# US 8,789,074 B2 · Optical disc apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,789,074 B2 - Document ID: US8789074B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/071,619 - Filed: 2008-02-25 - Published: 2009-03-05 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2007-08-31 - Assignees: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc. - Applicants: Yosuke Ishizuka; Shinsuke Takatsuka; Koji Matsumoto - Inventors: Yosuke Ishizuka; Shinsuke Takatsuka; Koji Matsumoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8789074B2 ## Abstract An optical disc apparatus of the present invention is configured to include: a chassis which includes a supporting portion that supports an optical pickup, a pickup moving mechanism, and a disc motor, and coupling portions that are coupled to a tray at plural points, which is formed of a synthetic resin material, and in which the supporting portion and the coupling portions are integrated with each other; and a flexible flat cable which electrically couples between a first circuit substrate fixed to the bottom case side and a second circuit substrate fixed to the tray or the chassis side, and which is arranged between a bottom cover and a bottom case while its plane surface is folded in a state where the tray is inserted into an apparatus body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical disc apparatus which records or reproduces information onto/from an optical disc, the apparatus comprising: an optical pickup which irradiates a laser beam onto the optical disc through an objective lens for recording or reproducing information; a pickup moving mechanism which allows the optical pickup mounted on said pickup moving mechanism to be moved in a substantially radial direction of the optical disc; a disc motor which drives the optical disc to rotate; a tray which inserts or discharges the optical disc into/from an apparatus body; a chassis which is formed as a unified single body made of a synthetic resin material in which a supporting portion and coupling portions are formed as a part of the unified single body and moves together with the tray when the tray moves to insert or discharge the optical disc into/from the apparatus body, the supporting portion supporting the pickup moving mechanism and the disc motor, the coupling portions being coupled directly to the tray at plural points in a state where a part of the unified single body of the chassis directly contacts with corresponding portions of the tray without interposing a damper; a bottom cover which is coupled to a surface opposite to a disc mounting surface of the tray; a bottom case which is arranged outside the bottom cover to cover the rear surface side of the apparatus; and a flexible flat cable which electrically couples a first circuit substrate and a second circuit substrate and is arranged between the bottom cover and the bottom case while its plane surface is folded in a state where the tray is inserted into the apparatus body, the first circuit substrate being fixed to the bottom case side, and the second circuit substrate being fixed to the tray or the chassis side, wherein: the chassis is configured in such a manner that each of the coupling portions has a plane-like first portion and a protruding second portion, the protruding second portion being continued to the plane-like first portion, each protruding second portion protruding in the rotational axis direction of the disc motor and having a hole which penetrates in the rotational axis direction of the disk motor, and an end surface on a tray surface direction side of each protruding second portion contacting directly with the tray surface and the plane-like first portion being positioned at a predetermined height from the tray surface, the tray has a protruding chassis engaging portion at a position corresponding to each respective hole of each protruding second portion of the coupling portions of the chassis, the protruding chassis engaging portion being inserted into each respective hole of each protruding second portion of the coupling portions of the chassis to fix the chassis directly to the tray in a state where an outer surface of the protruding chassis engaging portion contacts directly with an inner surface of the coupling portions of the chassis in the respective hole, and the bottom cover being fixed on an end surface of the protruding chassis engaging portion, and when an impact force is applied to the optical disc apparatus at a time of a recording or reproducing operation, each of the coupling portions suppresses a displacement of the chassis to a low level and suppresses an oscillation of the optical pickup and a displacement of the disc motor to a low level through the supporting portion and the pickup moving mechanism, and the recording or reproducing operation is continued without a contact between a tip end of the objective lens and a disc surface even upon a condition of a short working distance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chassis is configured in such a manner that the coupling portions are formed at three points on the outer circumferential portion of the chassis. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The optical disc apparatus according to claim 1, the chassis is made of modified polyphenylene oxide resin. ### Claim 4 An optical disc apparatus which records or reproduces information onto/from an optical disc, the apparatus comprising: an optical pickup which irradiates a laser beam onto the optical disc through an objective lens for recording or reproducing information; a pickup moving mechanism which allows the optical pickup mounted on said pickup moving mechanism to be moved in a substantially radial direction of the optical disc; a disc motor which drives the optical disc to rotate; a tray which inserts or discharges the optical disc into/from an apparatus body; and a chassis which is formed as a unified single body made of a synthetic resin material in which a supporting portion and coupling portions are formed as a part of the unified single body and moves together with the tray when the tray moves to insert or discharge the optical disc into/from the apparatus body, the supporting portion supporting, the pickup moving mechanism and the disc motor, the coupling portions being coupled directly to the tray at plural points in a state where a part of the unified single body of the chassis directly contacts with the corresponding portions of the tray without interposing a vibration-proofing member, wherein: the chassis is configured in such a manner that each of the coupling portions has a plane-like first portion and a protruding second portion, the protruding second portion being continued to the plane-like first portion, each protruding second portion protruding in the rotational axis direction of the disc motor and having a hole which penetrates in the rotational axis direction of the disc motor, and an end surface on a tray surface direction side of each protruding second portion contacting directly with the tray surface and the plane-like first portion being positioned at a predetermined height from the tray surface, the tray has a protruding chassis engaging portion at a position corresponding to each respective hole of each protruding second portion of the coupling portions of the chassis, the protruding chassis engaging portion being inserted into each respective hole of each protruding second portion of the coupling portions of the chassis to fix the chassis directly to the tray in a state where an outer surface of the protruding chassis engaging portion contacts directly with a inner surface of the coupling portions of the chassis in the respective hole, and the bottom cover being fixed on an end surface of the protruding chassis engaging portion, and when an impact force is applied to the optical disc apparatus at a time of a recording or reproducing operation, each of the coupling portions suppresses a displacement of the chassis to a low level and suppresses an oscillation of the optical pickup and a displacement of the disc motor to a low level through the supporting portion and the pickup moving mechanism, and the recording or reproducing operation is continued without a contact between a tip end of the objective lens and a disc surface even upon a condition of a short working distance. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The optical disc apparatus according to claim 4, the chassis is made of modified polyphenylene resin. ### Claim 6 An optical disc apparatus which records or reproduces information onto/from an optical disc, the apparatus comprising: an optical pickup which irradiates a laser beam onto the optical disc through an objective lens for recording or reproducing information; a pickup moving mechanism which allows the optical pickup mounted on said pickup moving mechanism to be moved in a substantially radial direction of the optical disc; a disc motor which drives the optical disc to rotate; a tray which inserts or discharges the optical disc into/from an apparatus body; and a chassis which is formed as a unified single body made of a synthetic resin material in which a supporting portion and coupling portions are formed as a part of the unified single body and moves together with the tray when the tray moves to insert or discharge the optical disc into/from the apparatus body, the supporting portion supporting the pickup moving mechanism and the disc motor, the coupling portions being coupled directly to the tray at plural points in a state where a part of the unified single body of the chassis directly contacts with the corresponding portions of the tray without interposing a vibration-proofing member, wherein: when an impact force is applied to the optical disc apparatus at a time of a recording or reproducing operation, each of the coupling portions suppresses a displacement of the chassis to a low level and suppresses an oscillation of the optical pickup and a displacement of the disc motor to a low level through the supporting portion and the pickup moving mechanism, and the recording or reproducing operation is continued without a contact between a tip end of the objective lens and a disc surface even upon a condition of a short working distance.