Patent ID: 7062774

Claim:
An optical pickup for an optical disk drive holding an optical disk, comprising: a base; an object lens; a slider supporting the object lens, wherein the object lens focuses a light on a recording surface of the optical disk; an optical head section comprising the slider, wherein the slider is floated by an air bearing generated between the optical head section and the optical disk; wire suspensions movably supporting the optical head section with respect to the base; a driving unit to operate in a loaded state in which the optical head section is driven in tracking and focusing directions and an unloaded state in which the optical head section is not driven; and a latching unit including a ramp and a tang, one being formed at a position on the optical head section and the other being formed at a corresponding position on the base, the tang being elastically deformed upon contact with the ramp so as to lock and unlock the optical head section in a position relative to the base during an initialization and an ending of the unloaded state.