Sony Corporation

Akihisa Inatani

Yoshihiro Kajiyama

Shuichi Nagano

Kanji Mita

Tsutomu Watanabe

Akira Katsuyama

Masami Ishikawa

Taiji Noshitani

Shuji Minami

Haruyuki Tamura

Toshio Tanaka

Yasuo Osada

Junichi Aramaki

Masahiro Maikuma

Shuji Koseki

Takeshi Suzuki

Nobukazu Suzuki

Yoshio Ohashi

Koji Ashizaki

Shinji Ito

Hiromu Watanabe

Yutaka Miki

Yutaka Shimada

Junzo Kumakura

Isao Wada

Hajime Mizuno

Yasuhiro Suda

Terutaka Yana

Renji Tamura

Toshimasa Takahashi

Harutoshi Yoshimura

Harumitu Nayuki

Toshiyuki Kuroiwa

T&agrave;kashi Tsugami

Tsutomu Morita

Shizuo Ohishi

Kumi Koyama

Yuji Sudo

A speaker system includes: a display panel having a display screen; a structure having a plate part functioning as an acoustic diaphragm located outside of a perimeter of the display screen and being supported by the display panel; and an actuator attached to the structure so that a displacement direction of the actuator may be a direction of a plate surface of the plate part.

Speaker system and speaker driving method

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a recording medium accommodation table including recording medium accommodation portions each capable of accommodating a recording medium, a recording medium drive unit on which the recording medium is removably mounted and which is capable of performing recording and/or reproduction of an information signal onto and/or from it, a mechanical chassis that supports the recording medium accommodation table to freely rotate and also support the recording medium drive unit to be movable, a drive-moving unit that moves the recording medium drive unit closer to and away from the recording medium accommodation table, and a recording medium transport unit that transports the recording medium between a recording medium mounting and removing position of a recording medium-mounting portion and a recording medium accommodation position of the recording medium accommodation portions.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus

A recording medium changer includes a plurality of storage trays that are arranged in alignment in a predetermined direction and each store a recording medium, and a conveying mechanism that is movable in an alignment direction of the plurality of storage trays and conveys a recording medium. The plurality of storage trays are rotatable about an axis extending in the alignment direction of the storage trays. At the time of rotation of each of the storage trays, the conveying mechanism is held in a movement preparing position retracted in the alignment direction from the storage tray that is being rotated. Each of the storage trays has a movement cutout for forming at least a part of a movement space through which the conveying mechanism is moved.

Recording medium changer and reproducing apparatus

A disc transport apparatus for detecting a disc-shaped recording medium with specified diameter, transporting the disc-shaped recording medium to a chucking position, but not transporting a disc-shaped recording medium with different diameter, when detected, to the chucking position includes a recording medium mount section capable of mounting a first disc having a first diameter and a second disc having a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, an optical detection unit that uses a light receiving section for receiving reflected light from a detection target in response to light emitted from a light emitting section and that is provided at a position opposite a disc having the first diameter when the disc is mounted on the recording medium mount section and at a position not opposite a disc having the second diameter when the disc is mounted on the recording medium mount section, and a control section for determining whether a disc is mounted based on a detection result of the optical detection means.

Apparatus for and method of mounting disks having different diameters

A disk centering system includes: a disk mount portion having a disk mount surface on which a disk form recording medium is to be mounted, the disk mount portion being provided with a predetermined reference point; and at least three disk centering portions for pressing the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium, the disk centering portions being located in radial directions with the reference point as a center, wherein each of the disk centering portions can be moved between a centering position at which the disk centering portion makes contact with the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium mounted on the disk mount surface to thereby center the disk form recording medium and a stand-by position located on the outer side relative to the centering position, and the centering positions are located at an equal distance from the reference point in the radial directions with the reference point as a center.

Disk centering system

A disk loading apparatus includes first and second main gears () disposed at equal distances to each other in radial directions from the center of rotation of a disk table () which is the center of rotation of a disk-type recording medium at an insertion completion position of the disk-type recording medium, and first and second feed rollers () provided at positions on the first and second main gears () displaced from the centers of rotation of the first and second main gears () for rolling on an outer circumferential face of the disk-type recording medium (). The disk loading apparatus further includes a driving mechanism for rotating the first and second main gears () such that, when the disk-type recording medium () is to be moved toward the insertion completion position, the first and second feed rollers () revolve on the first and second main gears (), respectively, while the first and second feed rollers () roll on the outer circumferential face of the disk-type recording medium ().

Disk loading mechanism, and disk recording and/or reproducing device

A disc chucking device is provided which holds a disc-shaped recording medium on a disc table and rotates it along with the disc table. It includes a disc table whose rotation-center line is laid generally orthogonally to the vertical direction and onto which a disc-shaped recording medium is set with the main side thereof being parallel to the vertical direction, a centering block formed on the disc table and which is to be fitted in a central hole in the disc-shaped recording medium, a motor to rotate the disc table, a clamper to pinch along with the disc table the disc-shaped recording medium put on the disc table, and a fall-off preventive structure provided on the disc table for engagement with the disc-shaped recording medium at the central hole formed in the latter.

Disc chucking device and disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus

A disc changer apparatus includes a disc table, reproducing device, a first tray, a second tray, containing device, and movement device. The first tray carries a disc mounted thereon between a loading position at which a disc is loaded and a mounting position at which a disc is mounted on the disc table and between the disc mounting position and a containing position at which a disc is contained. The second tray is engaged with the first tray, to carry the first tray between the disc loading position and the disc mounting position. The containing device stacks and contains the first trays in a stacking direction substantially perpendicular to principal planes of discs mounted on the first trays. The moving device moves at least one of the first trays contained in the containing device in one direction based on the stacking direction, to form a containing space for containing the first tray located at the disc mounting position on the side, opposed to the side of the one direction, of the containing device.

