WO2009144804A1

WO2009144804A1 - Optical element driver and optical recording/reproducing device

Info

Publication number: WO2009144804A1
Application number: PCT/JP2008/059939
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亮一鍵谷
Original assignee: パイオニア株式会社
Priority date: 2008-05-29
Filing date: 2008-05-29
Publication date: 2009-12-03

Abstract

An optical element driver (1) includes a first optical element (2) movable in a light path direction extending along the light path at one position on the light path of a light beam, a second optical element (3) movable in an intersecting direction intersecting with the light path at another position and capable of changing over first and second states in which different optical characteristics are exhibited for the light beam when moved in the intersecting direction, and a shared driving means (4) for moving the first optical element in the light path direction and moving the second optical element in the intersecting direction.

Description

Optical element driving apparatus and optical recording / reproducing apparatus

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an optical element driving device used for driving an optical element such as a collimator lens for aberration correction or switching an optical element such as an optical shutter in an optical recording / reproducing apparatus such as an optical disk recorder. About.

As an optical element driving apparatus of this type, in addition to the first driving apparatus that moves the conventional aberration correcting collimator lens along the optical path, at the time of reproduction or the like when the optical recording medium should be irradiated with a low-power light beam. There is a device that is separately provided with a second drive device that inserts an optical shutter (or an intensity filter) in a direction crossing the optical path (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2000-195086 A JP 2006-40432 A

However, the first driving device described above includes a stepping motor and the like, and is expensive in itself and occupies a space that cannot be ignored in the optical recording / reproducing device. On the other hand, the above-described second driving device is configured to include a microactuator and the like, and is also expensive in itself and occupies a space in the optical recording / reproducing device that cannot be ignored. . In particular, when both are provided in the same optical recording / reproducing apparatus, there is a technical problem that the cost is increased and the miniaturization of the apparatus is extremely difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, for example, and provides an optical element driving device that is suitable for downsizing and can be reduced in cost, and an optical recording / reproducing device including such an optical element driving device. The task is to do.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an optical element driving apparatus according to the present invention is configured to move in the optical path direction along the optical path at one position on the optical path of the light beam, and on the optical path. The second state is movable in a crossing direction intersecting the optical path at another position and can be switched to a first state and a second state that exhibit different optical characteristics with respect to the light beam by being moved in the crossing direction. 2 optical elements, and a common drive means for moving the first optical element in the optical path direction and moving the second optical element in the intersecting direction.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described optical element driving apparatus according to the present invention (including various aspects thereof), a semiconductor laser that transmits the light beam, and the transmission. By irradiating the optical recording medium through the first and second optical elements with the light beam thus formed, writing / reading means for performing a writing process or a reading process, and the first and the second according to the type of the optical recording medium Control means for controlling the common drive means so as to switch the two optical elements to the first or second state.

The operation and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified from the embodiments described below.

It is a front view which shows the structure of the optical element drive device which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of a 1st supporting member and a 2nd supporting member when the 2nd optical element which concerns on 1st Example is a 1st state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows a mode that the 2nd optical element which concerns on 1st Example is switched from a 1st state to a 2nd state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of a 1st supporting member and a 2nd supporting member when the 2nd optical element which concerns on 1st Example is a 2nd state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows a mode that the 2nd optical element which concerns on 1st Example is switched from a 2nd state to a 1st state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of a 1st supporting member and a 2nd supporting member when the 2nd optical element which concerns on 2nd Example is a 2nd state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows a mode that the 2nd optical element which concerns on 2nd Example is switched from a 2nd state to a 1st state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of a 1st supporting member and a 2nd supporting member when the 2nd optical element which concerns on 2nd Example is a 1st state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of a 1st supporting member and a 2nd supporting member when the 2nd optical element which concerns on 3rd Example is a 1st state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows a mode that the 2nd optical element which concerns on 3rd Example is switched from a 1st state to a 2nd state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of a 1st supporting member and a 2nd supporting member when the 2nd optical element which concerns on 3rd Example is a 2nd state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows a mode that the 2nd optical element which concerns on 3rd Example is switched from a 2nd state to a 1st state. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the mode of the 1st supporting member and 2nd supporting member which concern on 4th Example. It is a block diagram of the optical recording / reproducing apparatus based on 5th Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical element drive device, 2 ... 1st optical element, 3 ... 2nd optical element, 4 ... Shared drive device, 5 ... Light beam, 7 ... Optical path, 8 ... 1st area | region, 9 ... 2nd area | region, 21 ... 1st support member, 22 ... 2nd support member, 23 ... Lever part, 24 ... Lever receiving part, 25 ... Contact surface (hook surface), 26 ... Vertical surface

Hereinafter, as the best mode for carrying out the invention, embodiments of the optical element driving apparatus and the optical recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment of optical element driving device)

Embodiments according to the optical element driving apparatus of the present invention include a first optical element that is movable in the optical path direction along the optical path at one position on the optical path of the light beam, and another position on the optical path. A second optical element that is movable in a crossing direction that intersects the optical path and that can be switched between a first state and a second state that are moved in the crossing direction and exhibit different optical characteristics with respect to the light beam; And a common driving means for moving the first optical element in the optical path direction and moving the second optical element in the intersecting direction.

According to the optical element driving apparatus of the present embodiment, for example, in the optical recording / reproducing apparatus, along the optical path of the first optical element such as an aberration correction collimator lens as part of the adjustment of the light beam irradiated to the optical recording medium. Such movement is required for the optical element driving apparatus. Then, the first optical element is moved in the optical path direction (that is, along the optical path) to a position suitable for aberration correction by a common driving means including, for example, an actuator, a microactuator, a motor, and a driving shaft. ) Moved. At the same time or in parallel with this, the optical element driving apparatus is required to switch the second optical element to the first or second state. For example, it is required to place an optical shutter having a light transmittance of 50% in the optical path as the first state, or to retract the optical shutter from the optical path as the second state. Then, the second optical element is moved in the intersecting direction (that is, along the direction intersecting the optical path) by the shared driving means so as to be in the requested first or second state.

It should be noted that the first optical element moved by the shared driving means as described above may typically be supported by a first support member such as a resin holder. At this time, the shared drive means may move the first optical element supported by the first support member by moving the first support member through the drive shift, for example. Similarly, the second optical element may be supported by a second support member such as a resin holder. At this time, the shared drive means may move the second optical element supported by the second support member by moving the second support member through the drive shift, or the first support through the drive shift, for example. By moving the member, the second support member may be moved using the first support member as a part of the drive mechanism.

