US Patent 7242645 Optical disc player with focus pull-in function

An optical disc player executes a focus pull-in operation while avoiding an inconvenience that an objective lens comes into contact with an optical disc, or the like. The objective lens is forcedly moved gradually from a position that is away from the surface of the optical disc and outside a capture range of a focus servo toward the surface of the optical disc. When the objective lens reaches the capture range of the focusing servo loop by the moving operation and a distance between the objective lens and the disc surface is at the minimum distance or is changing in a widening direction, the moving operation of the objective lens is stopped.