System for mounting a hub to an optical disk and a method therefor

A system for mounting a hub having a spindle hole to a transparent optical disk, the optical disk having a circular opening at a central portion thereof into which the hub is to be fitted, and a data recording surface formed on one surface thereof and having one spiral recording track pre-defined thereon around the circular opening, the system comprising:

• means for defining a reference axis;
• a station movable in a reference plane perpendicular to the reference axis, the movable station including a disk mount which is rotatable in a plane parallel to the reference plane and a mount surface for receiving an optical disk thereon, the mount surface being perpendicular to the reference plane;
• disk feeding means for feeding an optical disk onto the mount surface with an axis of the optical disk aligned with an axis of the disk mount;
• suction means for sucking an optical disk against the mount surface and thereby holding the optical disk when the optical disk is supplied to the mount surface, the suction means permitting the optical disk to be rotated together with the disk mount;
• detecting means for detecting the distance and direction of a deviation of the center of the recording track of the optical disk from the reference axis, when the optical disk held on the mount surface of the disk mount is rotated together with the disk mount, and for outputting a deviation signal corresponding to the detected distance and direction of the deviation, the detecting means including an optical pickup movable in a radial direction of the optical disk to follow up the recording track while sensing same during a rotation of the optical disk, a displacement sensor for detecting a radial displacement of the optical pickup and outputting a displacement signal corresponding to the detected displacement, and a rotational angle sensor for detecting a rotational angle of the optical disk and outputting an angle signal corresponding to the detected rotational angle;
• positioning means for controlling the movement of the movable station in accordance with the deviation signal from the detecting means, such that the center of the recording track is aligned with the reference axis;
• hub feeding means for feeding a hub onto the optical disk on the mount surface, with the axis of the spindle hole of the hub aligned with the reference axis, such that the center opening of the optical disk is closed by the hub, the hub having an outer peripheral portion which is superposed on a portion of the optical disk around the center opening when the hub is placed on the optical disk;
• and
• bonding means for bonding the outer peripheral portion of the hub to the optical disk when the hub is placed on the optical disk.