Here, in particular, the movement of the first optical element in the optical path direction and the movement of the second optical element in the crossing direction are performed by a common shared driving means. Therefore, the optical element driving device can be downsized as compared with the case where the first optical element is driven by the first driving device and the second optical element is driven by the second driving device. Therefore, for example, in an optical recording apparatus having a strong general demand for downsizing, such as an optical disk recorder, a personal computer, a handy camera, a lightweight personal computer, a mobile, etc., by adopting the optical element driving device, it is possible to efficiently reduce the size of the entire apparatus. Can be achieved.

Furthermore, in the shared drive device, for example, the first optical element and the second optical element can be driven by one actuator or the like, so that the cost of the entire device can be reduced by reducing the component cost. In addition, power consumption can be reduced by using a single actuator. In particular, as is typically the case, the movement of the first optical element in the optical path direction and the movement of the second optical element in the crossing direction are, for example, during writing or reading of the optical recording / reproducing apparatus. If the optical element driving device is used in an environment that does not need to be performed at the same time, the operating rate of the shared driving means is increased, which is further advantageous. In other words, when the first optical element is driven by the first driving device and the second optical element is driven by the second driving device, the operating rates of the first driving device and the second driving device are It is relatively low, and the time when each is not doing anything becomes longer.

In particular, according to the research of the inventors of the present application, the optical recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment is optically or substantially not deviated from the optical system arrangement or optical path arrangement in a general or general-purpose optical recording / reproducing apparatus. It has been confirmed that it is sufficiently possible to move the first optical element in the optical path direction at different points in the system and to move the second optical element in the cross direction with a common shared drive means. Yes.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by adopting the common driving means, it is possible to reduce the size of the optical element driving device and the optical recording / reproducing device including the same. In addition, the cost can be reduced.

In one aspect of the optical element driving apparatus of the present embodiment, the first optical element includes a collimator lens that corrects the aberration related to the light beam, and the second optical element is arranged side by side in the intersecting direction. In addition, the mutual positional relationship is fixed and the first region and the second region have different light transmittances, the first region corresponds to the first state, and the second region is the second region. An optical shutter corresponding to the state is included.

According to this aspect, the collimator lens is moved in the optical path direction by the common driving means, so that an optical system capable of correcting aberrations (for example, spherical aberration, astigmatism, coma aberration) related to the light beam is quickly And it is built reliably. On the other hand, when the optical shutter is moved in the crossing direction by the shared drive means, for example, the one having an appropriate light transmittance according to the type of the recording layer of the optical recording medium, the type of the writing process and the reading process, etc. An optical system in which the first region or the second region is arranged in the optical path is quickly and reliably constructed. When constructing any of the optical systems, it is sufficient to drive by a single common driving means.

In particular, according to the research of the inventors of the present application, the collimator lens and the optical shutter are moved in the standard direction and the collimator lens is moved in the optical path direction and the optical shutter is moved in the crossing direction. It is confirmed that it is sufficiently possible to execute this with a common shared drive means.

In another aspect of the optical element driving apparatus of the present embodiment, the shared driving means moves the first optical element, thereby supporting a part of the first optical element or the first optical element. The second optical element is moved by bringing a support member into contact with or hooking a part of the second optical element or a part of the second support member supporting the second optical element.

According to this aspect, for example, when the second optical element is moved, the first optical element is moved by the shared driving means, and a part of the first optical element or a first support member such as a resin holder that supports the first optical element is moved. The second support member that supports the second optical element is moved while being in contact with or hooked to the portion, and the second optical element is moved accordingly. That is, when the second optical element is moved, the first optical element or the first support member transmits part of the mechanism for moving the second optical element (that is, the driving force by the shared driving means is transmitted). Function as a member for). Therefore, the number of parts necessary for moving the second optical element can be reduced, which leads to downsizing and cost reduction of the entire apparatus.

In this aspect, the shared driving means moves the first optical element in a transboundary range that exceeds an effective range in which the first optical element effectively acts on the light beam, thereby allowing the second optical element to move. The element may be moved.

If comprised in this way, the 1st optical element will transmit the driving force for moving the 2nd optical element, after moving beyond the effective range which moves for the original purpose, ie, to the transboundary range. It functions as a member. Therefore, the optical system arrangement, the optical path arrangement, and the optical element driving device are configured as compared with the case where the second optical element is moved using only the moving operation limited within the effective range of the first optical element. The degree of freedom with respect to the arrangement of each member is greatly increased. Therefore, the size and cost can be reduced more easily.

However, the shared drive means may move the second optical element by moving the first optical element within the effective range or only within the effective range. With this configuration, it is not necessary to widen the movement range of the first optical element.

Further, in the aspect in which the first optical element is moved in the cross-border range, the shared driving means is a part of the cross-border range, and the first optical element is in the first cross-border range that exceeds the effective range on one side. The second optical element is moved until the first state is reached, and as the other part of the transboundary range, the first optical element is in a second transboundary range beyond the effective range to the other side. By moving the second optical element, the second optical element may be moved until the second state is reached.

With this configuration, the second optical element can be switched from, for example, the first state to the second state by moving the first optical element in the first transboundary range on one side of the effective range. By the movement of the first optical element in the second transboundary range on the other side of the range, for example, switching from the second state to the first state in the second optical element can be performed. On the other hand, the original function of the first optical element can be achieved by the movement of the first optical element within the effective range. As described above, by clearly associating the role and the range of the first optical element with each other, it is possible to perform reliable switching through the movement of the first optical element.

In the aspect in which the second optical element is moved by contact or hooking as described above, at least a part of the shared driving means, the first and second optical elements, and the first and second support members are the first optical element. The optical path direction in which the element is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element is moved may be arranged parallel to each other.

With this configuration, the first optical element and the second optical element need only be moved in the same direction, so that the second optical element can be moved by simple contact or hooking. Note that the term “parallel” here means literally parallel, but it is sufficient that the second optical element can be moved without any problem by contact or hooking, and is substantially parallel. That is the purpose.

In such a configuration, the first support member is moved in parallel with the first optical element integrally with the first optical element by the shared driving means and in a direction intersecting the optical path direction. And a lever portion protruding in a direction toward the second support member, and the second support member is moved in parallel with the second optical element integrally with the second optical element by the shared driving means. And a lever receiving portion that is in contact with or hooked to the lever portion at both ends of the lever portion, and the contact surface or the hooking surface between the lever and the lever receiving portion is The optical path direction in which one optical element is moved and a plane perpendicular to the intersecting direction in which the second optical element is moved may be included.

According to this structure, after the lever portion of the first support member is moved in the optical path direction, the lever receiving portion of the second support member is brought into contact with the vertical surface or is hooked vertically. If it is moved linearly in the optical path direction, the second optical element can be moved in the crossing direction parallel to the optical path direction. Here, “vertical surface” means a literally vertical surface ideally, but it is sufficient if the surface is vertical enough to move the second optical element without any problem by contact or hooking. This means that the surface is vertical. Thus, with a relatively simple configuration and operation, the second optical element can be reliably moved in the crossing direction.

