OPTICAL DRIVE SYSTEM, CARTRIDGE AND DRIVE DEVICE WHICH ARE USED IN OPTICAL DRIVE SYSTEM, AND CLEANING METHOD FOR OPTICAL DRIVE SYSTEM

摘要

The present application discloses an optical drive system provided with: a cartridge having a wall part which defines a housing space in which a rotatable recording medium having a light-receiving surface that is scanned using light for optically processing information is housed; and a drive device including a rotation drive unit which rotates the recording medium in the housing space, an optical element which applies light to the light-receiving surface, and a movement drive unit which moves the optical element between an inner position at which the optical element faces the light-receiving surface and an outer position that is farther from the rotation axis of the recording medium than the inner position. In the wall part, an air outlet through which air in the housing space is discharged by an air current generated with the rotation of the recording medium is formed at the outer position. The air outlet is divided into a first opening region having a first area of opening and a second opening region having a second area of opening wider than the first area according to the movement trajectory of the optical element. The second opening region is characterized by being located upstream from the first opening region in the rotation direction of the recording medium.