U.S. patent application number 10/846849 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-17 for microminiature optical disc drive with wireless capability.
Invention is credited to Hurst, Jerry E. JR., Volan, Gregory Dimitri, Volk, Steven B..
Application Number | 20050254367 10/846849 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34969516 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050254367 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Volk, Steven B. ; et
al. |
November 17, 2005 |
Microminiature optical disc drive with wireless capability
Abstract
A battery-operated, hand-held disc drive for an optical data
storage disc contains a radio transceiver. Data read from the disc,
for example a game or movie, are delivered to the transceiver and
transmitted, preferably using a WiFi protocol, to a host device,
such as a smartphone, PDA, ultra-light tablet or notebook computer,
or digital TV. Preferably, the compression factor of the data on
the disc and the transfer rate of the data from the disc drive to
the host device are set such that that disc drive has a low duty
cycle, thereby conserving battery power while providing the user
with an extended usage period. To provide a high-quality
experience, the data on the disc are compressed using a highly
efficient data compression algorithm such as MPEG-4.
Inventors: |
Volk, Steven B.; (Boulder,
CO) ; Hurst, Jerry E. JR.; (San Jose, CA) ;
Volan, Gregory Dimitri; (Longmont, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SILICON VALLEY PATENT GROUP LLP
2350 MISSION COLLEGE BOULEVARD
SUITE 360
SANTA CLARA
CA
95054
US
|
Family ID: |
34969516 |
Appl. No.: |
10/846849 |
Filed: |
May 13, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
369/47.1 ;
369/53.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 17/0438 20130101;
G11B 20/10 20130101; G11B 20/00007 20130101; G11B 33/025 20130101;
G11B 7/0037 20130101; G11B 17/032 20130101; G11B 17/0407 20130101;
G11B 31/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
369/047.1 ;
369/053.1 |
International
Class: |
G11B 005/09 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A disc drive for an optical data storage disc comprising: a
cartridge load module for receiving an optical data storage disc;
an optical drive module comprising a spindle assembly and a laser
source for reading data stored on said optical data storage disc; a
transceiver coupled to said optical drive module for transmitting
an RF signal representing said data to a host device; and a
battery, said battery being connected to said optical drive module
and said transceiver so as to power said disc drive during normal
operation.
2. The disc drive of claim 1 wherein said transceiver is coupled to
said optical drive module through optical drive electronics, said
optical drive electronics comprising an optical controller.
3. The disc drive of claim 2 wherein said optical controller
comprises a laser driver and a motor driver.
4. The disc drive of claim 1 wherein said RF signal is in the WiFi
(802.11) protocol.
5. The disc drive of claim 1 wherein said cartridge load module,
said optical drive module, said transceiver and said battery are
contained in a housing, said housing having a footprint, one
dimension of said footprint being about 99 mm.
6. The disc drive of claim 5 wherein a second dimension of said
footprint is about 48.5 mm.
7. The disc drive of claim 1 comprising a cartridge loaded in said
cartridge load module, said cartridge comprising an optical data
storage disc containing data stored using a compression algorithm
equivalent to MPEG 4 or higher, wherein said transceiver is adapted
to transmit said data to said host device at a transfer rate equal
to 10.0 Mbit/second or higher.
8. A disc drive for an optical data storage disc comprising: a
cartridge load module for receiving an optical data storage disc;
an optical drive module comprising a spindle assembly and a laser
source for reading data stored on said optical data storage disc; a
transceiver coupled to said optical drive module for transmitting
an RF signal representing said data to a host device; and a housing
for enclosing said cartridge load module, said optical drive module
and said transceiver, said housing having a footprint, one
dimension of which is about 99 mm.
9. The disc drive of claim 8 wherein a second dimension of said
footprint is about 48.5 mm.
10. A disc drive for an optical data storage disc comprising: a
cartridge load module for receiving an optical data storage disc;
an optical drive module comprising a spindle assembly and a laser
source for reading data stored on said optical data storage disc; a
transceiver coupled to said optical drive module for transmitting
an RF signal representing said data to a host device; and a housing
for enclosing said cartridge load module, said optical drive module
and said transceiver, said housing being of a size such that said
disc drive can be held in a human hand.
11. A disc drive for an optical data storage disc comprising: a
cartridge load module for receiving an optical data storage disc;
an optical data storage disc within said cartridge load module,
said optical data storage disc containing compressed data content,
said compressed data content being compressed by a compression
factor; an optical drive module comprising a spindle assembly and a
laser source for reading said compressed data content; a
transceiver coupled to said optical drive module for transmitting
said data via an RF signal at a data transfer rate; and a battery,
said battery being connected to said optical drive module and said
transceiver so as to power said disc drive during normal operation,
wherein said compression factor and said data transfer are
established such that disc drive is capable of transmitting said
compressed data content to an external host device at a duty cycle
of 10% or less.
12. The disc drive of claim 11 wherein said data transfer rate is
10.0 Mbit/sec or greater.
13. The disc drive of claim 11 wherein said data compression factor
is 200 or greater.
14. The disc drive of claim 13 wherein data content provides a
video output of DVD-quality.
15. The disc drive of claim 11 wherein said optical data storage
disc is housed within a cartridge, said cartridge being disposed in
said cartridge load module.
16. A method of operating a disc drive and a host device, said disc
drive comprising: a cartridge load module for receiving an optical
data storage disc; an optical data storage disc within said
cartridge load module, said optical data storage disc containing
compressed data content, said compressed data content being
compressed by a compression factor; an optical drive module
comprising a spindle assembly and a laser source for reading said
compressed data content; a transceiver coupled to said optical
drive module for transmitting said data to said host device via an
RF signal at a data transfer rate; and a battery, said battery
being connected to said optical drive module and said transceiver
so as to power said disc drive during normal operation, said host
device comprising a buffer memory having a storage capacity, said
method comprising: establishing said compression factor and said
data transfer such that said disc drive is capable of transmitting
said compressed data content to said host device at a duty cycle of
10% or less.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said disc drive transmits said
compressed data content to said host device over a number of
spin-ups, said spin-ups being separated by quiescent periods, the
number of said spin-ups being approximately equal to a capacity of
said buffer memory divided by a volume of said compressed data
content.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said capacity of said host
device is equal to 512 MB, said volume of said data content is
approximately equal to 1 GB, and said number of said spin-ups is
equal to two.
19. A method of operating a disc drive and a host device, said disc
drive comprising: a cartridge load module for receiving an optical
data storage disc; an optical data storage disc within said
cartridge load module, said optical data storage disc containing
compressed data content, said compressed data content being
compressed by a compression factor; a buffer memory having a
storage capacity; an optical drive module comprising a spindle
assembly and a laser source for reading said compressed data
content to said buffer memory at a data transfer rate; a
transceiver coupled to said buffer memory for transmitting said
data to said host device via an RF signal; and a battery, said
battery being connected to said optical drive module and said
transceiver so as to power said disc drive during normal operation,
said method comprising: establishing said compression factor and
said data transfer such that said optical drive module is capable
of transmitting said compressed data content to said buffer memory
at a duty cycle of 10% or less.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said optical drive module
transmits said compressed data content to said buffer memory over a
number of spin-ups, said spin-ups being separated by quiescent
periods, the number of said spin-ups being approximately equal to a
capacity of said buffer memory divided by a volume of said
compressed data content.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein said capacity of said buffer
memory is equal to 512 MB, said volume of said data content is
approximately equal to 1 GB, and said number of said spin-ups is
equal to two.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to the following United States
patent applications, each of which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety: application Ser. No. 10/383,193, filed
Mar. 5, 2003; application Ser. No. 10/423,097, filed Apr. 25, 2003;
and application Ser. No. 10/423,701, filed Apr. 25, 2003.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This application relates to a disc drive capable of reading
data from an optical data storage disc, and in particular an
extremely small optical disc drive with wireless capability.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Consumer entertainment technologies are moving towards high
resolution color displays for mobile entertainment. Increasingly,
consumers want to take their entertainment with them. Cross-country
travelers and cross-town commuters are eagerly pursuing gaming,
music and video entertainment activities on mobile phones
(smartphones), personal digital assistants (PDAs) and portable
computers. At present, however, the entertainment experience is
limited, even primitive, compared to what consumers have come to
expect from their game consoles, home theaters and DVD-equipped
computers.
