Lllllllllllllllll1111111111lllllllllllillllllll
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
lllllllllllllllll1111111111lllllllllllillllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllll USOO5l44611A United States Patent [19] [11] Patent Number: 5,144,611 Engler et al. [45] Date of Patent: Sep. 1, 1992 [54] OPTICAL DISK DRIVE CLEANER 249234 8/ 1933 Japan - CARTRIDGE 244467 10/1988 Japan . 185840 7/1989 Japan . [75] Inventors: Edward M. Engler, San Jose, Calif.; 168431 8/1939 Japan _ Timothy S. Gardner; David P. 251482 10/1989 Japan . McReynolds, Tuscon, both of Ariz.; 0042638 2/ 1990 Japan ................................... .. 369/71 Stephen M. Ward, Rich?eld, Conn. OTHER PUBLICATIONS [73] Asslgnee’ gemai‘ima‘gusmef 11214191111“ “Air—Jet Diskette Cleaner” D. s. Tollefson, IBM rporanon’ rmon ’ ' ' Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 26, No. 3A, Aug. [21] Appl. No.: 591,158 1983. ' [22] Filed: Oct. 1, 1990 Primary Examiner—Stuart S. Levy Assistant Examiner-Tan Nguyen [51] Int. Cl.5 ......................... .. G11B 3/58; G11B 5/02 . __ [52] us. c1. .............................. .. 369/71; 369/292 A’wmey’ Age“ “Fm” M' w- 5mm‘ [58] Field of Search ..................... .. 369/71, 72, 73, 74; [57] ABSTRACT 360/128 The invention is a cleaning cartridge which includes a [ 56 1 References Cited housing and a tube for injecting a compressed gas there US. PATENT DOCUMENTS through and into speci?c areas of an optical disk drive. The tube is removably connectable at one end to a 4,065,798 12/1977 Sugisaki et a1. ................... .. 360/128 compressed gas supply, and is aimed at the other end to 4,489,356 12/1984 Farmer ..... .. 369/72 direct gas exiting therefrom at both the objective lens, 4,503,473 3/1985 Eyler et a]. 360/128 beam-directing prism or mirror, or other internal opti 4,558,386 12/1985 Uara . .. 360/128 4,581,668 4/1986 Campbell ..... .. 369/72 cal disk drive components when the cartridge is seated 4,639,813 1/1987 Uno . .. 360/128 in the drive. Upon insertion of the cleaning cartridge 4,662,617 11/1986 Fritsch . , . l . .. 360/128 into the optical disk drive in the usual manner for any 4,663,686 5/1987 Freeman et a]. 360/128 optical disk cartridge, gas is released from the com 4,682,257 7/1987 Neuman . .. 360/128 pressed gas source, through the tube, and into the opti 4,817,078 3/1989 Iwata . r . .. 369/71 cal disk drive. The use of such a cleaning cartridge 4,870,636 9/1989 Yamamoto ........................ .. 369/292 provides for easy, effective cleaning of any internal FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS optical disk drive component without the abrasion and 0127540 7/1985 Japan ................................... .. 369/72 potential inconveniences associated with mechanical 209084 2/1987 Japan . - brushing, wiping, or other techniques. 121171 12/1987 Japan. 0078390 4/1988 Japan ................................... .. 369/72 2 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets gl/ /29 20 2.3/ US. Patent Sep. 1, 1992 Sheet 1 of 2 5,144,611 4/ 20 3/ FIECJE FIEQB 4 '7 us. Patent sep. 1, 1995 Sheet 2 of 2 5,144,611 5,144,611 1 2 out (signal loss). The same is true for magnetic disk OPTICAL DISK DRIVE CLEANER CARTRIDGE drives, in which the crash of a head into a simple dust particle can result in catastrophic failure of the drive. _ BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Optical disk drives are different from magnetic drives in 1. Field of the Invention . that various contamination sensitive components of the This invention relates to a cleaner device for a periph optical beam path are not located immediately adjacent eral storage device. More particularly, the invention to the storage media. Optical disk drives have a mode of relates to a cleaner cartridge allowing for the use of a susceptibility to contaminants in addition to those of compressed gas to clean the objective lens and other magnetic drives - contaminants disrupting a portion of internal optical and mechanical components of an opti the optical beam path can also have a negative impact cal disk drive. on performance. For example, the scattering, de?ec 2. Description of the Related Art tion, or blockage of the optical beam can prevent accu Data processing systems require means for storing rate reading and writing of data. user data and instructions for manipulating such user Just as different contamination problems are associ data. One type of storage is main memory, which typi ated with each type of peripheral storage device, there cally includes one or more integrated circuit micro are cleaning techniques having various levels of effec chips. Although the cost per unit of storage in the form tiveness, some associated with a speci?c type of periph of microchips has been trending downward, it is never eral storage device. Several techniques are known for theless expensive to use main memory as the exclusive removing contaminants from the internal components form of storage. Thus, peripheral storage devices are of a peripheral storage device. One technique is to re also used. move the outside housing of the drive to gain