Abstract: A optical pickup system for use in a disk drive includes a stepping motor, a lead screw supported by a bracket and coupled to the stepping motor, in which the lead screw has spiral grooves formed on an outer periphery of the lead screw and engaged to a slider to move an optical pickup head in a radial direction of a disk, a plurality of guide shafts, installed to a main base in parallel with the lead screw, for guiding the optical pickup head in the radial direction of the disk, and a positioning mechanism for supporting the bracket which is installed to the main base to move in any direction to automatically maintain a position of the lead screw to the slider, thereby minimizing a load applied to the stepping motor.

Abstract: An optical pickup transferring apparatus including a slider having a base, a floating portion elastically coupled to the base, the floating portion having on one side thereof at least one protuberance inserted into the external thread of a lead screw, and an elastic element located on the top of the base and the floating portion. The elastic element includes a first elastic portion to push the floating portion toward the lead screw so that the protuberance is inserted into the external thread, and a second elastic portion to push the floating portion toward the screw groove to thereby prevent the protuberance from escaping from the external thread when the floating portion is transformed elastically.

Abstract: The optical disc device includes a main unit rotating a turntable when a disc is coupled to the turntable and including an optical pick-up unit writing/reading data to/from the disc; a lever member guiding the disc to load the disc to a position at which a center of the disc is aligned with a center of the turntable and reversely guiding the disc to unload the disc, the lever member being capable of loading/unloading discs having various diameters; and a driving unit actuating the lever member. The method of controlling the optical disc device includes detecting a diameter of a disc; loading the disc to a position at which a center of the disc is aligned with the center of the turntable; coupling the disc to the turntable; and moving the lever member away from the disc to allow writing/reading data to/from the disc to be performed.

Abstract: A disk cartridge and a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus including a protrusion group which is made up of a plurality of protrusions and formed within a case housing a disk or within a housing in which a disk is loaded. Accordingly, the protrusions induce the flow of air generated during the rotation of the disk to serve as a force generated by variations in flow velocity and pressure. Therefore, foreign materials can be effectively removed from the surface of the disk using the flow of air without a separate cleaning apparatus.

Abstract: An optical pickup unit feeding apparatus for moving an optical pickup unit by rotation of a lead screw with a spiral groove in an optical disc drive, including a guide member combined with the optical pickup unit, the guide member including one or more contact parts engaging the spiral groove formed on the lead screw, applying a force to the optical pickup unit in response to the rotation of the lead screw, wherein the force moves the optical pickup; and an elastic member having a first elastic section elastically engaging the contact parts to the spiral groove, and a second elastic section forcing the contact parts not to separate from the spiral groove, wherein a spring constant of the second elastic section is greater than a spring constant of the first elastic section.

Abstract: A tray guide mechanism for an optical disc drive guides a backward and forward movement of a tray installed to slide into and out of a housing made of a lower case and an upper case. The tray guide mechanism includes guide rails installed to slide into and out of both sides of the upper case, a guide rail supporting unit installed at both sides of the lower case, to prevent the guide rails from deviating from a backward and forward moving path, and rail combiners formed at both sides of the tray in a moving path of the tray, and combined with the guide rails to slide into the guide rails. The tray guide mechanism also includes a forward moving distance limiting unit to limit a moving distance of the tray and the guide rails in a direction to which the tray and the guide rails project to prevent the tray from detaching from the housing. The tray guide mechanism also includes vertical and horizontal restrainers to prevent vertical and horizontal movement of the tray.

Abstract: A tray locking apparatus of a disc drive to lock a tray on which a disc is placed and which is inserted into a main body of a disc drive. The tray locking apparatus includes a locking boss provided at the main body, a locking plate installed at the tray to slide and having a locking portion provided at one side thereof which is caught by the locking boss as the tray enters the main body, an elastic member to elastically bias the locking plate in a direction in which the locking portion is caught by the locking boss, and a driving mechanism to make the locking plate slide to be out of a position where the locking portion is caught by the locking boss when the tray is drawn. Thus, even when an external impact is applied, the locking state can be firmly maintained. Also, electric power consumed for the locking and unlocking operations is reduced.

Abstract: A optical pickup system for use in a disk drive includes a stepping motor, a lead screw supported by a bracket and coupled to the stepping motor, in which the lead screw has spiral grooves formed on an outer periphery of the lead screw and engaged to a slider to move an optical pickup head in a radial direction of a disk, a plurality of guide shafts, installed to a main base in parallel with the lead screw, for guiding the optical pickup head in the radial direction of the disk, and a positioning mechanism for supporting the bracket which is installed to the main base to move in any direction to automatically maintain a position of the lead screw to the slider, thereby minimizing a load applied to the stepping motor.

Abstract: A tray locking apparatus of a disc drive to lock a tray on which a disc is accommodated and which is inserted into a main body of the disc drive. The tray locking apparatus includes a locking pin provided at the main body, a locking lever rotatably installed at the tray and having a hook portion at one end thereof which is caught by the locking pin as the tray is inserted into the main body, an elastic member to elastically bias the locking lever in the direction in which the hook portion is caught by the locking pin, a driving mechanism to rotate the locking lever to escape from a position where the hook portion is caught by the locking pin when the tray is drawn, and a counter impact unit installed adjacent to the locking lever and having a moment to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the locking lever, so that when the locking lever is rotated by an impact in a direction to be unlocked, the counter impact unit rotates in the opposite direction and bumps against the locking lever.