[0004] The main problem is data storage. The fact is that
sophisticated digital entertainment is data-intensive, and it is
growing more so every day. Traditional small "form factor,"
portable media such as CompactFlash.RTM. cards, SD.RTM. flash
cards, Memory Stick.TM. and other solid state memory devices simply
cannot deliver the capacity and price per megabyte required for a
high-quality entertainment experience. Recording content onto solid
state memory cards in high volume is expensive and impractical, and
securing that content effectively is very difficult.
[0005] While some experts predict that broadband Internet access
will deliver high-quality games and movies to mobile consumer
electronics devices, there are significant barriers to success.
Mobile phone networks are designed to transmit voice communications
and are simply not efficient for high-capacity data transmission.
Mobile phone connections are not capable of the required speeds and
are notoriously unreliable, with frequent dead zones and dropped
connections. While games are being delivered to mobile phones
currently, the quality of game play and the game environment cannot
begin to approach that of a console.
[0006] WiFi, or 802.11, wireless is designed for data transmission,
and the growing number of WiFi hotspots looks attractive on the
surface for delivering large amounts of data to mobile devices.
Internet access and email application for multiple users are easily
accommodated by WiFi. Nonetheless, managing streaming and
interactive content such as multiplayer games and high-quality
video or movies for thousands, if not millions, of users
simultaneously will be challenging for any network. Security is
also a problem for WiFi, leaving content providers open to
potential piracy.
[0007] Moreover, the data storage problem would still exist. For
any sort of networked delivery system to be viable, mobile consumer
devices will have to embed significant amounts of storage to hold
large, downloaded game and movie files, and to track a player's
progress within the game. Perhaps the most significant problem for
networked content delivery is cost. It has been estimated that it
can cost more than $30 to send a DVD-quality film over the
Internet.
[0008] Disc-based distribution costs are far lower. Even more
compelling is the fact that consumers have consistently
demonstrated their preference for purchasing high-value content on
discs, as evidenced by the recent upswing in DVD sales. Moreover,
optical discs are molded and can therefore be replicated at less
expense than solid state memory devices.
[0009] In order for a disc drive to be useful in this context, it
must be extremely small. It must also be capable withstanding
extremely severe environmental and physical conditions. Small size,
low power consumption, environmental endurance, low cost and light
weight are characteristics that must coexist in this disc drive.
They cannot be met by simple extensions of previous technology.
[0010] Clearly, therefore, the mobile entertainment industry needs
an portable, small form factor, secure storage technology to meet
the growing demand for a portable, high-quality entertainment
experience. In addition, it is anticipated that a storage device
capable of holding large amounts of data would find application in
other areas, such as in portable computers used in connection with
the homeland security effort.
SUMMARY
[0011] This invention takes advantage of the fact that most mobile
phones, PDAs and portable computers have wireless capability. In
accordance with this invention, a miniature optical disc drive is
provided with a wireless transceiver which allows it to send and
receive data from an external source such as a mobile phone or PDA.
The optical data is stored on a miniature optical disc, which
typically contains prerecorded or premastered content but could
also be recordable or re-recordable. The disc may be housed in a
cartridge. The disc drive contains a cartridge loading mechanism, a
drive unit, an optical head, an RF module, a battery power supply,
possibly a controlling microprocessor, and printed circuits linking
and controlling these components. The printed circuits may include
a printed antenna for the RF link. The drive is housed in an
RF-permeable material such as a polymer resin and preferably has
dimensions that allow it to be stored in an ordinary shirt pocket.
This drive is capable of providing wireless video, games and other
information to a wide variety of smartphones, PDAs, ultra-light
tablet and notebook computers, digital TVs and other multimedia
devices. Such devices are hereafter referred to collectively as
"host devices."
[0012] The wireless capability of the drive eliminates the need for
a cable connection to the host device. This allows the device to
reside in a user's briefcase or purse, for example, while the user
views a movie or plays a game on a nearby host device.
[0013] Preferably, the disc drive is of a size that allows it to be
easily held in a single hand or fit into a normal-sized shirt
pocket. In one embodiment it has a "footprint" that measures 99
mm.times.48.5 mm and it is 17 mm thick.
[0014] The radio transmitter in the drive can transmit over a
distance of about ten meters and has sufficient bandwidth to permit
the transmission of video information. A frequency in the
"unlicensed" part of the radio spectrum is used. For security
reasons, the transmitted data are preferably encrypted. The data
are decrypted in the host device with appropriate permissions and
keys. Several users may receive data simultaneously from the disc
drive. Preferably, the transmissions use a standard protocol such
as Wi-Fi.
[0015] Importantly, since the disc drive contains its own battery
power supply, it does not deplete the internal battery of the host
device while in operation. The battery may be charged while in the
drive through an IO/charger port, or it may be charged in an
external battery charger. Moreover, the power consumption from the
battery in the disc drive is kept to a minimum by an efficient data
encoding scheme with a high date transfer rate. For example, a
two-hour movie can be stored in 1 GB of storage space using MPEG 4.
If the host device has a 512 MB buffer memory, the disc needs to be
spun up only twice for about 8 minutes each time to transfer data
from the disc to the host device's buffer memory.
[0016] When not in use the drive may operate in a "sleep" mode for
reduced power consumption. While in the sleep mode the drive may be
awakened by a signal from the host device to start or resume
operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disc drive and battery
charger in accordance with the invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows the battery charger connected to the disc
drive.
[0019] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the disc drive.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the disc drive with drive access
door closed.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the disc drive with the drive
access door open.
[0022] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the optical drive
assembly.
[0023] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the optical drive assembly
with the optical drive module mounted in the optical drive
housing.
[0024] FIG. 8A is an exploded view of the cartridge upside
down.
[0025] FIG. 8B is an exploded view of the cartridge right side
up.
[0026] FIGS. 9A and 9B are perspective views of the cartridge.
[0027] FIGS. 10A-10C show a cartridge immediately before loading
into the cartridge load module.
[0028] FIGS. 11A-11D show the cartridge after it has been partially
inserted into the cartridge load module.
[0029] FIGS. 12A and 12B show the cartridge when it is almost fully
inserted into the cartridge load module.
[0030] FIGS. 13A-13C show the cartridge after it has been fully
inserted into the cartridge load module with the drive access door
still open.
[0031] FIGS. 14A-14D show the cartridge after it has been fully
inserted into the cartridge load module with the drive access door
closed.
[0032] FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the optical drive module.
[0033] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the carriage drive (coarse
tracking) motor, the optomechanical carriage assembly and the
spindle assembly.
[0034] FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the spindle assembly.
[0035] FIG. 18A is an exploded view the optical disc.
[0036] FIG. 18B is a perspective view of the spindle chuck.
[0037] FIGS. 19A and 19B show the optical disc and the spindle
chuck separated and in contact, respectively.
[0038] FIG. 20 is a general view of the optomechanical carriage
assembly.
[0039] FIGS. 21 and 22 are exploded views of the optomechanical
carriage assembly.
[0040] FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the optics assembly.
[0041] FIG. 24 shows the quarter-wave plate.
[0042] FIG. 25 shows the objective lens mount.
[0043] FIG. 26 shows the respective positions of the laser diode
and tracking photodetector on the laser diode/detector
substrate.
[0044] FIG. 27 is a view of the fine tracking/focus mechanism.
[0045] FIG. 28 an exploded view of the fine tracking/focus
mechanism.
[0046] FIG. 29A is a block diagram of the optical drive
electronics.
[0047] FIG. 29B is a block diagram of the WiFi transceiver unit and
the CPU/memory or gate array.
