Abstract:
An optical disc drive includes a housing with two tracks, a tray able to slide along the two tracks installed inside the housing, a solenoid fixed on the tray for providing magnetic force, a latch installed beside the solenoid for generating movements according to changes in the magnetic force, a push pod fixed on the tray with one end connected to the latch, an elastic device set on the tray for pushing the pushing pod elastically, a positioning shaft fixed on the housing, and a hook having a first end fixed on the tray, a second end positioned next to the push rod, and the third end for engaging the positioning shaft.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to an optical disc drive, and more specifically, to an optical disc drive that can stably fix the tray module within the housing.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     In general, the tray-in and tray-out modules of the tray module in a thin optical disc drive are operated by a dc motor or suction solenoid. Usually, the method used by the dc motor collocates the gear module with either the light sensor or the limitation switch. The dc motor mechanism is quite complete, so the cost cannot be reduced.  
         [0005]     In the method used by a suction solenoid, the volume of the suction solenoid mechanism is quite large. A consequence of the large size is that a suction solenoid mechanism may not be employed in an optical disc drive due to limited space in the optical disc drive unless drastic changes are made to the appearance of the product. Additionally, when the suction solenoid is not supplied with the power, the elasticity of the spring on the solenoid does not easily hold the tray-in module in a stable position. The following describes an optical disc drive that uses a suction solenoid.  
         [0006]     Please refer  FIG. 1 - FIG. 5 .  FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of the tray module  14  of the optical disc drive  10  that is in the tray-in location.  FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of the tray module  14  of the optical disc drive  10  that is in the tray-out location.  FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of the tray-out module  15  of the optical disc drive  10  in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  is a location diagram of each component when the tray module  14  of the optical disc drive  10  in  FIG. 1  is in the tray-in location.  FIG. 5  is a location diagram of the tray-in module  21  of optical disc drive  10  in  FIG. 1  that is in the tray-out location.  
         [0007]     The optical disc drive  10  comprises a housing  12 , a tray module  14  comprising a tray  16 , a tray-out module  15  set on the tray  16  for pushing the tray module  14  out of the housing  12  with respect to the bottom of the housing  12 , and a tray-in module  21  set on the tray  16  for locking the tray module  14  within the housing. The tray-out module  15  comprises a pusher  18  movably set on the tray  16 , an extension spring  20  with one end fixed on the tray  16  and the other end fixed on the pusher  18 . The tray-in module  21  comprises a solenoid  22  fixed on the tray  16 , a shaft  24  fixed on the front end of the solenoid  22 , a solenoid spring  26  set on the shaft  24 , a hook  28  set on the front end via the shaft  24 , and a positioning point  29  set on the tray  16 .  
         [0008]     Please refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . When the tray module  14  of the optical disc drive  10  is in the tray-in location, the extension spring  20  is compressed according to how far tray  16  is within the housing  12 . During this time, the extension spring is capable of pushing the tray module  14  out of the housing  12 . When the solenoid  22  is not supplied with power, the solenoid spring  26  pushes the hook  28  to lock onto the positioning point  29 , thereby preventing the pusher  18  from pushing the tray module  14  out of the housing  12 .  
         [0009]     Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 5 . The tray-out process is operated via the key  27  on the panel of the optical disc drive  10 . When the key  27  is pressed, the optical disc drive  10  sends a control signal to notify the CPU; then the CPU sends another control signal to supply the solenoid  22  with power. When the solenoid is supplied with power, the solenoid  22  generates a magnetic force to attract the shaft  24 . The magnetic force of solenoid  22  is larger than the thrust of the solenoid spring  26 , so the hook  28  will depart from the positioning point  29 . When the hook  28  departs from the positioning point  29 , the pusher  18  pushes the tray module  14  15-25 mm out of the housing  12 .  
         [0010]     However, when the suction solenoid as shown in  FIG. 1  is not supplied with power, the pushing force from the solenoid spring  26  is not enough to hold the tray-in module. The hook  28  and the positioning point  29  may be separated by an external force, causing the tray module  14  to come out of the housing  12 .  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0011]     It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention to provide an optical disc drive that can stably fix the tray module within the housing.  
         [0012]     The claimed invention provides an optical disc drive comprising a housing with two tracks, a tray installed along the two tracks inside the housing, a solenoid fixed on the tray for providing magnetic force, a latch installed beside the solenoid for generating movements according to changes in the magnetic force, a push rod fixed on the tray with one end connected to the latch, an elastic device installed on the tray for elastically moving the push rod, a positioning shaft fixed on the housing, and a hook having a first end fixed on the tray, a second end positioned next to the push rod, and a third end for engaging with the positioning shaft.  
