Supported By Linear Guide Rail Or Rod Patents (Class 720/676)
  • Patent number: 8341657
    Abstract: An optical pickup, mounting a lens actuator 101 thereon, the lens actuator comprises: a lens 1 having an optical axis in direction in parallel with an optical disc; a holder 2, which holds the lens thereon; a first guide shaft 3 holding the holder, so as to regulate the holder to change a position thereof, into an inner surface direction of a surface having the optical axis of the lens as a normal line vector thereof; a second guide shaft 4, which regulates the holder to change the position thereof, into a normal line vector of an optical disc; and a reed screw, which moves the holder into direction of the optical axis of the lens, wherein a distance between the optical axis of the lens and the optical disc, a distance between a central axis of the first guide shaft and the optical disc, and a distance between a central axis of the second guide shaft and the optical disc are lager than a distance between a central axis of the reed screw and the optical disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Media Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Yamasaki, Yoshihiro Sato, Seiichi Kato, Katsuhiko Kimura, Takahiro Yamaguchi, Yoshiro Konishi, Hidenao Saito
  • Patent number: 8276171
    Abstract: In an optical pickup device 3, a supporting base 18 that has a main-shaft bearing 6a with two concentric round holes to pass a main shaft 7 through is formed out of a synthetic resin. On the other hand, an optical base 19, which has a sub-shaft bearing 6b to pass a sub-shaft 8 through and which supports a light emitter 11, a beam splitter 12, a collimator lens 13 and a photodetector 17, is formed by metal die casting process. And a pickup frame 6 is formed by bonding the supporting base 18 and the optical base 19 together with an adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Obase, Toshiaki Takasu, Hiroaki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8208352
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sanyo Optec Design Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Aoki, Takashi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 8151287
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a pickup feed device to accurately position an optical pickup in place with miniaturization. The pickup device includes a lead screw attached to a movable chassis, a pickup portion, a rack member, a torsion coil spring, a projection portion, and a recess portion. The pickup portion has a case receiving the pickup. The rack member is fixed to the case. The rack portion disposed on a rack one end portion and a case one end portion are engaged with the lead screw. A rack another end portion has the abut portion abutting an inner edge portion of the movable chassis. The torsion coil spring urges the abut portion toward a case another end portion. The projection portion is disposed on the abut portion and the recess portion is disposed on the case another end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignees: Pioneer Corporation, Tohoku Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Noriyo Oshima, Yasuhiro Shinkai, Kuniya Satomi, Kazuyoshi Sato, Yuji Ando, Atsushi Shibuya
  • Patent number: 8146115
    Abstract: An optical disc drive for reducing impact forces in driving an optical pick-up unit is provided. The optical disc drive for driving an optical disc includes an optical pick-up unit, a guide bar, a rack, and a driving unit. The optical pick-up unit is configured for reading data from or writing data to the optical disc. The guide bar penetrates through the optical pick-up unit for supporting the optical pick-up unit. The rack engagably receives a part of the optical pick-up unit. The rack defines a slot therein. The slot extends along a direction substantially parallel with an extending direction of the guide bar. The driving unit is mechanically coupled to the rack. The driving unit drives the rack and the optical pick-up unit to move along a radial direction of the optical disc to track the optical disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shih-Lung Hsu
  • Patent number: 8117630
    Abstract: An optical disk player includes a chassis, an optical pick-up head including a support member defining a guiding slot, and a guiding member molded integrally with the chassis, wherein the guiding member is received in the guiding slot and the optical pick-up head is slidably supported on the guiding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hung-Ming Lin, Fang-Rong Liu
  • Patent number: 8051440
    Abstract: According to one aspect, an optical read/write device for reading and/or writing an optical disc includes a base, optical pickup head, and a driving mechanism for slidably driving the optical pickup head. The driving mechanism includes a worm gear, a motor for rotating the worm gear, and a rack disposed between the worm gear and the optical pickup head for transferring motion from the worm gear to the optical pickup head. The rack includes a fastening portion for fixing the rack to the optical pickup head, a mesh portion for engaging with the worm gear, a restricting portion connected to the mesh portion for being blocked by the gear seat when the mesh portion is pressed by the worm gear to prevent the mesh portion from disengaging from the worm gear, and a connecting portion for connecting the fastening portion with the restricting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hung-Ming Lin, Xi-Ping Dai
  • Patent number: 8028309