[0048] FIG. 30 is a circuit diagram of the laser driver.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0049] FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a disc drive 5 in
accordance with the invention. Disc drive 5 is encased in a housing
102 that is preferably made of a polymer resin. Disc drive 5
includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) unit 106, which may, for
example, display an identification of the contents of a disc that
has been loaded into disc drive 5. A drive access door 110 tilts
upward to allow the insertion of a cartridge containing an optical
disc (not shown) into disc drive 5. In one embodiment, disc drive 5
has a footprint which measures 99 mm.times.48.5 mm and it is 17 mm
thick. Also shown is a battery charger 7, which may be connected to
disc drive 5 to charge an internal battery (shown below). FIG. 2
shows battery charger 7 connected to disc drive 5. Battery charger
7 is preferably able to accept a 110-220V supply voltage and may
deliver a 12V output, for example. FIG. 2 also shows a host device
9, which receives an RF signal from disc drive 5 on the WiFi
(802.11) protocol. Host device 9 could be a "smartphone," a PDA, an
ultra-light tablet or notebook computer, or a digital TV, for
example. Host device 9 would typically contain a buffer memory.
[0050] The structure of disc drive 5 is described in greater detail
in FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is an exploded view and FIG. 4 is a cutaway
view of disc drive 5. In addition to the components shown in FIG.
1, FIG. 3 shows that housing 102 includes a top cover 102A, a
bottom cover 102B and a battery cover 102C. Above the bottom cover
102B are a WiFi player printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 118
and an optical drive assembly 120. Optical drive assembly 120
contains an optical drive module 122 and a cartridge load module
124, into which an optical disc cartridge 10 can be inserted. A
battery 128, which is preferably a lithium ion battery, is
positioned above WiFi PCBA 118. Integrated circuit (IC) chips (not
shown) which provide the wireless function are mounted on the
underside of WiFi PCBA 118. Contacts 103 on battery charger 7 make
contact with contacts 105 on disc drive 5. Contacts 107 on the
surface on WiFi PCBA 118 are connected to contacts 105 by an
internal power line (not shown) and in turn make contact with
corresponding contacts (not shown) on the bottom of battery 128. In
normal operation, battery 128 supplies all of the power needed to
operate disc drive 5.
[0051] FIG. 5 is another cutaway view which shows how drive access
door 110 tilts upward about a pivot shaft 126 to allow cartridge 10
to be inserted into or withdrawn from disc drive 5.
[0052] FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of optical drive assembly
120. Optical drive module 122 is mounted in an optical drive
housing 130 above an optical drive PCBA 132. Optical drive module
122, optical drive housing 130 and optical drive PCBA 132 are held
together by means of screws (not shown) that are threaded through
holes 134A located near the corners of a bottom plate 134 and
extend into optical drive housing 130. As shown, the corners of
optical drive PCBA are shaped to accommodate legs 130A of optical
drive housing 130, thereby holding bottom plate 134 securely
against optical drive housing 130. IC chips (not shown) that are
part of the electronics used to drive optical drive module 122 are
mounted on the top surface of optical drive PCBA 132. FIG. 7
illustrates how optical drive module 122 fits within a cavity in
optical drive housing 130. Also shown is a connector 133, which is
used to make a connection between the IC chips mounted on optical
drive PCBA and IC chips on the WiFi player PCBA (described
below).
Optical Disc Cartridge
[0053] FIGS. 8A and 8B show exploded views of cartridge 10. FIG. 8A
shows optical disc cartridge 10 from the side which includes the
shutter (which is facing downward when disc 10 is loaded into disc
drive 5). FIG. 8A thus shows cartridge 10 upside-down with respect
to its orientation when loaded into drive 5. FIG. 8B shows
cartridge 10 with its shutter side facing downward, which is how it
is oriented when loaded into drive 5.
[0054] Cartridge 10 includes an upper shell 136, a lower shell 138,
a shutter 140, a shutter latch 142 and an optical disc 144. Shells
136 and 138 may be formed of plastic. An optional product label 146
is affixed to upper shell 136. Upper shell 136 has a circular
depression 136D, defined by a circular rim 136R, which mates with a
similar circular depression 138D, defined by a circular rim 138R,
in lower shell 138 to form a circular cavity which holds optical
disc 144 when shells 136 and 138 are bonded together. When disc 144
is housed in this circular cavity, it is free to rotate when the
edges of its central hole are engaged by a chuck associated with
the spindle drive motor (described below). A retention ring 144R,
formed of a magnetic metal, is bonded to the side of disc 144 that
faces upper shell 136. The optical data, which are stored on the
side of disc 144 that faces lower shell 138, are read through an
optical pickup access port 138W in lower shell 138.
[0055] Optical disc 144 must be small enough to maintain the
miniature dimensions of disc drive 5. In one embodiment, optical
disc 144 is 32 mm in diameter.
[0056] Shutter latch 142 is formed of a resilient plastic material
and contains a circular aperture 142 A, a pressure surface 142S and
a latch finger 142F. Shells 136 and 138 contain posts 136P and
138P, respectively, which mate to form a single post over which
circular aperture 142A fits when shells 136 and 138 are bonded
together. Posts 136P and 138P are formed in depressions near the
corners of shells 136 and 138, which together create a compartment
for shutter latch 142 when shells 136 and 138 are bonded together.
Notches 136N and 138N are formed in the external walls of shells
136 and 138, respectively. When shutter latch is mounted in this
fashion, pressure surface 142S abuts an internal wall of the
compartment, and latch finger 142F projects into an opening formed
by notches 136N and 138N. A slight flexing of the shutter latch 142
maintains latch finger 142F in the opening formed by notches 136N
and 138N.
[0057] Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, which show the assembled
cartridge 10, shutter 140 slidingly grips an edge of cartridge 10.
As shown in FIG. 9A, openings 140B are formed in shutter 140.
Shutter 140 is preferably formed of a piece of sheet metal (e.g.,
0.1 mm thick). Openings 140B are stamped in the sheet metal, and in
that process metal flanges (not shown) are formed which project
into a longitudinal track 136A that runs adjacent to the edge of
cartridge 10. Shutter 140 is thereby retained on the edge of
cartridge 10. When shutter 140 is in the closed condition, shown in
FIGS. 9A and 9B, an aperture 140A in shutter 140 is aligned with
notches 136N and 138N. Accordingly, latch finger 142F projects
through aperture 140A, locking shutter 140 in the closed position.
When shutter latch 142 is released (as described below) shutter 140
is free to slide in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9A
to expose central hole 138C and optical pickup access port 138W of
lower shell 138.
[0058] Also shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B are registration holes 10B,
which serve to align cartridge 10 properly when it has been fully
loaded into disc drive 5. A retainer notch 10C is formed on an edge
of cartridge 10.
Cartridge Load Unit
[0059] FIGS. 10 to 14 illustrate the loading of cartridge 10 into
cartridge load module 124. As shown in FIG. 10B, cartridge load
module 124 includes a cartridge load sleeve 154, which in turn is
formed of a base plate 158 and a cover 156. Mounted rotatably on
base plate 158 are a shutter actuator pick 148 and a cartridge
retainer 150. A tension spring 152 provides a bias against both
shutter actuator pick 148 and cartridge retainer 150, maintaining
them normally in the positions shown in FIG. 10B. Shutter actuator
pick 148 and tension spring 152 are mounted in common on a post 160
and cartridge retainer 150 is mounted on a post 162, posts 160 and
162 extending upward from base plate 158. Shutter actuator pick 148
is pressed against a wall of cover 156, and a prong 148P of shutter
actuator pick 148 projects inward through an opening in the wall of
cover 156. Prong 148P is shown in FIG. 14B (with cover 156
removed). Cartridge retainer 150 has a prong 150P, also shown in
FIG. 14B, which projects inward through a second opening in the
wall of cover 156.
[0060] Referring to FIGS. 11D and 14B, cartridge load module 124
contains a cartridge ejector 178 which slides on a rod 176. Rod 176
extends between anchor blocks 182 and 184, which are affixed to
base plate 158. Coiled around rod 176 is a compression spring 174.