access to The most common peripheral storage devices are and clean all contaminated internal drive components. magnetic recording units, suchas magnetic tape drives However, this technique is timely, and generally re and magnetic direct access storage devices (DASDs), quires the assistance of a trained technician to properly and optical disk drives. These devices require mechani disassemble the drive, clean the appropriate compo cal motion to store and retrieve data. Mechanical mo nents, and reassemble the drive. Another technique is tion is required to position a speci?c, desired portion of the use of mechanical brushing or wiping action a tape or disk adjacent to a transducing head. The re quirement for mechanical motion prevents peripheral through the cartridge access door of a drive. Such me storage devices from operating at the purely electronic chanical action is provided manually by operator inser speeds of main memory. However, because peripheral tion of a cotton swab through the cartridge access door storage devices can store information more cheaply of the drive. This technique is not preferred because the than main memory, such devices are nevertheless used access door does not usually provide adequate access to to store certain less infrequently accessed information. all of the internal drive components requiring periodic Peripheral storage devices are susceptible to contami 35 cleaning. In cases where adequate access is provided, nation problems. Contamination results from several such access is nevertheless awkward, difficult for the primary sources. First, contamination results from the operator to perform, or risks damage to the internal removable nature of most peripheral storage media. components of the device. Magnetic floppy disks, magnetic tapes, and optical disks Another technique for cleaning the internal compo are generally removable from their associated drives in 40 nents of a peripheral storage device is the mounting of the form of a cartridge and collect dust, dirt, vapor a brush, pad or similar device for contact cleaning on or residues, and other miscellaneous forms of contaminants in a cartridge housing. The brush is brought into while exposed to the normal room environment. Upon contact withfthe components to be cleaned, usually the the insertion of a cartridge into a drive, some of these transducing head, during or after insertion of the clean contaminants may be transferred to the internal drive 45 ing cartridge into the drive. A brush mounted on a components. In addition, the cartridge access door in a cartridge may be swept across a component as the car drive (for the insertion and removal of storage media tridge is inserted into the drive and ?nally positioned cartridges) allows for airborne contaminants to pene relative to a magnetic or optical transducing head. Ex trate therein. amples of such a cartridge for cleaning an objective lens Another source of contamination is the contact made 50 in an optical disk drive are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. between moving parts of the drive, and between parts 4,870,636 and Japanese published unexamined patent of the drive and the storage media. In magnetic tape applications 63-244467, 02-49284, and 02-168481. A drives, the tape contacts the tape head and other tape brush mounted in a cartridge is swept across a compo path components, creating particulates as the tape nent after the cartridge is ?nally positioned relative to wears. The same is true for magnetic disks and heads in 55 the transducing head. In magnetic tape drives, it is well magnetic disk drives. All magnetic and optical drives known to use a cartridge having a special cleaner tape include moving parts for the relative positioning of a therein replacing the magnetic recording tape. The storage medium and a transducing head. The mechani cleaner tape contacts the magnetic tape head(s) and tape cal action of and between these parts generates particu bearing surfaces of the cleaner tape just as the recording lates. An additional source of contamination is airborne tape would. The material used to manufacture the particulates, which may enter a drive via the cartridge cleaner tape is designed to remove contaminants from access door, or by fan-forced air flow used for the cool~ the surfaces with which it makes contact. In disk drives, ing of system components. it is similarly known to use a cartridge having a special Contaminants result in the degradation of perfor disk therein to clean a magnetic head or optical beam mance of peripheral storage devices. In magnetic tape path objective lens. Examples of such a cartridge for drives, contaminants can abrade the head and tape, cleaning a magnetic disk head in a magnetic disk drive decreasing the effectiveness. Also, contaminants can are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,065,798, 4,503,473, and separate the tape and head, resulting in magnetic drop 4,663,686 and examples of such a cartridge for cleaning 5,144,611 3 4 the objective lens of an optical disk drive are disclosed sult in a negative impact on the performance of a pe in US.