Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Benichi Miyazaki

Yoshikazu Goto

Yukio Nishino

Norikatsu Yoshida

Soichiro Mima

Kimiaki Sano

Yasuhisa Fukushima

Masuo Maruyama

Hiroshi Yamamoto

Kanji Wakabayashi

Yoshito Saji

Satoshi Kikuya

Yoshinobu Nakata

Tadashi Maeoka

Shoji Goto

Masayuki Shinoda

Junichi Murai

A disk driving apparatus includes: a head base unit which supports a head for recording data into and reproducing data from a storage medium, the head base unit being able to travel between a first position where the head is close to the storage medium for recording data thereto and reproducing data therefrom and a second position where the head is apart from the storage medium; a tray provided with a tray rack extending in a predetermined direction, the tray being slidable along the tray rack between a third position at which the head performs recording and reproduction on the storage medium and a fourth position at which an operator can place the storage medium; a driving power source; a tray gear which is driven by the driving power source; a rotation body gear which is driven by the driving power source; a partial gear which partially engages with the rotation body gear at a predetermined angle; and a rotation body which, in accordance with the rotation of the partial gear, reciprocally rotates so that the head base unit travels between the first position and the second position. When the tray is present at the third position, the tray gear is apart from the tray rack. Moreover, the rotation body includes a rotation body engagement section which engages with the tray while the tray travels from the third position to a predetermined position. Furthermore, the rotation body further includes a rotation body protrusion which pushes the tray substantially in the same direction as the sliding direction of the tray such that the tray gear engages with the tray rack while the tray is travelling between the third position and the fourth position.

Disk driving apparatus

A tray is supported movably relative to a case to enable a second disk to be loaded into and unloaded from a second-disk holding recess. Positioning is performed by using second positioning holes formed through the case and tray. A turntable and a head are inserted through two second opening holes. A second-disk cartridge of thin construction, capable of holding therein the second disk in removable fashion, can be mounted in a recording/reproducing apparatus capable of mounting therein a first-disk cartridge.

Adaptor cartridge for mounting a second disk in a device designed to

A cartridge adaptor accommodates a second cartridge which is smaller than a first cartridge so as to allow the second cartridge to be mounted in a disk apparatus designed to receive the first cartridge. The cartridge adaptor includes a shutter opener engageable with a shutter opener of the disk apparatus to open and close a shutter of the second cartridge, a projection engageable with a recess of the second cartridge to restrict insertion direction of the second cartridge into the disk apparatus, and a conveying member which is too be inserted into a transmission aperture formed in correspondence with an identification hole formed in the second cartridge, thereby opening and closing a detection hole of the cartridge adaptor formed at a corresponding position to an identification hole of the first cartridge. When the cartridge adaptor accommodating the second cartridge is mounted in the disk apparatus, the shutter of the second cartridge is opened, and the information on a disk housed in the second cartridge provided by the identification hole is correctly detected by the disk apparatus.

Cartridge adaptor and a cartridge to be accommodated in the cartridge

Disk clamping device for clamping a disk having a center hole

A cartridge adaptor accommodates a second cartridge which is smaller than a first cartridge so as to allow the second cartridge to be mounted in a disk apparatus designed to receive the first cartridge. The cartridge adaptor includes a shutter opener engageable with a shutter opener of the disk apparatus to open and close a shutter of the second cartridge, a projection engageable with a recess of the second cartridge to restrict insertion direction of the second cartridge into the disk apparatus, and a conveying member which is inserted into a transmission aperture formed in correspondence with an identification hole formed in the second cartridge, thereby opening and closing a detection hole of the cartridge adaptor formed at a corresponding position to an identification hole of the first cartridge. When the cartridge adaptor accommodating the second cartridge is mounted in the disk apparatus, the shutter of the second cartridge is opened, and the information on a disk housed in the second cartridge provided by the identification hole is correctly detected by the disk apparatus.

A disc device accommodates a disc rotatably mounted therein, a plurality of first heads movable in a first direction radially of the disc, and a plurality of second heads movable in a second direction radially of the disc and perpendicular to the first direction. The disc has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, with an information area defined on at least one of the first and second surfaces. The information area is divided into an outer information region and an inner information region lying radially inwardly of the outer information region. The first heads are allowed to move within a limited distance across the outer information region so as to record or reproduce information on or from the outer information region, while the second heads are allowed to move within a limited distance across the inner information region so as to record or reproduce information on or from the inner information region.

Disc device having heads mounted on the housing and movable in a radial

A disc cartridge has a casing having first and second apertures and first and second shutters slidably mounted to the casing for selectively opening and closing the first and second apertures. First and second shutter openers are respectively connected to the first and second shutters. Only the first aperture is opened using the first shutter opener when the disc cartridge is loaded in a standard specifications or existing recording and/or reproducing apparatus. When the disc cartridge is loaded in an optional specifications apparatus, both the first and second shutter openers are used to open the first and second apertures, respectively. A disc cartridge compatible with both new plural head recording and reproducing apparatuses and existing single head recording and reproducing apparatuses is thus provided while offering improved resistance to penetration of dust and other foreign matter into the casing by opening only the aperture(s) required for head insertion.

Disc cartridge

Disc device having a plurality of heads each movable within a limited

A disc cartridge for rotatably accommodating an information carrier disc, which includes a first casing having a first cavity defined therein for accommodating a portion of the information carrier disc, and a second casing having a second cavity defined therein for accommodating a remaining portion of the information carrier disc and operatively coupled with the first casing for movement relative to the first casing between extended and retracted positions to bring the disc cartridge into opened and closed positions, respectively. Springs are provided for urging the second casing to the first position. When the second casing is moved against the springs, the disc cartridge is brought to the opened position, allowing one or more access openings to be exposed to the outside of the disc cartridge. A disc retainer is also provided for avoiding any arbitrary motion of the information carrier disc within a disc chamber defined by the first and second cavities in the first and second casings.

Growing community of inventors

Katano, Japan

Benichi Miyazaki