Cartridge ejector 178 slides in a slot 186 that is formed in a wall
of cartridge load sleeve 154 between a forward position (shown in
FIG. 11D) and a retracted position (shown in FIG. 14B). In the
forward position, compression spring 174 is relaxed, in the
retracted position, compression spring 174 is compressed.
[0061] The cartridge load/unload process will now be described.
Drive access door 110 is normally in the closed position shown in
FIGS. 1 and 4. To load cartridge 10, the user releases a latch 164.
Since access door 110 is spring-biased towards the open position,
releasing latch 164 causes drive access door 110 and cartridge load
sleeve 154 to tilt upward, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 10A. As shown in
FIG. 13B, drive access door 110 pivots about a shaft 166 that
extends between the walls of top cover 102A, and cartridge load
sleeve 154 pivots about a shaft 168 that is part of optical drive
housing 130. Still referring to FIG. 13B, a pair of slotted members
170 project downward on the underside of drive access door 110, and
pins 172 project outward from the sides of cartridge load sleeve
154. Pins 172 are also shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0062] As dive access door tilts upward, pins 172 slide in the
slots of slotted members 170, exposing the entrance to cartridge
load sleeve 154. Cartridge 10 can then be inserted into cartridge
load sleeve 154. FIGS. 10A to 10C show cartridge 10 in the
ready-to-load position, next to the entrance to cartridge load
sleeve 154. In FIG. 10B, drive access door 110 has been removed to
expose the external structure of cartridge load sleeve 154, and in
FIG. 10C cover 156 of cartridge load sleeve 154 and upper shell 136
of cartridge 10 have been removed to show the internal structure of
cartridge load sleeve 154 and cartridge 10 (including optical disc
144). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, cartridge 10 has a truncated
corner 10A, which prevents cartridge 10 from being inserted
backwards or upside down into cartridge load sleeve 154.
[0063] FIGS. 11A to 11D show cartridge 10 partially inserted into
cartridge load sleeve 154. FIGS. 11B and 11C are with drive access
door 110 removed, and FIG. 11D is with cover 156 of cartridge load
sleeve 154 and upper shell 136 of cartridge 10 removed. Referring
to FIG. 11D, in this position shutter 140 is still closed, but
shutter actuator pick 148, via prong 148P (not shown), has engaged
aperture 140A in shutter 140. Urged by tension spring 152, shutter
actuator pick 148 overcomes the resilient force of shutter latch
142, forcing latch finger 142F out of aperture 140A and freeing
shutter 140 to open.
[0064] FIGS. 12A and 12B show the arrangement after cartridge 10
has been inserted slightly further. Although shutter actuator pick
148 has begun to open shutter 140 by sliding it forward in track
136A, this is not visible in FIGS. 12A and 12B.
[0065] FIGS. 13A to 13C show cartridge 10 after it has been fully
inserted into cartridge load sleeve 154 with drive access door 110
is still open. In this position, shutter 140 has been fully opened,
exposing central hole 138C and optical pickup access port 138W of
cartridge 10. A cartridge retainer 150 (described below) engages a
notch in cartridge 10 with a prong 150P to hold cartridge 10 in
cartridge load sleeve 154. Registration pins 188 project upward
from optical drive module 122 to engage registration holes 10B in
cartridge 10 when drive access door 110 is closed, firmly and
properly positioning cartridge 10 for reading the data stored on
optical disc 144. A spindle assembly 280 extends upward from
optical drive module 122, ready to engage a central hole of optical
disc 144 (described below).
[0066] Registration pins 188 are "bullet nose" pins. The radius cut
onto the flanks of the insertion point is equal to the diameter of
the pin. This shape offers a maximum acquisition zone for insertion
into a registration hole 10B and a minimum opportunity for binding
or balking on insertion.
[0067] After cartridge 10 has been fully inserted in cartridge load
sleeve 154, as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13C. the user presses downward
on drive access door 110, against the force of the pivot spring, to
engage latch 164. Latch 164 is spring-loaded and snaps into a
locked condition when drive access door 110 is fully closed. The
pivot spring that biases drive access door 110 is cocked so that it
will open drive access door 110 the next time that latch 164 is
released. The situation at this pointn is shown in FIGS. 14A to
14D. FIGS. 14A and 14B are with cover 156 of cartridge load sleeve
154 and upper shell 136 of cartridge 10 removed, and FIGS. 14C and
14D are with drive access door 110 removed.
[0068] Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, shutter actuator pick 148
has pushed shutter 140 to the open position, exposing central hole
138C and optical pickup access port 138W. The leading edge of
cartridge 10 has pushed cartridge ejector 178 backward, against the
force of compression spring 174, the truncated corner 10A of
cartridge 10 abutting a canted surface of cartridge ejector 178.
Prong 150P of cartridge retainer 150 has engaged retainer notch 10C
on the edge of cartridge 10, retaining cartridge 10 in cartridge
load sleeve 154. As drive access door 110 is closed, spindle
assembly 280 engages the central hole of optical disc 144.
[0069] To remove cartridge 10, the user releases latch 164. The
pivot spring opens drive access door 110, which via slotted members
170 lifts cartridge load sleeve upward, disengaging cartridge 10
from registration pins 188 and optical disc 144 from spindle
assembly 280. A cam (not shown) on the underside of drive access
door 110 causes cartridge retainer 150 to release cartridge 10. As
cartridge 10 is released, compression spring 174 (which is in the
compressed condition) actuates cartridge ejector 178, which pushes
cartridge 10 outward. A detent (not shown) on cartridge load sleeve
154 engages a small indentation on cartridge 10 to prevent
cartridge 10 from being "launched" from disc drive 5.
Drive Module
[0070] FIGS. 15-28 are views of the components of the optical drive
module 122.
[0071] Referring to FIG. 15, the components of optical drive module
122 are mounted in a body member 299, which can be made of a metal
such as aluminum or magnesium or a plastic resin such as a liquid
crystal polymer having a Young's modulus of at least
2.8.times.10.sup.4 MPa (4.4.times.10.sup.6 psi). A data access
opening 290 is formed in body member 299. Optical drive module 122
contains a spindle assembly 280 and an optomechanical carriage
assembly 282, which slides along a rail 312. Spindle assembly 280
engages the central hole of disc 144. As described below,
optomechanical carriage assembly 282 contains a laser diode, a lens
and other components for reading data from optical disc 144 through
data access opening 290.
[0072] Also shown in FIG. 15 is a lead screw 296 that is used to
provide coarse positioning for the laser beam that emanates from
optomechanical carriage assembly 282. Lead screw 296 is driven by a
carriage drive (coarse tracking) motor 292 through a two-stage gear
reduction unit 294. Anti-backlash gears may be used in the drive
train. The bearing elements for lead screw 296 preferably contain
at least one pre-loaded pair of ball bearings to keep friction low,
but eliminate backlash in the motion of lead screw 296 along its
axis of rotation. A flexible interconnect 305 connects optical
drive PCBA 132 (FIG. 6) to a PCBA 308, and a flexible interconnect
306 connects PCBA 308 to optomechanical carriage assembly 282. ZIF
connectors on either or both of PCBAs 132 and 308 may be used to
facilitate assembly.
[0073] To service the motion of optomechanical carriage assembly
282 along the tracking path, flexible interconnect 306 forms a
single loop between the tail of carriage assembly 282 and PCBA 308.
The carriage end of flexible interconnect 306 is connected to a
laser/detector package for signal and data transfer, and to a fine
servo motor to control focus and tracking. In an implementation
using a linear motor, it would also carry the coarse motor current.
Again, a ZIF connector on the PCBA 308 can be used to facilitate
assembly.
[0074] A short flexible interconnect (not shown) may be used to
connect coarse tracking motor 292 to PCBA 308, although discrete
wires or formed motor terminals could also be used.
