A tray includes a substrate and a resin portion placed thereon by printing. The resin portion includes a first part placed along an edge on the disc loading side of the substrate, a second part placed along another edge on the disc unloading side of the substrate, and a third part placed between the first and second parts.
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1. A disc support plate for a recording and/or reproducing medium, comprising:
a substrate having a first tapered edge portion and a second edge portion, said substrate configured to allow a disc to be loaded onto the disc support plate from the first tapered edge portion to the second edge portion along a disc loading direction; and
a resin portion provide provided only on the first tapered edge portion, the second edge portion and a line-shaped portion provided between the first tapered edge portion and the second edge portion.
12. A changer mechanism for discs, comprising:
a plurality of disc support plates, each comprising:
a substrate having a first tapered edge portion and a second edge portion, said substrate configured to allow a disc to be loaded onto the disc support plate from the first tapered edge portion to the second edge portion along a disc loading direction; and
a resin portion provided only on the first tapered edge portion, the second edge portion and a line-shaped portion provided between the first tapered edge portion and the second edge portion;
a disc compartment provided with said plurality of disc support plates, said disc compartment receiving the discs on said plurality of disc support plates;
means for loading and unloading the discs from said disc compartment; and
means for selecting one of the discs received in said disc compartment.
14. A changer mechanism for discs, comprising: a plurality of disc support plates, each comprising:
a substrate having a first tapered edge portion and a second edge portion, said substrate configured to allow a disc to be loaded onto the disc support plate from the first tapered edge portion to the second edge portion along a disc loading direction; and
a resin portion provided only on the first tapered edge portion, the second edge portion and a line-shaped portion provided between the first tapered edge portion and the second edge portion;
a disc compartment provided with said plurality of disc support plates, said disc compartment receiving the discs on said plurality of disc support plates; a loader configured to load and unload the discs from said disc compartment; and a selector configured to select one of the discs received in said disc compartment.
0. 15. A disc changer, comprising:
a plurality of trays, each tray of the plurality of trays configured to support a disc in a predetermined position, the disc received from an insertion slot of the disc changer to the predetermined position, a resin portion being placed on each tray by printing;
a separating mechanism configured to separate a tray of the plurality of trays having a selected disc, from others of the plurality of trays, the separation from the others of the plurality of trays defined by a first side space and a second side space;
a moving mechanism configured to position a chuck plate in the first side space, and, position a turn table and reproducing unit in the second side space,
wherein, said reproducing unit accesses the selected disc located between the chuck plate and the turn table for reproduction of content thereon, the selected disc being accessed at the predetermined position in a planar direction.
11. A device for recording and/or reproducing a disc, comprising:
a casing defining an external shape of the device; a disc support plate disposed in said casing, said disc support plate comprising:
a substrate having a first tapered edge portion and a second edge portion, said substrate configured to allow a disc to be loaded onto the disc support plate from the first tapered edge portion to the second edge portion along a disc loading direction; and
a resin portion provided only on the first tapered edge portion, the second edge portion and a line-shaded portion provided between the first tapered edge portion and the second edge portion;
a disc compartment arranged in said casing to receive the disc on said disc support plate;
means for loading and unloading the disc from said disc compartment;
means arranged in said casing for reproducing the disc in said disc compartment; and
means for operating at least one of said disc compartment and said reproducing means.
13. A device for recording and/or reproducing a disc, comprising:
a casing defining an external shape of the device;
a disc support plate disposed in said casing, said disc support plate comprising:
a substrate having a first tapered edge portion and a second edge portion, said substrate configured to allow a disc to be loaded onto the disc support plate from the first tapered edge portion to the second edge portion along a disc loading direction; and
a resin portion provided only on the first tapered edge portion, the second edge portion and a line-shaped portion provided between the first tapered edge portion and the second edge portion;
a disc compartment arranged in said casing to receive the disc on said disc support plate;
a loader configured to load and unload the disc from said disc compartment;
a reproducer arranged in said casing and configured to reproduce the disc in said disc compartment; and
an operation unit configured to operate at least one of said disc compartment and said reproducer.
