JP4015563B2 - Eject lock mechanism of optical disk device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical disc apparatus using a disc tray, and more particularly to an eject lock mechanism of an optical disc apparatus suitable for portable use such as a notebook personal computer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
While a storage capacity required for a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a PC) increases, a medium as an information storage means is being shifted from a floppy (registered trademark) disk to an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD. Notebook PCs excellent in portability and space saving are becoming popular. Against this background, there is a demand for thinner optical disk devices mounted on notebook PCs. As a disc storage mechanism of a notebook PC, a disc is placed on a disc tray, and the disc tray is inserted into and removed from the main body of the optical disc device by operating a discharge button provided on the front panel of the optical disc device.
When the disc tray is housed in the main body of the optical disc apparatus, the eject tray mechanism locks the disc tray to the main body, and the optical disc apparatus has a lock arm on the disc tray side and a protrusion on the lower cover portion. The head of the lock arm is engaged with the rib (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
In recent years, for the purpose of reducing the weight and cost of optical disk devices, the shift of the disk tray and the eject lock mechanism mounted on the disk tray from metal such as aluminum to plastic molding has progressed. Since the lower cover portion needs to be thin and requires mechanical strength, it has been made of a metal such as aluminum.
Therefore, the hook portion of the plastic lock arm head is engaged with the aluminum rib so that the disc tray is locked to the optical disc apparatus. Therefore, when an impact is applied to the optical disc apparatus, the hook portion of the lock arm head that is a plastic mold may be damaged. Until now, the hook portion of the lock arm head has been increased in thickness, reinforced to avoid stress concentration, or the plastic material grade has been strengthened.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-344863 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, with the further thinning of notebook PCs, there is no room for space such as thickening and reinforcing the hook portion of the lock arm head. On the other hand, in order to reduce the weight, many molds have been adopted for members around the lower cover including the ribs of the optical disk device. For example, when the lock arm and rib are also made of resin, if either one is reinforced, the weaker one may break, and the pressure angle of engagement is adjusted, and the lock arm is There is also an example in which the ejection lock mechanism is prevented from being damaged by releasing the disc tray from the rib.
On the other hand, there are more opportunities to carry and use a notebook PC, and when an unexpected impact such as dropping the notebook PC is encountered, the disk tray is ejected, and the optical disk stored in the The possibility of troubles caused by jumping out of the optical disk device main body has been pointed out.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide an eject lock mechanism capable of safely storing an optical disk in the optical disk apparatus even when an impact such as dropping is applied to the optical disk apparatus.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the object of the present invention, in the first invention, the eject lock mechanism of the optical disk apparatus is capable of housing a disk tray on which an optical disk can be mounted, the disk tray, and ejecting the disk tray. A main body portion, a support shaft provided in the disc tray, a lock arm provided with a long slot bearing in the ejecting direction of the disc tray for inserting the support shaft, and a main body portion. A rib, an elastic member provided between the lock arm and the disc tray, and urged so as to prevent movement of the disc tray in an ejection direction, and when the disc tray is stored in the main body, The lock arm and the rib are engaged to lock the disc tray to the main body, and in this state, an impact force is applied. When the disc tray moves in the eject direction and the support shaft moves the elongated hole bearing in the eject direction, the locking force is applied by the urging force of the elastic member that acts to prevent the disc tray from moving. The force applied to the arm and the rib is reduced.
[0008]
According to a second invention, in the first invention, the lock arm is provided with a hook portion, and the optical pickup can be moved in the radial direction of the disk. A lead screw that can be moved to the outer periphery is provided, and the lock arm is rotated in accordance with the movement of the lead screw in the outer circumferential direction to release the engagement between the hook portion of the lock arm and the rib.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings using examples.
[0010]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the disc tray is pulled out from the main body of the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view of the disc tray accommodated in the main body of the optical disc device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the eject lock mechanism in the loading state, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the eject lock mechanism in the unloading state.
First, the eject lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. In the drawings, the same components are described with the same reference numerals. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body, which is composed of an upper cover 2 and a lower cover 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a disk tray. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the disk tray 4 is pulled out from the main body 1, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the disk tray 4 is stored in the main body 1. An eject button 6 is disposed on the entire panel 5 of the disc tray 4. In both cases of FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown an eject lock mechanism in which the disc tray 4 is cut out and interlocked with the optical pickup feeding mechanism.
