US Patent 7640558 Optical disc drive

Increases in the data transfer rates of optical disc drives have resulted in problems such as increases in optical disc vibrations due to higher rotation speeds or increases in heat generation due to increases in the output of motors for rotating the optical discs and in the output of laser diodes. To solve such problems, an optical pickup is provided with an air duct therein, and a space that is formed between the optical disc and a top case of a casing and that has negative pressure during rotation of the optical disc is connected to the air duct in the optical pickup via a tube, at least part of the tube being deformable. The optical pickup is cooled by the air flow through the air duct induced by pressure difference.