Patents by Inventor Kuniyuki Kimura

Kuniyuki Kimura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8156512
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hiroshi Yamagishi, Kuniyuki Kimura, Shinya Tsubota, Tatsumi Uchigiri
  • Patent number: 7827571
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hideyuki Onuma, Kuniyuki Kimura, Sojiro Kirihara, Shinya Tsubota
  • Patent number: 7774804
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus, comprising: a tray 20 being provided to be movable between a first position where an optical disc can be loaded therein and a second position where information is readout from said optical disc loaded; and a housing 10 supporting said tray to be slidable, and including an electronic circuit board in a part thereof, wherein the tray mounts thereon various kinds of parts including a pickup 30, a disc motor 31, and a control portion for controlling them, and is electrically connected between the electronic circuit board of the housing through a flexible cable, which is provided under condition of being bent within the housing, wherein a reinforcing sheet shaped 50 into waveform at the end portion thereof for dispersing the stresses is adhered in a part of a bent region of the flexible cable, which moves accompanying with movement of the tray when the tray moves between the first position and the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignees: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc., NOK Corporaiton
    Inventors: Hideyuki Onuma, Kuniyuki Kimura, Atsushi Kajiya, Kenya Tanimoto
  • Publication number: 20090044206
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus, comprising: a tray 20 being provided to be movable between a first position where an optical disc can be loaded therein and a second position where information is readout from said optical disc loaded; and a housing 10 supporting said tray to be slidable, and including an electronic circuit board in a part thereof, wherein the tray mounts thereon various kinds of parts including a pickup 30, a disc motor 31, and a control portion for controlling them, and is electrically connected between the electronic circuit board of the housing through a flexible cable, which is provided under condition of being bent within the housing, wherein a reinforcing sheet shaped 50 into waveform at the end portion thereof for dispersing the stresses is adhered in a part of a bent region of the flexible cable, which moves accompanying with movement of the tray when the tray moves between the first position and the second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Inventors: Hideyuki Onuma, Kuniyuki Kimura, Atsushi Kajiya, Kenya Tanimoto
  • Patent number: 7380253
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Seiichi Katou, Shinya Tsubota, Yoshihiro Fukagawa, Makoto Ibe, Kuniyuki Kimura, Seiji Hamaie
  • Patent number: 7340754
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi-LG Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hideyuki Onuma, Makoto Ibe, Shinya Tsubota, Kuniyuki Kimura
  • Publication number: 20070234374
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hiroshi Yamagishi, Kuniyuki Kimura, Shiya Tsubota, Tatsumi Uchigiri
  • Patent number: 7266060
    Abstract: In an optical disk apparatus applicable to super thin-sizing thereof, and further a sliding drive mechanism for an optical pickup, having a tilt adjustment mechanism, being suitable to such the optical disk apparatus, the sliding drive mechanism for an optical pickup slides the optical pickup 330 in the radial direction of an optical disk, wherein the optical pickup is attached to be movable on a pair of main and counter sliding shafts 331 and 332, being disposed in parallel with, and in neighboring to the main sliding shaft is disposed a lead screw 336, which is rotationally driven by a stepping motor 337, in parallel, while being engaged with a rack 335 formed in a part of the optical pickup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventor: Kuniyuki Kimura
  • Publication number: 20060117326
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Applicant: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hideyuki Onuma, Kuniyuki Kimura, Sojiro Kirihara, Shinya Tsubota
  • Publication number: 20060090177
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Publication date: April 27, 2006
    Applicant: Hitchi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hideyuki Onuma, Makoto Ibe, Shinya Tsubota, Kuniyuki Kimura
  • Publication number: 20050289574
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Publication date: December 29, 2005
    Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Seiichi Katou, Shinya Tsubota, Yoshihiro Fukagawa, Makoto Ibe, Kuniyuki Kimura, Seiji Hamaie
  • Publication number: 20050207302
    Abstract: In an optical disk apparatus applicable to super thin-sizing thereof, and further a sliding drive mechanism for an optical pickup, having a tilt adjustment mechanism, being suitable to such the optical disk apparatus, the sliding drive mechanism for an optical pickup slides the optical pickup 330 in the radial direction of an optical disk, wherein the optical pickup is attached to be movable on a pair of main and counter sliding shafts 331 and 332, being disposed in parallel with, and in neighboring to the main sliding shaft is disposed a lead screw 336, which is rotationally driven by a stepping motor 337, in parallel, while being engaged with a rack 335 formed in a part of the optical pickup.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Applicant: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventor: Kuniyuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 6510122
    Abstract: Disk storage devices have exhibited an increase in rotational vibrations which attend high speed rotation due to weight unbalance of a disk. Accordingly, an unbalance correcting mechanism, provided with correcting balls to correct the aforesaid unbalance, meets a problem that the correcting balls are made unstable at the time of low speed rotation to generate vibrations and noises. A disk drive device is provided with an unbalance correcting mechanism comprising an annular-shaped groove provided in a turntable on a spindle motor and a plurality of correcting balls received in the groove, and in which a sliding resistance member is provided on a bottom surface of the annular-shaped groove to suppress a sliding resistance of the correcting balls on the sliding resistance member, and a correcting ball motion auxiliary member is provided on an inner peripheral side wall of the groove (toward an axis of rotation).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hisahiro Miki, Shigeki Mori, Shinobu Yoshida, Takashi Kouno, Yoshihiro Sato, Kuniyuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 6198715
    Abstract: A disc device which includes a rotary drive mechanism for rotating a replaceable recording medium. An unbalance correcting mechanism adapted to correct unbalance is incorporated in a rotary body rotating unit in the rotary drive mechanism, and includes a holding system having a holding member for holding the rotary drive mechanism and a head having at least a reproducing function. Further included is a support member composed of resilient members, for supporting a casing and a unit holder to each other. The holding system has a natural frequency higher than 30 Hz but lower than 70 Hz, and exhibits a transmission characteristic having a lift-up degree of higher than 8 dB at a resonant point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kouno, Yoshihiro Sato, Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Shozo Saegusa, Shigeki Mori, Shinobu Yoshida, Hisahiro Miki, Kuniyuki Kimura