Optical disk drive having function of removing static electricity of optical disk

An optical disk drive includes a case, a tray which is slidably provided to the case and receives an optical disk, and a ground member which is electrically connected to the case and contacts one side of the optical disk as the tray slides in or out of the case. In the optical disk drive, by removing a static electricity remaining on the optical disk through the ground member, where the tray is loaded, foreign materials such as dust can be prevented from adhering to the optical disk. Accordingly, a stable and accurate optical signal processing can be guaranteed, thereby improving the reliability of the optical disk drive and the optical disk.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-34135 filed Jun. 18, 2002 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an optical disk drive, and more particularly, to an optical disk drive which removes a static electricity of an optical disk.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIGS. 1-3show a conventional optical disk drive adopted in a portable information processor such as a notebook computer. The optical disk drive includes a case10which is installed in a main body (not shown) of the information processor and a try20which is slidably installed in the case10. Various circuit boards11are installed on the case10. The tray20includes a turntable21which accommodates an optical disk D and an optical pickup22which accesses the optical disk D to exchange optical signals.

Where the tray20slides in the case10, the tray20is locked as a hook step20aformed on a bottom surface of the tray20is hooked by a hook portion13aof a rotary lever13connected to a solenoid12. Thus, where the optical disk D is placed on the turntable21and the tray20is pushed into the case10, as shown inFIG. 2, the hook step20aand the hook portion13aare locked together so as to stably record or reproduce information on or from the optical disk D.

Where the tray20is ejected from the case10, the solenoid12is driven to rotate the rotary lever13in a direction in which the hook step20ais unlocked from the hook portion13a. A spring23is provided on a lower surface of the tray20. The spring23is elastically deformed where the tray20slides in, and is elastically returned to the original state and pushes the tray20outside the case10where the hook portion13adisengages with the hook step20a. That is, the tray20is ejected by a restoring force of the spring23.

Reference30denotes a disk stopper that provides a braking force to the tray20, so as to prevent the tray20from being ejected beyond a predetermined distance, as the disk stopper30makes a frictional contact with an edge of the optical disk D, as shown in FIG.3. Where the tray20slides into the case10, the edge of the optical disk D contacts the disk stopper30. Since the braking force is generated due to the frictional contact, the tray20can be pushed into the case10with a small amount of force. The disk stopper30is made of a material such as a rubber, a plastic, a vinyl, a cloth, and a leather.

Where the optical disk D rotates at a high speed in the optical disk driver having the above structure, a static electricity may be generated on a surface of the optical disk D due to a friction with air. Where the static electricity is generated on the surface of the optical disk D, the static electricity attracts a foreign material such as dust so that the surface of the optical disk D is easily contaminated by the foreign material. As a result, the foreign material may hinder a recording or a reproducing operation with respect to the optical disk D. Where the amount of the static electricity is small, it may not adversely affect the optical disk D. However, as the optical disk D is repeatedly used, the static electricity is accumulated and a degree of dust attachment is increased. In this case, a recording and/or a reproduction operation may be adversely affected by the foreign material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide an optical disk drive which removes a static electricity of an optical disk, before use.

To achieve the above and/or other aspects of the present invention, there is provided an optical disk drive for driving an optical disk, comprising a case, a tray which receives the optical disk and slides in and out of the case, and a ground member which is electrically connected to the case and contacts one side of the optical disk in response to the tray sliding in or out of the case.

The ground member may provide a braking force to stop the optical disk as the optical disk comes into a frictional contact with the ground member, where the tray is ejected from the case.

The ground member may comprise a combination of a metal material which provides an electrical connection with the case and a non metal material which provides the braking force.

The metal material may include at least one selected from aluminum, silver, copper, nickel, stainless steel, a conductive material in which a metal powder and carbon are mixed with a synthetic resin and a synthetic rubber, a metal thread, and a material in which a metal tread and a non metal thread are mixed. The metal material may be an attachment metal tape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 4shows an optical disk drive according to an embodiment of the present invention. The optical disk drive includes a case100and a tray200. The tray200is installed so as to slide in and out of the case100, and includes a turntable210which accommodates an optical disk D and an optical pickup220which accesses the optical disk D to exchange optical signals.

