Abstract: A disc drive apparatus comprises: a spindle motor 20 for hold a disc 2 and for rotate it; an optical head 7 for conducting either one of recording or reproducing of information onto/from the disc; a driver unit for moving the optical head in a radial direction of the disc; and a unit mechanism chassis 8 for supporting those thereon, fixedly, wherein the spindle motor is constructed with a rotational drive means made of a magnetic circuit, a rotor portion and a rotation shaft, which define a rotation body, and a spindle motor attachment plate to hold those thereon, and the spindle motor attachment plate has a semi-circular shaped plate configuration in a part thereof, nearly fitting to an outer diameter the rotor portion, in a direction where the optical head is provided, and has a step-like structure in thickness direction of the plate thereof, within a semi-circular shaped region with respect to a line connecting between corner portions on both ends of that semi-circular shape, and also bridging over that li

Abstract: There is provided a disc drive by which the fluid loss of a disc is reduced and the electric power consumption of a spindle motor can be decreased. In the disc drive according to the present invention, a rotation load reducing member is provided between a top cover and the disc. The rotation load reducing member is movably supported by a clearance adjustment member. While the disc is rotating, the rotation load reducing member is moved in the direction approaching the disc. Thereby, the thickness of an air layer on the upper surface of the disc is decreased.

Abstract: The present invention provides a thin optical disc drive whose impact resistance performance is improved. An under cover 19 is provided with a collision evasion hole 21 at a position corresponding to an end of an optical head housing 25. Moreover, a bottom cover 4 is provided with an impact force buffering member 22 at a position corresponding to the collision evasion hole. When an impact force acts on an optical disc drive 1, the impact force to the optical head housing 25 is buffered by the structure. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the optical head 8 from being damaged, and it is possible to improve the reliability of the optical disc drive 1.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus for enabling reduction of fluid noises accompanying with disc rotation, effectively, comprises a tray 5 provided to be able to comes in/out into/from said housing freely, a unit mechanism 5 provided together with the tray, in one body, a turntable 9a provided on the unit mechanism and configured to support a disc thereon, to be rotatable freely, a plural number of wall portions 5b to 5d formed on the tray surrounding the disc supported on the turntable from an outer periphery thereof, each of which has configuration like an arc around a rotation center of the turntable, a pickup 10 for doing straight-line motion within along a radius direction of a disc 4, and an opening 56, which is provided on the wall portion 5e locating at the position on the moving track of the pickup, for maintaining movement of the pickup, wherein the wall portion 5e is moved or stepped back to a side of an outer periphery of the turntable comparing to other wall portions.

Abstract: An optical disc drive is fitted with a pickup, a non-contacting cooling plate, and a resinous movable spacer. The cooling plate adjacently faces and is fixed to the under, right, or left side of the pickup. The movable spacer is fitted to one of the facing sides of the pickup and cooling plate and prevents direct contact between the pickup and the plate. This drive structure prevents pickup movement interference due to collision between the pickup and the cooling plate, contamination production, needless electric conduction, etc., so that the clearance between the facing sides of the metallic pickup and metallic non-contacting cooling plate is narrow. The narrow clearance results in an improved heat conduction and radiation characteristic, improving the cooling of the whole pickup.

Abstract: A disk drive device has a configuration in which one of stepped parts defined by a circular recess for guiding a disc, formed in a disc tray is substantially flush with the bottom surface of the circular recess even in an area beyond the outer peripheral part of a disc so that no air cavity part facing the outer peripheral side surface of the disc is induced around the disc. Thereby, it is possible to aim at lowering cavity noise caused by the air cavity during high speed rotation and fluid noise caused by turbulence.

