Patent ID: 7194746

Claim:
A tray drive mechanism for an optical disc apparatus, comprising: a base chassis; a tray for loading an optical disc into the optical disc apparatus, the tray configured to move between an open position external to the optical disc apparatus and close position internal to the optical disc apparatus, and the tray having a rack provided with a driving force for moving the tray; an optical pickup to irradiate a laser beam onto the optical disc for recording and reproducing information; a feed motor for feeding the optical pickup in a radial direction of the optical pickup; a gear train driven by the feed motor to rotate the gear train comprising a feed gear to mesh with a rack provided on the optical pickup for feeding the optical pickup and a tray drive gear to mesh with the rack of the tray for moving the tray between the open and close positions; a drive mechanism chassis having mounted thereon the optical pickup, the feed motor, the feed gear and a switching mechanism for switching operation from a feeding operation of the optical pickup to a clamping and unclamping operation of the optical disc; a rack member comprising a boss and being provided to mesh with the feed gear and driven toward an inner circumference of the optical disc; a plate member comprising a boss and a cam groove, the boss of the rack member being provided to transfer a driving force to the plate member, wherein a slope portion of the cam groove of the plate member meshes with the boss of the rack member when the rack member is driven toward the inner circumference of the optical disc; and a cam slider slidably supported by the base chassis of the optical disc apparatus, the boss of the plate member being provided to transfer a driving force to the cam slider, wherein the cam slider comprises a cam groove to guide the boss of the plate member for raising and lowering the drive mechanism chassis so as to clamp and unclamp the optical disc, a boss to guide the tray, and a rack to mesh with the tray drive gear, wherein the tray comprises a cam groove comprising a slope surface to be engaged with the boss of the cam slider for moving the tray between the open and close positions when the cam slider slides, wherein when the rack member is driven toward the inner circumference of the optical disc, the cam slider slides in linkage with the plate member to cause the rack of the cam slider to mesh with the tray drive gear, and wherein the mesh between the rack of the cam slider and the tray drive gear causes the cam slider to be driven by the tray drive gear, instead of the plate member, so that the boss of the cam slider pushes the slope surface of the cam groove for sliding the tray to cause the rack of the tray to mesh with the tray dive gear, whereby the tray is driven by the feed motor to the open and close positions.