Optical pickup device

U.S. Patent Number: 6438090

Abstract: An optical pickup device, which records/reproduces information on/from at least one optical medium having a plurality of recording surfaces or a plurality of optical media each having at least one recording surface, comprises a light source for emitting a beam of light, a plurality of optical heads for focusing the beam on a plurality of different recording surfaces, an optical path switching device, positioned between the light source and the optical heads, for changing an optical path for guiding the beam alternatively to one of the optical heads, a first relay lens, positioned between the light source and the optical path switching device, for changing the beam into a convergent beam, second relay lenses, positioned individually between the optical path switching device and the optical heads, for changing a divergent beam, obtained after the convergent beam from the first relay lens is temporarily converged, back into a parallel beam, and a lens drive unit for driving the first relay lens along the its optical axis so as to adjust the respective lengths of optical paths between the first relay lens and the second relay lenses.

Inventors: Nakano; Junichi (Hachioji, JP)

Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JP)

Application Number: 09/443,878

Issued: 2002-08-20

Expired: 2006-08-20

Classes: 369/112.24 ; 369/119; 369/94

Field of search: 369/94,112.01,112.22,112.23,112.24,44.23,119

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