HOLOGRAPHIC DISK MOUNTING SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract: A holographic disk mounting system and method is dis­ closed utilizing a compressible O-ring which eliminates the clearance between the spin motor shaft and the holographic disk. The holographic disk has an axial bore with a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the spin motor shaft. A compressible O-ring is placed around the spin motor shaft and then the holographic disk is mounted thereon with the O-ring and O-ring surrounded portion of the spin motor shaft positioned within the axial bore of the holographic disk. The O-ring is axially compressed to radially expand the O-ring thereby eliminating the clearance between the spin motor shaft and the bore of the holographic disk. Thereafter, the holographic disk is secured to the motor shaft with the O-ring remaining in a compressed state.

Description: The invention relates to a holographic deflector assembly comprising a rotatable shaft having means defining a planar disk reference surface, the plane of which is normal to the longitudinal axis of the rotatable shaft, holographic planar disk means having an axial bore the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of said rotatable shaft, said holographic planar disk means being mounted on the rotatable shaft and in contact with the planar reference surface thereof, and means for securing the holographic planar disk means to the rotatable shaft and to a method for mounting such a holographic deflector assembly, especially for mounting a holographic disk on a spin motor shaft. Holographic spinners are used for scanning a laser beam across a surface for purposes of writing or reading. The rapidly spinning holographic disk imposes a number of constraints upon the designer. The disk must be maintained in accurate perpendicular alignment with the axis of rotation and must also have zero radial play in order to preserve dynamic balance of the assembly. Various holographic disk mounting systems have been proposed in the art. For example, IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN, Vol. 26, Nr. 3 A, August 1983, page 1243 : "Disk-centering hub", F.S. Luecke discloses a disk-centering hub whereby the hub is mounted on a shaft and rotated by a motor. Two surfaces of the hub are machined to run through to the axis of rotation. A floating ring is provided with a first spherical radius for a slight fit to the inner surface of the hub. A second spherical radius of the floating ring matches the size and range of a center hole in the disk. Both radii are spherical and concentric, so that the floating ring tilts without binding and without displacing the center from the axis of rotation. The floating ring is urged by the force of springs upwardly against the inside of the hole in the disk and a cover clamps the disk to the hub surface when a bolt is tightened. PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, Vol. 8, Nr. 204 (P-310) [1641} & JP-A-5990273, September 1984, discloses a magnetic disk device having a cylinder part of elastic material provided at the upper end of a spindle and containing a spherical elastic member. The center shaft is arranged in an elevation state, while facing the spindle. The center hub of a disk is fitted around the cylinder part and lowered to deform the elastic member. Thereby the cylinder part increases in outer diameter by expansion to press the center hole. Therefore, the hub is held accurately by force of friction against the internal surface and is centered, but not aligned with the axis of rotation. In addition, U. S. Patent No. 4,353,615, constituting the preambles of independent claims 1, 6 and 10, disclosese a dynamic mounting system for holographic spinners utilizing a self-aligning bearing while U.S. Patent No. 4,556,278 discloses a free-floating mount for a holographic disk. In both patents, the centrifugal force developed by rotation of the disk is employed to align the disk with the axis of rotation. In each case, the mounting systems are relatively complex and, therefore, expensive. It is a specific object of the invention to provide a holographic disk mounting system and method that provides precise perpendicular alignment of the disk to the axis of rotation while achieving zero radial play. It is another object of the present invention that the mounting system imposes minimum stress in the holographic disk. