Abstract: Since a disc vibrates in a natural mode at a predetermined rotation speed, a variation in a tilt of the disc relative to an optical head is caused. As a result, the read/write performance of a disc drive is deteriorated. The disc drive has a disc tilt database for recording a relative tilt angle of the disc in a tangential direction thereof associated with the disc natural mode and the disc rotation speed at which such tilt occurs, a circuit for detecting a disc rotation speed, and a tilt drive circuit. An objective lens is tilted so that the relative tilt angle is corrected, and thus, stable read/write performance of the disc drive is achieved.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes a main guide shaft and a subsidiary guide shaft disposed so as to guide movement of a sliding base which holds an optical pickup. The optical pickup enables information recording and reproducing operations on an optical disc. The main guide shaft and the subsidiary guide shaft are configured so as to suppress vibrational resonance caused between the main guide shaft and the subsidiary guide shaft.

Abstract: The invention makes it possible to carry out an emergency eject motion without attaching and detaching teeth between gears in a transmission system of a driving force of a loading motor, in an optical disc apparatus.

Abstract: An optical disc drive may include a tray movable for the sake of mounting and dismounting a disc, a disc rotation mechanism arranged at the center to rotate the disc, and a pickup arranged on a backside of the center to write and read the disc within a housing. The optical disc drive may be arranged with a first opening for inhaling outside air in a height range between the bottom surface of the tray and the proximity to the bottom end of the pickup on a back surface or a side surface around a corner on a right side viewed from the backside of the housing, and a second opening for exhausting internal air, arranged higher than a top surface of the tray on the back surface or a side surface around a corner on a left side viewed from the backside.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical disk apparatus which allows for accurate centering of an optical disk regardless of its placed attitude and in which reliability of chucking operation has been improved, and the apparatus includes a first disk guide 41, a second disk guide 42, a third disk guide 43, and a fourth disk guide 44 for guiding the optical disk to a centering position, the guides being disposed in a chassis 20, and a cam member 47 disposed in the chassis 20, in which when the optical disk is guided to the centering position, the cam member 47 locks at least either the third disk guide 43 or the fourth disk guide 44 to restrain the optical disk from moving to an insertion direction thereof, then releasing the restraint at the time of chucking of the optical disk.

Abstract: Increases in the data transfer rates of optical disc drives have resulted in problems such as increases in optical disc vibrations due to higher rotation speeds or increases in heat generation due to increases in the output of motors for rotating the optical discs and in the output of laser diodes. To solve such problems, an optical pickup is provided with an air duct therein, and a space that is formed between the optical disc and a top case of a casing and that has negative pressure during rotation of the optical disc is connected to the air duct in the optical pickup via a tube, at least part of the tube being deformable. The optical pickup is cooled by the air flow through the air duct induced by pressure difference.

Abstract: An optical disk device in which the thickness of the device is not increased, and interference between the bottom surface of an optical pickup unit (OPU) and a bottom case of the device is prevented upon emergency ejection of an optical disk without moving the optical pickup unit to an outermost peripheral position of the disk in the event of abnormality such as power shutdown during an operation in the optical disk device. A support mechanism having a coil spring is provided at shaft-holders in three of four positions of a guide main shaft and a guide sub shaft to support an OPU, to perform skew adjustment. In another position, a support mechanism having a plate spring is provided such that, upon emergency ejection, the interference between the bottom surface of the OPU and the bottom case is mitigated.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus including first to fourth disc guides. At the end of disc loading, the first one, in a fixed position, contacts a peripheral side face of the optical disc at a first point thereon to support the disc; the second one has a plane opposite to the peripheral side face which contacts the peripheral side face of the optical disc at a second point to support the disc while restrained from moving away from the side face; the third one contacts the peripheral side face of the optical disc at a third point to support the disc while biased by a spring; and the fourth one contacts the side face at a fourth point while biased by a spring to support the disc, and is restrained from moving against the resilience of the spring. The disc, supported by those disc guides, is chucked by a clamper.

Abstract: This invention provides an optical disk device in which heat generated from an optical head and circuit board is dissipated without introduction of outside air or use of a fan. A through portion is provided in part of the mechanical block or outside of the portion on which a tray is projected for carrying a disk for reproduction or write, such that it extends from a disk side portion with respect to the tray to a portion opposing the disk with respect to the tray, in order to introduce air flow generated by disk rotation to an optical head and circuit board and dissipate heat generated at the time of recording or reproduction.