[0075] The coarse tracking mechanism and spindle assembly 280 are
shown in FIG. 16. Coarse tracking motor 292 is a brush-type,
reversible DC motor, such as a Canon model DN06-V*N*B, although a
stepper motor or brushless DC motor could also be used. Among the
factors that determine the choice of motor are bandwidth, power
consumption, cost, reliability and durability.
[0076] Lead screw 296 and optomechanical carriage assembly 282 may
be coated with or made from materials which mitigate the friction
inherent in this type of actuator. Materials such as
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or molybdenum disulfide can be used
as a coating for threaded elements, and added to molding resins to
optimize the tribology between lead screw and nut of such a driver.
This can also reduce power consumption and improve servo
response.
[0077] Coarse tracking motor 292 moves in response to a signal
derived from a position sensor on the fine tracking motor
(described below). The fine tracking motor follows the tracks on an
optical disc, including disc runout, and accomplishes small seek
movements. However, when the fine tracking motor is away from its
center position by a specified average amount, lead screw 296 will
be turned to advance or retract the optomechanical carriage
assembly 282 to a position near the center of the fine tracking
motor travel. The two-stage spur gear reduction unit 294 allows the
use of a small, low current motor. Other gear reduction schemes
could also be used, but spur gears are low cost and high
efficiency. The gears in gear reduction unit 294 correspond roughly
to 120 diametral pitch gears, but they could also be special pitch
or metric module gears. The gear reduction unit may also contain
anti-backlash gears.
[0078] FIG. 17 is an exploded view of spindle assembly 280,
including a spindle chuck 316, a spindle shaft 330, a spindle rotor
magnet 326 and backing plate 328, a spindle bearing/bushing 324,
stator coils 320 and a stator plate 322.
[0079] Stator coils 320 and stator plate 322 are both glued to PCBA
308 (see FIG. 15). Stator coils 320 are a standard brushless
multi-phase drive for spindle rotor magnet 326, which is magnetized
in "pie-slice" shaped segments through its thickness in the axial
direction. The north-south orientation of the magnetic material is
in the same direction. The magnetic material is preferably a barium
ferrite ceramic, but it could be any of several others, including a
rare-earth composite or hard magnetic material, such as
neodymium-iron-boron, samarium cobalt, etc.
[0080] FIG. 18A is an exploded view of disc 144, showing the
magnetic retention ring 144R and a pressure-sensitive adhesive ring
144A, which bonds magnetic retention ring 144R to disc 144. Also
shown is the central hole 144C of disc 144. Magnetic retention ring
144R is made of a magnetic material, such as plated steel or
magnetic stainless steel, and is bonded to the non-data side of
disc 144 around central hole 144C. Magnetic retention ring 144R
could be 0.2 mm thick and 8-9 mm in diameter, for example.
[0081] FIG. 18B shows the structure of spindle chuck 316. Spindle
chuck 316 includes a spindle pin 318, which is surrounded by a
magnet 315 and a circular platen 317. Magnet 315 is magnetized with
multiple pie-shaped magnets having their poles parallel to the axis
of spindle chuck 316. Half of the north poles and half of the south
poles are oriented in the same direction. For example, if there are
eight magnets, four north poles and four south poles would face in
the same direction, with the north and south poles alternating. A
greater number magnets provide a greater retention force when disc
144 is fully mounted on spindle chuck 316, but the magnetic lines
of force are more concentrated and the "reach" of the magnetic
field is therefore less than with a fewer number of magnets.
[0082] FIGS. 19A and 19B show disc 144 approaching and mounted on
spindle chuck 316, respectively. When disc 144 is mounted on
spindle chuck 316 (FIG. 19B) spindle pin 318 protrudes into the
central hole 144C of disc 144, and the force between magnet 315 and
magnetic retention ring 144R (through the thickness of disc 144)
presses the data side of disc 144 flat against circular platen 317.
Spindle pin 318 is a close fit (e.g., within 0.05 mm) to central
hole 144C, so that disc 144 is precisely centered on spindle chuck
316. To allow for some eccentricity of disc 144 as it approaches
spindle chuck 316, the nose of spindle pin 318 is formed with a
chamfered surface 319, as shown in FIG. 18B.
[0083] Thus, referring again to FIG. 13B, as cartridge 10 is
lowered onto spindle assembly 280, the lines of force of magnet 315
interact with magnetic retention ring 144R and draw disc 144 onto
spindle chuck 316. This action tends to compress adhesive ring
144A. Magnetic retention ring 144R must be centered accurately
enough with respect to central hole 144C so as not to interfere
with the projection of spindle pin 318 into central hole 144C
(typically to a tolerance of 2 mm).
[0084] FIG. 20 is a general view of optomechanical carriage
assembly 282, which includes a carriage body 332, an optics
assembly 334, and a fine tracking/focus mechanism 336.
[0085] Carriage body 332 is a molded/cast part. Carriage body 332
supports elements of optics assembly 232 and attachments for
flexible interconnect 306 and provides the guided surfaces for the
motion of carriage assembly 282 along the tracking path. It is
coupled via lead screw 296 to coarse tracking motor 292. Carriage
body 332 also absorbs heat from the electronics, laser diode, and
servo motors. It may be made of materials which reduce friction so
that the driving female threaded element that meshes with lead
screw 296 can be molded directly into carriage body 332.
[0086] Optics assembly 234, which is described in greater detail
below, includes a laser diode, servo detectors, beam distribution
and splitting prisms, collimation and objective lenses, a wave
retardation plate, a reflective position flag, and a reflective
power monitoring surface. In addition, some of the detectors may be
mounted on substrates which also include signal amplification
electronics.
[0087] Fine tracking/focus mechanism 336 includes shared magnetic
circuits and five coils that together comprise a two-axis voice
coil motor used to position the readout objective lens (which is
also part of optics assembly 334).
[0088] FIGS. 21 and 22 are exploded views of optomechanical
carriage assembly 282 taken from different angles. Also shown in
FIGS. 21 and 22 are an anti-backlash mechanism that includes a
threaded sleeve 333 and a compression spring 335. Carriage body 332
includes a first flange 332A which contains a threaded aperture
that, as noted above, meshes with lead screw 296, and a second
flange 332B that contains an unthreaded aperture. The central
aperture of sleeve 333 likewise threaded to mesh with lead screw
296. Sleeve 333 is installed between flanges 332A and 332B with a
round end 333B projecting into the hole of flange 332B and with
compression spring 335 enclosing sleeve 333 and butting against
flange 332A and a shoulder 333A of sleeve 333. When lead screw 296
is threaded into flange 332A and sleeve 333, compression spring 335
exerts a gentle outward pressure against flange 332A and sleeve
333. This prevents any slack or lost motion between optomechanical
carriage assembly 282 and lead screw 296.
[0089] FIG. 23 illustrates a schematic view of optics assembly 334.
For purposes of this description, the terms "up," "down," "above"
and "below" are used in relation to FIG. 23.
[0090] The laser beam originates in a laser diode 338. Laser diode
338 preferably provides a blue laser beam with a wavelength of 405
nm. Laser diode may be a Cree model 405LD 500 or a Sanyo model
LS5000. Use of a 405 nm blue laser beam permits the track pitch on
disc 10 to be reduced to 0.37 .mu.m from the pitch of 0.74 .mu.m
required for a typical 600-700 nm red laser beam, for example.
[0091] Laser diode 338 is mounted on a heat sink 340 near the
bottom of a laser diode/detector substrate 343. A laser beam 342
emanates from laser diode 338 as a diverging, elliptical cone of
light. Laser beam 342 enters a rhombic prism 344 and is directed
upward by internal reflection in prism 344.
[0092] Rhombic prism 344 is attached to a half cube 346. A diagonal
surface between the rhombic prism 344 and half cube 346 is coated
with a polarization sensitive layer, which forms a beam-splitting
interface 345. The predominant polarization of laser beam 342
causes it to pass through beam-splitting interface 345 and continue
upward. After laser beam 342 leaves half cube 346, it enters a
collimating lens 348. Collimating lens 348 converges laser beam 342
just enough to make the beam a collimated (parallel ray) beam.