0. 22. A recording/reproducing apparatus for writing/accessing content of a selected disc medium of a plurality of disc mediums, comprising:
a plurality of trays, each tray of the plurality of trays configured to support a disc medium in a predetermined position, the disc medium received from an insertion slot of the recording/reproducing apparatus to the predetermined position, a resin portion being placed on each tray by printing;
a separating mechanism configured to separate a tray of the plurality of trays having the selected disc medium, others of from the plurality of trays, the separation from the others of the plurality of trays defined by a first side space and a second side space;
a moving mechanism configured to position a chuck plate in the first side space, and, position a turn table and reproducing unit in the second side space,
wherein, said reproducing unit accesses the selected disc medium located between the chuck plate and the turn table for reproduction of content thereon, the disc medium being accessed at the predetermined position in a planar direction to write/access content to/from the selected optical disc medium.
3. The disc support plate as claimed in
4. The disc support plate as claimed in
5. The disc support plate as claimed in
6. The disc support plate as claimed in
7. The disc support plate as claimed in
8. The disc support plate as claimed in
9. The disc support plate as claimed in
10. The disc support plate as claimed in
0. 16. The disc changer according to claim 15, wherein the selected disc is located between the chuck plate and the turn table upon operation of the separating mechanism.
0. 17. The disc changer according to claim 15, further comprising:
an eject mechanism configured to urge a peripheral edge of the selected disc from a corresponding tray of the plurality of trays according to the operation of the separating mechanism.
0. 18. The disc changer according to claim 15, wherein the moving mechanism positions a holding unit, the holding unit including the chuck plate, the turn table and reproducing unit.
0. 19. The disc changer according to claim 18, further comprising:
a guide member configured to accurately position the plurality of trays within the disc changer; and
a shaft configured to provide a turning axis for the moving mechanism,
wherein the guide member and shaft extend in a parallel direction from a base plate of the holding unit.
0. 20. The disc changer according to claim 18, further comprising:
a toggle mechanism responsive to the moving mechanism for biasing the holding unit, the holding unit being biased at a rest position when a setting of the toggle mechanism is a first setting, the rest position maintaining the holding unit apart from said plurality of trays in a planar direction of the disc changer, and, the holding unit being biased at an access position when a setting of the toggle mechanism is a second setting, the access position maintaining the holding unit among the plurality of trays for accessing the selected disc.
0. 21. The disc changer according to claim 15, further comprising:
a first roller configured to rotate about an axis to transport the disc in a planar direction from the insertion slot to the plurality of trays; and
a pair of second rollers configured to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the planar direction to urge the disc positioned by the first roller to the predetermined position.
0. 23. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the selected disc medium is located between the chuck plate and the turn table upon operation of the separating mechanism.
0. 24. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:
an eject mechanism configured to urge a peripheral edge of the selected disc medium from a corresponding tray of the plurality of trays according to the operation of the separating mechanism.
0. 25. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the moving mechanism positions a holding unit, the holding unit including the chuck plate, the turn table and reproducing unit.
0. 26. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising:
a guide member configured to accurately position the plurality of trays within the recording/reproducing apparatus; and
a shaft configured to provide a turning axis for the moving mechanism,
wherein the guide member and shaft extend in a parallel direction from a base plate of the holding unit.
0. 27. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising:
a toggle mechanism to the moving mechanism for biasing the holding unit, the holding unit being biased at a rest position when a setting of the toggle mechanism is a first setting, the rest position maintaining the holding unit apart from said plurality of trays in a planar direction of the recording/reproducing apparatus, and, the holding unit being biased at an access position when the toggle mechanism is a second setting, the access position maintaining the holding unit among the plurality of trays for accessing the selected disc.
