller. As a result, the cartridge holder 44 tilts in the Z1 direction with the support shafts 45-1 and 45-2 provided on the rear side as fulcrums, and assumes a tilted posture in which the rear side is lowered from the front side. On the other hand, the magnet transport mechanism 60 is controlled by the system controller, for example, at the same time when the cartridge holder 44 is tilted by the cartridge holder tilt mechanism 50 or when a certain time has elapsed from the start of tilting. The conveyance of the magnet-mounted slider 63 in the Y1 direction is started at a predetermined timing determined based on the operation timing of 50. Further, the disc cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 is similarly controlled by the system controller, for example, at the same time when the cartridge holder 44 is tilted by the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 or when a certain time has elapsed from the start of tilting. The operation of the operating rod 71 is controlled so that the opening 41a of the disk cartridge 41 is opened at a predetermined timing based on the operation timing of the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50.

  The operation timing of the disk cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 is the same as the operation timing of the magnet transport mechanism 60 at the same time when the magnet transport mechanism 60 starts transporting the magnet-mounted slider 63 or when a certain time has elapsed from the start of transport. It may be determined with respect to a standard. As described above, the opening 41a of the disk cartridge 41 is performed after the opening 9a of the slot 9 is closed, so that the disk cartridge 41 enters the opening 9a of the slot 9 and is captured by the internal air cleaning filter unit 14a. It is possible to prevent dust from entering the disk cartridge 41 before.

  As described above, the cartridge holder 44 tilts with the rear side lower than the front side, and the magnet mounting slider 63 moves to the rear side, whereby the disk D moves to the rear side in the disk cartridge 41.

  FIG. 17 is a side view showing a state where the disk D is moving to the rear side in the disk cartridge 41. On the top surface of the cartridge holder 44, projections 69, 69 that interfere with the back surface of the flange portion 68 that moves together with the magnet 64 in the magnet transport mechanism 60 are provided. While the disk D moves toward the rear side in the disk cartridge 41, the magnet 64 moves by the height of the protrusions 69 and 69 when the flange 68 rides on the protrusions 69 and 69. Float up. As a result, the distance between the magnet 64 and the center hub 43 of the disk D increases and the mutual attractive force decreases.

  FIG. 18 is a side view showing a state after the adsorption of the disk D by the magnet 64 is released during the movement of the disk D to the rear side in the disk cartridge 41. When the conveyance of the magnet mounting slider 63 further proceeds from the state of FIG. 17, both end portions 65-1 and 65-2 and the pin 67 of the magnet mounting slider 63 are provided in the respective slots 47-1 and 47 provided in the cartridge holder 44. The rear end of −2, 47-3 is reached, and as a result, the conveyance of the magnet-mounted slider 63 to the rear side is restricted. At the moment when the conveyance of the magnet-mounted slider 63 is restricted, the disk D is released from being attracted by the magnet 64 by the inertial force and slides down to the rear side as it is. The center protrusion 17a and the four peripheral protrusions 17b provided in the clamp part 17 are provided with a center protrusion fitting hole 43a (see FIG. 13) and four peripheral protrusion fitting holes 43b provided in the center hub 43 of the disk D. (Refer to FIG. 13) are fitted, and the delivery of the disk D to the clamp part 17 is achieved.

  FIG. 19 is a side view showing a state in which the disk D is delivered from the disk cartridge 41 to the clamp unit 17 and a signal is recorded or reproduced. When the clamping of the disk D to the clamp part 17 is completed, the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 rotates the pulley 56 by a certain amount in the R2 direction by rotating the motor 51 by a certain amount in the reverse direction under the control of the system controller. . As a result, the cartridge holder 44 is tilted in the Z2 direction with the support shafts 45-1 and 45-2 provided on the rear side as fulcrums, and is horizontal to the signal recording surface of the disk D clamped by the clamp portion 17. It becomes a state. FIG. 19 shows the state at this time. In this state, when the spindle motor 18 is driven, the disk D rotates, and the signal recording surface of the rotating disk D is irradiated with laser light from the optical pickup 11 to record or reproduce the signal.