Abstract: A disc drive apparatus comprises: a spindle motor 20 for hold a disc 2 and for rotate it; an optical head 7 for conducting either one of recording or reproducing of information onto/from the disc; a driver unit for moving the optical head in a radial direction of the disc; and a unit mechanism chassis 8 for supporting those thereon, fixedly, wherein the spindle motor is constructed with a rotational drive means made of a magnetic circuit, a rotor portion and a rotation shaft, which define a rotation body, and a spindle motor attachment plate to hold those thereon, and the spindle motor attachment plate has a semi-circular shaped plate configuration in a part thereof, nearly fitting to an outer diameter the rotor portion, in a direction where the optical head is provided, and has a step-like structure in thickness direction of the plate thereof, within a semi-circular shaped region with respect to a line connecting between corner portions on both ends of that semi-circular shape, and also bridging over that li

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus for enabling reduction of fluid noises accompanying with disc rotation, effectively, comprises a tray 5 provided to be able to comes in/out into/from said housing freely, a unit mechanism 5 provided together with the tray, in one body, a turntable 9a provided on the unit mechanism and configured to support a disc thereon, to be rotatable freely, a plural number of wall portions 5b to 5d formed on the tray surrounding the disc supported on the turntable from an outer periphery thereof, each of which has configuration like an arc around a rotation center of the turntable, a pickup 10 for doing straight-line motion within along a radius direction of a disc 4, and an opening 56, which is provided on the wall portion 5e locating at the position on the moving track of the pickup, for maintaining movement of the pickup, wherein the wall portion 5e is moved or stepped back to a side of an outer periphery of the turntable comparing to other wall portions.

Abstract: The heat dissipation of a pickup is improved in an optical disc apparatus of a slot-in type. A unit cover 16 on a disc-facing side of a unit mechanism 6 includes a circumferential plate 21, a lever supporting plate 22, a disc guiding plate 23, a flexible printed circuit board holding plate 24, a reinforcing plate 25, a driving part covering plate 27, ventilating openings near sub guiding shaft 28, an extended notch near sub guiding shaft 30, an outer extended notch 31, and an extended notch near main guiding shaft 32. With this configuration, plenty of air flow induced by the rotation of a disc 5 can be introduced to a pickup 9 also through the unit cover 16, greatly improving heat dissipation capability.

Abstract: In an optical disk apparatus for recording and/or reading information with respect to an optical disk, comprising, a chassis for containing the optical disk, and a tray being movable with respect to the chassis and adapted to support the optical disk thereon so that the optical disk is movable with respect to the chassis, the chassis has an opening for discharging an air from an inside of the chassis to an outside of the chassis through the opening.

Abstract: A restraining element 70 to be inserted into a center hole 102 in an optical disk 100 to restrain movement of the optical disk 100 in its radial direction is placed on a central portion 61 of an optical-disk-facing surface 52 of a rotor casing 53 for a disk motor 50; a supporting element 65 for supporting an optical disk surface 101 of the optical disk 100 is placed on a radially outer portion 62 of the optical-disk-facing surface 52; and flow paths 65A to 65C are provided in the supporting element 65, and extend from the outer circumference of the supporting element 65 to its inner circumference to allow the air inside this optical disk device to flow through.

Abstract: There is provided a disc drive by which the fluid loss of a disc is reduced and the electric power consumption of a spindle motor can be decreased. In the disc drive according to the present invention, a rotation load reducing member is provided between a top cover and the disc. The rotation load reducing member is movably supported by a clearance adjustment member. While the disc is rotating, the rotation load reducing member is moved in the direction approaching the disc. Thereby, the thickness of an air layer on the upper surface of the disc is decreased.