0. 28. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:
a first roller configured to rotate about an axis to transport the selected disc medium in a planar direction from the insertion slot to the plurality of trays; and
a pair of second rollers configured to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the planar direction to urge the selected disc medium positioned by the first roller to the predetermined position.
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Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,897. The reissue applications that have been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,897 include present reissue application Ser. No. 11/512,393 filed on Aug. 30, 2006, and the reissue application Ser. No. 12/134,928, now abandoned, which is a divisional of the present reissue application.
The present invention relates to a disc support plate, such as a tray, for holding a disc. The present invention also relates to a disc changer mechanism and a disc recording and/or reproducing device including such disc support plate.
One of the disc recording and/or reproducing devices mounted on a vehicle for recording and/or reproducing sound and/or image is a disc player. The disc player is constructed such that a plurality of disc-like recording mediums such as a compact disc (CD) is stored in a magazine, and the whole of the discs stored in the magazine is changed at a time. This brings the disc player to increase the size, so that the main body is received in a trunk, while only a portion necessary for operation is arranged in a cabin. However, changing discs is not possible during driving of the vehicle, and requires stop thereof to open the trunk, forming a bothersome affair.
On this account, vehicle-mounted disc players to be received in cabins are developed in recent years. Such vehicle-mounted disc player, which is required to enable storage of a plurality of discs, is received in a predetermined space in a dashboard in the cabin. Accordingly, there remains an essential challenge of a reduction in size of the vehicle-mounted disc players.
Referring to
The six trays 203 are vertically movably placed one upon another through a guide support 206. Upon reproduction, a selected tray 203 holding a selected disc 202 and all other trays 203 positioned thereabove are moved upward to form a space under the selected tray 203, into which a turntable for holding and turning the disc 202 and an optical pickup are inserted to reproduce the disc 202.
In order to make proof the trays 203 against scratches occurring upon loading of the discs 202, etc., each tray 203 is formed out of a resin molding-in its entirety, or includes a resin layer placed by coating the whole surface of a metal substrate or placed on part of the metal substrate, i.e. a portion thereof contacting the disc 202, in an outsert or adhesive way.
However, the above conventional trays and disc player presented the following problems:
1) The resin-molding tray is of inferior mechanical strength compared with the metal tray. In order to obtain sufficient strength, the thickness should be increased, resulting in increased height of the whole disc player;
2) The tray having a resin layer placed by coating the whole surface of a metal substrate is apt to suffer mixing of foreign matters during full coating, which may cause damage to a disc. Moreover, due to small thickness of the resin layer resulting from coating, the treatment of an end face of the substrate is required to avoid damage to a disc by the end face of the substrate;
3) The tray having a resin layer placed on part of the metal substrate in an outsert way is difficult to obtain small thickness, e.g. 0.1-0.2 mm, of the resin layer due to nature of outsert forming. Moreover, some contrivance should be taken for the substrate to prevent the resin layer from peeling off from the substrate, increasing manufacturing cost; and
4) The tray having a resin layer placed adhesively on part of the metal substrate provides poor workability due to nature of adhesion of the resin layer, and is apt to produce positional displacement during adhesion. Moreover, some adhesive agents may cause peeling of the resin layer, dissolution of the adhesive agent, etc. at a high temperature.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a disc support plate that is free of the above problems and contributes to an improvement in device quality and workability with reduced manufacturing cost. Another object of the present invention is to provide a disc changer mechanism and a disc recording and/or reproducing device including such disc support plate.