  Next, an unloading operation for releasing the clamp of the disk D in the clamp unit 17 and returning the disk D into the disk cartridge 41 will be described.

  FIG. 20 is a side view showing the state of the disc loading unit 40 immediately after the start of unloading. As shown in the figure, at the time of unloading, from the state shown in FIG. 19, the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 rotates the motor 51 by a further fixed amount in the reverse direction, thereby rotating the pulley 56 by a further fixed amount in the R2 direction. . As a result, the cartridge holder 44 is further tilted in the Z2 direction with the rear support shafts 45-1 and 45-2 as fulcrums, and has a tilted posture in which the rear side is raised from the front side. FIG. 20 shows the state at this time.

  FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing how the clamp of the disk D is released. When the rear side of the cartridge holder 44 is raised from the front side, as shown in FIG. 21A, the upper surface of the tip portion near the opening 41a of the lower plate 36 of the disk cartridge 41 held by the cartridge holder 44 is The center hub 43 is pushed up by coming into contact with the lower surface of the center hub 43 of the disk D clamped by the clamp portion 17. Accordingly, the center hub 43 is lifted obliquely with respect to the clamp surface of the clamp portion 17. Thereafter, the clamp motor 17 is moved to the front side by a certain amount by the sled motor 49 (see FIG. 9). FIG. 21B shows a state in the middle of movement of the clamp portion 17. When the clamp part 17 is moved to the front side in this way, the lower plate 36 of the disk cartridge 41 gradually enters deeply between the clamp part 17 and the center hub 43, and the clamp part 17 and the disk D are moved. The coupling force with the center hub 43 is reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 21C, when the movement of the clamp portion 17 toward the front side proceeds, the center hub 43 moves onto the lower plate 36 of the disk cartridge 41 from a certain point in time, and the lower plate of the disk cartridge 41 The disk D slides down to the front side by its own weight along the 36 inclined surfaces. FIG. 22 is a side view showing the overall state of the disk loading unit 40 at this time.

  FIG. 23 is a side view showing a state in which the disk D is returned to a predetermined disk storage position in the disk cartridge 41 (storage part 41b in FIG. 8). At this time, the magnet transport mechanism 60 moves the magnet-mounted slider 63 from the rear side to the front side at a timing determined in advance based on the timing of the movement of the clamp unit 17 to the front side under the control of the system controller. Move to the initial position. At that time, even if a situation occurs in which the disk D does not return to the predetermined disk storage position in the disk cartridge 41 and stops halfway, the magnet 64 mounted on the magnet mounting slider 63 causes the disk D to be loaded. The center hub 43 can be magnetically attracted and reliably conveyed to a predetermined disk storage position in the disk cartridge 41.

  When the magnet-mounted slider 63 returns to the initial position on the front side, the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 makes the pulley 56 constant in the R1 direction by rotating the motor 51 by a certain amount in the forward direction under the control of the system controller. Rotate the amount. As a result, the cartridge holder 44 tilts in the Z1 direction with the support shafts 45-1 and 45-2 provided on the rear side as fulcrums, and assumes a horizontal posture with respect to the disc clamp surface of the clamp portion 17.

  Thereafter, the system controller controls the disk cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 70 to lower the operation rod 71, thereby closing the opening 41 a of the disk cartridge 41 with the door 42. As a result, the disk loading unit 40 enters the state shown in FIG. 15, and the unloading operation is completed.

  When taking out the disk cartridge 41 from the optical disk device 10 from this state, for example, a button provided on the front panel 2 is pressed to input a slot door opening command to the system controller. When the system controller inputs the opening command of the slot door, it controls the slot door opening / closing mechanism (not shown) to operate the slot door 6 of the slot 9 to open the opening 9 a of the slot 9. FIG. 24 is a side view showing a state when the disc cartridge 41 is taken out from the optical disc apparatus 10. At this time, the end of the disk cartridge 41 held by the cartridge holder 44 is in the vicinity of the opening 9 a of the slot 9, and the user inserts his finger into the opening 9 a of the slot 9 to end the end of the disk cartridge 41. Can be grabbed and pulled out.