Abstract: An optical pickup transferring apparatus including a slider having a base, a floating portion elastically coupled to the base, the floating portion having on one side thereof at least one protuberance inserted into the external thread of a lead screw, and an elastic element located on the top of the base and the floating portion. The elastic element includes a first elastic portion to push the floating portion toward the lead screw so that the protuberance is inserted into the external thread, and a second elastic portion to push the floating portion toward the screw groove to thereby prevent the protuberance from escaping from the external thread when the floating portion is transformed elastically.

Abstract: An optical pickup unit feeding apparatus for moving an optical pickup unit by rotation of a lead screw with a spiral groove in an optical disc drive, including a guide member combined with the optical pickup unit, the guide member including one or more contact parts engaging the spiral groove formed on the lead screw, applying a force to the optical pickup unit in response to the rotation of the lead screw, wherein the force moves the optical pickup; and an elastic member having a first elastic section elastically engaging the contact parts to the spiral groove, and a second elastic section forcing the contact parts not to separate from the spiral groove, wherein a spring constant of the second elastic section is greater than a spring constant of the first elastic section.

Abstract: A slim optical disc drive including a deck having a protrusion on which a spindle motor that rotates an optical disc and an optical pickup sliding along a radial direction of the optical disc drive are mounted, a lower case installed so that the deck slides into and out of the lower case and having a penetration corresponding to the protrusion, and a cover that covers the penetration.

Abstract: A disc cartridge having a disc to record information and a case to accommodate the disc includes a cleaning unit installed inside the case and selectively contacting or being separated from the disc depending on a flow of air generated during a rotation of the disc, so that the cleaning unit removes foreign material adhering to a surface of the disc when contacting the disc. Since cleaning is automatically performed depending on the flow of air, inconvenient manual operation is not necessary. Furthermore, since the cleaning unit does not deviate from a disc area, miniaturization of the disc cartridge or disc recording and reproducing apparatus is possible.

Abstract: A tray locking apparatus of a disc drive to lock a tray on which a disc is accommodated and which is inserted into a main body of the disc drive. The tray locking apparatus includes a locking pin provided at the main body, a locking lever rotatably installed at the tray and having a hook portion at one end thereof which is caught by the locking pin as the tray is inserted into the main body, an elastic member to elastically bias the locking lever in the direction in which the hook portion is caught by the locking pin, a driving mechanism to rotate the locking lever to escape from a position where the hook portion is caught by the locking pin when the tray is drawn, and a counter impact unit installed adjacent to the locking lever and having a moment to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the locking lever, so that when the locking lever is rotated by an impact in a direction to be unlocked, the counter impact unit rotates in the opposite direction and bumps against the locking lever.

Abstract: A tray guide mechanism for an optical disc drive guides a backward and forward movement of a tray installed to slide into and out of a housing made of a lower case and an upper case. The tray guide mechanism includes guide rails installed to slide into and out of both sides of the upper case, a guide rail supporting unit installed at both sides of the lower case, to prevent the guide rails from deviating from a backward and forward moving path, and rail combiners formed at both sides of the tray in a moving path of the tray, and combined with the guide rails to slide into the guide rails. The tray guide mechanism also includes a forward moving distance limiting unit to limit a moving distance of the tray and the guide rails in a direction to which the tray and the guide rails project to prevent the tray from detaching from the housing. The tray guide mechanism also includes vertical and horizontal restrainers to prevent vertical and horizontal movement of the tray.

Abstract: A tray locking apparatus of a disc drive to lock a tray on which a disc is placed and which is inserted into a main body of a disc drive. The tray locking apparatus includes a locking boss provided at the main body, a locking plate installed at the tray to slide and having a locking portion provided at one side thereof which is caught by the locking boss as the tray enters the main body, an elastic member to elastically bias the locking plate in a direction in which the locking portion is caught by the locking boss, and a driving mechanism to make the locking plate slide to be out of a position where the locking portion is caught by the locking boss when the tray is drawn. Thus, even when an external impact is applied, the locking state can be firmly maintained. Also, electric power consumed for the locking and unlocking operations is reduced.

Abstract: A disc cartridge having a disc to record information and a case to accommodate the disc includes a cleaning unit installed inside the case and selectively contacting or being separated from the disc depending on a flow of air generated during a rotation of the disc, so that the cleaning unit removes foreign material adhering to a surface of the disc when contacting the disc. Since cleaning is automatically performed depending on the flow of air, inconvenient manual operation is not necessary. Furthermore, since the cleaning unit does not deviate from a disc area, miniaturization of the disc cartridge or disc recording and reproducing apparatus is possible.

Abstract: A disk cartridge and a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus including a protrusion group which is made up of a plurality of protrusions and formed within a case housing a disk or within a housing in which a disk is loaded. Accordingly, the protrusions induce the flow of air generated during the rotation of the disk to serve as a force generated by variations in flow velocity and pressure. Therefore, foreign materials can be effectively removed from the surface of the disk using the flow of air without a separate cleaning apparatus.