Patent ID: 7503054
Filing Date: 2009-03-10
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. An optical disk device capable of storing and ejecting an optical disk for recording or reproducing a signal on said optical disk stored therein, comprising: a main chassis; a disk tray movable to extend out of and retract into said main chassis for storing and ejecting said optical disk; a turntable for rotatably supporting said optical disk stored; a rotatable drive source mechanism for rotatably driving said turntable; a turntable raising/lowering mechanism for vertically moving said turntable between a lowered position in which interference with said optical disk stored or ejected is avoided and a raised position in which said optical disk stored is supportable; an optical pickup for recording a signal on said optical disk supported by said turntable or reproducing a signal; a pickup drive mechanism for reciprocally moving said optical pickup between an inner region and an outer region of said optical disk supported by said turntable; a dual-purpose drive source mechanism for generating a driving force for said turntable raising/lowering mechanism and said pickup drive mechanism, where said dual-purpose drive source mechanism includes a dual-purpose motor, and a power transmission mechanism including a gear element rotating under a rotatable driving force of said dual-purpose motor; a first operation switching mechanism for performing a first switching operation for switching a transmission path of said driving force of said dual-purpose drive source mechanism from a path leading to said pickup drive mechanism to a path leading to said turntable raising/lowering mechanism, or vice versa, where said first operation switching mechanism performs said first switching operation by an operation independent of said optical pickup under said driving force of said dual-purpose drive source mechanism; and a traverse chassis having a pivotal displacement side end portion on one end side thereof and a pivot axis side end portion on the other end side thereof, said pivot axis side end portion being pivotably mounted to said main chassis so that said pivotal displacement side end portion is movable toward and away from said main chassis, said turntable being moved to said raised position by moving said pivotal displacement side end portion toward said main chassis, said turntable being moved to said lowered position by moving said pivotal displacement side end portion away from said main chassis, and where said turntable, said rotatable drive source mechanism, said optical pickup, said dual-purpose drive source mechanism and said first operation switching mechanism are provided on said traverse chassis; wherein said pickup drive mechanism includes a rack portion provided integrally with said optical pickup for moving said optical pickup under said rotatable driving force of said dual-purpose motor through said gear element; wherein said first operation switching mechanism includes a slide rack movable under said rotatable driving force of said dual-purpose motor through said gear element, with said rack portion having moved to a position in which said transmission path of said driving force from at least said gear element is interrupted, and performs said first switching operation by moving said slide rack, with said optical pickup placed in a fixed position and where said first operation switching mechanism further includes a trigger plate moving in accordance with the movement of said slide rack; and wherein said turntable raising/lowering mechanism includes a driven boss provided on said pivotal displacement side end portion of said traverse chassis, and a slider member having a cam groove engageable with the driven boss and provided on the main chassis movably in accordance with the movement of said trigger plate, and where the movement of said slider member in accordance with the movement of said trigger plate causes the driven boss moving in said cam groove to move toward or away from said main chassis, thereby moving said pivotal displacement side end portion of said traverse chassis toward or away from said main chassis.