    Abstract: According to one aspect, an optical read/write device for reading and/or writing an optical disk includes a rack disposed between the worm gear and the optical pickup head for transferring motion from the worm gear to the optical pickup head. The rack includes a fastening portion for fixing the rack to the optical pickup head, an engaging portion, a spring placed between the fastening portion and the engaging portion for pressing the engaging portion to engage with the worm gear, and a connecting portion. The connecting portion is configured for connecting the fastening portion and the engaging portion and preventing the engaging portion from disengaging from the worm gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hung-Ming Lin, Hao Sun
  • Patent number: 7660078
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a slider having a constant flying height for an optical drive which is operated at a constant angular velocity. It is an object of the invention to propose a simple and cost-effective solution to allow the flying height of the slider to be kept virtually constant over the entire area of a storage medium, despite a variable linear velocity during operation at a constant angular velocity. According to the invention, this object is achieved by a drive for a storage medium which is driven at a constant angular velocity, having a slider which is attached by means of a spring arm to a carriage and floats on an air cushion above or under the rotating storage medium, and having a guide which guides the carriage relative to the storage medium, in which the guide is arranged such that the attachment point of the spring arm to the carriage is guided closer to the surface of the storage medium as the radius of the storage medium increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Stephan Knappmann, Juergen Moessner
  • Patent number: 7657901
    Abstract: The invention relates to a scanning device for optical storage media, having an optical housing with sliding bearings, which are arranged at a distance from one another, for linear movement on a guide rod, and with optical components in order to form an optical path. It achieves the object of designing a scanning device such as this in such a way that its adjustment, associated with a setting of the optical path, is simplified and can be carried out precisely. For this purpose, each of the sliding bearings is formed from a sliding bearing bush which is held on a guide block, that is fixed to the housing, in such a way that it can be adjusted in a radial direction with respect to this guide block, and is self-aligning in a direction at right angles to this.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Günter Tabor, Reiner Baas, Rolf Dupper
  • Patent number: 7555759
    Abstract: To provide an optical pickup device and optical disk device which can have a sufficient heat radiating effect without a new member for radiating heat, an optical pickup device includes a laser light source that emits laser light onto an optical disk; a power supply that supplies electric power to the laser light source; an upper surface cover that has a first opening section which introduces the wind generated by the rotation of the optical disk toward the power supply and that covers the power supply; and a side surface that is provided with a second opening section which discharges the wind introduced from the first opening section through the power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Matsumura
  • Patent number: 7484228
    Abstract: An optical-pickup feeding apparatus includes a pickup base on which an optical pickup is mounted, which includes a sliding bearing with a lubricant agent; and a lead screw that is slidably fitted into the sliding bearing. A peripheral surface of a screw thread of the lead screw is formed in a shape of a circular arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Tanimoto, Yusuke Akama, Takeshi Hamada
  • Patent number: 7478410
    Abstract: A transmitting mechanism of an information recording/reproducing apparatus, includes a pickup carriage, two guide rods, a feeding screw, a feeding motor and an engaging member. The pickup carriage is movably supported by the guide rods. The feeding motor rotates the feeding screw. The engaging member includes a fixed portion and an engaging portion. The fixed portion is fastened on the pickup carriage, and the engaging portion engages with the feeding screw on a downside of the feeding screw (the downside thereof being determined relative to the operating position of the information recording/reproducing apparatus).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Bin-Hai Guo, Chien-Ting Lo, Li-Ming Wan
  • Patent number: 7464388
    Abstract: An optical pickup with improved vibration resistance and heat dissipation is mounted astride a main shaft 101 and a secondary shaft 102. The travel of the optical pickup is adapted to be guided by the main shaft, where a secondary bearing part 3 adapted to slide relative to the secondary shaft 102 includes an overlapping sliding face 32 and an auxiliary overlapping face 36, and a clearance ? is formed between the auxiliary overlapping face 36 and the secondary shaft 102 to improve ease of assembly. A control element 41 is mounted on a printed circuit board 4 mounted on a base member 1, and the control element is overlapped with a radiator plate 5. The radiator plate 5 is provided with a pressing piece 54, and the pressing piece 54 is brought into elastic contact with the secondary shaft 102 to reliably bring the overlapping sliding face 32 into elastic contact with the secondary shaft 102.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Nishidate, Takayuki Murakami
  • Patent number: 7451465