The eject lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 7 denotes a lead screw. An optical pickup 8 is engaged with the lead screw 7. By rotating the lead screw 7, the optical pickup is moved in the radial direction of the optical disk. Now, in the state of FIG. 3, when the eject button 6 is pressed, the sled motor 9 rotates and the optical pickup 8 moves from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side of the optical disc. Stop moving. When the sled motor 9 is further rotated even if this position of the optical pickup 8 is reached, since the optical pickup 8 is stopped, the lead screw 7 moves from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. With the movement of the lead screw 7, the release lever 9 engaged with the lead screw 7 is moved to the outer peripheral side, and the pressing portion 11 of the release lever 9 presses the pressure receiving portion 13 of the lock arm 12. Is rotated clockwise about a boss 16 fixed to the disc tray 4 as indicated by an arrow 15. When the lock arm 12 is rotated clockwise around the boss 16, the hook portion 17 of the lock arm 12 is separated from the rib 19 provided on the guide rack 18, so that the eject lever 21 is moved downward by the spring 22. Then, the disc tray 4 is discharged out of the main body 1. The guide rack 18 is provided on the main body 1 side and holds a plastic rail. The guide rack 18 is provided with ribs 19. Accordingly, the disc tray 4 is locked to the main body 1 by engaging the hook portion 17 of the lock arm 12 and the rib 19. 5 and 6, reference numeral 23 denotes an elastic member, for example, a spring, which rotates the lock arm 12 counterclockwise around the boss 16 and presses the rib 19 with the hook portion 17 of the lock arm 12. One end of the spring 23 is locked to the locking portion 20 of the lock arm 12, and the other end is held by a hook portion 30 fixed to the disc tray 4.
[0011]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an eject lock mechanism according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a normal loading state of an eject lock mechanism in an optical disc apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a loading state at the time of impact of the eject lock mechanism in the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. In this embodiment, the lock arm 12 is provided with a long hole bearing 26, and the boss 16 provided on the disc tray 4 is inserted into the long hole bearing 26. Further, a coil portion of a torsion coil spring 28 is fitted to the boss 27 of the disc tray 4, and one end 28a of the torsion coil spring 28 is engaged with the first stopper boss 31a, and the other end 28b is connected to the second boss 27a. It is engaged with the stopper boss 31b. In the normal loading state of FIG. 1, one end 28 a of the torsion coil spring 28 is stopped by the stopper boss 31 a so as not to contact the lock arm 12. When the lock arm 12 is pressed by the one end 28a of the torsion coil spring 28, the pressure receiving portion 13 of the lock arm is pressed by the pressing portion 11 of the release lever, and a load is prevented when the lock arm 12 is rotated clockwise. Because.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the eject lock mechanism, when an impact is applied to the apparatus, the disc tray 4 cannot enter the main body 1 any more. Move to be pushed out. In this case, when the torsion coil spring 28 is not provided, the impact force concentrates on the hook portion 17 and the rib 19 of the lock arm 12, so that the hook portion 17 and the rib 19 may be damaged. Further, in order to avoid breakage of the hook portion 17 and the rib 19, the hook portion 17 is detached from the rib 19 and the disc tray 4 is opened to avoid this impact force. Is required to ban.
In the present embodiment, when an impact force is applied to the apparatus, as shown in FIG. Since the lock arm 12 is provided with the long hole bearing 26, the boss 16 fixed to the disc tray 4 moves downward along the long hole bearing 2. At the same time, the boss 27 holding the torsion coil spring 28 also moves downward, so that one end 28a of the torsion coil spring 28 bends to suppress the movement of the disc tray 4. Therefore, the impact force concentrated on the hook portion 17 and the rib 19 of the lock arm 12 is reduced by the pressing force of the torsion coil spring 28 applied to the lock arm 12. Damage to the portion 17 and the rib 19 can be prevented.
[0013]
Next, another embodiment of the eject lock mechanism of the optical disc device according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the normal loading state of the eject lock mechanism in the optical disk apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 shows another loading state at the time of impact of the eject lock mechanism in the optical disk apparatus according to the present invention. It is a top view which shows the Example of. In the figure, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
In this embodiment, a compression coil spring 33 is used instead of the torsion coil spring 28. Also in this case, the upward movement of the compression coil spring 33 is locked by the locking portion 34 provided on the lock arm 12 so as not to apply a load to the lock arm 12 in the normal state.