Above collimating lens 348 is a quarter-wave retardation plate 350,
having its optical axis oriented at 45 degrees to the incident
polarization of laser beam 342. After the light passes through the
quarter-wave plate 350, it is circularly polarized.
[0093] On the upper surface of quarter-wave plate 350, shown in
FIG. 24, is a small silvered area 350A, which reflects a portion of
the upward bound laser beam 342 back through quarter-wave plate
350. That reflected "beamlet" is converted to linear polarization
after passing through quarter-wave plate 350, such that its
polarization is now rotated 90 degrees from the polarization of
laser beam 342 when it left collimating lens 348. When this
"beamlet" encounters beam-splitting interface 345, it is now
reflected instead of transmitted. This reflected "beamlet", shown
at 352 in FIG. 23, is directed to a photodetector 354 on substrate
343, where it is used to modulate the laser power control loop.
[0094] The remainder of the outbound beam (minus the "beamlet")
proceeds upward towards an objective readout lens 356, which is
supported by an objective lens mount 358, shown in FIG. 25 from
below. Protruding from objective lens mount 358 is small, shaped
reflective element 360, which returns another portion of laser beam
342. Reflective element 360 may be made of metal, and may be added
to lens mount 358, or it may comprise a reflective coating applied
to a molded plastic feature. Its reflective surface may be planar
or curved.
[0095] The portion of laser beam 342 that is reflected from
reflective element 360 is reflected in a direction that is
determined by the position of lens mount 358 along the "tracking
axis." The "tracking axis" of lens mount 358, described further
below, nominally coincides with the axis along which laser beam 342
is reflected upward by the rhombic prism 344. This second "beamlet"
362 returns in the same way as the first "beamlet" 352, making a
second pass through quarter-wave plate 350, but on the opposite
side of the main laser beam 342. The polarization of second
"beamlet" 362 is likewise rotated another 90 degrees and is
therefore reflected by beam splitting interface 345 towards
substrate 343 where it illuminates a split position-sensitive
photodetector 364. Photodetector 364 is split horizontally, and the
power of "beamlet" 362 is distributed vertically between the two
halves of split photodetector 364 in proportion to tracking axis of
objective lens mount 358. The position of the spot formed by
"beamlet" 362 on split photodetector 364 thus provides an
indication of the position of the fine servo motor (described
below) that controls the orientation of the tracking axis of lens
mount 358.
[0096] FIG. 26 shows the respective positions of photodetector 354
and photodetector 364 on substrate 343.
[0097] Referring again to FIG. 23, the rest of laser beam 342
proceeds upward through the readout objective lens 356 and is
focused on the data tracks on optical disc 116 (not shown). Laser
beam 342 is reflected by the disc and passes back through objective
lens 356, quarter-wave plate 350 and collimating lens 348. Laser
beam 342 is then reflected at beam splitting interface 345 towards
laser diode/detector substrate 343, where it is incident on a servo
photodetector 366. As shown in FIG. 26, servo photodetector 366 has
six segments (photodiodes). The segmented structure of servo
photodetector 366 allows a determination of the beam distribution
and intensity as it returns from the disc and is reflected at beam
splitting interface 345.
[0098] The numerical aperture of lens 356 is high (e.g.,
approximately 0.73) and therefore, when the collimated beam 342 is
focused on a reflective surface, a "cateye" reflector is formed. As
a result, when laser beam 342 is focused exactly on the disc, the
reflected beam will effectively retrace its path and re-form as a
collimated beam after passing back through objective lens 356. If
the position of objective lens 356 is above or below the position
that creates an exact focus on the disc, the return beam below
objective lens 356 will converge or diverge, i.e., when lens 356 is
too close to the disc, the return beam will be slightly convergent,
and when lens 356 is too far from the disc, the return beam will be
slightly divergent. The variation of the convergence or divergence
with focus error is proportional over a small range of focus error,
and creates differences in the outputs of the segments of servo
photodetector 366. The focus error is determined by taking the sums
and differences of the segments of servo photodetector 366 in
horizontal and diagonal groups.
[0099] The preformatted data tracks on the disc cause the return
beam to be diffracted in both the cross track (track) and along
track (data) directions. When the beam is centered on a track, the
pattern of the return beam projected onto the servo photodetector
366 is essentially three superimposed spots: one bright central (or
zero-order) spot, and two fainter, first-order diffracted spots,
one above and one below the central spot and symmetrically
overlapping the central spot. When the focused outbound beam moves
slightly off-track, the projected intensity pattern of the
reflected beam shifts becomes assymmetric. This asymmetry produces
differential intensity changes along the vertical axis of servo
photodetector 366. Tracking error signals are obtained by observing
the difference between the sum of the outputs of the upper segments
and the sum of the outputs of the lower segments.
[0100] Alternatively, a differential phase detection method can be
used to generate a track error signal, as is commonly done in DVD
players.
[0101] The intensity changes caused by the imprinted data pits are
detected by monitoring the sum of the outputs of all segments of
servo photodetector 366.
[0102] Algorithms for controlling the tracking and focus of the
laser beam are well known and available from many sources. One
tracking and focus system is described in Kadlec et al., U.S.
Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2002/0110056, entitled
"Digital Focus And Tracking Servo System," filed Sep. 10, 2001, and
references cited therein, all of the foregoing being incorporated
herein by reference in their entirety.
[0103] Fine tracking/focus mechanism 336 includes a fine servo
motor 370. In response to control signals, fine servo motor 370
adjusts the position of objective readout 356 lens so as to
maintain the laser beam in focus and follow the tracks on the disc.
FIG. 27 is a view of fine tracking/focus mechanism 336, and FIG. 28
is an exploded view of fine tracking/focus mechanism 336 showing
the components of fine servo motor 370. Objective readout lens 356,
shown at the center of fine tracking/focus mechanism 336, is a
component of both optics assembly 334 and fine servo motor 370. As
shown, objective lens mount 358 fits in a slot formed between walls
378 in a pole assembly 376.
[0104] The tracking motion of objective lens 356 is created by
moving objective lens mount 358 in the direction of the "tracking
motion" arrows in FIG. 27. This motion is created with four "bent"
tracking coils 372, subdivided into two groups 372A and 372B. Fine
servo motor 370 contains two permanent magnets 374 which are
affixed to pole assembly 376 with like poles facing the center of
pole assembly 376. (In FIGS. 27 and 28 the north poles are shown
facing inward.) This forms two magnetic gaps, one on each side of
the center of pole assembly 376, with magnetic flux vectors
directed symmetrically inward or outward. The four tracking coils
372 are positioned such that one vertical arm 372X of each coil is
located in the one of the magnetic gaps. (Conversely, the remaining
vertical arms 372Y, shown in FIG. 28, are outside the magnetic gaps
between magnets 374.) Coils 372 are connected in series in such a
manner that the currents in the vertical arms 372X of coils 372A
flow in the opposite direction to the currents in the vertical arms
372X of coils 372B, i.e., when current flows downward in the
vertical arms 372X of coils 372A, the current flows upward in the
vertical arms 372X of coils 372B, and vice-versa. Depending on the
direction of the currents, coils 372 and the remainder of fine
servo motor 370 (including lens 356) will be subjected to an
electromotive force in one of the directions of the "tracking
motion" arrows.
[0105] Objective lens mount 358 is attached to four flexure wires
380, the other ends of which are attached to a mounting plate 382.
Flexure wires 380 allow lens mount 358 and lens 356 to move in the
direction of the "tracking motion" and "focus motion" arrows shown
in FIG. 28 but prevent it from moving in an direction orthogonal to
the tracking and focus motions.
[0106] Two of flexure wires 380 also provide the electrical
connections for tracking coils 372. Both mounting plate 382 and
objective lens mount 358 are made of an insulating material such as
a plastic resin having a Young's modulus of 2.8.times.10.sup.4 MPa
(4.4.times.10.sup.6 psi) or higher. Thus, flexure wires 380 are
insulated from the rest of the assembly by the mounting plate 382
and objective lens mount 385.