The present invention generally provides a disc support plate, comprising:
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a device for recording and/or reproducing a disc, comprising:
a casing defining an external shape of the device;
a disc support plate disposed in said casing, said disc support plate comprising a substrate and a resin portion placed on said substrate by printing;
a disc compartment arranged in said casing to receive the disc on said disc support plate;
means for loading and unloading the disc from said disc compartment;
means arranged in said casing for reproducing the disc in said disc compartment; and
means for operating at least one of said disc compartment and said reproducing means.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a changer mechanism for discs, comprising:
a plurality of disc support plates, each comprising a substrate and a resin portion placed on said substrate by printing;
a disc compartment provided with said plurality of disc support plates, said disc compartment receiving the discs on said plurality of disc support plates;
means for loading and unloading the discs from said disc compartment; and
means for selecting one of the discs received in said disc compartment.
Referring to the drawings, a description will be made with regard to a disc support plate embodying the present invention, and also a disc changer mechanism and a disc recording and/or reproducing device including such disc support plate.
In an illustrative embodiment, the present invention is applied to a disc player for reproducing sound. It is noted that in the following description, a disc, including a compact disc (CD), is referred to as CD.
A) General Configuration of the Disc Player
Referring to
The reproduction means 7 comprise space defining means 11 disposed on both sides of a pickup lifting/lowering stage or pickup lifting/lowering means 10 which moves vertically and for defining a space above and below a selected one of CDs in the disc compartment 3, hold means 14 comprising a first or lower arm 13 and a second or upper arm 12 which are rotatably arranged on the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 and entering in the space for holding the selected CD, disc driving means 15 mounted to the lower arm 13 and for driving the held CD, a pickup unit 16 mounted to the lower arm 13 and for reading information on the rotating CD, torque providing means 17 for transmitting torque to the hold means 14 only in the reproducing mode wherein CD is reproduced and not in the loading/unloading mode wherein CD is loaded and unloaded, and restriction means 18 for setting a timing where the hold means 14 hold CD.
B) Casing
The casing 1 comprises the front plate 1a, the side plates 1b, 1c, a top plate 1d, and a bottom plate 1e. The casing 1 has a rear open. The side plates 1b, 1c and the bottom plate 1e are integrated with each other.
C) Disc Compartment and Tray
Referring to
Referring to
The resin portion 2b comprises a first resin part 2c placed along an edge on the disc loading side, a second resin part 2d placed along an edge on the disc unloading side, and a third resin part 2e placed in the center between the first and second resin parts 2c, 2d.
Referring to
The first resin part 2c covers the inclined faces 2f of the substrate 2a. The third resin part 2e is arranged in the center of the substrate 2a and parallel with respect to the disc loading/unloading direction, and has longitudinal ends contacting or connecting the first and second resin parts 2c, 2d. The first, second, and third resin parts 2c, 2d, 2e are arranged on both faces of the substrate 2a.
Referring to
The disc lifting/lowering stage 22 has both ends bent upward. Guide holes 22a are formed in a horizontal part of the stage to receive the guide supports 23, and a pair of pins 22b is secured to each outer face of a vertical part of the stage to protrude horizontally. The pins 22b protrude outside the casing through two vertical slits 25 formed in the side plates 1c, 1b of the casing 1.
The disc lifting/lowering stage 22 and the six trays 2 are vertically movably supported by arranging the guide supports ports 23 through the guide holes 22a, 2r. Four spring guides 26 have respective upper and lower ends secured to the top plate 1d and the bottom plate 1e of the casing 1, and are arranged through the respective spring receivers 2s. A lower end of each coil spring or biasing means 24 arranged to enclose the spring guide 26 abuts on the receiver at the lower end of the spring receiver 2s.