It should be noted that the “lever receiving portion” may extend linearly facing the lever portion as a whole. Alternatively, it may be spread or bent like a hook as a whole, and only a portion of a vertical surface may face the lever portion. By making the lever receiving portion into various shapes, the degree of freedom with respect to the optical system arrangement, the optical path arrangement, and the arrangement of each member constituting the optical element driving device is further increased. In addition, the lever portion may take various shapes for portions other than the vertical surface.

Alternatively, in the aspect in which the second optical element is moved by contact or hooking as described above, at least a part of the shared drive means, the first and second optical elements, and the first and second support members are the first and second support members. The optical path direction in which the optical element is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element is moved may be arranged to intersect each other.

If comprised in this way, since a 2nd optical element can be moved to different directions, such as an orthogonal direction, with respect to the direction which moves a 1st optical element, an optical system arrangement | positioning, an optical path arrangement | positioning, and the said optical element drive The degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of each member constituting the apparatus is increased. Here, the “crossing direction” is, for example, an orthogonal direction or a substantially orthogonal direction. For example, the positional relationship between the first optical element and the second optical element, such as 60 degrees or 30 degrees, or the apparatus May mean a desired direction that is consciously set in consideration of the shape of the available space in the solid.

In this case, the first support member is moved in parallel with the first optical element, and is a lever that protrudes in the direction intersecting the optical path direction and toward the second support member side. The second support member is moved integrally with the second optical element in parallel with the second optical element by the shared driving means and abuts on the lever part or is hooked on the lever. The lever receiving portion is provided at both ends of the lever portion, and the contact surface or the hooking surface between the lever and the lever receiving portion is at least one of the first and second support members. An oblique cam surface may be included with respect to the optical path direction in which the optical element is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element is moved.

If comprised in this way, after moving the lever part of a 1st support member to an optical path direction, the lever receiving part of a 2nd support member was made to contact | abut diagonally on a cam surface, or it was hooked diagonally Later, if it is moved linearly in the direction of the optical path, it is possible to move the second optical element in the intersecting direction intersecting (for example, orthogonal to) this. In this way, it is possible to move the second optical element in an intersecting direction intersecting the optical path direction using an oblique cam surface.

In addition, the “lever receiving portion” extends or bends in a hook shape as a whole, and only the portion of the cam surface may be contacted or hooked diagonally to the lever portion. By making the lever receiving portion into various shapes, the degree of freedom with respect to the optical system arrangement, the optical path arrangement, and the arrangement of each member constituting the optical element driving device is further increased. In addition, the lever portion may take various shapes for portions other than the cam surface.

In another aspect of the optical element driving apparatus of the present embodiment, the first optical element is supported by a first support member attached to a guide shaft so as to be capable of reciprocating in the optical path direction. By moving the first support member along the guide shaft, the second optical element is moved in the direction along or intersecting the guide shaft as the intersecting direction.

According to this aspect, the first support member is moved in the optical path direction along the guide shaft by the shared driving means, and accordingly, the first optical element supported by the first support member is also moved. . Therefore, the movement of the first optical element can be stabilized with extremely high reproducibility. Furthermore, since the second optical element is moved in the direction along or intersecting the guide shaft by such stable movement of the first optical element, the second optical element can be reliably moved. It becomes.

(Optical recording / reproducing device)
This embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes the above-described optical element driving apparatus (including various aspects thereof), a semiconductor laser that emits the light beam, and the transmitted light. Write / read means for performing write processing or read processing by irradiating the optical recording medium through the first and second optical elements, and the second optical element according to the type of the optical recording medium Control means for controlling the common drive means so as to switch to the first or second state.

According to the optical recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment, since the optical element driving apparatus according to the present embodiment described above is provided, the size can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. In addition, the writing process and the reading process by the writing / reading means are improved by appropriate adjustment of the light beam by movement of the first optical element in the optical path direction and appropriate adjustment of the light beam by switching of the second optical element. It becomes possible to carry out with accuracy. For example, under the control of a control means including a controller, a memory, etc., depending on the type of optical recording medium, for example, the recording layer is a single optical disc, the recording layer is a two-layer optical disc, or the like, It is possible to switch to the first state or the second state by switching the second optical element.

For example, when the recording layer is a single layer, the second optical element is in the first state while transmitting a 2.6 mW light beam that is high enough not to generate linking noise on the semiconductor laser side and too strong on the optical recording medium side. As a filter region having a low light transmittance. Thereby, the power of the light beam when it reaches the optical recording medium can be set to 1.3 mW, which is more suitable for the reading process of the disc. On the other hand, when there are two or more recording layers, the second optical element is switched to the transmission region as the second state while transmitting a 2.6 mW light beam from the beginning on the semiconductor laser side. Thereby, the power of the light beam when reaching the optical recording medium can be set to 2.6 mW which is suitable for the reading process of the double-layer disc.

The “type of optical recording medium” is not limited to the number of recording layers, but may be a rough type such as a BlueRay disc, HDDVD, DVD, CD, or DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R +, DVD-R-. Various types of recording processing and reproduction processing can be more appropriately or easily performed by inserting the second optical element having different optical characteristics such as more detailed types.

In particular, a high-performance Blu-ray standard optical disc recorder or the like has a high laser power, and it is difficult or impossible to cope with an optical shutter using a traditional liquid crystal switch due to deterioration of the liquid crystal. For this reason, as in the present embodiment, appropriately using the second optical element by switching by the shared driving means is extremely advantageous in an optical disk recorder or the like having a high laser power. In the case of high-speed recording, the writing time is shortened as the rotational speed of the optical disk increases, so that a higher laser power is required. For this reason, it is still difficult or impossible to cope with traditional liquid crystal switches. Also in this case, it is extremely advantageous to appropriately use the second optical element by switching by the common driving means as in this embodiment.

In one aspect of the optical recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the control unit performs the writing process or the reading process in addition to or in place of the type of the optical recording medium. The shared drive means is controlled to switch the second optical element to the first or second state.

According to this aspect, under the control of the control means, not only the type of the optical recording medium, but in addition or instead, for example, depending on whether the writing process or the reading process is to be performed now The second optical element is switched to the first state or the second state by the driving means.

For example, when reading processing is performed, the semiconductor laser side is not so high as to generate linking noise (that is, low enough to be used for normal reading on the surface of an optical recording medium having a comma number of mW to several mW). In addition, the second optical element is switched to the filter region having a low light transmittance while transmitting a light beam of several mW to several tens of mW which is too strong for the reading process on the optical recording medium side. Thereby, the power of the light beam when reaching the optical recording medium can be set to, for example, 1.3 mW, which is suitable for the reading process. On the other hand, when the writing process is performed, the second optical element is switched to the transmission region while transmitting a light beam of several tens to several hundreds mW necessary for writing from the beginning on the semiconductor laser side. Thereby, the power of the light beam when reaching the optical recording medium can be maintained at a level suitable for the writing process.