    Abstract: An optical pickup device is provided that permits, with an inexpensive construction, adjustment of the parallelism of a pair of guide rods for guiding an optical head relative to a recording surface of an optical disc. The guide rods 2 receive, from twist coil springs 5 fitted to a chassis, an elastic restoring force and are thereby loaded with a force that tends to move the guide rods 2 away from the recording surface of the optical disc. At a position close to each of at least three of a total of four ends 2a of the guide rods 2, an adjustment screw 5 is fitted to the chassis by being screw-engaged into a nut 6 so as to, when rotated, move close to and away from the recording surface of the optical disc. The position in which the guide rods 2 remain loaded with the force is determined as a result of the outer circumference of the guide rods 2 at the at least three ends 2a thereof making contact with a flat inner end face 5aa on the head portion 5a of each of the adjustment screws 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuuji Hayashi, Nobuyuki Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7451466
    Abstract: An exemplary optical disc drive apparatus includes a guide shaft configured to movably support a pickup head, and an elastically deformable member. The elastically deformable member includes a main body, and a cantilever slanting up from a middle part of a front edge of the main body. The cantilever is broad at a lower portion thereof and narrow at an upper portion thereof, and the cantilever is for resiliently pressing a corresponding end of the guide shaft. The elastically deformable member reduces a stress surface between the cantilever and the guide shaft, and lengthens the life span thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chih-Hang Chao, Yu-Hsu Lin, Jeng-Da Wu
  • Patent number: 7421721
    Abstract: An optical pickup guiding structure for an optical disk drive is provided. The optical pickup guiding structure comprises a pickup base with a pickup window formed therein, and an optical pickup that is provided in the pickup window and that includes at least one end movably supported by a molded structure integrally formed on the pickup base. The end of the optical pickup and a molded structure for movably supporting the end of the optical pickup are formed with a guide channel and a guide rib, respectively, which are complementary to each other, thereby guiding the optical pickup. Because the number of parts of the optical disk chive is minimized, and the change in the installation state of the optical pickup is minimized during use, the operational reliability is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Yong-Mo An
  • Patent number: 7418723
    Abstract: Space for an optical pickup at a position set aside from a disk accommodating section is to be compressed, thereby to reduce an overall size of an optical pickup device. For such a purpose, the optical pickup unit is held by a screw shaft and a guide shaft parallel to each other, and the screw shaft, the guide shaft, a first connecting plate and a second connecting plate constitute a quadrilateral parallel link. The screw shaft and a chassis holding a turntable are oscillated by a driving motor pivoting on the first connecting plate. In an escape position in which the optical pickup device is away from the disk accommodating section, a gap between the screw shaft and the guide shaft is narrowed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroto Nishida, Kazunori Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 7352679
    Abstract: A pickup drive unit is provided including at least a rack portion provided thereon with gear teeth to be engaged with grooves of a lead screw; a plate-shaped connecting portion made of a flexible material for connecting the rack portion to a fixing portion tightened to a pickup and for supporting the rack portion in a cantilever fashion to be deformable in a direction of either bringing close to, or removing from, the lead screw; and a compressed coil spring for applying a force pressing the rack portion against the lead screw; in which the distance on the plate-shaped connecting portion from an end on the side of the fixing portion to the contact portion between the gear teeth and the lead screw is made smaller than the distance from an end on the side of said fixing portion to another end on the side of the rack portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takehide Ohno
  • Patent number: 7334246
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus for an optical disc drive, including: a base; a turntable disposed above the base and which rotates an optical disc; an optical pickup unit which reciprocates with respect to the turntable in a radial direction of the turntable; a driving part which moves the optical pickup unit with respect to the turntable; and a guide unit having an auxiliary guide which supports an end of the optical pickup unit and which guides the optical pickup unit along a moving path. The optical pickup unit and the auxiliary guide are in line-contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Soo-han Park, Bong-gi Kim, Do-hoan Nam
  • Patent number: 7328445
    Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a pickup of a disc drive which is movably installed on a pickup deck to move the pickup for recording/reproducing information by emitting light onto a disc. The appartus includes a lead screw rotatably installed at one side of the pickup deck, wherein a plurality of screw grooves are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the lead screw, and a slider coupled to the pickup and having at least one first protrusion closely inserted in the screw grooves of the lead screw to convert a rotational motion of the lead screw to a linear motion of the pickup. The pickup also has at least one second protrusion inserted in the screw grooves of the lead screw to prevent the first protrusion from being separated from the screw grooves of the lead screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chan-Bum Park, Go-Hyun Kim
  • Patent number: 7310806