D) Transfer Means
Referring to
Means for driving the drive shaft 30 will be described. Referring to
Referring to
CD at the level corresponding to that of the vertical roller 57 is positioned horizontally by the vertical roller 57, whereas CDs above and below the vertical roller 57 are positioned by a pair of positioning rods 61, 62 vertically mounted to the bottom plate 1e as shown in
E) Opening/closing Means
The opening/closing means 6 for opening and closing the loading/unloading opening 4 of the front face 1a will be described. A shutter 64 is vertically movably mounted to the front plate 1a on a front face thereof as shown in
Specifically, a pair of upper and lower guide pins 65 is mounted to the front plate 1a on both sides thereof, and a pair of vertically extending guide slots 64b is formed in the shutter 64. A retaining ring is engaged with a head of each guide pin 65 arranged through the guide slots 64b. In order to have a distance between the slide mounts 52 larger only when the shutter 64 is raised to open, the guide pins 54 in the vicinity of the center are set to be longer than the other guide pins 53, 55, and a pair of L-shaped guide holes 64c is formed in the shutter 64 to receive the respective guide pins 54. A guide rail 64d is formed with the upper face of each guide hole 64c so that the shutter 64 is forcibly raised to open when CD is unloaded by constraint in enlarging the distance between the vertical rollers 57 for some reason.
A link mechanism for opening and closing the shutter 64 will be described. Laterally extending guide slots 66a are formed in front and lower faces of a laterally slide plate 66 with roughly L-shaped section, and guide pins 67 are arranged through the guide slots 66a and secured to the front plate 1a and the bottom plate 1e. Cam holes 64e are formed in the shutter 64 on both sides and in a lower portion thereof, whereas slide pins 66b are secured to the laterally slide plate 66 on both sides and on a front face thereof, and are arranged through the respective cam holes 64e. Referring to
F) Reproduction Means
The reproduction means 7 is disposed close to the rear of the disc compartment 3 to minimize the depth of the disc player. Since the hold means 14 in the reproduction means 7 are mounted to the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10, a description will be made first with regard to the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10.
The pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 comprises a horizontal plate and vertical plates disposed on both sides and integrated with the horizontal plate. A circular recess 10a is formed in the horizontal plate in a front portion thereof to allow CD insertion. A pair of horizontally protruding pins 77 is secured to each vertical plate to move vertically the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10. The pins 77 are positioned at the same level, and are shorter than the pins 22b of the disc lifting/lowering stage 22. The pair of pins 77 is arranged through a pair of vertical slots 78 formed in the side plates 1c, 1b of the casing 1 to protrude outward.
Space Defining Means or Control Means
As shown in
The separating cams 82 are inserted between the trays 2 to lift the four pins 2j, 2k arranged both side of the tray 2, thereby stably supporting the tray 2 and defining a space above and below the tray 2 holding thereon CD to be reproduced. The separating cams 82, each obtained by placing two plates of different longitudinal lengths formed with a sift, slip into both sides of the tray 2 to move upward the long pins 2j of the tray 2 through the front portion and the short pins 2k through the rear portion.
Specifically, the separating cams 82 are configured as follows. A pair of first separating control parts 82c1 is formed to move upward the tray 2 for holding the selected CD and the trays 2 thereabove, whereas a pair of second separating control parts 82c2 is formed above the first separating control parts 82c, to move upward only the trays 2 above the selected tray 2. Third separating control parts 82d are arranged between the first separating control parts 82c1, and the second separating control parts 82c2, respectively, for holding only the selected tray 2. Formed with the separating cam 82 along the moving direction thereof are a top face 82f for holding the position of the pins 2j, 2k of the trays 2 above the selected tray 2, and a lower face or position control means 82h for holding the position of the pins 2j, 2k of the trays 2 below the selected tray 2 and retaining the receiver 2p of the plate spring 2m.
The pins 2j, 2k of the selected tray 2 and the trays 2 thereabove are lifted up by forward movement of the first and second separating control parts 82c1, 82c2, so that an angle θ of lift of the separating cam 82 is fundamentally set to a predetermined value, e.g. 45°. Here, however, the trays 2 are lifted in compressing the coil springs 24, so that as the position of the tray 2 is higher, the amount of compression of the coil springs 24 is greater to increase a load acting upon lifting of the tray 2. That is, a load is smaller at an initial stage of compression of the coil springs 24. As a result, referring to
Next, the third separating control parts 82d will be described. Each third separating control part 82d comprises the upper engagement 82j, a middle engagement 82k, and a lower engagement 82m. The upper engagement 82j serves to define a space above and below the selected tray 2, the middle engagement 82k serves to lower the selected tray 2 and CD to place the selected CD on a turntable 97 of the lower arm 13, and the lower engagement 82m serves to lower only the selected tray 2 again to separate it from the selected CD.