The operation and other gains of the present embodiment will be clarified from examples to be described below.

As described in detail above, according to the optical element driving apparatus according to the present embodiment, the first and second optical elements and the common driving means are provided, so that the size can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the optical recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the first and second optical elements and the common drive unit, and further includes the semiconductor laser, the writing / reading unit, and the control unit, the size can be reduced, and the low Costs can be reduced, and the writing process and the reading process by the writing / reading unit can be performed with high accuracy by appropriate optical adjustment of the first and second optical elements.

Embodiments according to the optical element driving device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the overall configuration of the optical element driving apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the optical element driving apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

1, the optical element driving apparatus 1 includes a first optical element 2, a second optical element 3, a first support member 21, a second support member 22, and a common drive apparatus 4. The optical element driving apparatus 1 allows the light beam 6 transmitted from the semiconductor laser 5 to reach the optical disc which is an example of the “optical recording medium” according to the present invention via the first optical element 2 and the second optical element 3. Further, it is attached to a disk recorder (see FIG. 14 described later) as an example of the “optical recording / reproducing apparatus” according to the present invention.

The first optical element 2 includes an aberration correction collimator lens and the like as part of the adjustment of the light beam 6. The first optical element 2 is configured to be movable in the optical path direction along the optical path 7 to a position suitable for performing aberration correction on the optical path 7 of the light beam 6 by the shared driving device 4. By moving the first optical element 2 by the common drive device 4, an optical system capable of correcting aberrations related to the light beam 6, such as spherical aberration, astigmatism, and coma aberration, can be quickly and reliably constructed. .

The second optical element 3 is configured to be movable in a crossing direction intersecting the optical path 7 at a position different from the first optical element 2 on the optical path 7. The second optical element 3 has a first region 8 and a second region 9 having different optical characteristics. Particularly in this embodiment, the optical characteristic is light transmittance. The first region 8 is, for example, a filter region having a light transmittance of 50%, and the second region 9, for example, a transparent region having a light transmittance of nearly 100%. The first region 8 and the second region 9 are arranged side by side in a single plane intersecting the optical path 7 and are integrally formed, so that the mutual positional relationship is fixed. By moving the second optical element 3 in the crossing direction intersecting the optical path 7, the first area 8 or the second area 9 functioning as an optical shutter is arranged in the optical path 7. It is possible to switch between the state and the second state. By moving the second optical element 3 in the intersecting direction by the shared driving device 4, an appropriate light transmittance can be obtained according to, for example, the type of the recording layer of the optical recording medium, the writing process, and the reading process. An optical system in which the first region or the second region having the first region or the second region is arranged in the optical path is quickly and reliably constructed.

The first support member 21 is, for example, a resin holder, and is configured to support the first optical element 2 and to move the first optical element 2 in the optical path direction. The first support member 21 is moved in the optical path direction by the shared drive device 4 by attaching one side of the first support member 21 to the shared drive device 4. The 1st support member 21 has the front-end | tip part 21a in the side which approaches a 2nd support member.

The second support member 22 is, for example, a resin holder, and is configured to support the second optical element 3 while being exposed. A part of the second support member 22 is in contact with the distal end portion 21a of the first support member 21, and the second support member 22 can be interlocked as the first support member 21 moves in the optical direction. Has been. The second optical element 3 supported by the second support member is switched between the first state and the second state by the reciprocating movement of the second support member 22 in the left-right direction in FIG.

The shared drive device 4 includes, for example, an actuator, a microactuator, a motor, a drive shaft, and the like, and moves the first optical element 2 in the optical path direction and moves the second optical element 3 in the intersecting direction. It is configured. The shared drive device 4 moves the first support member 21 along the optical path 7 through the drive shift, for example, thereby moving the first optical element 2 supported by the first support member 21 in the optical path direction (that is, FIG. 1 in the horizontal direction). The shared drive device 4 moves the first support member 21 and moves the second support member 22 in the intersecting direction (that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 1) in parallel with or in parallel with the first support member 21. At this time, the shared drive device 4 moves the first support member 21 to move the second support member 22 using the first support member 21 as a part of the drive mechanism.

On the other hand, the shared drive device 4 may move the second support member 22 directly through the drive shift, for example, without using the first support member 21. Furthermore, when constructing any of the optical systems, the driving mechanism can be integrated, in other words, it can be driven by a single shared driving device 4.

With the above configuration, the second optical element 3 moves in the intersecting direction so that the first support member 21 is moved by the shared drive device 4 at the same time or immediately after the first support member 21 is moved. Is done. Therefore, compared with the case where the first optical element 2 is driven by the first driving device and the second optical element 3 is driven by the second driving device, the optical element driving device 1 to the optical element driving device 1 are compared. Can be downsized. Further, in the shared driving device 4, the first optical element 2 and the second optical element 3 can be driven by, for example, one actuator or the like, so that the cost of the entire device can be reduced by reducing the component cost. In addition, power consumption can be reduced by using a single actuator. In particular, the environment in which the movement of the first optical element 2 in the optical path direction and the movement of the second optical element 3 in the intersecting direction need not be performed simultaneously during writing or reading of the optical recording / reproducing apparatus, for example. If the optical element driving apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is used, the operating rate of the shared driving means is increased, which is further advantageous.

Particularly in this embodiment, the optical element driving device 1 further includes one or a pair of guide shafts 10 extending in the left-right direction in FIG. The guide shaft 10 is configured such that the first support member 21 supporting the first optical element 2 is attached so as to be able to reciprocate in the optical path direction. The guide shaft 10 is configured in the optical path direction so that a part thereof is in contact with the second support member 22 and can guide the second support member 22. The shared drive device 4 moves the second support member 22 in the direction along the guide shaft 10 by moving the first support member 21 along the guide shaft 10. With this configuration, the first optical element 2 supported by the first support member 21 is stably moved in the optical path direction along the guide shaft 10 and is supported by the second support member 22. The two optical elements 3 can also be reliably moved in the same direction, that is, in the optical path direction. Furthermore, since the second optical element 3 is moved in the direction along the guide shaft 10 by such stable movement of the first optical element, the second optical element 3 can be moved reliably. Become.

Next, the detailed configuration of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 and the switching operation by them in the optical element driving apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the state of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 when the second optical element 3 according to the first embodiment is in the first state, and FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the second optical element 3 according to the second optical element 3 is switched from the first state to the second state, and FIG. 4 shows the first support member when the second optical element 3 according to the first embodiment is in the second state. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the second optical element 3 according to the first example is switched from the second state to the first state. For convenience of explanation, the first support member 21 in a drawing state is drawn, and the first support member 21 in another state is shown.