    Abstract: A supporting mechanism for movably supporting a member to be supported along a supporting shaft, comprises supporting members and a pressing device. The supporting members are provided on the member to be supported. Each of the supporting members comes into contact with the supporting shaft on at least two contact points so as to be movable on the supporting shaft. The at least two contact points are apart from each other. The pressing device presses the supporting members against the supporting shaft so that the contact points of each supporting member simultaneously come into contact with the supporting shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Kato, Kuniya Satomi, Nobuo Ishida
  • Patent number: 7299481
    Abstract: A supporting mechanism for movably supporting a member to be supported along a supporting shaft, comprises supporting members and a pressing device. The supporting members are provided on the member to be supported. Each of the supporting members comes into contact with the supporting shaft on at least two contact points so as to be movable on the supporting shaft. The at least two contact points are apart from each other. The pressing device presses the supporting members against the supporting shaft so that the contact points of each supporting member simultaneously come into contact with the supporting shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Kato, Kuniya Satomi, Nobuo Ishida
  • Patent number: 7284253
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electroncis Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-hyun Youn, Un-jin Choi
  • Patent number: 7185348
    Abstract: An optical disk device. The optical disk device includes a main guide rod, a sub guide rod, a pickup head, and a protrusion. The main guide rod and the sub guide rod are parallel. The pickup head has a clamp to grasp the sub guide rod. The protrusion is disposed on the sub guide rod and movable between a first and second position. When the protrusion is in the first position, the protrusion blocks the clamp and restricts a movement of the pickup head. When the protrusion is in the second position, the clamp is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: BENQ Corporation
    Inventor: Chien-An Su
  • Patent number: 7174559
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a disk drive including a base, a spindle motor mounted on the base, a disk table fixed to a motor shaft of the spindle motor and adapted to be rotated about the axis of the motor shaft by the spindle motor, an optical pickup supported movably in the radial direction of a disk-shaped recording medium mounted on the disk table, an installation plate detachably mounted on the base, a guided portion provided on the optical pickup and adapted to be guided during movement of the optical pickup in the radial direction of the disk-shaped recording medium, and a restricted groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the disk table so as to extend in the circumferential direction of the disk table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuo Osada
  • Patent number: 6880164
    Abstract: A supporting mechanism for movably supporting a member to be supported along a supporting shaft, comprises supporting members and a pressing device. The supporting members are provided on the member to be supported. Each of the supporting members comes into contact with the supporting shaft on at least two contact points so as to be movable on the supporting shaft. The at least two contact points are apart from each other. The pressing device presses the supporting members against the supporting shaft so that the contact points of each supporting member simultaneously come into contact with the supporting shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Kato, Kuniya Satomi, Nobuo Ishida
  • Publication number: 20040205797
    Abstract: A disk device in which a plate spring is provided integrally with a protruding portion that extends over obverse surface of a finger portion nearer to a spindle motor and arrives at a space above a collar portion of a hat-shaped rotor or a turntable when an optical pickup stops at the innermost position of an optical disk M, and a tip portion of the protruding portion is bent in a direction separate from the outer peripheral surface of the hat-shaped rotor. Even if the hat-shaped rotor or the turntable is moved upward when an impact such as excessive vibrations, drop or the like is applied to a disk device, the collar portion abuts against the tip portion of the protruding portion of the plate spring to prevent the rotor from coming off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventor: Masaki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6802071
    Abstract: An optical pickup supporting device comprises a sheet metal base (10), a main track (41) for guiding an optical pickup so that the optical pickup (30) is moved in a predetermined direction above the base, and a sub track (15) for guiding the optical pickup in cooperation with the main track. The sub track is formed by a part of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Saito, Atsushi Kirii, Takashi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20040194120
    Abstract: An optical disk device. The optical disk device includes a main guide rod, a sub guide rod, a pickup head, and a protrusion. The main guide rod and the sub guide rod are parallel. The pickup head has a clamp to grasp the sub guide rod. The protrusion is disposed on the sub guide rod and movable between a first and second position. When the protrusion is in the first position, the protrusion blocks the clamp and restricts a movement of the pickup head. When the protrusion is in the second position, the clamp is released.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Inventor: Chien-An Su