         [0013]     Accordingly the properties of the solenoid is used in the invention, along with the push rod, hook, and the tray-out module, to stably fix the tray module of the optical disc drive in the tray-in location and to solve the problem in the prior art of the tray module not being stably fixed within the housing. The components are not highly dependent, so the precision of the components is not necessarily high. As a result, assembling inaccuracy can be reduced so that quality and cost can be improved. Therefore, an optical disc drive of the invention is a simple-mechanism with stable operation and artistic design. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a tray module of an optical disc drive that is in the tray-in location according to the prior art.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 1  that is withdrawn completely out in the tray-out location.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of the tray-out module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a location diagram of each component when the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 1  is in the tray-in location.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a location diagram of each component when the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 1  is in the tray-out location.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of a tray module of an optical disc drive that is in the tray-in location according to the invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of a tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 6  that is withdrawn completely out in the complete tray-out location.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is a full view of all components in the optical disc drive in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is a reverse view of some components when the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 8  is in the tray-out location.  
         [0023]      FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of an elastic device in  FIG. 8   
         [0024]      FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of a solenoid and a latch of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 12  is a reverse view location diagram of some components when the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 8  is in the tray-in location.  
         [0026]      FIG. 13  is a location diagram of some components when the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 8  is in the instant tray-out location.  
         [0027]      FIG. 14  is a location diagram of some components when the tray module of the optical disc drive in  FIG. 8  is in the complete tray-out location. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0028]     Please refer to  FIG. 6 - FIG. 11 .  FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of a tray module  38  of an optical disc drive  30  that is in the tray-in location according to the present invention.  FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of a tray module  38  of the optical disc drive  30  in  FIG. 6  that is withdrawn completely in the tray-out location.  FIG. 8  is a full view of all components in the optical disc drive  30 .  FIG. 9  is a reverse diagram of some components when the tray module  38  of the optical disc drive  30  is in the tray-out location.  FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of an elastic device  52  in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of a solenoid  46  and a latch  48  of the optical disc drive  30  in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0029]     The optical disc drive  30  comprises a housing  32  having two tracks  34  and  36  and a tray module  38  movably installed in housing  32 . The tray module  38  comprises a read/write module  40  for reading and writing the data in an optical disc, a tray  44  movably installed within the housing  32  along the tracks  34  and  36 , a solenoid  46  comprising a coil  74  and a magnet  76  fixed on the tray  44  for providing a magnetic force, a latch  48  installed beside the solenoid  46  moving in accordance with the magnetic force of the solenoid  46 , and an L-shaped push rod  50  installed on the tray  44 . One end of the push rod  50  is connected to the latch  48  and installed on tray  44  with the ability to rotate. The push rod  50  comprises a protruding shaft  66  connected to the hole of the latch  48  for linking the latch  48 .  
         [0030]     Please refer  FIG. 12 .  FIG. 12  is a location diagram of some components in the tray module  38  of the optical disc drive  30  that is in the tray-in location. The tray module  38  further comprises a positioning shaft  54  riveted on the housing  32 , a hook  56  having a first end fixed on the tray  44 , a second end with an edge  55  touching the push rod  50 , and the third end having a tongue-shaped extension part for engaging the positioning shaft  54  to fix the tray  44 , a torsion spring  70  installed on the hook  56  for returning the hook  56  to its original position via a twisting force whenever the hook is moved by a small angle, a pushing stick  72  (displayed in  FIG. 9 ) movably installed on the tray  44 , and a extension spring  58  (also displayed in  FIG. 9 ) with one end connected to one end of pushing stick  72  and the other end connected to the tray  44  for providing force to push the tray module  38 .  
         [0031]     Please refer to  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10  again. The tray module  38  further comprises a elastic device  52  installed on the tray  44  for moving the push rod  50 . The elastic device comprises an external sliding part  60  installed on the track  78  of the tray  44  in a sliding manner, an internal sliding part  62  being disposed within the external sliding part  60  and a compression spring  64  connected to the external sliding part  60  and the internal sliding part  62 . The external sliding part  60  comprises a protrusion for contacting an extended part  67  (shown in  FIG. 12 ) of the track  34  to prevent the external sliding part  60  from moving excessively when the push rod  50  is pushed against the elastic device  52 .  