2, the distal end portion 21 a of the first support member 21 has a lever portion 23 that protrudes in a direction toward the second support member 22. The second support member 22 has a pair of lever receiving portions 24 that are in contact with or hooked to the lever portion 23 at both ends of the lever portion 23. The lever portion 23 and the lever receiving portion 24 have a contact surface or a hooking surface 25 facing each other therebetween. Accordingly, when the first support member 21 is moved by the shared drive device 4 (see FIG. 1), the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21 abuts on the lever receiving portion 24 of the second support member 22 or By being hooked, the second support member 22 is moved. Furthermore, the second optical element 3 is switched to the first state or the second state with respect to the optical path 7 by arranging the first region 8 or the second region 9 in the optical path 7. In FIG. 2, the horizontal position or vertical position of the optical path 7 is indicated by a one-dot chain line 7L.

With this configuration, for example, when the second optical element 3 is moved, the first optical element 2 is moved by the shared driving device 4 to support a part of the first optical element 2 or the first optical element 2. The second support member 22 that supports the second optical element 3 is moved so as to be in contact with or hooked to the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21. Accordingly, the second optical element 3 is moved. That is, when the second optical element 3 is moved, the first optical element 2 or the first support member 21 is driven by a part of the mechanism for moving the second optical element 3, that is, by the common driving device 4. It functions as a member for transmitting force. Therefore, the number of parts necessary for moving the second optical element 3 can be reduced, leading to a reduction in size and cost of the entire apparatus.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the shared drive device 4 (see FIG. 1), the first optical element 2 and the second optical element 3, and the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 are the first optical element 2. The optical path direction in which the second optical element 3 is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element 3 is moved are configured to be parallel to each other. With this configuration, since the first optical element 2 and the second optical element 3 need only be moved in the same direction, the second optical element 3 can be reliably moved by simple contact or hooking.

The contact surface or the hooking surface 25 is in the optical path direction in which the first optical element 2 and the first support member 21 are moved and in the intersecting direction in which the second optical element 3 and the second support member 22 are moved. And a vertical surface 26.

According to this configuration, after the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21 is moved in the optical path direction, the lever receiving portion 24 of the second support member 22 is brought into contact with the vertical surface 26 to the lever portion 23. Alternatively, if the second optical element 3 is linearly moved in the optical path direction after being hooked vertically, the second optical element 3 can be moved in the intersecting direction parallel to the optical path direction. Therefore, the second optical element 3 can be reliably moved in the intersecting direction with a relatively simple configuration and operation.

Here, the switching operation by the shared drive device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the optical element driving apparatus 1, when the first support member 21 moves between the pair of lever receiving portions 24 of the second support member 22, an effective range 100 is set as a moving range. ing. The length of the effective range 100 is shorter than the distance in the optical path direction (that is, the direction parallel to the moving direction of the first support member 21) between the pair of lever receiving portions 24 of the second support member 22. The second optical element 2 is held in the first state in which the first region 8 is disposed in the optical path. The first support member 21 that supports the first optical element 2 can be reciprocated within the effective range 100 by the shared drive device 4 and can be stopped after the movement.

According to this configuration, when the first support member 21 moves in the effective range, the second support member is not moved. Further, the position of the second optical element on which the second support member is supported is not changed. At this time, the first support member 21 moves in the effective range 100 to move the first optical element 2. Thus, the first optical element 2 performs its original function, that is, corrects the aberration related to the light beam 6 as part of the adjustment of the optical system.

In FIG. 3, a first cross-border range 101 is set on one side of the effective range 100. The first transboundary range 101 is provided on an extension line of the effective range 100 in the moving direction of the first support member 21 between the lever receiving portions 24. The first support member 21 can move the second optical element 3 once it has moved to the first cross-border range 101, that is, beyond one side of the effective range 100.

Specifically, when the first support member 21 exceeds one side of the effective range 100, the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21 and the lever receiving portion 24 of the second support member 22 are in contact with each other or hooked. The surfaces 25 are brought into contact with each other. When the first support member 21 continues to move in the same direction (that is, in the right direction in FIG. 3) in the first transboundary range 101, the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21 and the lever receiver on one side of the second support member 22 are provided. A force to be hooked on the abutting surface or the hooking surface 25 is generated while the portion 24 is abutted. With this hooking force, the second support member 22 is moved rightward in FIG. 3 and the first region 8 of the second optical element 3 is removed from the optical path 7. As a result, the second region 9 is arranged in the optical path 7. Further, the first support member 21 moves to the limit of the first cross-border range 101 so that the first region 8 of the second optical element 3 is completely removed from the optical path 7 and the center of the second region 9 is the optical path 7. Placed in. That is, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state is completed.

As described above, the first support member 21 is a member for switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state by the movement to the first cross-border range 101 and transmitting the driving force by the common driving device 4. Function as.

As shown in FIG. 4, once the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state is completed, the first support member 21 returns to the effective range 100 again by the shared drive device 4. It is moved in the effective range. Similar to the state shown in FIG. 2, the second optical element 3 is held in the second state in which the first region 9 is disposed in the optical path, and the first support member 21 that supports the first optical element 2 includes: The common drive device 4 can reciprocate within the effective range 100 and can stop after the movement. At this time, the first support member 21 is moved within the effective range, does not move the second support member, and does not change the position of the second optical element on which the second support member is supported. The first support member 21 moves in the effective range 100 to move the first optical element 2. Thereby, the first optical element 2 performs its original function, that is, corrects the aberration related to the light beam 6 as part of the adjustment of the optical system.

In FIG. 5, the second crossing range 102 is set on the other side of the effective range 100 with respect to the first crossing range 101. The second cross-border range 102 is located on the opposite side of the first cross-border range 101 and has the same length as the first cross-border range 101. When the first support member 21 moves to the second cross-border range 102, that is, beyond the other side of the effective range 100, the second optical element 3 can be moved.

Specifically, when the first support member 21 exceeds the other side of the effective range 100, the first support member 21 contacts the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21 and the lever receiving portion 24 of the second support member 22, and the lever portion 23. And the lever receiving portion 24 are brought into contact with each other at the contact surface or the hooking surface 25. When the first support member 21 continues to move in the same direction (that is, in the left direction in FIG. 5) in the second boundary region 102, the lever portion 23 of the first support member 21 and the lever receiving portion on one side of the second support member 22 A force to be hooked on the abutting surface or the hooking surface 25 is generated while being in contact with 24. With this hooking force, the second support member 22 is moved leftward in FIG. 5 and the second region 9 of the second optical element 3 is removed from the optical path 7. As a result, the first region 8 is disposed in the optical path 7. Further, the first support member 21 moves to the limit of the first cross-border range 102, so that the second region 9 of the second optical element 3 is completely removed from the optical path 7 and the center of the first region 8 is the optical path 7. Placed in. That is, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the second state to the first state is completed.