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for holographic disk mounting which permits positive, repeatable disk alignment. It is a feature of the invention that the mounting system utilizes inexpensive simple parts to achieve the desired objectives of precise perpendicular alignment and zero radial play. It is another feature of the invention that the mounting system can be used over a wide range of temperatures. According to the invention, these objects are solved by the features of claims 1, 6, and 10. The objects and features set forth above and other objects and features of the invention will best be understood from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view in partial section of a holographic deflector assembly showing the spin motor, rotatable holographic disk and optical assembly; and, Figure 2 is an exploded view in partial section showing the spin motor holographic disk and mounting assembly components. Turning now to the drawings, a holographic deflector assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 comprises a housing, a spin motor 12, a holographic disk 14 having at least one holographic facet, a disk mounting assembly 16 (shown in greater detail in Figure 2), and an optical system formed by prism 18 and lens 20. A laser beam 21 is deflected in a known manner by the holographic planar disk holographic facet(s) to produce a scanning locus for the laser beam that is focused by lens 20 upon a scanning surface (not shown). Referring now to Figure 2, the holographic disk 14 has a fixed disk center bushing 22 which defines a bore 24. The spin motor 12 has a rotating shaft 25 that includes a threaded bore 26, the purpose of which will be described subsequently. Connection of the holographic planar disk 14 to the rotating shaft 25 of the spin motor 12 is accomplished by means of an intermediate hub assembly 27. The hub assembly 27 comprises an outer sleeve 28 press-fitted on an inner hub 30 and one or more set screws 32 that are employed to dynamically balance the rotating elements. Hub 30 contains a through bore 34, the lower end of which, as viewed in Figure 2, extends through an annular shaft portion or hub shaft 35 that terminates in a reduced diameter or shoulder portion 36. The diameter of shaft portion 35 is slightly less than the diameter of the holographic disk bushing bore 24. The clearance between hub shaft 35 and the holographic disk bore 24 is necessary so that the holographic disk 14 can be fitted onto the hub shaft 35 and seated fully against a hub assembly annular reference surface 37 without restraint from the bore 24. The plane of the reference surface 37 is normal to the rotational axis of the spin motor shaft 25. This relationship can be achieved either by finish machining after attachment of the hub assembly 27 to the spin motor shaft 25 or by making the plane or reference surface 37 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of bore 34. This arrangement permits the accurate perpendicular registration of the holographic disk 14 with respect to the rotational axis. A compressible O-ring 38 is positioned around the reduced diameter end portion 36 of the hub shaft 35 and then the holographic disk 14 is mounted on hub shaft 35 with the planar surface of the holographic disk 14 in contact with the planar reference surface 37. A thrust ring 40 having a bore 42 is placed against the outer or lower, as viewed in Figure 2, surface of the holographic disk 14 and two Belleville type spring disk washers 44 and 46 are placed around a cap lock 48 having a bore 50. Screw 52 is then inserted through bore 50, the disk spring washers 44 and 46, bore 42 of the thrust ring 40 and, finally, through holographic disk bore 24, O-ring 38, hub bore 34 and into the threaded bore 26 of the motor shaft. It will be appreciated that as screw 52 is tightened, springs 44 and 46 are compressed forcing the thrust ring 40 against the outer surface of the holographic planar disk 14 which in turn seats the disk 14 against the planar reference surface 37 of the hub assembly 27. The spring rates of springs 44 and 46 can be selected to tune the vibrational response of the rotating holographic disk assembly and to control the load on the glass of the holographic disk 14. Since the axial compression of the O-ring 38 produces the radial expansion of the O-ring that eliminates the clearance between the hub shaft 35 and the holographic disk bushing bore 24, it will be understood that the O-ring cannot take a set. A variety of conventional materials can be employed to form the O-ring. One suitable material is nitrile (Buna-N) (elastomer durometer 65-75 shore A). From the preceding discussion of the mounting system and method of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the hub assembly 27 and, specifically, the shaft 35, reduced diameter end portion 36 and reference surface 37, can be formed as a single element and, if desired, as an integral part of the motor shaft 25. Alternatively motor shaft 25 and hub 30 can be formed integrally with a separate sleeve 28 secured to the motor shaft 25.

