Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Ichiro Kawamura

Ryoichi Imanaka

Yoshikazu Goto

Yuji Takahashi

Toshiaki Kashihara

Goro Naoki

Yoshio Hata

Hiroshi Yamamoto

Shinichi Maeda

Shoji Goto

Makoto Fujita

Noboru Okuno

Tetsuo Yoshikane

Yoshitaka Fujioka

Teruyuki Takizawa

Kazuo Momoo

Yoshihiro Ikawa

Yukinori Okazaki

Yasuhisa Fukushima

Izumi Hino

Hirofumi Furukawa

Yoshitaka Fojioka

A cartridge for housing a recording medium therein. The cartridge includes a cartridge body configured such that a signal recording apparatus can record a signal onto the recording medium when the cartridge is loaded in the signal recording apparatus. The cartridge also includes an opening in the cartridge body for removing the recording medium from the cartridge body, and a cover covering the opening. An indicator on the cartridge body indicates whether the cover has ever been opened or removed from the cartridge body.

Recording medium cartridge and signal recording apparatus

A disk cartridge (21) for loading on a flat tray (1) included in a disk loading apparatus. Recesses (29) are provided on the back side of the disk cartridge near the rear end (27a) thereof, and projections (16) are provided on the tray for judging whether the disk cartridge is loaded properly on the tray. In addition, notches (30) are formed on the right (27d) and left (27c) sides of the disk cartridge between the recesses and the rear end thereof for engagement with an automatic cartridge-changer.

Disk cartridge with judging recesses

A disk cartridge (21) for loading on a flat tray (1) included in a disk loading apparatus, wherein positioning holes (28) are provided at the rear end (27a), on a peripheral side, of the disk cartridge, and protrusions (18) are formed on the tray providing for a rigid positioning of the cartridge in order to fix the cartridge at the specified position on the tray. In addition, a groove (32) is formed on the face side and on the back side of the cartridge extending in a lateral direction, and a resin flow inlet (33) is provided at the rear end (27a) to improve the productability of a thin portion (26) of the cartridge.

Disk cartridge with positioning hole

A flat tray (1) for receiving a disk cartridge (21) for a disk loading apparatus, wherein positioning holes (28) are provided at the rear end (27a), on a peripheral side, of the disk cartridge, and protrusions (18) are formed on the tray providing for a rigid positioning of the cartridge in order to fix the cartridge at the specified position on the tray. The protrusions (18) may be made of leaf springs that are formed with one end curved. When the disk cartridge (21) is pushed into the tray (1), the curved portions of the protrusions match the positioning holes (28) on the disk cartridge.

Tray with positioning protrusion for loading a disk cartridge

It is an object of the invention to present a recording and reproducing apparatus capable of mounting a bare disk and a cartridge selectively on a tray, without dropping from the tray in vertical position. To achieve the object, the invention comprises a turntable engaged with a disk for supporting the disk on a recording and reproducing position, a pickup for moving on the surface of the disk to record a signal in the disk or to reproduce a signal from the disk, and a flat tray for transferring between an engagement position with the turntable and a disk exchange position while holding the disk in a position so that its side may be at least in vertical position, wherein the tray possesses a first disk engaging portion freely movable in a tray transfer direction, being thrust in a disk exchange position direction of the tray, for detachably supporting the peripheral edge of the disk or one side of a cartridge, and a second disk engaging portion having a state of holding the peripheral edge of the disk together with the first disk engaging portion in a vertical position of the side of the disk, and a state of sinking into a holding surface, on the holding surface, and the holding surface possesses a cartridge mounting portion for detachably holding a cartridge incorporating a disk.

Recording and reproducing apparatus

According to the present invention, a stepping motor driving apparatus having a rotor and a stator in n (an integer equal to or larger than 2) phases for moving a moving body is provided. The stepping motor driving apparatus includes a driver for selectively supplying to the stator a first current pattern for rotating the rotor at a first pitch and a second current pattern for rotating the rotor at a second pitch different from the first pitch based on a drive switching signal. The driver switches the first current pattern and the second current pattern at a point where a torque generated by the first current pattern is equal to a torque generated by the second current pattern and supplies the first current pattern or the second current pattern to the stator.

Apparatus for driving stepping motor

A recording and reproducing apparatus using high density recording disk, such as optical disk. The recording and reproducing device of this invention can accommodated both disk and disk cartridges of a plurality of differing sizes. Because this invention can accommodate both disk and disk cartridges, a single device that can both record and reproduce information to or from a high density disk is achieved.

Disk recording and reproducing apparatus

A disk cartridge (21) for loading on a flat tray (1) included in a disk loading apparatus, wherein an inclined groove (32) is formed on the face side (22a) and the back side (22b) of the disk cartridge to extend in the moving direction of the shutter (23). A resin flow inlet (33) is provided at the rear end (27a) to improve the productability of the thin part of the cartridge. The inclination of the groove enables to detect when a wrong side of the disk cartridge is put on the tray.

Disk cartridge with an inclined groove

The present invention enables a disc loading apparatus to handle both a bare disc and a disc housed in disc cartridge for writing/reading signals, which comprises

Disc loading apparatus for loading optical discs in a cartridge or

A cleaning cartridge for use with an optical recording apparatus cleans from outside of the apparatus, an object lens of an optical disc recording apparatus or the like having a separation type optical system and glass covers for covering projection windows through which lasers are projected. A brush (28)for use on an object lens and a brush (26) for cleaning the glass covers (18)can be moved from outside. In order to effect operation of the cleaner, the transfer base (movable portion including the object lens of the head) is adapted to be transferred by the magnet, the inclined face or a transfer means within the apparatus.

Cleaning cartridge for an optical recording apparatus

An optical disk drive of the type having a fixed optical unit having a light transmitting hole from which a laser beam is emitted, and a movable head having a light receiving hole from which the laser beam is received, wherein the respective outer edges of the light emitting and receiving holes are surrounded by a pair of annular projections. The annular projections are engageable with each other to provide a seal therebetween when the head is displaced toward the fixed optical unit. The annular projections are preferably made of a cushioning material in which instance they also serve as a cushioning or shock-absorbing member.

Optical disk drive including dust-proofing annular projections

An apparatus for generating a bias magnetic field to a magneto-optical disk includes a movable magnet which serves to generate a bias magnetic field. A suitable device serves to generate a drive magnetic field to move the magnet. A stopper is engageable with the magnet to stop the magnet at a predetermined position.

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Osaka, Japan

Ichiro Kawamura