  As described above, when the disk cartridge 41 is taken out from the optical disk device 10, the opening 9a of the slot 9 is opened. At this time, the opening 41a of the disk cartridge 41 is already closed. There is no danger that the dust that has entered from the portion 9a will enter the disk cartridge 41.

  According to the optical disk device 10 and the disk cartridge 41 of the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  The optical disk apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has an opening other than the opening 41a for inserting and removing the disk D, for example, an opening for inserting a part for pushing out the disk to eject the disk from the disk cartridge. The disc D can be transferred between the disc cartridge 41 having no structure and the clamp portion 17. That is, the disk D can be transferred between the disk cartridge 41 and the clamp portion 17 by guiding the disk D in the disk cartridge 41 by tilting the disk cartridge 41 by the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50. In addition, the magnet transport mechanism 60 attracts the metal center hub 43 fixed to the disk D in the disk cartridge 41 to the magnet 64, and the magnet 64 is transported to guide the disk D in the disk cartridge 41. Thus, the disk D can be transferred between the disk cartridge 41 and the clamp portion 17. Furthermore, by using the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 and the magnet transport mechanism 60 in combination, the disk D can be guided more reliably in the disk cartridge 41, and the reliability can be improved.

  Further, in the optical disk apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, since the opening other than the opening 41a for taking in and out the disk D can be excluded from the disk cartridge 41, the intrusion of dust into the disk cartridge 41 can be suppressed. In addition, since the opening 41a is provided on the side surface of the disk cartridge 41, even if dust adheres around the opening 41a, the dust enters the disk cartridge 41 when the opening 41a is opened. Hateful. As a result, adhesion of dust to the surface of the disk D stored in the disk cartridge 41 can be suppressed.

  In the optical disk apparatus using near-field light, the distance between the objective lens 26 and the disk D is as short as several hundred nm or less, so that the dust adhering to the surface of the disk D is transferred to the surface of the objective lens 26 and Although signal recording and reproduction may become unstable, in the optical disc apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, dust adhesion to the surface of the disc D can be suppressed, so the surface of the objective lens 26 from the surface of the disc D can be suppressed. Dust transfer to the disk does not occur, and signal recording and reproduction with respect to the disk D can be stabilized.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made.

  It is also possible to guide the disk D only by the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 without using the magnet transport mechanism 60. However, in this case, in order to slide the disk D reliably, the inclination angle of the cartridge holder 44 needs to be large, and a space is required in the Z-axis direction. By using the magnet transport mechanism 60 in combination, the inclination angle of the cartridge holder 44 can be kept small, and the disk D can be transported more reliably.

