Patent ID: 7778119

Claim:
An objective lens holding device comprising: a first objective lens including a first lens unit that, when a first optical disc is mounted on a turntable, focuses first laser light on an information recording layer of the first optical disc, and a first edge portion protruding from a peripheral face of the first lens unit on the side thereof from which the first laser light is emitted; a second objective lens including a second lens unit that, when a second optical disc with an information recording format different from that of the first optical disc is mounted on the turntable, focuses second laser light with a wavelength different from that of the first laser light on an information recording layer of the second optical disc, and a second edge portion protruding from a peripheral face of the second lens unit on the side thereof from which the second laser light is emitted; and a lens holder including a first hole into which the first lens unit is dropped, a first contacting portion that contacts with the first edge portion to restrict dropping of the first lens unit into the first hole, a second hole into which the second lens unit is dropped, and a second contacting portion that contacts with the second edge portion to restrict dropping of the second lens unit into the second hole, the lens holder integrally holding the first objective lens and the second objective lens in an adjacent manner on the outside and inside, respectively, along a radial direction of the first optical disc and the second optical disc when the first optical disc and the second optical disc are mounted on the turntable, the lens holder being shiftable along the radial direction, wherein a first length in the radial direction of the first edge portion on the side thereof which is confronting the second edge portion is less than a length in the radial direction of the first edge portion on the side thereof which is not confronting the second edge portion, and/or a second length in the radial direction of the second edge portion on the side thereof which is confronting the first edge portion is less than a length in the radial direction of the second edge portion on the side thereof which is not confronting the first edge portion, and wherein an axis-to-axis distance between a central axis of the first objective lens and a central axis of the second objective lens is set to a distance, depending on the first length and the second length, which distance prevents the second edge portion from butting against the turntable when the first objective lens focuses the first laser light on an innermost circumference of the information recording layer of the first optical disc.