Fujitsu Ten Limited

Muramoto Industry Co., Ltd.

Fumihiko Fujimoto

Tomohisa Koseki

Takeshi Fujii

Koichi Ogawa

Kenichi Hatata

Yasutaka Yamanaka

Tsutomu Goto

Kouichi Ogawa

Hisashi Hasegawa

Hideo Asami

Minoru Horiyama

Yasutake Yamanaka

A disc changer having a swing arm as a reproducing device in a disc drive unit can prevent an arm front end from being fluctuated when the swing arm reproduces the content of a disc or when a disc is mounted. The disc changer takes out a desired one disc from a stocker using the swing arm, and reproduces the information with an optical head. The disc changer has a holding projection that holds the bottom surface of the front end of the swing arm at a disc take-out position. The disc changer also has an auxiliary arm that supports a part of the swing arm near the front end of the swing arm when the swing arm is rotated to the disc reproduction position.

Disc changer with support for swing arm in disc reproducing position

A disk loading/ejection mechanism in a disk device inserting and taking out a disk-shaped storage medium (disk D) through an opening and enabling a combined relatively large space to be secured inside the disk device, provided with an offset drive function unit for shifting the loading/ejection direction when inserting and taking out the disk D to a loading/ejection direction (B) offset from the straight direction (A) perpendicularly intersecting the opening direction of the opening.

Disk-shaped storage medium loading/ejection mechanism, disk device, and disk autochanger

A disc autochanger improving on a conventional disc separating mechanism to enable the device to be reduced in size is provided, comprising a plurality of disc holding members(-to-), a splitting membersplitting the plurality of disc holding membersto separate them at the disc holding member for playback/recording, and an elevator mechanismmaking the plurality of disc holding membersmove in the elevation direction to make the disc holding member for playback (recording) move to the position for splitting the disc holding members and further enlarge the split.

Disk autochanger

The invention aims to reduce the size of a disk clamp mechanism to be built into a disk player. The clamp mechanism comprises: a disk clamp portion formed integrally with a turntable; a clamper; and a clamper holder for holding the clamper via a clamper mounting shaft adapted to hold the clamper in rotatable fashion, wherein a flange portion provided at an end of the clamper mounting shaft is placed within a space formed inside the clamper. The clamper comprises a peripheral portion and a chamber portion in which the space is formed, and the disk clamp portion has a recessed groove portion engageable with the chamber portion, the structure being such that, when the disk is clamped, the end portion of the chamber portion is accommodated into the disk clamp portion, thus achieving a size reduction by reducing the height in a direction perpendicular to the disk.

Clamp mechanism for disk-shaped recording medium and reproducing apparatus for the recording medium

A disc changer has a protector which protects the operation of the disc changer even when an oscillation is applied to the disc changer, without adding a new oscillation sensor to the disc changer. In the disc changer that takes out a desired disc from a stocker with a swing arm and returns the reproduced disc to the stocker, an oscillation sensor monitors an output of a position sensor which detects a position of a member that rises and falls within the disc changer. Based on a variation in the output of the position sensor, the oscillation sensor detects a size of the oscillation applied to the disc changer. When the oscillation is larger than a predetermined value, the swing arm operation of clamping a disc and returning a disc to the stocker is temporarily stopped or is restarted, thereby protecting the disc changer from the oscillation.

Protection of operation of disc drive against the application of external oscillation

When a CD is inserted in an insertion/ejection slot of a CD playback apparatus, an insertion/ejection roller in an insertion/ejection mechanism draws the CD into a housing. A shutter mechanism closes a portion of the insertion/ejection slot. A control circuit drives the insertion/ejection roller in the reverse direction to cause the CD to abut against the shutter mechanism, whereby the CD becomes set in a reference position. The CD thus set in the reference position can be mounted on a turn table of a PU unit. A stocker installed inside the apparatus is capable of accommodating a plurality of CDs, and the turn table can be moved to transport the CD to an accommodating position selected by a lifting mechanism and separated by a separating mechanism. Since the space necessary to handle recording media such as CDs can be reduced, the entire construction can be reduced in size.

Recording media playback apparatus including a playback mechanism that transfers media

A stocker installed inside a housing of a CD playback apparatus is constructed by stacking holders of identical construction. Each holder can hold a CD. The CD can be inserted and ejected through an insertion/ejection slot one at a time. A moving mechanism moves the entire construction of the stocker up and down. A separating mechanism widens the gap between the holders in the stocker selected by the upward or downward movement thereof, and creates a space for a PU unit and a turn table to enter. The stocker capable of accommodating a plurality of recording media is constructed using members of identical construction, and the stocker can be separated at any accommodating position.

Recording media accommodating apparatus including a playback mechanism that transfers media

A divisible stocker capable of housing a plurality of CDs is arranged in an enclosure of an autochanger apparatus. A rack mounting a PU unit, which is a reproduction head of a CD is arranged between the stocker and an opening of the enclosure. Transfer means for transferring the CD between the opening and the stocker is also mounted on the rack. The rack is vertically movable. When reproducing a CD, selecting any of the CDs in the stocker at first, turning a feed screw in a state where a pawl of a dividing sliding member is positioned below any of dividing projections arranged at corresponding position on the both sides of the stocker, causing a PU unit to advance into a space formed by raising the stockers above the selected CD, dividing the same and causing an upward displacement thereof, attaching the CD on a turntable of the PU unit by lowering the divided stocker, and transferring the CD to the turntable by displacement means which causes the PU unit to return to the PLAY position.

Reproduction/recording apparatus having a divisible housing for disc-shaped recording carriers and a reproduction/recording head mounting rack

A divisible stocker, capable of housing a plurality of CDs, is arranged in an enclosure of an autochanger apparatus. A rack mounting a PU unit, which is a reproduction head of a CD, is arranged between the stocker and an opening of the enclosure. A transfer device for transferring the CD between the opening and the stocker is also mounted on the rack. The rack is vertically movable.

Reproduction/recording apparatus having a divisible housing for

In a vehicular-mount type autochanger apparatus, to avoid influence of external vibration, a chassis is supported in an enclosure in a floating state by a spring of a floating mechanism. A stocker capable of housing a plurality of CDs and a PU unit for playing back a CD are incorporated in the chassis. The PU unit is mounted on a rack which can be elevated and lowered. The rack is also mounted with transport means for transporting a CD that is inserted through an opening of the enclosure to the stocker side or transporting a CD in the opposite direction. A lock pawl can be projected from a rear end portion of the chassis. The lock pawl presses the chassis against the opening side and the floating state being established by the floating mechanism is thereby canceled. Thus, insertion and ejection of a CD can be performed in a reliable manner. As a result, the influence of external vibration can be avoided in performing reproduction or recording on a CD, and a CD can be inserted in a reliable manner.

Growing community of inventors

Kobe, Japan

Fumihiko Fujimoto