  Further, it is possible to use only the magnet transport mechanism 60 without tilting the cartridge holder 44, but in this case, it is necessary to use a magnet 64 having a stronger attractive force. In order to clamp the disk D pulled out from the disk cartridge 41 by the clamp portion 17, it is necessary to release the disk D against the attracting force by the magnet 64. Therefore, if the magnet 64 having an excessively large attracting force is used, The mechanism for releasing the disk D becomes much larger. By tilting the rear side of the cartridge holder 44 downward, it is possible to attract and transport the disk D to the magnet 64 even with a magnet having a relatively small attractive force, and to simplify the mechanism for releasing the disk D. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the metal center hub 43 is fixed to the center hole of the optical disc D, and the center hub 43 is attracted to the magnet 64 of the magnet transport mechanism 60 to guide the disc D in the disc cartridge 41. However, when the disk D is guided only by the cartridge holder tilting mechanism 50 without using the magnet transport mechanism 60, the metal center hub 43 is not necessarily required. However, there is an advantage that the load on the disk D is increased by the metal center hub 43 and the sliding surface inside the disk cartridge 41 is easily slid. Further, by fixing the center hub 43 to the disk D, the disk D can be reliably clamped by the clamp part 17 simply by dropping the disk D into the clamp part 17.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an optical disc apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the optical disk apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the base plate and inner base of a housing | casing. It is a perspective view which shows a biaxial actuator. It is a perspective view which shows an objective lens. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the end surface of the objective lens shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which removed the housing | casing from the optical disk apparatus of FIG. 1, and showed the internal structure. It is a perspective view showing the configuration of the disk cartridge of the present embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a disc loading unit and its periphery. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the disk loading unit of FIG. 9 with a part of the cartridge holder removed. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the disk loading unit of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a side view of the disk loading unit of FIG. 9. It is a perspective view which shows the back side of the center hub fixed to the disk. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which a disc cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder from the front side. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state when the insertion of the disk cartridge into the cartridge holder is completed. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state of tilting of the cartridge holder. It is a side view showing a state in the middle of a disc moving to the rear side in a disc cartridge. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state after the adsorption of the disk by the magnet is released during the movement of the disk to the rear side in the disk cartridge. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state when a disc is delivered from a disc cartridge to a clamp portion and a signal is recorded or reproduced. It is a side view which shows a mode immediately after the start of unloading. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the disc clamp is cancelled | released. It is a side view which shows a mode that a disc is delivered to a disc cartridge from a clamp part. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the disc is returned into the disc cartridge. It is a side view which shows a mode when taking out a disk cartridge from an optical disk apparatus. Waveform of time change of gap error signal until the distance between the objective lens and the disk reaches the gap target value when the gap servo is pulled in. (A) is a waveform when the objective lens is clean, and (b) is a dirty lens. It is a figure which shows the waveform in the case of being.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Front panel 5 Housing | casing 6 Slot door 7 Biaxial actuator 8 Optical system 9 Slot 9a Opening part 10 Optical disk apparatus 11 Optical pick-up 14a Filter unit for internal air cleaning 15 Recording / reproducing unit 17 Clamp part 18 Spindle motor 26 Objective lens 40 Disc Loading unit 41 Disc cartridge 41a Opening portion 41b Storage portion 42 Door 43 Center hub 44 Cartridge holder 50 Cartridge holder tilting mechanism 60 Magnet transport mechanism 61 Internal cover 62 Ball screw 63 Magnet mounting slider 64 Magnet 70 Disc cartridge door opening / closing mechanism 71 Operation rod 72 Motor D disk

Claims (7)

A disc cartridge having a disc housing and an opening that allows the disc to be taken in and out in a direction along the signal recording surface of the stored disc, and an open / close door that can open and close the opening is detachable. A disk cartridge holder to hold;
A disk drive unit that holds and drives the disk;
An optical pickup that records or reproduces a signal by irradiating the disk driven by the disk drive unit with a laser beam;
A door opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the opening by operating the opening / closing door of the disk cartridge held by the disk cartridge holding portion;
An optical disc apparatus comprising: a disc delivery mechanism for guiding the disc in the disc cartridge in a non-contact manner and delivering the disc to and from the disc drive unit through the opening of the disc cartridge. .   2. The optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disc delivery mechanism is a tilting mechanism that tilts the disc cartridge holding portion to guide the disc within the disc cartridge. A metal center hub is fixed to the disk,
The disk delivery mechanism includes a magnet that attracts the center hub of the disk accommodated in the disk cartridge, and a magnet conveyance mechanism that conveys the magnet to guide the disk in the disk cartridge. The optical disc apparatus according to claim 1.   2. The optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical pickup has an optical system for recording or reproducing a signal on the disc using near-field light. A sealed structure that substantially seals a space in which the disk drive unit, the optical pickup, and the disk delivery mechanism are disposed;
The optical disk apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a filter unit that cleans the air in the sealed space. A second opening that allows the disk cartridge to be taken in and out of the space substantially sealed by the sealing structure;
A second door that opens and closes the second opening;
6. The optical disc apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second opening and the opening of the disc cartridge are opened exclusively. A storage section for storing a disk to which a metal center hub is fixed;
An opening through which the disc can be taken in and out in a direction along the signal recording surface of the disc stored in the storage portion;
A disc cartridge comprising an opening / closing door capable of opening and closing the opening.

Images