Disc drive

• US 6,002,658 A
• Filed: 06/20/1997
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Seiji, Aso, Hiroshi, Tooi, Shuichi, Nakamura, Mitsunori, Kuroiwa, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz, David L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASTRO, ANGEL A
• Application Number:
  US08/879,836
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 360/137, 369/75.1, 369/75.2, 369/77.1, 369/263, 361/685, 364/578, 364/708.1
• US Class Current: 720/651
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds

Abstract

A disc drive is constructed from a main body which includes a mechanism unit having a disc rotating mechanism for rotating a disc and a play back mechanism for playing back information recorded on the disc, disc tray movably provided with respect to the main body for supporting a disc and a casing for housing the main body. The disc drive is provided with vibration absorbing members for suppressing transmission of vibration caused by high speed rotation of the disc from the main body to the casing. The vibration absorbing members are formed of elastical members and they are arranged between the side portions of the main body and the inside of the casing, thereby the main body is supported by the casing through the vibration absorbing members to prevent vibrations caused in the main body from being transmitted to the casing. Further, the casing has a U-shaped side plate and a top plate fixed to the side plate by screws, in which the top plate is in point contact with the side plate through a plurality of protrusions formed on upper edges of the side plate. This point contact between the top plate and the side plate makes it possible to prevent rattling from being caused by the transmitted vibrations, thereby preventing generation of noise.

Claims

1. An optical disc drive for playing back or playing back and recording an optical disc, the disc drive comprising:

a main body which includes a mechanism unit having a disc rotating means for rotating the optical disc and a play back means for at least playing back information recorded on the optical disc, the main body having side portions;

a casing for housing the main body, the casing including a side plate and a top plate which is removably fixed to the side plate, said side plate having side walls which partially surround the side portions of the main body, each side wall of the side plate having an upper edge, said side plate and said top plate being formed of a metal plate;

a plurality of protrusions integrally formed on the upper edges of the side walls of the side plate so that the top plate is in contact with the side plate through the protrusions to establish point contact between the side plate and the top plate; and

means for fastening the top plate to the side plate.

2. The disc drive as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side walls of the side plate include first and second side walls which face each other through the main body and a third side wall which loins the first and second side walls wherein at least one protrusion of said plurality of protrusions is formed on the upper edge of each of the first, second and third side walls.

3. The disc drive as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side walls of the side plate include first and second side walls which face each other through the main body and a third side wall which loins the first and second side walls wherein at least two protrusions of said plurality of protrusions are formed on the upper edge of each of the first and second side walls.

4. The disc drive as claimed in claim 3 wherein the side plate includes mounting portions provided between the protrusions formed on the first side wall and between the protrusions formed on the second side walls, respectively, for screw fastening the top plate to the side plate.

5. The disc drive as claimed in claim 1 wherein the protrusions are formed with rounded tip end portions.

6. The disc drive as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of vibration absorbing means provided between the inside of the side plate and the side portions of the main body to prevent vibrations caused by rotation of the disc from being transmitted to the casing from the main body.

7. The disc drive as claimed in claim 6 wherein the main body is supported by the side plate via the vibration absorbing means.

8. The disc drive as claimed in claim 7 wherein the side walls of the side plate include first and second side walls which face each other through the main body and a third side wall which joins the first and second side walls, wherein the vibration absorbing means are provided between the side portion of the main body and the inside of the first side wall of the side plate and between the opposite side portion of the main body and the inside of the second side wall of the side plate, respectively.

9. The disc drive as claimed in claim 8 wherein each of the side portions of the main body is supported on the inside of each of the first and second side walls at at least two locations via the vibration absorbing means.

10. The disc drive as claimed in claim 9 wherein the main body is in contact with the casing only through the vibration absorbing means.

11. The disc drive as claimed in claim 7 wherein each of the vibration absorbing means is comprised of an elastic material having a hollow axial space.

12. The disc drive as claimed in claim 11 wherein the vibration absorbing means is flexible in the direction of vibration generated in the direction of the rotation axis of the disc.

13. The disc drive as claimed in claim 12 wherein the vibration absorbing means is deformable in the direction of vibration generated in the direction of the rotation axis of the disc.

14. The disc drive as claimed in claim 13 wherein each of the vibration absorbing means comprises a first engaging portion mounted on the side portion of the main body and a second engaging portion mounted on respective ones of the side walls of the side plate of the casing, and a deformable portion which is capable of elastic deformation and which is provided between the first and second engaging portions.

15. An optical disc drive for playing back or playing back and recording an optical disc, the disc drive comprising:

a main body which includes a mechanism unit having an optical disc rotating means for rotating the optical disc and a play back means for at least playing back information recorded on the optical disc, the main body having side portions;

a casing for housing the main body, the casing including a side plate and a top plate which is removably fixed to the side plate, said side plate having side walls which partially surround the side portions of the main body, said side walls including first and second side walls which face each other through the main body and a third side wall which joins the first and second side walls wherein each of the side walls of the side plate has an upper edge and wherein said side plate and said top plate being formed of a metal plate;

at least two protrusions integrally formed at least on the upper edges of the first and second side walls of the side plate so that the top plate is in contact with the side plate through the protrusions to establish point contact between the side plate and the top plate; and

means for fastening the top plate to the side plate, said fastening means including mounting portions provided at least between the protrusions formed on the first side wall and between the protrusions formed on the second side wall, respectively, for screw fastening the top plate to the side plate.