[0107] Flexure wires 380 can be made of beryllium copper or some
other high yield-strength material to minimize damage in operation
or assembly. Flexure wires 380 should have a low electrical
resistance to minimize any damage from heating. They are preferably
corrosion resistant and could be coated or sleeved for vibration
damping, e.g., with a thin elastomer film or molded part.
[0108] Using flexure wires 380 to carry current to tracking coils
372 allows the movement of lens 356 to approximate a smooth,
orthogonal movement in tracking and focus directions. Using other
wires to make the electrical connections may introduce moments
which disturb this motion in an uncontrollable way.
[0109] The vertical motion necessary to focus lens 356 is provided
by a rectangular coil 384, which is enclosed within the four
tracking coils 372 when fine servo motor 370 is assembled (FIG.
28). Coil 384 is positioned in the magnetic gaps between permanent
magnets 374, and provides summed Lorentz forces which move coil 384
up or down when current flows through it. For the reasons described
above, coil 384 is preferably supplied with current through the two
flexure wires 380 that are not used to supply current to tracking
coils 372.
[0110] To minimize any tilting of lens 356 it is desirable that the
net electromotive force vectors provided by coils 372 and 384 in
the tracking and focus directions, respectively, pass through the
central of gravity of fine servo motor 370 (including lens 356) and
objective lens mount 358.
[0111] It will be understood that optics assembly 334 is only one
embodiment of an optics assembly that could be used in a disc drive
of this invention. Although optics assembly 334 is compact in
design and low in power, it should be apparent that a number of
alternative head designs meeting these two criteria are possible
and therefore suitable for application in a disc drive of this
invention. Current DVD-type pickup designs may be too large because
they must support two laser wavelengths which allow them to read
both DVD and CD type media. However, designing a 405 nm only
optical pickup with either single or three-beam tracking is within
the ability of those skilled in the art. Such designs would utilize
CD-like optical configurations such as those described in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,033,042 (three-beam) or U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,385 (single
beam), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety, modified with optics suitable for 405 nm and the higher
0.73NA lens described herein. Such pickup modules would include a
laser, polarizing beam splitter, collimator, .lambda./4 waveplate,
objective lens, forward photodetector, and, servo/data quad
detector as indicated in the above referenced patents. These
components perform the same functions as are described herein, with
the combination of the polarizing beam splitter and .lambda./4
waveplate serving to separate the light reflected from the disc and
redirect it to the servo/data quad detector. The polarizing beam
splitter also separates a small amount of the light incident from
the laser and redirects it to the forward photodetector for
monitoring the laser power. This type of optical path is typical in
CD players and can also be made compact and low power.
Optical Drive Electronics
[0112] IC chips mounted on optical drive PCBA 132, shown in FIG. 7,
represent the optical drive electronics that controls the optical
drive module 122.
[0113] A block diagram of optical drive electronics 100 is shown in
FIG. 29A. Optical drive electronics 100 contains two basic
components: an optical controller section 502 and a pick-up module
504. The state of the art in these controllers is very advanced and
highly integrated, so a minimal number of IC chips are necessary.
The main element of optical controller section 502 is an optical
controller IC 506, which can be realized as either a single or dual
IC. In dual IC designs, the controller function is realized using a
digital controller IC and an analog front end processor. In single
IC designs these two functions are combined.
[0114] Table 1 lists several commercially available IC that could
be used in the dual IC configuration of optical controller IC
506.
1 TABLE 1 Analog Front End Digital Controller IC Processor M5705
DVD-ROM SP3721D Analog Front- Controller IC End IC AMT 2002 DVD
Digital AMT 2001 DVD AFE IC Servo
[0115] The STA1010 optical controller IC from ST Microelectronics
could be used n a single-IC design of optical controller IC
506.
[0116] The optical controller section 502 also contains a voltage
regulator 508, a flash memory 510 and a static random-access memory
(SRAM) 512, a motor driver IC 514 and a laser driver IC 516. Motor
driver IC 514 and laser driver IC 516 receive control signals from
the optical controller IC 506. The STA1015 available from ST
Microelectronics could be used for motor driver IC 514.
[0117] The other major component of optical drive electronics 100
is pick-up module 504. Pick-up module 504 includes a media detect
switch 518, an opto-electric IC (OEIC) and forward photodiode IC
(FPIC) 520, and control circuitry for course tracking 522, fine
tracking 524, and focus 526 and the spindle motor 528.
[0118] The digital controller IC within optical controller IC 506
includes the servo digital signal processor (DSP) required to
implement the servo/seek functions of the drive, the microprocessor
required to control the drive and interface, the analog-to-digital
(A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters required to interface
to the optical pick-up module 504, the read-back channel, the
encoder-decoder (EnDec), the error correction circuitry (ECC), the
media detect switch, and the physical format circuitry.
[0119] The interface to the optical controller IC is typically an
ATAPI/IDE interface, although other interface standards may also be
used.
[0120] The digital controller IC within optical controller IC 506
is specific for the physical format of the media being processed.
The preferred format of the disc is described in the
above-referenced application Ser. No. 10/383,193. This format
allows current DVD video and DVD-ROM digital controller ICs to be
used in disc drive 5.
[0121] The front-end processor within optical controller IC 506
includes the analog circuitry required to interface the electronics
within the pick-up module 504, such as the OEIC/FPIC 520, with the
digital controller IC. The front-end processor also contains the
analog electronics required to control motor driver IC 514 and
laser driver IC 516 in addition to analog equalizers for the data
channel.
[0122] Flash memory 510 contains the operating software (firmware)
for the microprocessor within optical controller IC 506 and SRAM
memory buffers the data being read from a disc. In the preferred
embodiment, at least 8 Mbyte of SRAM is desird to ensure a smooth,
uninterrupted video playback in the presence of the external shock
and vibration characteristic of a portable video player
environment. In order to obtain DVD-quality video using a current
state-of-the-art compression technology such as MPEG-4, the average
data rate for the audio/video data stream from the disc drive
should be at least 1.0 Mbit/sec. In this case, 8 Mbyte of SRAM
would allow for about 64 seconds of buffered video playback. Future
advances in encryption technology may allow for smaller buffer
sizes.
[0123] Motor driver 514 is required to drive the carriage drive
(coarse tracking) motor 292, the fine servo motor 370, and the
motor in spindle assembly 280.
[0124] As described above, the optical drive module 122 contains
short wavelength (405 nm) laser diode 338, which requires a
suitable drive electronics. The 405 nm laser diode requires a
higher operating voltage than the more common re (680 nm) lasers
used in DVD players and the infrared (780 nm and 830 nm) lasers
used in CD players.
[0125] FIG. 30 is a diagram of a circuit that may be used for laser
driver 516. Laser driver 516 includes a voltage converter/regulator
540 which steps up the 3.3 V supply available from battery 128 to
the 6.5 V maximum required by laser diode 338. Resistor R4 is used
as a sense/feedback resistor. In addition, a high-frequency RF
modulator (HFM) 542 is provided to reduce the laser noise and
improve the read back performance.
[0126] The outputs from voltage converter/regulator 540 and HFM 542
are combined to produce both DC and AC currents in laser diode 338.
Voltage converter/regulator 540 acts as a DC current source. HFM
542 acts as an AC current source. The AC current is coupled to
laser diode 338 via capacitor C8 and serves to reduce mode
partition noise in laser diode 338. The DC current is supplied to
laser diode 338 via blocking ferrite E2 and serves to provide the
DC laser threshold current and the DC component of the read
current. Blocking ferrite E2 also prevents the AC current from HFM
542 from entering voltage converter/regulator 540. Typically the AC
current is adjusted so that the optical power from laser diode 338
is increased by 2-5.times. from that observed with only the DC
current. The exact power factor depends on the specifics of the
optical system and laser being used.
