Patent ID: 6411578
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
An apparatus for at least reproducing information from an optical record disk, said apparatus comprising:a spindle motor for rotating said optical record disk and having a rotating shaft; a turntable secured to said rotating shaft of said spindle motor; a disk coupling member including at least a permanent magnet for holding said optical record disk on said turntable; a movable member having said spindle motor secured thereto and being arranged to be movable in a direction toward said optical record disk as well as in a direction away from said optical record disk, said optical record disk and said turntable being coupled with each other under a condition that said movable member has been moved into a predetermined position; an optical head for at least reading said information from said optical record disk by projecting a light beam onto said optical record disk under a condition that said movable member has been moved into said predetermined position; a movable member driving mechanism for moving said movable member such that after moving said movable member into said predetermined position, said movable member is stopped at said predetermined position at least during a reading operation for reading said information from said optical record disk; a position detector for detecting said condition in which said movable member has been moved into said predetermined position; a carriage supporting said optical head and being movable between innermost and outermost positions within a movable range over which said carriage is moved in a radial direction of said optical record disk by controlled drive; and a control means for initiating a rotation of said spindle motor after said position detector detects said condition that said movable member has been moved into said predetermined position and for performing an initial projection of said light beam onto said optical record disk under a condition that said carriage has been positioned in said innermost position and after said position detector detects said condition that said movable member has been moved into said predetermined position.