Abstract: To prevent deformation of a chassis due to an impact force in an optical disc apparatus, there is provided a tray for inserting/ejecting an optical disc into/from an apparatus body, with the chassis connected thereto through vibration proof materials in plural portions in a surface opposite a disc placing surface. The tray has projecting portions projecting in a chassis direction in positions facing the chassis in peripheral portions of the plural connecting portions. The projecting portion is located at a position higher than a tray plane with which the vibration proof material comes into contact, and lower than the surface of a chassis facing the tray. When the vibration proof material is compressed and deformed due to the impact force, the projecting portion comes into contact with the chassis facing surface, to reduce the amount of deformation of the vibration proof material and thereby prevent deformation of the chassis.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes, as a raising/lowering mechanism for moving a second base constituting a unit mechanism portion pivotally about a fulcrum so as to raise or lower the second base with respect to a first base as a base of the optical disc apparatus, a cam mechanism which is provided pivotably on the first base side within an orthographic projection area of the optical disc that is in a chucked state and which has a cam surface formed around and in the direction of a pivot shaft. In addition, a cam pin provided on the second base side is brought into engagement with the cam surface. When the optical disc inserted into the optical disc apparatus is chucked onto a turntable so as to be rotatable, the cam mechanism is pivoted about the pivot shaft by a cam drive section.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes position restricting component for restricting the position of a unit mechanism portion in a disc plane direction when the unit mechanism portion is in a raised state. The position restricting component includes a first portion that restricts the position of a base of the unit mechanism portion when the base is at a height position for write or read of information to or from an optical disc and a second portion that cancels the position restriction on the base of the unit mechanism portion in the disc plane direction or makes the position restriction easier than in the first portion when the base is at a height position corresponding to a chucked portion of the optical disc onto the turntable. At the height position where the optical disc is chucked the position restricting component makes the turntable displaceable in the disc plane direction so that the axis of the turntable becomes nearly coincident with the center of a center hole formed in the optical disc.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus has a bottom cover member provided with an opening. A peripheral part of a unit mechanism deck member serving as a support member in a functional unit mechanism or a motor base holding a spindle motor and fixed to the unit mechanism deck member is projected outside through the opening when the optical disc apparatus is set in a loaded state to space a part of the functional unit mechanism projecting in a direction opposite to a direction in which the peripheral part of the unit mechanism deck member or the motor base is projected outside from a surface of the optical disc.

Abstract: In a recording disk drive apparatus including, a chassis including a chassis body, a spindle motor fixed to the chassis body to support and rotationally drive a recording disk, and a head supported on the chassis body to be movable on the chassis body in a radial direction of the recording disk so that an information is recorded into the recording disk and/or read from the recording disk through the head, a base member on which the chassis is supported, and an elastic member through which the chassis is supported on the base member so that a vibration transmitted from the chassis is absorbed at least partially by an elasticity of the elastic member, the chassis includes a counter member elastically supported on the chassis body with a spring constant for the counter member in which spring constant the counter member is elastically movable with respect to the chassis body.

Abstract: In an optical disk drive device, in order to reduce structural vibration noise and aerodynamic sound during high-speed revolution, a recess is formed at the deeper end. This recess is in a position axially symmetric to a hole for the movement of an optical head with respect to the axis of a spindle motor, and its size is substantially equal to that of the movement hole. This recess serves to suppress the vibration mode of a disk tray and the air flow between the disk and the disk tray. Noise is reduced even when the disk is turning at high speed.

Abstract: [Problem] The heat dissipation of a pickup is improved in an optical disc apparatus of a slot-in type. [Means of solving the Problem] A unit cover 16 on a disc-facing side of a unit mechanism 6 includes a circumferential plate 21, a lever supporting plate 22, a disc guiding plate 23, a flexible printed circuit board holding plate 24, a reinforcing plate 25, a driving part covering plate 27, ventilating openings near sub guiding shaft 28, an extended notch near sub guiding shaft 30, an outer extended notch 31, and an extended notch near main guiding shaft 32. With this configuration, plenty of air flow induced by the rotation of a disc 5 can be introduced to a pickup 9 also through the unit cover 16, greatly improving heat dissipation capability.

Abstract: Within an optical disk apparatus of slot-in type, having a traversing mechanism portion 5, which mounts a disk motor 2, a turntable 2a and an optical pickup 3, etc., thereon, being attached on a chassis 4 building up a housing of the apparatus, and also an elevating mechanism for brining an optical disk to be chucked on the turntable when loading it, there is further provided height adjusting mechanisms or members 200a and 200b are provided at two (2) positions on a supporting axis line of the traversing mechanism and the position coming off that, thereby making the traversing mechanism adjustable with respect to the chassis, when the apparatus performs recording/reproducing operation thereon. Therefore, there is provided the optical disk apparatus, generating no abnormal sound due to contact of the optical disk with a part of housing of the apparatus when it is in the position for recording/reproducing operation, in spite of thinning in the thickness of the housing of the apparatus.