U.S. patent application number 13/232977 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-21 for optical disk drive.
This patent application is currently assigned to PHILIPS & LITE-ON DIGITAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is Sz-Shian He, Sheng-Fa Hou, Ho-Ting Hsieh, Shih-Ming Hsu, Wei-Chieh Hu, In-Shuen Lee, Yung-Han Wu. Invention is credited to Sz-Shian He, Sheng-Fa Hou, Ho-Ting Hsieh, Shih-Ming Hsu, Wei-Chieh Hu, In-Shuen Lee, Yung-Han Wu.
Application Number | 20130047173 13/232977 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47604739 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130047173 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hu; Wei-Chieh ; et
al. |
February 21, 2013 |
OPTICAL DISK DRIVE
Abstract
An optical disk drive including a housing, a top cover, a
spindle motor and a supporting element is provided. The housing has
an accommodating space. The top cover covers the accommodating
space. The spindle motor is disposed within the accommodating space
and has a shaft. The supporting element is disposed between an end
of the shaft and the top cover. When the top cover is deformed, the
shaft props up the top cover through the supporting element.
Inventors: |
Hu; Wei-Chieh; (Hsinchu
City, TW) ; He; Sz-Shian; (Hsinchu City, TW) ;
Hsu; Shih-Ming; (Hsinchu City, TW) ; Wu;
Yung-Han; (Hsinchu City, TW) ; Hou; Sheng-Fa;
(Hsinchu City, TW) ; Hsieh; Ho-Ting; (Hsinchu
City, TW) ; Lee; In-Shuen; (Hsinchu City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hu; Wei-Chieh
He; Sz-Shian
Hsu; Shih-Ming
Wu; Yung-Han
Hou; Sheng-Fa
Hsieh; Ho-Ting
Lee; In-Shuen |
Hsinchu City
Hsinchu City
Hsinchu City
Hsinchu City
Hsinchu City
Hsinchu City
Hsinchu City |
|
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
PHILIPS & LITE-ON DIGITAL
SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
TAIPEI CITY
TW
|
Family ID: |
47604739 |
Appl. No.: |
13/232977 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
720/695 ;
G9B/17.006 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 17/0282 20130101;
G11B 33/022 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
720/695 ;
G9B/17.006 |
International
Class: |
G11B 17/028 20060101
G11B017/028 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 16, 2011 |
CN |
201110234085.6 |
Claims
1. An optical disk drive, comprising: a housing having an
accommodating space; a top cover covering the accommodating space;
a spindle motor disposed within the accommodating space and having
a shaft; and a supporting element disposed and fixed on an end of
the shaft, wherein when the top cover is deformed, the top cover is
propped up by contacting the supporting element directly.
2. (canceled)
3. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
supporting element has a contact terminal and props up the top
cover through the contact terminal, the shaft rotates along an
axis, the axis passes through the contact terminal.
4. An optical disk drive, comprising: a housing having an
accommodating space; a top cover covering the accommodating space;
a spindle motor disposed within the accommodating space and having
a shaft; and a supporting element disposed and fixed to the top
cover, wherein when the top cover is deformed, the shaft props up
the supporting element to support the top cover.
5. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
supporting element has a contact terminal, the shaft props up the
contact terminal, the shaft rotates along an axis, the axis passes
through the contact terminal.
6. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
supporting element is a portion of the top cover.
7. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
supporting element comprises a rivet, a roller or a spacer.
8. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
supporting element is a portion of the shaft.
9. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein a
separating element is disposed on the top cover or the supporting
element so as to reduce the noise generated when the supporting
element contacts with the top cover.
10. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
separating element is an anti-wear sheet, an anti-friction sheet, a
fabric sheet or a plastic sheet.
11. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
supporting element comprises a rivet, a roller or a spacer.
12. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 4, wherein a
separating element is disposed on the spindle motor or the
supporting element so as to reduce the noise generated when the
supporting element contacts with the shaft.