Disc changer apparatus

A recording and/or playback apparatus of a dislike recording medium, such as optical disk, is equipped with a receiving portion, a recording and/or playback portion, an ejecting operation mechanism, a loading mechanism, and a positioning mechanism. In the receiving portion, a plurality of supporting portions supporting respective peripheral ends of a plurality of disklike recording media are formed in an annular form, and an opening portion is formed on the supporting portion. The recording and/or playback portion conducts recording and/or playback of the disklike recording media. The ejecting operation mechanism penetrates from the opening portion of the receiving portion and ejects a desired disklike recording medium out of the disklike recording media, from the supporting portion. The loading mechanism takes out the desired disklike recording medium, which has been ejected from the supporting portion by the ejecting operation mechanism, from the receiving portion and loads the desired disklike recording medium onto the recording and/or playback portion. The positioning mechanism rotates the receiving portion and makes the desired disklike recording medium and the loading mechanism oppose to each other.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus for disklike recording medium

A recording and reproducing device adapted to a cartridge accommodating a recordable optical disc includes a holder arranged to a device main body and having an opening formed on the front side of the device main body and for holding the cartridge inserted from the opening thereof. A recording and reproducing part is arranged to record and reproduce information on the disc, and a carrier is movably arranged between the holder and the recording and reproducing part for transferring the cartridge from the holder to the part. A locking unit arranged to lock the cartridge held by the holder includes a lock lever including a first protrusion engaged with the cartridge normally inserted from the opening of the holder and a second protrusion for preventing error insertion of the cartridge therefrom.

Disc recording and/or reproducing devices with disc exchanging function

The present invention is directed to a disc reproducing apparatus in which a signal recorded on a disc is optically read out from the disc and reproduced as an audio signal. This disc reproducing apparatus includes a memory in which digital data is stored temporarily, a controller for controlling write and read of the memory such that the digital data is intermittently written in the memory at the first transfer rate and the digital data is continuously read out from the memory at a second transfer rate lower than the first transfer rate and a display device for displaying an amount of the digital data stored in the memory so that an increase or decrease of the amount of the digital data can be visually confirmed. Further, the present invention is directed to a disc recording apparatus in which an input digital audio signal is encoded and recorded on a disc. This disc recording apparatus includes a memory in which compressed data is temporarily stored. A controller for controlling the memory such that the compressed data is continuously written in the memory and the compressed data stored in the memory is intermittently read out from the memory at every predetermined data amount, and a display device for displaying a storage amount of the compressed data stored in the memory so that an increase or decrease of the amount of the compressed data can be visually confirmed.

Disc reproducing and recording apparatus with display of the amount of data in a buffer memory

A disc loading device for loading discs of different diameters on a disc rotating driving device provided within a outer casing is disclosed. The discs are the recording media on which information signals are pre-recorded or are to be recorded. The disc loading device includes a supporting base provided with the disc rotating driving device for rotationally driving the discs, and a disc transporting tray for holding and transporting the discs. The disc transporting tray is arranged above the supporting base and is movable between a position in which it is drawn into an outer casing containing the supporting base and a position in which it is drawn out of the outer casing. The disc transporting tray includes a first positioning recess for holding and positioning the disc having a first diameter, a second positioning recess for holding and positioning the disc having a second diameter lesser than the first diameter, and a third positioning recess for holding and positioning the disc having a third diameter lesser than the second diameter to enable the three types of the discs having respective different diameters to be loaded selectively on the disc rotating driving device.

Disc loading device for loading a cartridge containing therein a disc or

A multiple disc changer apparatus has an elastic support mechanism for supporting the recording/reproducing unit on a main body of the apparatus and includes a locking mechanism for controlling the elastic support of the elastic support mechanism when a disc is loaded on the recording/reproducing unit by a chucking mechanism.

Disc recording/reproducing unit elastically supported on a main body of

A disc changer device includes a housing section, a transporting unit, a recording and/or reproducing unit and a movement unit. The housing section houses a number of discs, such as compact discs, with a pre-set distance between neighboring discs, in a state in which disc surfaces face one another. The transport unit holds one of the discs in the housing section from the direction of disc thickness for transport between it and the recording and/or reproducing unit. The recording and/or reproducing unit records and/or reproduces the disc transported from the housing section by the transporting unit. The movement unit moves at least one of the discs positioned in the housing section and held by the transporting unit in a direction away from the disc held by the transporting unit when holding the disc from the direction of disc thickness out of the housing section by the transporting unit and/or when returning the disc by the transporting unit into the housing section.

Disc changer device increasing the distance between a gripped disc and

A disc changer device includes a housing section, a transporting unit, a recording and/or reproducing unit and a movement unit. The housing section houses a number of discs, such as compact discs, with a pre-set distance between neighboring discs, in a state in which disc surfaces face one another. The transport unit holds one of the discs in the housing section from the direction of disc thickness for transport between it and the recording and/or reproducing unit. The recording and/or reproducing unit records and/or reproduces the disc transported from the housing section by the transporting unit. The movement unit moves at least the discs positioned in the housing section and held by the transporting unit in a direction away from the disc held by the transporting unit when holding the disc from the direction of disc thickness out of the housing section by the transporting unit and/or when returning the disc by the transporting unit into the housing section.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Akihisa Inatani