Abstract: An optical disc apparatus comprising: a spindle motor configured to drive a turntable on which an optical disc is loaded to rotate; a first substrate on which a first support member rotatably supporting a rotation shaft of the spindle motor is fixed, and on which a second support member is formed at a position adjacent to the spindle motor; a second substrate; an optical pickup device; and a guide member configured to guide the optical pickup device in a radial direction of the optical disc loaded on the turntable, one end of the guide member being supported by the second support member on the first substrate and fixed to a fixing member on the second substrate, and the other end of the guide member being fixed to the fixing member on the second substrate.

Abstract: The invention discloses radio frequency zero crossing signal generators for optical disc drives, comprising a controllable low pass filter, a comparator, and a control circuit. The controllable low pass filter evaluates an average level of the magnitude of a radio frequency ripple from an optical disc drive. The comparator compares the radio frequency ripple to the average level evaluated by the controllable low pass filter to generate a radio frequency zero crossing signal. When the optical disc drive reads a fingerprint defect on an optical disc, the control circuit adjusts a cut-off frequency of the controllable low pass filter to adjust the speed at which the controllable low pass filter evaluates the average level.

Abstract: An optical disc record system comprising an optical pickup actuator unit for transferring data to and/or from a rotating optical disc. The optical pickup actuator unit comprises a fixed part (1) and a movable part (2) carrying an objective lens (4) for focusing a light beam on the optical disc. The movable part (2) is connected to the fixed part (1) by a number of substantially parallel elastic suspension wires (5). The movable part (2) is provided with a number of coils (8, 9, 15, 16, 17) of electrically conductive wires, which coils (8, 9, 15, 16, 17) are at least partly present in a magnetic field generated by magnets (10, 11, 18). At least one electrically conductive stranded wire (22, 23) is present between said fixed part (1) and said movable part (2) in order to feed electric current to at least one coil (16, 17).

Abstract: An optical pickup unit, including: a base chassis; a disk table mounted to the base chassis for chucking an optical disk to be able to freely rotate; an optical pickup that records and/or reproduces an information signal with respect to the optical disk; a guide shaft supported by the base chassis, and guides the optical pickup to move in a diameter direction of the optical disk; and a pickup transfer mechanism including a lead screw supported parallel to the guide shaft and engaged with the optical pickup via a rack member, and a drive motor for rotate-driving the lead screw. In the optical pickup unit, the drive motor is disposed out of a projection area of, with respect to the base chassis, the optical disk chucked to the disk table.

Abstract: A skew adjustment mechanism of an optical disk drive includes: a pair of rod-shaped guide shafts 32a and 32b that hold an optical pick-up unit 31 therebetween and guide the optical pick-up unit; four fixing members each having a pair of claw portions 44b1 and 44b2 that are provided at a predetermined interval; four extension springs 37a, 37b, 37c and 37d each having ring-shaped hook portions at both leading ends thereof, the hook portions are hooked over the claw portions where the extension spring surrounds the shaft, thereby pressing the end portions of the shaft against the fixing member; four adjustment mechanisms that move the guide shafts 32a and 32b against the fixing member so as to allow the end portion of the guide shafts to be away from the fixing member in order to tilt the optical pick-up unit 31 in accordance with the tilt of the optical disk.

Abstract: A disc driving apparatus comprises a turntable, a clamping member and a cam mechanism. A disc is to be placed on the turntable. The clamping member holds the disc between the turntable and the clamping member with a magnetic attracting force. The cam mechanism causes a relative movement between the turntable and the clamping member to move any one of them away from another thereof or move them closer to each other. The cam mechanism has a cam and a cam follower. The cam has a contour by which a variation rate of displacement of the cam follower relative to a moving amount of the cam when the turntable and the clamping member move away form each other becomes smaller than a variation rate thereof when the turntable and the clamping member move close to each other.