Where the tray200slides into the case100, the tray200is locked as a hook step201formed on a bottom surface of the tray200is hooked by a hook portion131of a rotary lever130connected to a solenoid120. Where the tray200is ejected from the case100, the solenoid120is driven to rotate the rotary lever130in a direction to unlock the hook step201from the hook portion131. The tray200is ejected out of the case100by a restoring force of a spring230installed on a lower surface of the tray200.

Reference300denotes a disk stopper which provides a braking force to the tray200to prevent the tray200from being ejected beyond a predetermined distance by the restoring force, as the disk stopper300contacts an edge of the optical disk D. In the present invention, the disk stopper300also functions as a ground member. That is, since the edge of the optical disk D contacts the disk stopper300, where the tray200slides in, a static electricity of the optical disk D can be removed by providing a ground function to the disk stopper300. Accordingly, at least a part of the disk stopper300is made of a metal so as to be electrically connected to the case100. In other words, since the case100is typically made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel and the disk stopper300is installed on the case100, by making at least a part of the disk stopper300out of a conductive metal material, the static electricity of the optical disk D is grounded to the case100as the edge of the optical disk D contacts the disk stopper300.

FIGS. 5A-5Dshow various configurations of the disk stopper300. As shown inFIG. 5A, the entire portion of the disk stopper300can be made of a metal material301for a grounding function. On the other hand, as shown inFIGS. 5B-5D, a metal material301which grounds the optical disk D can be arranged at both sides, a left side or a right side of the disk stopper300while a non metal material302, for example, a rubber or a leather, is arranged at the remaining portion. Since the disk stopper300has a dual function to stop and ground the optical disk D, a rubber or a leather exhibiting a relatively high braking performance may be used to enhance the stopping function. Here, aluminum may be used for the case100, and silver, copper, nickel, or any stainless steel material can be used for the metal material301. Also, a conductive material, in which a metal powder exhibiting superior conductivity and carbon are mixed with a synthetic rubber and a synthetic resin, for example, epoxy resin, acryl resin, and deformed urethane resin, may be used for a metal material301. Additionally, a metal thread, or a material in which a metal thread and a non metal thread are mixed can be used for the metal material301. Furthermore, a simple metal tape attachment can be utilized as the metal material301.

In an optical disk drive having the above structure, where the optical disk D is placed on the turntable210of the tray200and the tray200is pushed into the case100, as shown inFIG. 6, the edge of the optical disk D proceeds while it contacts the disk stopper300, which is a ground member as well. At this point, the optical disk D, the disk stopper300, and the case100are electrically connected to one another and a static electricity remaining on the optical disk D is transferred toward the case100. Where the tray200is completely loaded in the case100, as shown inFIG. 7, the static electricity is removed from the optical disk D so as to prevent foreign materials, for example, dust, from adhering to the optical disk D due to the static electricity. Accordingly, a possibility of an optical signal process being hindered by the attachment of the foreign materials is drastically reduced during subsequent information recording and/or reproducing operations thereof.

FIG. 8shows an optical disk drive according to another embodiment of the present invention. That is, while the disk stopper300ofFIG. 4is configured to have a function of a ground member as well as a function of a stopping member to simplify the structure thereof, a separate ground member300bcan be installed, for example, next to a disk stopper300aso as to perform the respective grounding and stopping functions independently.

As described above, in an optical disk drive according to the present invention, by removing a static electricity remaining on an optical disk through a predetermined ground member, where a tray is loaded into the optical disk drive, foreign materials such as dust can be prevented from adhering to the optical disk. Thus, a stable and an accurate optical signal processing is guaranteed and the reliability of the optical disk drive and the optical disk is improved.