With the configuration as described above, the original function of the first optical element 2 can be achieved by the movement of the first optical element 2 within the effective range 100. On the other hand, the first optical element 2 moves beyond the effective range 100 for its original purpose, that is, moved to the first transboundary range 101 or the second transboundary range 102, and then moves the second optical element 3. It functions as a member that transmits the driving force for the purpose. In this way, by clearly associating the role of the first optical element 2 with the range, it is possible to perform reliable switching through the movement of the first optical element 2.

Furthermore, the configuration as described above is compared with the case where the second optical element 3 is moved using only the movement operation limited within the effective range 100 of the first optical element 2, and the optical system arrangement and the optical path arrangement. , And the degree of freedom with respect to the arrangement of the members constituting the optical element driving apparatus is remarkably increased. Therefore, the size and cost can be reduced more easily.

<Second embodiment>
A second embodiment of the optical element driving apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 6 to 8 are drawings having the same concept as FIG. 2, and the first support member 21 and the second support member when the second optical element 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is in the switching operation. 22 is shown. FIG. 6 shows a state of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 when the second optical element 3 according to the second example is in the second state, and FIG. 7 relates to the second example. FIG. 8 shows how the second optical element 3 is switched from the second state to the first state, and FIG. 8 shows the first support member 21 and the second optical element 3 when the second optical element 3 according to the second example is in the first state. The state of the second support member 22 is shown.

The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configuration of the common cross-border range 103 and the switching operation are different. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the description overlapping with that of the first embodiment is omitted, and the common portions in the drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals and only FIGS. 6 to 8 are basically different only. The description will be given with reference.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second optical element 3 is held in the second state in which the second region 9 is disposed in the optical path 7 as in the state shown in FIG. The first support member 21 that supports the first optical element 2 can be reciprocated within the effective range 100 by the shared drive device 4 and can be stopped after the movement.

In FIG. 7, the common cross-border range 103 is provided only on one side of the effective range 100, unlike the first cross-border range 101 and the second cross-border range 102 provided on both sides of the effective range 100 in FIG. 3. ing. Specifically, the first support member 21 generates a force to be hooked on the contact surface or the hooking surface 25 by the common driving device 4. With this hooking force, the second support member 22 is moved leftward in FIG. 7, and the second region 9 of the second optical element 3 is removed from the optical path 7. As a result, the first region 8 is disposed in the optical path 7. Further, the first support member 21 moves to the limit of the first cross-border range 101, so that both the first region 8 and the second region 9 of the second optical element 3 are removed from the optical path 7. That is, the second optical element 3 is in a state other than the first state and the second state. The first support member 21 is returned in the direction toward the effective range 100 by, for example, an elastic member (not shown) that is biased to the right in FIG. 7, and the central portion of the first region 8 is disposed in the optical path 7. (See FIG. 8). At this time, the second support member 22 is returned to the right by the elastic member that is triggered by the knock type as in the case of the knock type ball-point pen or the like by moving to the limit of the first transboundary range 101. That is, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the second state to the first state is completed by the shared drive device 4 and the knock type drive mechanism.

According to the second embodiment, by forming the common transboundary range 103 only on one side, the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the optical system arrangement, the optical path arrangement, and the respective members constituting the optical element driving device further increases, It is easier to reduce the size and cost.

<Third embodiment>
A third embodiment of the optical element driving apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 9 to 12 are drawings having the same concept as FIG. 2, and the first support member 21 and the second support member when the second optical element 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is in the switching operation. 22 is shown. FIG. 9 shows the state of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 when the second optical element 3 according to the third example is in the first state, and FIG. 10 relates to the third example. FIG. 11 shows how the second optical element 3 is switched from the first state to the second state, and FIG. 11 shows the first support member 21 and the second optical element 3 according to the third example when the second optical element 3 is in the second state. FIG. 12 shows a state of the second support member 22, and FIG. 12 shows a state in which the second optical element 3 according to the third example is switched from the second state to the first state.

The third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the direction in which the second optical element 3 is moved intersects the direction in which the first optical element 2 is moved, and that the switching operation is different. Accordingly, the description of the third embodiment that is the same as that of the first embodiment is omitted, and common portions in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and FIGS. The description will be given with reference.

In FIG. 9, the distal end portion 21 a of the first support member 21 has, for example, a triangular lever portion 31 that protrudes in the direction intersecting the optical path direction and toward the second support member 22. The second support member 22 has a pair of lever receiving portions 32 that are in contact with or hooked to the lever portion 31 at both ends of the lever portion 31. Between the lever part 31 and the lever receiving part 32, a pair of contact surface or the hooking surface 33 exists.

The one contact surface or the hooking surface 33 is inclined with respect to the optical path direction in which the first optical element 2 is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element 3 is moved in the first support member 21. The cam surface 34 is formed. The lever receiving portion 32 includes a protrusion 36 so that it can come into contact with the cam surface 34. The contact surface or hooking surface 33 on the other side is inclined with respect to the optical path direction in which the first optical element 2 is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element 3 is moved in the first support member 22. A cam surface 35 is included. The lever portion 31 includes a protrusion 37 so that it can come into contact with the cam surface 35.

Further, the first region 8 and the second region 9 of the second optical element 3 supported by the second support member 22 are arranged side by side in one plane intersecting the optical path 7 and are integrally formed. Thus, the mutual positional relationship is fixed.

According to such a configuration, the second optical element 3 is moved to the oblique cam surface 34 by moving the lever portion 31 of the first support member 21 in the optical path direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 9 and 10). 35 can be used to move in the crossing direction (vertical direction in FIGS. 9 and 10) intersecting the optical path direction, and the second optical element 3 can be switched to the first state or the second state. It is.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second optical element 2 is held in the first state in which the first region 8 is disposed in the optical path. The first support member 21 that supports the first optical element 2 can be reciprocated within the effective range 100 by the shared drive device 4 and can be stopped after the movement. At this time, the first support member 21 moves in the effective range 100 to move the first optical element 2. Thereby, the first optical element 2 performs its original function, that is, corrects the aberration related to the light beam 6 as part of the adjustment of the optical system.

As shown in FIG. 10, once the first support member 21 has moved to the first cross-border range 101, that is, beyond one side of the effective range 100, the second optical element 3 can be moved.

Specifically, when the first support member 21 exceeds the effective range 100 to the first transboundary range 101, the cam surface 34 of the lever portion 31 of the first support member 21 and the lever receiving portion 32 of the second support member 22. The protrusion 36 is contacted or hooked diagonally. Therefore, by moving the lever portion 31 of the first support member 21 in the optical path direction (that is, in the right direction in FIG. 10), the second optical element intersects the optical path direction using the oblique cam surface 34. Move in the crossing direction (ie, downward in FIG. 10). As a result, the first region 8 of the second optical element 3 is removed from the optical path 7 and the second region 9 is disposed in the optical path 7. Further, the first support member 21 moves to the limit of the first transboundary range 101, so that the first region 8 of the second optical element 3 is completely removed from the optical path 7. As a result, the central portion of the second region 9 is disposed in the optical path 7. That is, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state is completed.