Abstract: A disc drive unit capable of preventing occurrence of errors in a recording system such as a CD or a DVD, using an optical head for recording data on a disc or reproducing data recorded on the disc. A disc tray is adapted to accommodate the disc, and load and unload the disc. A top cover is arranged above the disc. The top cover is formed therein with a concave and convex part for avoiding positioning a node of each of vibration modes (0, n) (where n=2, 3, 4) caused by a critical rotating speed of the disc, at a position right above the optical head.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical disc apparatus having a dynamic damper mechanism which does not use any part for exclusive use for absorbing a shock of an optical pickup. The optical disc apparatus is provided with a chassis attached to a base chassis via a first elastic body, shafts provided on the chassis, an optical pickup moving on the shaft, and a weight attached to the chassis via a second elastic body, the weight is provided with stoppers on a moving path of the optical pickup.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus capable of reducing looseness vibrations resulting from a gap between a sub-guide shaft and a bearing is provided. According to an optical disc apparatus in the present invention, both ends of the sub-guide shaft are supported by being sandwiched between a pair of support parts formed in a chassis and a pair of pressing members mounted on the chassis. The support part is formed by bending a protruding portion both protruding in an inward direction of a hole from an edge of the hole of the chassis and extending along the direction perpendicular to the sub-guide shaft.

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: An image forming apparatus comprising a main body having a copy function of printing an image read from a document on a paper sheet, a printer function of printing an externally input image on a paper sheet, and a paper ejection port to eject a printed paper sheet. The apparatus also includes a paper ejection unit which has a first tray and a second tray for receiving a paper sheet ejected from the paper ejection port, and moves the trays selectively to the positions corresponding to the paper ejection port. The apparatus also includes a control panel for setting an operating condition of the apparatus, and a state key provided on the control panel and configured to operate when holding the trays at current positions.

Abstract: The invention provides a disc device capable of offering good SATA interface performance by optimizing the placement of the SATA connector relative to the control board, solving problems concerning noise or unnecessary radiation. A driver IC and DSP for executing main processing concerning disc recording or reproduction processing are installed in a main printed circuit board. A SATA connector having a power supply terminal and signal terminal is fixed to the main printed circuit board. The SATA connector is placed on the board opposite the DSP. Patterns each connecting the power supply terminal to the driver IC and connecting the signal terminal and DSP are formed on the board. The SATA connector and DSP are placed on the driver IC side relative to the central line of the board, the power supply terminal is placed on the driver IC side, and the signal terminal is placed on the DSP side.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical disc device conducting highly accurate skew adjustment, avoiding an increase in the number of components, and achieving downsizing. This optical disc device includes: a guide shaft for supporting an optical pickup and guiding its movement; a chassis the guide shaft is attached to; a coil spring attached to the chassis for applying force to an end of the guide shaft; an adjustment screw for adjusting the force applied by the coil spring, provided opposite the coil spring with respect to the guide shaft; and a weight addition member attached to the chassis, wherein internal threads for engaging with the adjustment screw are formed in the weight addition member, and the axis of the adjustment screw engaged with the internal thread, the center of a cross section of the guide shaft perpendicular to its axis, and the axis of the coil spring are aligned along the same line.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus, comprising a tray 2, attached to be insertable within housings 9 and 10, and within the housings are included a disc motor 3, an optical pickup 4 and a moving mechanism thereof, and also a unit mechanism chassis 5 for moving the optical pickup thereon and a controller substrate 71 disposed below the unit mechanism chassis for controlling the optical pickup, and further, a wide-width flexible cable 8 for electrical connection between the controller substrate and the optical pickup, wherein the optical pickup mounts laser units 41, 42 and 43 including three (3) pieces of elements, each emitting a laser light different in the wavelength thereof, a penetrating portion 2b and a wall portion 2e are provided in a part of left bottom surface of the tray, while forming a cutoff portion 55 in a part of the chassis, thereby guiding the airflow generated accompanying with rotation of the optical disc onto the optical pickup, with certainty.

Abstract: Since a disc vibrates in a natural mode at a predetermined rotation speed, a variation in a tilt of the disc relative to an optical head is caused. As a result, the read/write performance of a disc drive is deteriorated. The disc drive has a disc tilt database for recording a relative tilt angle of the disc in a tangential direction thereof associated with the disc natural mode and the disc rotation speed at which such tilt occurs, a circuit for detecting a disc rotation speed, and a tilt drive circuit. An objective lens is tilted so that the relative tilt angle is corrected, and thus, stable read/write performance of the disc drive is achieved.

Abstract: An image reproducing device includes: an image signal inputting part for receiving input of a first image signal; a sub image signal generating part for generating a sub image signal from information on a sub image extracted from said first image signal; a main image signal decoding part for extracting a main image signal from said first image signal and decoding said main image signal; a brightness detecting part for detecting a brightness of said main image signal and calculating a brightness average value; a brightness adjusting part for adjusting a brightness of said sub image signal based on said brightness average value; an image signal composing part for composing said main image signal and said sub image signal, the brightness of which is adjusted, and generating a second image signal; and an image signal outputting part for outputting said second image signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus and an enabler connectable to the main body. Identification information of a user and parameter information concerning an arbitrary function among plural functions which the image forming apparatus can process, are stored in the enabler. When the enabler is set in the main body of the image forming apparatus, authentication check of the identification information is performed. When the identification information is authenticated, use of any one or all of the plural functions is permitted. The parameter information is read out from the enabler and a function corresponding to the parameter information among the functions permitted is carried out according to the parameter information.