Claims: A holographic deflector assembly (10) comprising: (a) a rotatable shaft (35) having means defining a planar disk reference surface (37) the plane of which is normal to the longitudinal axis of the rotatable shaft (35); (b) holographic planar disk means (14) having an axial bore (24) the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of said rotatable shaft (35), said holographic planar disk means being mounted on the rotatable shaft (35) and in contact with the planar reference surface (37) thereof; and (c) means (40,42,44,46,48,50,52) for securing the holographic planar disk means (14) to the rotatable shaft (35) characterized in that (d) a compressible O-ring (38) is positioned around said rotatable shaft (35) in the axial bore (24) of said holographic planar disk means (14) and that (e) said securing means (40,42,44,46,48,50,52) includes means for axially compressing said O-ring (38) to produce radial expansion thereof in order to eliminate the clearance between said rotatable shaft (35) and the bore (24) of said holographic planar disk means (14). The holographic deflector assembly (10) of claim 1 wherein the rotatable shaft (35) is mechanically connected to a spin motor (12). The holographic deflector assembly of claim 1 or 2 wherein said means for axially compressing said O-ring (38) includes spring means (44, 46). The holographic deflector assembly of claim 3 wherein said spring means are opposed disk spring washers (44, 46). The holographic deflector assembly of one of the claims 1 through 4 wherein the rotatable shaft (35) terminates in a reduced diameter end portion (36) and wherein said compressible O-ring (38) is positioned around said reduced diameter end portion (36). A holographic deflector assembly (10) comprising: (a) spin motor means (12) having a rotatable shaft (25); (b) holographic planar disk means (14) having an axial bore (24); characterized by (c) hub means (27) having a shaft (35) and means defining a planar reference surface (37) the plane of which is normal to the longitudinal axis of the shaft (35); the diameter of said axial bore (24) of said holographic planar disk means (14) being larger than the diameter of said hub means (35), said holographic planar disk means (14) being mounted on said hub means shaft (35) and in contact with said planar reference surface (37); (d) a compressible O-ring (38) positioned around said hub means shaft (35) in the axial bore (24) of said holographic planar disk means (14); and (e) means for securing the hub means (27) and holographic planar disk means (14) to the rotatable shaft (25) of said spin motor means (12) with the plane of said hub means planar reference surface (37) being normal to the longitudinal axis of said rotatable shaft (25), said securing means (40,42,44,46,48,50,52) including means for axially compressing said O-ring (38) to produce radial expansion thereof in order to eliminate the clearance between said hub means shaft (35) and the bore (24) of said holographic planar disk means (14). The holographic deflector assembly of claim 6 wherein said means for axially compressing said O-ring (38) includes spring means (44, 46). The holographic deflector assembly of claim 7 wherein said spring means are opposed disk spring washers (44, 46). The holographic deflector assembly of claim 8 wherein the hub means shaft (35) terminates in a reduced diameter end portion (36) and wherein said compressed O-ring (38) is positioned around said reduced diameter end portion (36). A method for mounting a holographic planar disk (14) with an axial bore (24) on a rotatable shaft (35) having a diameter less than the diameter of the holographic planar disk axial bore (24) and having a planar disk reference surface (37) the plane of which is normal to the longitudinal axis of the rotatable shaft (35) characterized in the following steps: (a) placing a compressible O-ring (38) on the rotatable shaft (35), (b) placing the rotatable shaft (35), O-ring (38) and holographic planar disk means (14) together so that the O-ring (38) and the O-ring surrounded portion of the rotatable shaft (35) are located within the axial bore (24) of the holographic planar disk means (14) and with the holographic planar disk means (14) in contact with the planar disk reference surface (37); (c) axially compressing said O-ring (38) to cause radial expansion thereof which eliminates the clearance between the rotatable shaft (35) and the holographic planar disk means (14); and (d) securing the holographic planar disk means (14) to the rotatable shaft (35) with the O-ring (38) maintained in its compressed state. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of placing said holographic planar disk means (14) under spring tension against said planar disk reference surface (37). The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of controlling the tension on said holographic planar disk means (14) by selecting a spring rate. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of tuning the vibrational response of the rotating elements by selecting a total spring load on the holographic planar disk means (14).

Inventors: MANITAKOS, DANIEL L.
Applicants: MILES INC.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G02B26
IPC codes: G02B26, G02B7