         [0032]     Please refer to  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 11 , and  FIG. 12  again. These figures are the diagrams of each component of the optical disc drive  30  when the tray  44  is within the housing  32 . The operation of tray-out is operated via pressing a key  39  on the panel of the optical disc drive  30 . When the key  39  is pressed, the optical disc drive  30  sends a control signal to notify the CPU. The CPU sends another control signal to supply the solenoid  46  with power. When the coil  74  is supplied with the power, the coil  74  of the solenoid  46  generates a magnetic force to counteract the magnetic force of the magnet  76 . With the force from the magnet  76  countered, the elastic device  52  moves the push rod  50 , which in turn causes the latch  48  to depart from the solenoid  46  via the protruding shaft  66 . The push rod  50  also moves the second end of the hook  56  to make the third end of the hook rotate and depart from the positioning shaft  54 .  
         [0033]     Please refer to  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 11 , and  FIG. 13 . These figures are diagrams of each component of the optical disc drive  30  when the tray  44  is out of the housing  32 .  FIG. 13  is a location diagram of some components when the tray module  38  of the optical disc drive  30  is at the tray-out location. When the solenoid  46  is supplied with power, the coil  74  of the solenoid  46  is supplied with power to generate a magnetic force to counteract the magnetic force of the magnet  76 . At that moment, the force of the extension spring of the elastic device  52  is larger than the magnetic force of the solenoid  46 , so the elastic device moves the push rod  50  moving the latch  48  away from the solenoid  46  by means of the protruding shaft  66 . The push rod  50  moves the hook  56  by a small angle via touching the edge of the second end of the hook  56 . The third end of the hook  56  will rotate and depart form the positioning shaft  54 . Because the third end of the hook  56  is has departed away from the positioning shaft  54  and thus, no longer locked onto the positioning shaft  54 , the tray module  38  is pushed by the extension spring  58  out of the housing 15-25 mm.  
         [0034]     Please refer to  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 11 , and  FIG. 14 .  FIG. 14  is a location diagram of some components of the tray module  38  of the optical disc drive  30  when the tray module  38  is withdrawn completely into the tray-out location. When the tray module  38  is pushed within the housing  32  from the tray-out location, the solenoid is not supplied with power, and the magnet  76  of the solenoid  46  attracts the latch  48  thereby fixing the push rod  50 . When the tray module  38  is pushed in a distance, the protruding part  68  of the external sliding part  60  in the elastic device  52  touches the extended part  67  of the track  34  to prevent the external sliding part  60  from sliding excessively. The internal sliding part  62  is continuously pushed by the push rod  50 . The compressing spring  64  within the external sliding part  60  and the internal sliding part  62  is compressed to push the push rod  50  (during this time, the pushing force is not large enough to counteract the magnetic force of solenoid so as to push the push rod  50  down.). When the tray module  38  is pushed within the housing  32  and the tongue-shaped part on the third end of the hook  56  is engaging the positioning shaft  54 , the third end of the hook is moved by the positioning shaft  54  by a small angle until the tongue-shaped part of the third end of the hook has locked onto the positioning shaft  54 . Locking onto the positioning shaft  54  counteracts the pushing force of the extension spring  58  when the tray module  38  is in the tray-in location.  
         [0035]     Please refer to  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 8 ,  FIG. 11 , and  FIG. 13 . The manual tray-out operation of the tray module  38  is via a needle-shaped object put in the hole  31  on the panel of the optical disc drive  30 . In the manual mode, the solenoid  46  is not supplied with power. As a result, the solenoid attracts the latch  48  making the push rod  50  fixed. When a needle-shaped object pushes the edge  47  of the first end of the hook  56  via the hole  31 , the first end of the hook  56  is moved by a small angle. Moving the first end causes the third end of the hook  56  to depart from the positioning shaft  54 . With the hook  56  no longer locked onto the positioning shaft  54 , there is nothing to counteract the pushing force of the extension spring  58  when the tray module  38  is in the tray-in location. The final result is that the tray module  38  is pushed by the extension spring out of the housing  32  15-25 mm.  
         [0036]     Compared to the prior art, the character of a solenoid along with a push rod, hook, and tray-out module is used in an optical disc drive  30  in the invention to stably fix the tray module  38  of the optical disc drive  30  in the tray-in location and to solve the problem in the prior art i.e. the tray module  14  is not stably fixed within the housing  12 . Because the components in the invention are not highly dependent, the precisions of the components are not necessarily high. As a result, the assembling inaccuracy can be reduced so that quality and cost can be improved. Therefore, the optical disc drive of the invention is a simple-mechanism with stable-operation and artistic design.  
         [0037]     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be constructed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.