[0127] HFM 542 is a standard RF oscillator based around biased
transistor Q1 and is set to oscillate at a frequency of 400-600
MHz. It is designed to provide 30 mA into a 50 Ohm load. This
circuit is typically integrated into a module that is mounted
directly onto laser diode 338 to minimize losses and radiation of
RF energy. Voltage converter/regulator 540 (the DC current source)
includes a standard DC-DC converter (chip U1, inductance L1, diode
D1) which uses resistor R4 in a feedback loop to stabilize the
current. The signal at the output of diode D1 is filtered by
ferrite E1, resistor R2 and capacitors C3 and C4 to remove the
converter switching noise. Since a 405 nm blue laser requires a
maximum compliance voltage of 6.5V, a DC-DC converter is used to
upshift the 3.3V supply voltage. The circuit shown takes an input
control signal (CURRENT_SET) of 0-1.6V and outputs a corresponding
DC output laser current of 90-0 mA.
[0128] FET switch M1 acts to disable both voltage
converter/regulator 540 and HFM 542 by removing the input 3.3V DC
supply voltage. LASER_EN is a control signal that is used to turn
FET switch M1 on and off.
[0129] Table 2 contains a list of illustrative values of the
components of the circuit for laser drive 516 shown in FIG. 30.
2 TABLE 2 Component Value R1 2.00 k.OMEGA. R2 402 k.OMEGA. R3 100
k.OMEGA. R4 0.56 .OMEGA. R5 806 .OMEGA. R6 1.21 k.OMEGA. R7 80.6
.OMEGA. C1 1.0 .mu.F C2 1.0 nF C3 4.7 .mu.F C4 1.0 .mu.F C5 120 pF
C6 56 pF C7 15 pF C8 15 pF C9 82 pF C10 120 Pf C11 120 Pf L1 2.2
.mu.h L2 8.2 Nh
[0130] Table 3 lists by model number the other components that may
be used in the circuit of FIG. 30.
3 TABLE 3 Component Model No. M1 IRLML6401 Q1 NE68819 E1 BLM15AG601
E2 BLM15AG601 D1 MA2ZD18 U1 LT1618EMS
WiFi Transceiver Electronics
[0131] Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 29B, IC chips
representing a WiFi transceiver unit 200 are mounted on WiFi PCBA
118. Highly integrated circuits are available to fabricate WiFi
transceiver unit 200, so a minimal number of integrated circuits
are required. A key component of the control electronics for WiFi
transceiver unit 200 is a media access controller (MAC) and
base-band processor (BBP) IC 560 (sometimes referred to as the "MAC
chip").
[0132] MAC chip 560 is driven by a 40 MHz crystal oscillator 574
and includes a microprocessor and circuitry to implement the 802.11
radio interface. The internal microprocessor implements the 802.11
protocols and controls the memory and radio interface. Data from
MAC chip 560 are converted into radio signals by an RF/IF
transceiver 562 and sent through a transmit/receive switch 564 and
a band-pass filter 566 to an antenna 568. All of the components of
WiFi transceiver unit 200 (except for antenna 568) are mounted on
WiFi PCBA 118. Antenna 568 may be integrated onto WiFi PCBA 118 as
a conductive trace, or it may be a separate discrete antenna
attached to WiFi PCBA 118. Since the 802.11 protocols are used,
RF/IF transceiver 562 operates at a particular channel in the
non-licensed 2.4 GHz band. The frequency is selected using a
feedback loop that includes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)
570 and a loop filter 572
[0133] Since the optical drive electronics 100 and WiFi transceiver
unit 200 are peripherals, it may be necessary to have a controlling
CPU/memory 576, shown in FIG. 29B, to facilitate communication
between these two devices. Optical drive electronics 100 typically
use an ATAPI/IDE interface while WiFi transceiver unit 200 might
use a PCI, USB, fast serial or general parallel interface. Display
106 is also controlled by CPU/memory 576. CPU/memory 576 can be
mounted on WiFi PCBA 118 and can be linked to optical drive
electronics 100 via a flex lead represented as bus 578 in FIGS. 29A
and 29B. CPU/memory is linked to WiFi transceiver unit 200 via a
bus 577.
[0134] The conversion of data from the optical controller present
on data bus 578 to data suitable for transmission to the WiFi
controller on data bus 577 is performed by software running on the
CPU/memory 576. These data may represent a video/audio datastream
or a command to be executed by the WiFi unit or the optical
controller. Both types of data are suitably converted by CPU576.
The software required to perform these conversions can readily be
implemented by persons of skill in the art.
[0135] In an alternative embodiment, optical drive electronics 100
and transceiver unit 200 communicate directly with each other, and
CPU/memory 576 is not required. As another alternative, the
function of CPU/memory 576 is incorporated in the MAC chip 560 or
the optical drive electronics 100, since both of these ICs have
internal microprocessors. In these alternative embodiments, display
106 is controlled by either the MAC chip 560 or the optical drive
electronics 100.
[0136] Table 4 lists several combinations of ICs that could be used
for MAC chip 560 and RF/IF transceiver 562.
4 TABLE 4 Supplier MAC Chip 560 RF/IF Transceiver 562 Texas
Instruments TNETW1250 TNETW3422M BroadCom BCM4301 BCM2051 Conexant
ISL3871 ISL3684 Atheros 5213 5112
[0137] Alternatively, the BroadCom BCM94317 system-on-a-chip could
be used for both functions.
[0138] As described above, the disc drive of this invention is
portable and consequently operates from a battery. It is important
to conserve battery power in order to operate the drive over a
substantial period of time and maximize the entertainment
experience. In practice, the disc drive "spins up" periodically to
transfer the data from the disc to a buffer which could reside
within either the disc drive itself or the host device. The
remainder of the time, between spin-ups, the disc drive is in a
quiescent state, in which relatively little battery power is
consumed. To conserve battery power, it is advantageous for the
disc drive to have a minimal duty cycle, i.e., the proportion of
the time that the drive is reading data from the disc and
transmitting the data to a host device. The duty cycle is a
function of (a) the compression factor used in storing the data on
the disc and (b) the rate at which the data is transferred from the
disc drive to the host device.
[0139] For example, a 133-minute video recorded with VGA resolution
(640.times.480 pixels/frame) and 24 bit color would occupy over 200
GB in its uncompressed form. Using the compression algorithm MPEG-4
and a compression factor of 200 it can be compressed to
approximately 1 GB while maintaining at least a DVD-quality output.
At a data transfer rate of 10 Mbit/sec (802.11b), the compressed
data can be transferred to a host device (e.g., a PDA or
smartphone) in approximately 13.3 minutes This equates to a duty
cycle of 13.3/133 or about 10%. The data transfer rate could be
greater than 10 Mbit/sec to make the duty cycle be less than 10%
if, for example, WiFi 802.11g transfer rates of 50 Mbit/sec were
used.
[0140] A limiting factor for the data compression factor is the
quality of the video output in the host device. Using the
compression algorithm MPEG-4, the data can be compressed by a
factor of 200 while yielding a DVD-quality video output. Audio
content is also included in the data stored on the disc, but it is
normally a relatively small proportion of the total amount of data
stored on the disc.
[0141] The disc drive spins up periodically to fill the buffer
memory which resides either in the disc drive or the host device.
If in the disc drive, the buffer memory could be part of CPU/memory
576 shown in FIG. 29B, for example. Alternatively, the buffer
memory could be part of optical controller section 502, shown in
FIG. 29A.
[0142] Each time, the spin-up begins when the buffer memory is
nearly empty. For example, in the example above, if the host device
has a 512 MB buffer memory, optical drive assembly 120 needs to
operate for only two 6.7-minute periods to transfer the 133 minute
video to the host device. If the host device has a 256 MB buffer
memory, optical drive assembly 120 would operate for four
3.3-minute periods, and so forth.
[0143] Although the present invention is illustrated in connection
with specific embodiments for instructional purposes, the present
invention is not limited thereto. Various adaptations and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the
invention. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims
should not be limited to the foregoing description.
* * * * *