Galvano mirror unit

• US 6,424,068 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nakagishi, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tamai, Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, DANG D
• Application Number:
  US09/785,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 310/90, 310/90.5, 359/198, 359/200, 384/107, 384/110, 384/193, 384/226, 384/227, 384/238, 384/246, 384/192, 384/201, 384/205, 384/243, 384/244, 384/245
• US Class Current: 310/90.5
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/1821 for rotating or oscillating mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/10569 Swing arm positioners
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/1058 Flying heads
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/08564 using galvanomirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/08576 Swinging-arm positioners
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0901 for track following only G11B7/0925, G11B7/094, G11B7/0941, G11B7/0943, G11B7/0945, G11B7/0946, G11B7/0948 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/122 Flying-type heads, e.g. analogous to Winchester type in magnetic recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/1362 Mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/1387 using the near-field effect

Abstract

A galvano mirror unit includes a galvano mirror, a rotor to which the galvano mirror is mounted, a stator that rotatably supports the rotor about a rotation axis, a pair of center pins provided to the stator, and a pair of receive members provided to the rotor. The receive members respectively receive the center pins. The rotor is pivoted by the engagement of the center pin and the receive member.

Claims

1. A galvano mirror unit comprising:

a galvano mirror;

a rotor to which said galvano mirror is mounted;

a stator that rotatably supports said rotor about a rotation axis;

first and second center pins provided to said stator;

first and second receive members provided to said rotor, said first and second receive members respectively receiving said first and second center pins;

a biasing magnet provided to said stator so that said biasing magnet is located around said first center pin; and

a magnetic chip provided to a predetermined portion of said first center pin,

wherein, due to the magnetic force generated by said biasing magnet and said magnetic chip, said first center pin is biased to said first receive member.

2. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 1, said biasing magnet comprising a ring-shaped magnet.

3. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 1, wherein said biasing magnet is located between said magnetic chip and said first receive member in the direction of said rotation axis, and

wherein said biasing magnet attracts said magnetic chip thereby to bias said first center pin.

4. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 1, wherein said biasing magnet comprising two ring-shaped magnets disposed in the direction of said rotation axis.

5. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 4, wherein said magnetic chip is located between said two ring-shaped magnets in the direction of said rotation axis.

6. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 5, wherein said magnetic chip attracts one of said ring-shaped magnets and repulses the other of said ring-shaped magnets.

7. A galvano mirror unit comprising:

a galvano mirror;

a rotor to which said galvano mirror is mounted;

a stator that rotatably supports said rotor about a rotation axis;

first and second center pins provided to said stator;

first and second receive members provided to said rotor, said first and second receive members respectively receiving said first and second center pins;

a biasing coil provided to said stator, said biasing coil being arranged to surround said first center pin; and

a magnetic chip provided to a predetermined portion of said first center pin,

wherein, by allowing current to flow in said biasing coil, said first center pin is biased to said first receive member.

8. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 7, wherein said biasing coil is located between said magnetic chip and said first receive member in the direction of said rotation axis.

9. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 8, wherein a biasing force can be adjusted by varying current flow in said biasing coil.

10. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 7, wherein said first center pin is made of non-magnetized material.

11. A galvano mirror unit comprising:

a galvano mirror;

a rotor to which said galvano mirror is mounted;

a stator that rotatably supports said rotor about a rotation axis;

first and second center pins provided to said stator;

first and second receive members provided to said rotor, said first and second receive members respectively receiving said first and second center pins;

two biasing coils provided to said stator, said biasing coils being arranged to surround said first center pin; and

a magnetic chip provided to a predetermined portion of said first center pin,

wherein, by allowing current to flow in said biasing coils, said first center pin is biased to said first receive member.

12. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 11, wherein said magnetic chip is located between said two biasing coils.

13. A galvano mirror unit comprising:

a galvano mirror;

a rotor to which said galvano mirror is mounted;

a stator that rotatably supports said rotor about a rotation axis;

first and second center pins provided to said stator, said first center pin being made of a magnetized member, said first center pin being provided in a hole of said stator so that said first center pin is movable in the direction of said rotation axis;

first and second receive members provided to said rotor, said first and second receive members respectively receiving said first and second center pins; and

an offset magnet provided to said stator, said offset magnet attracting said first center pin in a predetermined direction, thereby to prevent the deviation of the inclination of said first center pin in said hole.

14. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 13, said offset magnet comprising an arc-shaped magnet,

said arc-shaped magnet being faced with a side of said first center pin.

15. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 13, said offset magnet comprising first and second magnets,

wherein said first magnet is faced with a side of said first center pin, while said second magnet is faced with the other side of said first center pin.

16. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 15, wherein said first center pin includes two sections that can be divided by a plane including an axis of said first center pin, said two sections having different poles with each other.

17. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 15, each of said first and second magnets is arc-shaped.

18. A galvano mirror unit comprising:

a galvano mirror;

a rotor to which said galvano mirror is mounted;

a stator that rotatably supports said rotor about a rotation axis;

first and second center pins provided to said stator;

first and second receive members provided to said rotor, said first and second receive members respectively receiving said first and second center pins; and

first positioning magnet provided to said rotor;

second positioning magnet provided to said stator, each of said first and second positioning magnets including a portion of N-pole and a portion of S-pole,

wherein a neutral position of said rotor is obtained by the attraction of said first and second positioning magnets.

19. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 18, said first positioning magnet comprising a ring-shaped magnet, said ring-shaped magnet surrounding said first center pin.

20. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 18, said second positioning magnet comprising a ring-shaped magnet, said ring-shaped magnet surrounding said first receive member.

21. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 18, said first and second positioning magnet are faced with each other.

22. A galvano mirror unit, comprising:

a galvano mirror;

a rotor to which said galvano mirror is mounted;

a stator that rotatably supports said rotor about a rotation axis;

first and second center pins provided to said rotor, said first center pin including a portion of N-pole and a portion of S-pole;

first and second receive members provided to said stator, said first and second receive members respectively receiving said first and second center pins; and

a positioning magnet provided to said stator, said positioning magnet including a portion of N-pole and a portion of S-pole,

wherein a neutral position of said rotor, obtained by the attraction of said first center pin and said positioning magnet, is a rotational neutral position.

23. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 22, said first center pin including two sections of N-pole and two sections of S-pole,

said positioning magnet including two sections of N-pole and two sections of S-pole.

24. The galvano mirror unit according to claim 22, said first center pin including four sections of N-pole and four sections of S-pole,

said positioning magnet including four sections of N-pole and four sections of S-pole.

25. The galvano mirror unit of claim 22, wherein said portion of N-pole and said portion of S-pole are divided by a plane including an axis of said first center pin.

26. The galvano mirror of claim 22, wherein said positioning magnet surrounds said first center pin.