As shown in FIG. 11, once the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state is completed, the first support member returns to the effective range 100 again by the common driving device 4 and is effective. It can be moved in range. Similarly to the state shown in FIG. 9, the second optical element 3 is held in the second state in which the first region 9 is disposed in the optical path, and the first support member 21 that supports the first optical element 2 includes: The common drive device 4 can reciprocate within the effective range 100 and can stop after the movement.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the first support member 21 exceeds the effective range 100 to the first transboundary range 102, the cam surface 35 of the lever receiving portion 32 of the first support member 22 and the lever portion of the second support member 22. The protrusion 37 of 31 is contacted diagonally or hooked diagonally. Accordingly, by moving the lever portion 31 of the first support member 21 in the optical path direction (that is, in the left-right direction in FIGS. 11 and 12), the second optical element is moved in the optical path direction using an oblique cam surface. It is moved in the intersecting direction (that is, the vertical direction in FIGS. 11 and 12). As a result, the first region 8 of the second optical element 3 is removed from the optical path 7 and the second region 9 is disposed in the optical path 7. Further, the first support member 21 moves to the limit of the first transboundary range 101, so that the first region 8 of the second optical element 3 is completely removed from the optical path 7. As a result, the central portion of the second region 9 is disposed in the optical path 7. That is, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state is completed.

With the above configuration, the shared optical device 4 can move the second optical element 3 in the intersecting direction such as a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the first optical element 2 is moved. Accordingly, the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the optical system, the arrangement of the optical path, and the arrangement of each member constituting the optical element driving device is increased. Therefore, the size and cost can be reduced more easily.

<Fourth embodiment>
A fourth embodiment of the optical element driving apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a view having the same concept as FIG. 9 and shows the state of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The fourth embodiment is the same as the third embodiment except that the lever receiving portion 42 is formed in a hook shape. Accordingly, the description of the fourth embodiment that is the same as that of the third embodiment is omitted, and common portions in the drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only fundamentally different points are described with reference to FIG. explain.

In FIG. 13, the pair of lever receiving portions 42 of the second support member 22 are formed so as to expand or bend in a hook shape as a whole. Similar to the third embodiment, a pair of contact surfaces or hook surfaces 43 exist between the lever portion 41 and the lever receiving portion 42. The pair of contact surfaces or hooking surfaces 43 include oblique cam surfaces 44 and 45, respectively. The lever portion 41 of the first support member 21 is formed to be thin in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface, for example, so that the resin member is cut and further bent. According to this configuration, the effective range 100 (see FIG. 9) is formed to be shorter, so that the raw materials of the members that form the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 can be saved. It can be easily reduced in size and cost. In addition, the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of each member can be further increased.

The lever receiving portion 42 is formed with a protrusion 46 at the tip of the lever 41 with respect to the cam surface 44 so that the tip of the lever receiving portion 42 is further bent, for example. Accordingly, the first support member 21 moves along the optical path direction (that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 13), so that the cam surface 44 of the lever portion 31 and the protrusion 46 of the lever receiving portion 42 are abutted or slanted. The second support member 22 that supports the second optical element 3 is moved in the direction intersecting the optical path 7 (that is, the vertical direction in FIG. 13). Thereby, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the first state to the second state is completed. Further, the lever portion 41 is formed with a protrusion 47 at a tip portion of the lever receiving portion 42 with respect to the cam surface 45. Similarly, the first support member 21 moves along the optical path direction (that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 13), so that the cam surface 45 of the lever receiving portion 42 and the protrusion 47 of the lever portion 41 are in contact with each other diagonally. By hooking diagonally, the second support member 22 that supports the second optical element 3 is moved in the direction intersecting the optical path 7 (that is, in the vertical direction in FIG. 13). Thereby, the operation of switching the second optical element 3 from the second state to the first state is completed.

With the above configuration, the lever portion 41 and the lever receiving portion 42 have various shapes, so that the raw material cost is reduced, and the optical system arrangement, the optical path arrangement, and the arrangement of each member constituting the optical element driving device. The degree of freedom about can be further increased.

<Fifth embodiment>
Next, a fifth embodiment of the optical recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the fifth embodiment.

In FIG. 14, an optical recording / reproducing apparatus that is an optical disk recorder, for example, includes the optical element driving apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, or the fourth embodiment, the semiconductor laser 5, A writing / reading unit 51 and a control unit 52 are provided.

The writing / reading unit 51 is composed of a part of an optical pickup such as a laser driving unit. The writing / reading unit 51 emits the light beam 6 transmitted from the semiconductor laser 5 at high power for writing. A writing process is performed by irradiating the optical disc 53, which is an example of a “recording medium”, via the second optical element 3. Alternatively, the writing / reading unit 51 performs the reading process by irradiating the optical disk 53 via the second optical element 3 with the light beam 6 transmitted from the semiconductor laser 5 with low power for reading. The control unit 52 includes a processor and the like, and according to the type of the optical disk 53, the first state in which the first area 8 is arranged in the optical path, or the second state in which the second area 9 is arranged in the optical path. The shared driving device 4 of the optical element driving device 1 is controlled so as to switch to the state.

According to the present embodiment, since the optical element driving device 1 according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, or the fourth embodiment described above is provided, the size can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. It becomes. In addition, the writing process by the writing / reading means is performed by appropriate adjustment of the light beam 6 by movement of the first optical element 2 in the optical path direction and appropriate adjustment of the light beam 6 by switching of the second optical element 3. The reading process can be performed with high accuracy.

Particularly in the present embodiment, under the control of the control unit 52, the optical disk 53 is switched to the first state or the second state depending on whether the optical disk 53 is a single-layer optical disk or a double-layer or multi-layer disk.

For example, in the case of a single-layer disc, the second optical element 3 transmits the light beam 6 of 2.6 mW that is so high that no linking noise is generated on the semiconductor laser 5 side and is too strong on the optical disc 53 side. 8 (that is, a filter region having a low light transmittance). Thereby, the power of the light beam 6 when it reaches the optical disk 53 can be set to 1.3 mW, which is more suitable for the disk reading process.

On the other hand, in the case of a two-layer or multi-layer disc, the second optical element 3 is switched to the second region 9 (that is, the transmission region) while transmitting the 2.6 mW light beam 6 from the beginning on the semiconductor laser 5 side. . As a result, the power of the light beam 6 when reaching the optical disk 53 can be 2.6 mW, which is suitable for reading processing of a two-layer or multilayer disk.