Hold Means
The hold means 14 are rotated toward the space defined above and below the selected CD by the space defining means 11 to hold the selected CD. Base ends of the lower and upper arms 13, 12 are rotatably mounted to the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 on the left thereof. Specifically, referring to
Disc Driving Means
The disc driving means 15 are arranged on the top face of a head of the lower arm 13. Specifically, referring to
Pickup Unit
Referring to
Torque Providing Means
The torque providing means 17 rotate the hold means 14 by torque from the transfer motor 46. Referring to
The uppermost gear 103a of the gear train 103 is coupled with the lower arm 13 of the hold means 14 as follows. As shown in
The disc player has two modes, i.e. loading/unloading mode wherein CD is loaded and unloaded from the disc compartment 3 and reproducing mode wherein CD is reproduced. In the former mode, the hold means 14 are in a position B as shown in
The configuration of the positioning means 118 will be described. As shown in
Restriction Means
The upper arm 12 of the hold means 14 is biased downward by the hold spring 89, and includes the restriction means 18 for setting a timing for lowering the upper arm 12 by a biasing force of the hold spring 89 as shown in
In order that the hold means 14 may not start hold operation as soon as the hold means 14 are rotated to the position A as shown in
G) Push Means
The push means 8 are arranged inside the casing 1 on both sides thereof. Since the two push means 8 are substantially the same in configuration, one of which will be described. As show in
H) Operation Means
Finally, the operation means 9 will be described. In the loading/unloading mode, the operation means 9 lift and lower the disc lifting/lowering stage 22 to allow loading and unloading of CD on the tray 2. and also operate the opening/closing means 6 and the push means 8. In the reproducing mode, the operation means 9 lift and lower the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 to take the selected CD with the disc lifting/lowering stage 22 maintained in the lowermost position, and also operate the space defining means 11 and the restriction means 18.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 18B-18C, a pair of inner and outer sliders 139, 140 is longitudinally slidably arranged outside the right and left side plates 1c, 1b of the casing 1. Guide slots 139a, 140a are formed in the sliders 139, 140 in upper and lower portions thereof. Guide pins 158, 159 are arranged through the guide slots 139a, 140a and secure to the side plate, and have retaining rings mounted thereto. A pair of stepped slits 141 is formed in the inner slider 139 in a rear portion thereof to lift and lower in a six-step way the pair of pins 77 of the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 protruding from the vertical slit 78. A pair of stepped slits 142 is formed in the inner slider 139 in a front portion thereof to lift and lower in a six-step way the pair of pins 22b of the disc lifting/lowering stage 22 protruding from the vertical slit 25. A bottom slit 143 is continuously formed below each stepped slit 142 to lift and lower only the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 in the reproducing mode with the disc lifting/lowering stage 22 maintained in the lowermost position. On the other hand, only a pair of slits for receiving the pair of long pins 22b of the disc lifting/lowering stage 22 is formed in the outer slider 140. Specifically, each slit includes a square loading/unloading-mode slit portion 144 for moving upward and downward the pin 22b received in the stepped slit 142, a horizontally extending reproducing-mode slit portion 145 for holding in the lowermost position the pin 22b received in the bottom slit 143, and a 45° inclined switching slit portion 146 for switching the position of the pin 22b between the stepped slit 142 and the bottom slit 143 by moving the pin 22b upward or downward through taper faces 146a, 146b by slide operation of the outer slider 140 in any direction. If the reproducing-mode slit portions 145 are formed in the same vertical position, they are superimposed one upon another. Thus, the reproducing-mode slit portions 145, the loading/unloading-mode slit portions 144, the bottom slits 143, the stepped slits 142, and the pins 22b inserted therein are positioned at different levels.