13. The optical disk drive as claimed in claim 12, wherein the
separating element is an anti-wear sheet, an anti-friction sheet, a
fabric sheet or a plastic sheet.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of China
application Ser. No. 201110234085.6, filed Aug. 16, 2011. The
entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby
incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this
specification.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus,
and more particularly, to an optical disk drive.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Advanced computer technology is capable of processing a
variety of data types and therefore a larger storage capacity is
needed. Since an optical disk is advantageous in cheap price,
carrying convenience, large storage capacity, easy-storing, longer
storage life and robust from damage, general traditional magnetic
storage medium has been gradually replaced by optical disk, and
optical disk has become an indispensable optical storage medium
nowadays. With the widespread use of the optical disks, the optical
disk drive (ODD) for reading the data in the optical disk has also
become a common electronic product in daily life.
[0006] In general, a spindle motor and an optical pickup head are
disposed within the optical disk drive. The spindle motor is used
to carry the disk and rotates the disk in high speed, so that the
optical pickup head can read the data of the disk. The optical disk
drive advances gradually toward a trend of thinner designs by which
the distance between the top cover and the disk becomes less and
less. Under the condition of the top cover is extremely close to
the disk, when the top cover is subjected to a loading pressure and
if the top cover deforms due to the insufficiency of the structural
strength, then the top cover would be easy to contact with the disk
and affect the disk's normal operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention provides an optical disk drive capable
of preventing the top cover from deformation and sagging.
[0008] An optical disk drive including a housing, a top cover, a
spindle motor and a supporting element is provided. The housing has
an accommodating space. The top cover covers the accommodating
space. The spindle motor is disposed within the accommodating space
and has a shaft. The supporting element is disposed between an end
of the shaft and the top cover. When the top cover is deformed, the
shaft props up the top cover through the supporting element.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element is fixed to an end of the shaft and props up the
top cover.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element has a contact terminal and props up the top
cover through the contact terminal. The shaft rotates along an
axis. The axis passes through the contact terminal.
[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element is fixed to the top cover and the shaft props up
the supporting element.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element has a contact terminal. The shaft props up the
contact terminal. The shaft rotates along an axis. The axis passes
through the contact terminal.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element is a portion of the top cover.
[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element includes a rivet, a roller or a spacer.
[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
supporting element is a portion of the shaft.
[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a
separating element is disposed on the top cover, the spindle motor
or the supporting element so as to reduce the noise generated when
the supporting element contacts with the top cover.
[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
separating element is an anti-wear sheet, an anti-friction sheet, a
fabric sheet or a plastic sheet.
[0018] In light of the above, a supporting element is disposed
between an end of the shaft and the top cover in the present
invention, so that the shaft props up the top cover through the
supporting element. Thus, the deformation and sagging of the top
cover due to the insufficiency of structural strength can be
prevented, so as to ensure the disk may not be affected by the
loading pressure of the top cover during the operation, and the
whole structure can be firmer.
[0019] In order to make the aforementioned and other features and
advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments
accompanying figures are described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an optical disk drive
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the optical disk drive
of FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of an optical disk drive
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of an optical disk drive
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an optical disk drive
according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a
partial sectional view of the optical disk drive of FIG. 1. The
optical disk drive can be a tray-type optical disk drive or a
slot-in optical disk drive, which is not limited in the present
invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the optical disk drive
100 of the present embodiment includes a housing 110, a top cover
120, a spindle motor 130 and a supporting element 140. The housing
110 has an accommodating space 110a. And the top cover 120 covers
the accommodating space 110a. The spindle motor 130 is disposed
within the accommodating space 110a and has a shaft 132. The shaft
132 is used to carry and rotate the disk 50. A gap exists between
the top cover 120 and the shaft 132. The supporting element 140 is
disposed between an end of the shaft 132 and the top cover 120.
When the top cover 120 is not deformed, the supporting element 140
does not contact the top cover 120, as shown in FIG. 2. When the
top cover 120 is deformed by external loading force/pressure, the
shaft 132 props up the top cover 120 through the supporting element
140 (not shown).