In this embodiment, the type of the optical disk 53 is not limited to the number of recording layers, but can be a rough type such as a BlueRay disk, HDDVD, DVD, CD, or the like, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R +, or DVD-R-. Various types of recording processing and reproduction processing can be more appropriately or easily performed by inserting the second optical element 3 having different optical characteristics such as more detailed types.

In particular, if the optical recording / reproducing apparatus is a high-performance Blu-ray optical disc recorder or the like, the laser power is high, and it is difficult or impossible to cope with the optical shutter using a traditional liquid crystal switch due to liquid crystal deterioration. For this reason, as in this embodiment, appropriately using the second optical element 3 by rotation is extremely advantageous in an optical disk recorder or the like having a high laser power. In the case of high-speed recording, the writing time is shortened as the rotational speed of the optical disk 53 increases, so that a higher laser power is required. For this reason, it is still difficult or impossible to cope with traditional liquid crystal switches. Also in this case, it is extremely advantageous to appropriately use the second optical element 3 by turning as in this embodiment.

<Modification>
In the fifth embodiment described above, the control unit 52 switches the second optical element 3 in accordance with the type of the optical disk 53. However, as a modified example of the fifth embodiment, in addition to or instead of the type of the optical disk 53. The optical element driving apparatus 1 may be controlled so as to switch the second optical element 3 depending on whether the writing process or the reading process is performed.

According to this modification, under the control of the control unit 52, not only the type of the optical recording medium, but also in addition to or instead of it, for example, depending on whether the writing process or the reading process is performed from now The shared driving device 4 switches to the first state (that is, the state where the first region 8 is disposed in the optical path) or the second state (that is, the state where the second region 9 is disposed in the optical path).

For example, when reading processing is performed, the semiconductor laser 5 side is not high enough to cause linking noise (that is, low enough to be used for normal reading on the surface of the optical disk 53 having a comma number of mW to several mW). In addition, while the optical beam 53 emits a light beam 6 of about several mW to several tens of mW that is too strong for the reading process, the second optical element 3 has a first area 8 (that is, a filter area having a low light transmittance). Can be switched to. Thereby, the power of the light beam 6 when reaching the optical disc 53 can be set to 1.3 mW, which is suitable for the reading process.

On the other hand, when performing the writing process, the second optical element 3 transmits the light beam 6 of several tens to several hundreds mW necessary for writing from the beginning on the side of the semiconductor laser 5, while the second optical element 3 has the second region 9 (that is, (Transmission area). Thereby, the power of the light beam 6 when reaching the optical disk 53 can be maintained at a level suitable for the writing process.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. An element driving device and an optical recording / reproducing device are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

An optical element driving apparatus and an optical recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention drive an optical element such as an aberration correction collimator lens or switch an optical element such as an optical shutter in an optical recording / reproducing apparatus such as an optical disk recorder. It can be used in the technical field of the optical element driving device used in the above.

Claims

A first optical element movable in the optical path direction along the optical path at one position on the optical path of the light beam;
In the first state and the second state, which are movable in the crossing direction intersecting the optical path at other positions on the optical path and exhibit different optical characteristics with respect to the light beam by being moved in the crossing direction A switchable second optical element;
An optical element driving device comprising: shared driving means for moving the first optical element in the optical path direction and moving the second optical element in the intersecting direction.
The first optical element includes a collimator lens that corrects an aberration related to the light beam,
The second optical elements are arranged side by side in the intersecting direction, have a fixed positional relationship, and have a first region and a second region having different light transmittances, and the first region is 2. The optical element driving device according to claim 1, wherein the optical element driving device corresponds to the first state and the second region includes an optical shutter corresponding to the second state.
The shared drive means moves the first optical element to move a part of the first optical element or a first support member that supports the first optical element to a part of the second optical element or the 2. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second optical element is moved by contacting or hooking with a part of a second support member that supports the second optical element. 3.
The shared driving means moves the second optical element by moving the first optical element in a transboundary range that exceeds an effective range in which the first optical element effectively acts on the light beam. The optical element driving device according to claim 3, wherein
The shared driving means is
As a part of the cross-border range, by moving the first optical element in a first cross-border range that exceeds the effective range to one side, the second optical element is moved to the first state,
Moving the first optical element as the other part of the transboundary range in a second transboundary range beyond the effective range to the other side, thereby moving the second optical element to the second state. The optical element driving device according to claim 4, wherein:
At least a part of the shared driving means, the first and second optical elements, and the first and second support members are moved in the optical path direction in which the first optical element is moved and the second optical element is moved. 4. The optical element driving device according to claim 3, wherein the crossing directions are parallel to each other.
The first support member is moved in parallel with the first optical element integrally with the first optical element by the shared driving means, and is in a direction intersecting the optical path direction and on the second support member side. It has a lever part protruding in the direction
The second support member has a lever receiving portion that is moved integrally with the second optical element in parallel with the second optical element by the shared driving means, and that contacts the lever portion or is hooked on the lever. , At both ends of the lever part,
A contact surface or a hooking surface between the lever and the lever receiving portion is perpendicular to the optical path direction in which the first optical element is moved and the intersecting direction in which the second optical element is moved. The optical element driving device according to claim 6, further comprising a surface.
At least a part of the shared driving means, the first and second optical elements, and the first and second support members are moved in the optical path direction in which the first optical element is moved and the second optical element is moved. 4. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the optical element driving devices are arranged so as to intersect each other.
The first support member is moved in parallel with the first optical element integrally with the first optical element by the shared driving means, and is in a direction intersecting the optical path direction and on the second support member side. It has a lever part that protrudes in the direction to go,
The second support member has a lever receiving portion that is moved integrally with the second optical element in parallel with the second optical element by the shared driving means, and that contacts the lever portion or is hooked on the lever. , At both ends of the lever part,
The contact surface or the hooking surface between the lever and the lever receiving portion is the optical path direction in which the first optical element is moved and the second optical element in at least one of the first and second support members. The optical element driving device according to claim 8, further comprising a cam surface that is inclined with respect to the intersecting direction in which the lens is moved.
The first optical element is supported by a first support member attached to a guide shaft so as to be reciprocally movable in the optical path direction;
The shared driving means moves the second optical element in the direction along or intersecting the guide shaft as the intersecting direction by moving the first support member along the guide shaft. The optical element driving device according to claim 1, wherein the optical element driving device is characterized in that:
The optical element driving device according to claim 1,
A semiconductor laser for transmitting the light beam;
Writing / reading means for performing writing processing or reading processing by irradiating the optical recording medium with the transmitted light beam via the first and second optical elements;
An optical recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: control means for controlling the shared drive means so as to switch the second optical element to the first or second state according to the type of the optical recording medium.
The control means switches the second optical element to the first or second state depending on whether the writing process or the reading process is performed in addition to or instead of the type of the optical recording medium. 12. The optical recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the shared driving means is controlled as described above.