Also in this embodiment, when an impact is applied to the apparatus, the operation is the same as in the case of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when an impact is applied to the apparatus, a force is applied to the disc tray 4 in a direction of moving downward relative to the drawing. Since the lock arm 12 is provided with the long hole bearing 26, the boss 16 fixed to the disc tray 4 moves downward along the long hole bearing 2. At the same time, since the compression coil spring 33 also moves downward, the torsion compression coil spring 33 is compressed so as to suppress the movement of the disk tray 4. For this reason, the impact force concentrated on the hook portion 17 and the rib 19 of the lock arm 12 is reduced by the compression force of the compression coil spring 33 applied to the lock arm 12, so that the hook of the lock arm 12 is Damage to the portion 17 and the rib 19 can be prevented.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the impact force applied between the hook portion of the eject lock arm and the rib provided on the guide rack is reduced, and the hook portion and the rib are prevented from being damaged. be able to.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a normal loading state of an eject lock mechanism in an optical disc apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a loading state at the time of impact of the eject lock mechanism in the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a disc tray is pulled out from the main body of the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing an eject lock mechanism when the disc tray is housed in the main body of the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention and the disc tray is viewed by being cut away;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the eject lock mechanism in a loading state.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the eject lock mechanism in an unloading state.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the normal loading state of the eject lock mechanism in the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the loading state at the time of impact of the eject lock mechanism in the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main-body part, 2 ... Upper cover, 3 ... Lower cover, 4 ... Disc tray, 5 ... Full surface panel, 6 ... Eject button, 7 ... Lead screw, 8 ... Optical pick-up, 9 ... Release lever, 11 ... Release lever Pressing part, 12 ... lock arm, 13 ... pressure receiving part of lock arm, 15 ... arrow, 16 ... boss, 17 ... hook part of lock arm, 18 ... guide rack, 19 ... rib, 20 ... locking part, 21 ... eject Lever, 22 ... spring, 23 ... spring, 26 ... long hole bearing, 27 ... boss, 28 ... torsion coil spring, 28a ... one end of torsion coil spring, 28b ... other end of torsion coil spring, 30 ... hook part, 31a ... first Stopper boss, 31b ... second stopper boss, 33 ... compression coil spring.

Claims (6)

In order to insert a disc tray in which an optical disc can be mounted, a main body portion that accommodates the disc tray and can eject the disc tray, a spindle provided in the disc tray, and the spindle A lock arm provided with a long slot bearing in the eject direction of the disc tray, a rib provided on the main body, and a lock arm provided between the lock arm and the disc tray to move the disc tray in the eject direction. An elastic member that urges the disc tray to be blocked, and when the disc tray is stored in the main body, the lock arm and the rib engage with each other to lock the disc tray to the main body portion. Then, an impact force is applied, the disc tray moves in the eject direction, and the support shaft ejects the long hole bearing. When moving in direction, said by the biasing force of the elastic member that acts to prevent movement of the disc tray, eject the locking mechanism of the optical disk apparatus characterized by relieving the force applied to the lock arm and the rib. 2. An eject lock mechanism for an optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lock arm is provided with a hook portion, and the optical pickup can be moved in the radial direction of the disc, and the outermost circumferential position of the optical pickup in the outer peripheral direction of the disc A movable lead screw is provided, and the lock arm is rotated in accordance with the movement of the lead screw in the outer circumferential direction to release the engagement between the hook portion of the lock arm and the rib. An eject lock mechanism for an optical disc apparatus. 3. An eject lock mechanism for an optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a torsion coil spring engaged with the disc tray. 3. The eject lock mechanism for an optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a compression coil spring that is engaged with the disc tray. A pickup that records or reproduces information on an optical disc is mounted, and a disc tray that can be slid freely inserted into and ejected from the main unit together with the disc is stored in the main unit, and an eject button is provided. An optical disc apparatus that unlocks the disc tray and the main body by pushing to eject the disc tray and that is automatically locked by inserting the ejected disc tray into the main body. There,
A lock arm provided on the disc tray and a rib provided in the main body engage with each other to lock the disc tray within the main body, and the optical disc tray is driven by a driving force of a motor which is turned on / off by the eject button. The release lever provided above is driven, the lock arm is driven by the release lever, the engagement between the lock arm and the rib is released, and the fulcrum of the lock arm is constituted by a long hole bearing. The elastic member is stretched between the edge portion of the long hole bearing of the lock arm and the projection portion provided on the disc tray while being engaged with the support shaft provided on the disc tray. An eject lock mechanism for a disc device. A pickup that records or reproduces information on an optical disc is mounted, and a disc tray that can be slid freely inserted into and ejected from the main unit together with the disc is stored in the main unit, and an eject button is provided. An optical disc apparatus that unlocks the disc tray and the main body by pushing to eject the disc tray and that is automatically locked by inserting the ejected disc tray into the main body. There,
A lock arm provided on the disc tray and a rib provided in the main body engage with each other to lock the disc tray within the main body, and the optical disc tray is driven by a driving force of a motor which is turned on / off by the eject button. The release lever provided above is driven, the lock arm is driven by the release lever, the engagement between the lock arm and the rib is released, and the fulcrum of the lock arm is constituted by a long hole bearing. An elastic member is stretched between an elastic member disposed on the lock arm and a support shaft provided on the disc tray, and is engaged with a support shaft provided on the disc tray. Eject lock mechanism for the disk unit to be used.

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