[0025] In such configuration, since the supporting element 140 is
disposed between the end of the shaft 132 and the top cover 120 to
cause the shaft 132 to prop up the top cover 120 through the
supporting element 140, the deformation and sagging of the top
cover 120 due to the insufficiency of the structural strength can
be prevented and the loading pressure of the top cover 120 not
affecting the disk 50 during operation can also be ensured, and the
whole structure can be firmer.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 110 supports at least a
portion of the peripheral 120a of the top cover 120. And the center
area 120b of the top cover 120 is the weakest portion comparing to
the whole structure. The function of the supporting element 140 is
to support the center area 120b of the top cover 120 so as to
effectively increase the structural strength.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the spindle
motor 130 has a base 134. The base 134 is fixed to the shaft 132
and used to carry the disk 50 so that the disk 50 can be rotated by
the spindle motor 130. The supporting element 140 of the embodiment
is fixed to the end of the shaft 132 and can prop up the top cover
120, so that the top cover 120 is supported by the shaft 132 when
the top cover 120 is deformed. When the top cover 120 is not
deformed, the supporting element 140 does not contact with the top
cover 120 and thus the spindle motor 130 can smoothly rotate.
[0028] More specifically, the cross section of the supporting
element 140 is a triangle, the apex has a contact terminal 142 and
the supporting element 140 props up the top cover 120 with the
contact terminal 142. The shaft 132 is used to rotate along the
axis A1. And the axis A1 is designed to pass through the contact
terminal 142, so that the shaft 132 can rotate the supporting
element 140 rotate. And when the top cover 120 is deformed due to a
loading pressure and contacts with the supporting element 140,
since the existence of a small friction force between the top cover
120 and the supporting element 140 (contact terminal 142), the
rotation of the spindle motor 130 may not be affected. The
supporting element 140 shown in FIG. 2 is for illustration only,
and it can be a rivet, a roller, a spacer or any other suitable
element. In other embodiment, the supporting element 140 can be
configured by means of any other way, and it is described
accompanied with figures in the following.
[0029] Additionally, when the top cover 120 is deformed due to the
loading pressure and contacts the supporting element 140, a noise
is caused because of the rotation of the spindle motor 130. In
order to eliminate or reduce the noise, a separating element 150
can be disposed on the top cover 120. Thus, the noise due to the
rotation when the supporting element 140 contacts the separating
element 150 may be reduced. The separating element 150 can be an
anti-wear sheet, an anti-friction sheet, a fabric sheet, a plastic
sheet or any other material suitable for the noise eliminating or
noise reduction, and the present invention is not limited
thereto.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of an optical disk drive
according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please
refer to FIG. 3. The supporting element 240 of the embodiment is
fixed to the top cover 220. The shaft 232 of the spindle motor 230
can props up the supporting element 240 to support the top cover
220. Particularly, the supporting element 240 has a contact
terminal 242 and the shaft 232 props up the contact terminal 242.
The shaft 232 is used to rotate along an axis A2. The axis A2
passes through the contact terminal 242, so that a small friction
force exists between the shaft 232 and the supporting element 240
when the shaft 232 rotates and the top cover 220 is subjected to a
loading pressure. In order to reduce the noise, the separating
element 250 is disposed on the supporting element 240. However, the
separating element 250 can also be disposed on the spindle motor
230 for contacting the supporting element 240. The supporting
element 240 shown in FIG. 3 is for illustration only, and it can be
a rivet, a roller, a spacer or any other suitable element. In
addition, the supporting element 240 can also be a protrusion or a
bump formed by punching the top cover 220.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of an optical disk drive
according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please
refer to FIG. 4. The supporting element 340 of the embodiment is a
portion of the shaft 332 and props up the top cover 320 so that the
top cover 320 can obtain a direct support from the shaft 332 when
the top cover 320 is deformed. In order to reduce the noise, the
separating element 350 is disposed on the supporting element 340.
However, the separating element 350 can also be disposed at the top
cover 320.
[0032] In light of the foregoing, a supporting element is disposed
between an end of the shaft and the top cover in the present
invention, so that the shaft props up the top cover through the
supporting element. Thus, the deformation and sagging of the top
cover due to the insufficiency of structural strength can be
prevented, so as to ensure the disk may not be affected by the
loading pressure of the top cover during the operation, and the
whole structure can be firmer. Furthermore, it can be selected as
required that the supporting element is designed fixing to the top
cover, fixing to the shaft of the spindle motor or being a portion
of the shaft or top cover, in order to improve the convenience in
design and fabrication.
[0033] Although the invention has been described with reference to
the above embodiments, it will be apparent to one of the ordinary
skill in the art that modifications to the described embodiment may
be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention will be defined by the
attached claims not by the above detailed descriptions.
* * * * *