Slim Optical Disc Drive Tray Status Detection Using Spring Switch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slim-type optical disc drives rely on cost-ineffective limit switches to detect the tray's status, necessitating a more economical solution for determining whether the tray is in or out of the casing.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a spring switch, with one end fixed on a circuit board and the other extending outside, generates different voltage signals based on the tray's status, allowing the optical disc drive to determine if the tray is in or out, thus replacing the need for a limit switch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a limit switch is used to detect tray status, then the tray status detection is reliable, but the fabrication cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the expensive limit switch with a simple spring element that can be easily manufactured and replaced. The spring serves as a cost-effective sensing component that detects tray status through its mechanical deformation, eliminating the need for complex electronic limit switches while maintaining detection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical/electronic limit switch with a purely mechanical spring-based detection system. The spring's physical deformation under different tray positions provides the detection signal, replacing the need for complex mechanical switches or electronic sensors, thereby reducing fabrication cost while preserving detection reliability.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a limit switch is installed in the optical disc drive, then the tray status can be detected, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential detection function from the complex limit switch mechanism and implements it through a simple spring element. By removing unnecessary components and keeping only the essential spring-based detection mechanism, the patent reduces device complexity while maintaining the ability to detect tray status effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support, enables tray movement, and detects tray status through its deformation. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate detection components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining detection capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces the fabrication cost of the optical disc drive while effectively detecting the tray's status, enabling the optical disc drive to function correctly without the need for expensive limit switches.
Implementation Method 1
a second end of the spring switch is extended outside the second circuit board. In a tray-out status, the second end of the spring switch is not contacted with any object, so that a first status signal is generated from the output terminal of the spring switch. In a tray-in status, the second end of the spring switch is contacted with a conducting zone of a second power source
Data Source
AI summary
A slim-type optical disc drive includes a casing and a tray. A first circuit board is disposed within the casing. A second circuit board is disposed on the tray. A spring switch is disposed on the second circuit board. A first end of the spring switch is fixed on the second circuit board. A resistor is connected between the first end of the spring switch and a first power source. A second end of the spring switch is extended outside the second circuit board. In a tray-out status, the second end of the spring switch is not contacted with any object, so that a first status signal is generated. In a tray-in status, the second end of the spring switch is contacted with a conducting zone of a second power source, so that a second status signal is generated.