An upper portion of the outer slider 140 is bent inward orthogonally to form a protrusion 140b. In order to allow movement of the protrusion 140b together with the outer slider 140, an escape recess 139b and an escape slit 147 are formed in the inner slider 139 and the side plate 1b in rear portions thereof, respectively. In order that the separating cam 82 may slide together with the outer slider 140 regardless of the level of the separating cam 82 that lifts and lowers with the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10, a vertical engagement groove 82s is formed in the rear outside of the separating cam 82 as shown in
A drive mechanism will be described, which serves to simultaneously synchronously slide the pair of inner and outer sliders 139, 140. As shown in
Next, operation of the disc player will be described.
1) General Outline of Operation
Operation of the disc player is composed of three functions: loading of CDs into the disc compartment 3, unloading of CDs from the disc compartment 3, and reproduction of a selected CD from the CDs stored in the disc compartment 3.
2) CD Loading
When loading CD into the disc compartment 3, the tray number, e.g. No. 2 (the numbers 1-6 are assigned to the trays 2 from top to bottom) is selected to push a corresponding number button, not shown, before pushing a loading button, not shown. Rotation of an output shaft of the operating motor 154 is transmitted to the reduction means 156 and the connecting shaft 148 to slide the inner sliders 139. Independently, rotation of an output shaft of the operating motor 155 is transmitted to the reduction means 157 and the connecting shaft 149 to slide the outer sliders 140. When pushing the button with the pins 22b entering the loading/unloading slit portions 144 of the outer slider 140 as shown in
When the outer slider 140 is moved backward from the standby position as shown in
The shutter 64 is opened, and the second tray 2 is at the same level of the push lever 132, so that when inserting a CD 171 between the rollers 35, 36 as shown in
When the pins 22b are in any other position, i.e. one of the first and third to sixth step of the stepped slit 142 from below, CD can be loaded in the disc compartment 3 in the same way.
3) CD Unloading
When unloading CD from the disc compartment 3, the number button of, e.g. No. 2, is pushed together with an unloading button. Then, in the same way as upon loading, the pins 22b are moved from the mode switching position in the loading/unloading mode as shown in
When the outer slider 140 is moved backward further until the pins 22b become in the front of the loading/unloading-mode slit portions 144 as shown in
Then, due to elimination of a backward force applied to the plate 135 from the separating cam 82, the push lever 132 is rotated by a biasing force of the return spring 134 to return to an initial position as indicated by fully drawn line in
When the pins 22b are in any other position, i.e. one of the first and third to sixth step of the stepped slit 142 from below, CD can be unloaded from the disc compartment 3 in the same way.
4) CD Reproduction
When reproducing CD, the number button of, e.g. No. 2, of the selected CD is pushed together with a reproduction button. Then, the inner slider 139 is moved forward from the position as shown in
The position of the pins 22b with respect to the outer sliders 140 as shown in
Here, No. 2 CD is selected as described above, so that the pins 77 are lifted to the second position from above as shown in
Operation of the device will be described after the standby state as shown in
When a sensor, not shown, senses the pins 22b arriving at the position G as shown in
When the outer slider 140 is moved forward to have the pin 22b in a position H as the forth step as shown in
The center of rotation of the hold means 14 is accurately positioned on the bottom plate 1e by arranging the support 92 provided on the bottom plate 1e through the hollow shaft 86 as the center of rotation of the hold means 14, and the positioning pin 119 is pressed against the pickup lifting/lowering stage 10 by the toggle spring 120 for holding, obtaining accurate positioning of the turntable 97 and the chuck plate 99 on the circumferential locus. Moreover, the guide supports 23 for guiding the tray 2 for holding the CD 171 thereon are also provided on the bottom plate 1e in the same way as the support 92, obtaining accurate positioning of the CD 171 on the bottom plate 1e. Therefore, the centers of CD to be reproduced, the turntable 97, and the chuck plate 99 coincide with each other, resulting in sure hold of the CD 171.
