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SonyGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 3/10

Sony patents disc drive mechanism to center discs with fewer parts

Sony has been granted a patent for a mechanical system inside an optical disc drive that guides a disc to the center of the spinning motor. The design uses a fixed stopper on one side and a flexible arm on the other to push the disc into place, reducing the number of moving components needed for alignment.

Why it mattersThis is a routine hardware improvement that simplifies the internal mechanics of disc drives, potentially making them more reliable or cheaper to manufacture.

In the filing’s own words

There is provided an optical disc drive that can guide the center of an optical disc to the position of a spindle motor, while allowing the number of components to be reduced. A base frame includes a stopper portion that comes into contact with an outer edge of the optical disc having reached the position of a spindle motor and that restricts backward movement of the optical disc. A switch arm includes a contact portion located on a side opposite to the stopper portion across the optical disc having reached the position of the spindle motor, and the switch arm uses the contact portion to push the optical disc toward the stopper portion.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An optical disc drive comprising: an insertion port configured to receive an optical disc; a spindle motor located behind and away from the insertion port; a mechanism configured to convey, to a position of the spindle motor, the optical disc when inserted through the insertion port; a frame including a stopper portion configured to come into contact with an outer edge of the optical disc when the optical disc is at the position of the spindle motor, wherein the stopper portion is configured to restrict backward movement of the optical disc; and a bias member including a contact portion located on a side opposite to the stopper portion and across the optical disc when the optical disc is positioned at the spindle motor, wherein the bias member is configured to use the contact portion to push the optical disc toward the stopper portion, and wherein: the bias member is rotatable around a first axis, the first axis is disposed on a first side of a first plane and on a back side of a second plane, the first plane extending along a front-back direction and through a rotational center axis of the spindle motor, the second plane extending along a lateral direction and through the rotational center axis of the spindle motor, the bias member has a first portion extending from the first axis and through the first plane, and a second portion extending from the first axis in a curved manner and through the second plane, the bias member comprises an arm having a plurality of contact portions comprising the contact portion, and the plurality of contact portions configured to engage the outer edge of the optical disc at separate locations.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.)
Official title
Optical disc drive with conveyor and centering mechanism
Patent number
US12749506B2
Application number
18911425
Filed
Oct 10, 2024
Granted
Sep 29, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

G11B 17/051 Physics & computing

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.