Patent ID: 7352679

Claim:
A pickup drive unit, comprising: a lead screw; a drive unit for driving said lead screw; a rack portion provided thereon with gear teeth to be engaged with grooves of said lead screw, said rack portion having a first end and a second end; a fixing portion connected to a pickup; a connecting portion made of a flexible material connecting said rack portion to said fixing portion and supporting said rack portion in a cantilever fashion such that said second end of said rack portion is moved towards said lead screw when said first end of said rack portion is moved away from said lead screw, said connecting portion having a first end connected to said fixing portion and a second end connected to said first end of said rack portion; and a pressing member applying a force pressing said rack portion against said lead screw; wherein: a first distance, in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of said lead screw, from said first end of said connecting portion to a contact portion between said gear teeth and said lead screw is less than a second distance, in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of said lead screw, from said first end of said connecting portion to said first end of said rack portion.