When the outer slider 140 is moved forward to have the pin 22b in a position I as the fifth step as shown in
After holding the selected CD by the hold means 14 as described above, CD is reproduced with the hold means 14 held in the position A as shown in
After CD reproduction, the threaded shaft 164 is reversed to return the optical pickup 162 to the initial position. Then, rotation of the scanning motor 165 is stopped, and also rotation of the spindle motor 96 is stopped. Subsequently, through reverse steps, the outer slider 140 is moved backward, and also the separating cam 82 is moved backward. When the pin 127a is returned from the position H to the position G as shown in
When reproducing other CD than the second CD, the inner slider 139 is moved forward or backward in the state as shown in
The illustrative embodiment is shown with regard to application of the disc recording and/or reproducing device to a disc player for reproducing sound. Alternatively, the disc recording and/or reproducing device may be applied to sound recording or recording/reproducing devices or image recording and/or reproducing devices. Moreover, the illustrative embodiment is shown with the trays placed vertically, optionally, with the trays placed horizontally. Furthermore, the disc has a size of 12 cm in the embodiment, optionally, it may have other size such as 8 cm.
Moreover, in the illustrative embodiment, the disc support plate is in the form of a tray, which is not limitative, however. The disc support plate may include a member for temporarily supporting passage of a disc between loading from the disc loading/unloading opening of the recording and/or reproducing device and placing on the tray.
The disc support plate according to the present invention, and the disc changer mechanism and the disc recording and/or reproducing device including such disc support plate produce the following effects:
1) The disc support plate of the present invention includes a resin portion formed by printing, allowing formation of a thinner resin portion of desired shape in a desired position compared with formation of the resin portion formed by coating;
2) The disc support plate of the present invention includes a substrate formed out of a metal plate with excellent mechanical strength, allowing a thinner disc support plate together with possible formation of a thinner resin portion by printing;
3) The disc support plate of the present invention includes a resin portion placed on a roughly whole surface of a substrate, obtaining a roughly whole surface of a disc supported by the resin portion;
4) The disc support plate of the present invention allows easy introduction of the disc onto the substrate by a first resin part placed along an edge on the disc loading side;
5) The disc support plate of the present invention includes a first resin part placed along an edge on the disc loading side, a second resin part placed along an edge on the disc unloading side, and a third resin part placed in the center between the first and second resin parts, wherein at least one of which can support part of a disc with other portions being in non-contact with the substrate;
6) The disc support plate of the present invention is constructed so that one of the first, second, and third resin parts is formed discontinuously, allowing a reduction in friction or contact resistance between that part and the disc;
7) The disc support plate of the present invention is constructed so that the third resin part formed in the center of the substrate allows smooth movement of the disc on the substrate;
8) The disc support plate of the present invention is constructed so that the third resin part arranged symmetrically on the substrate allows balanced support of the disc on the substrate;
9) The disc support plate of the present invention is constructed so that the thickness of the resin portion is 0.1-0.2 mm, obtaining easy printing of the resin portion and excellent follow-ability for some deformation of the substrate;
10) The disc support plate of the present invention is constructed so that the resin portions are arranged on both faces of the substrate, allowing protection of both the disc on the side of the upper face and the disc on the side of the lower face; and
11) The disc recording and/or reproducing device of the present invention includes a disc support plate having a resin portion placed on the substrate by printing, obtaining a thinner disc compartment, allowing a reduction in thickness and size of the whole device.
Having described the present invention with regard to the preferred embodiment, it is understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The entire teachings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-042836 are incorporated hereby by reference.
Watanabe, Tomohiro, Takizawa, Kazuyuki, Hama, Toru
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