Patent ID: 7859980

Claim:
An optical pickup device comprising: a light source configured to emit an optical beam having a predetermined optical power; an optical beam transmissive adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a transmission quantity of the optical beam; and a light-gathering member configured to focus the optical beam passing through the optical beam transmissive adjusting mechanism on an information recording medium, the optical beam transmissive adjusting mechanism including: a first transmissive element having a first transmittance; a second transmissive element having a second transmittance higher than the first transmittance; a support member configured to rotatably support the first transmissive element and the second transmissive element about a rotating shaft parallel to the first transmissive element and the second transmissive element; and a rotational drive unit configured to rotationally drive the first transmissive element and the second transmissive element about the rotating shaft, the rotational drive unit being driven to switch a first position where the optical beam passes through the first transmissive element and a second position where the optical beam passes through the second transmissive element, so that an optical beam having a first optical power smaller than the predetermined optical power and an optical beam having a second optical power larger than the first optical power and not more than the predetermined optical power being output selectively, wherein, when the optical beam passes through one of the first transmissive element and the second transmissive element, the other of the first transmissive element and the second transmissive element is arranged at an angle inclined to an optical axis of the optical beam and corresponding to diffusion of the optical beam passing through the one of the transmissive elements.