Teac Corporation

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Jiro Ueki

Fumio Nagase

Hisatoshi Kawamura

An apparatus for playing back an optical recording medium automatically and quickly identifies the kind of optically recorded disc (CD or DVD) loaded in the apparatus. After a disc to be checked has been loaded in the apparatus, the disc is first driven in a DVD servo mode. If a peak value of a focus error signal detected in this mode is larger than a threshold value, the checked disc is recognized as a DVD. If the detected peak value of the focus error signal is smaller than the threshold value, the checked disc is thereafter driven in a CD servo mode. The checked disc is recognized as a CD if a peak value of a focus error signal detected in this mode is larger than a threshold value, which may be different from the above-mentioned threshold value.

Dual CD/DVD player with automatic disc identification

A head supporting device includes an arm on which an upper magnetic head of a magnetic disk system is mounted, the arm having an adhesion surface to which a first adhesive agent and a second adhesive agent are applied, a carriage on which a lower magnetic head of the system is mounted, the carriage having an adhesion surface to which the first and second adhesive agents are applied, a first gimbal for connecting the upper magnetic head to an internal circuit of the system, the first gimbal having a first adhesion surface so that the first gimbal along with the upper magnetic head attached thereto is fixed to the arm by the first and second adhesive agents, and a second gimbal for connecting the lower magnetic head to the internal circuit, the second gimbal having a second adhesion surface so that the second gimbal along with the lower magnetic head attached thereto is fixed to the carriage by the first and second adhesive agents. In this head supporting device, the adhesion surface of the arm and the first adhesion surface include diagonally cut grooves so that the first adhesive agent flows in the grooves so as to evenly spread over the adhesion surface of the arm and the first adhesion surface, and the adhesion surface of the carriage and the second adhesion surface include diagonally cut grooves so that the first adhesive agent flows in the grooves so as to evenly spread over the adhesion surface of the carriage and the second adhesion surface.

Head supporting device of magnetic disk system

A disk drive has a pair of transducers mounted to respective planar flexure seats and electrically connected to respective flexible printed circuit boards for data transfer with the opposite sides of a rotating flexible magnetic disk. One of the transducers, mounted to a pivoted load arm on a carriage, is moved away from the other transducer when the disk is being loaded in and unloaded from the disk drive. In order to prevent the conductive pattern on the circuit board for this one transducer from contacting the metal made top wall of the disk drive casing, the circuit board is shaped to include a major portion disposed on the back side of the flexure seat, opposite to the front side on which the transducer is mounted. The circuit board is further provided with a first pair of flaps which extend in opposite directions from the major portion and which are folded onto the front side of the flexure seat, and a second pair of flaps which extend right angularly from the first pair of flaps and which are folded, after having been folded together with the first pair of flaps onto the first side of the flexure seat, back onto the second side thereof so as to cover parts of the conductive pattern on the major portion. The transducer has its leads soldered to the conductive pattern on the first pair of flaps.

Space saving configuration of a printed cirucit board for a magnetic

The present inventor provides a magnetic disk apparatus that has a moving unit, a magnetic head and a wiring plate that electrically insulates the magnetic head and the moving unit. The moving unit is configured so as to be movable in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the magnetic disk. The magnetic head records and/or reproduces signals on and/or from the surface of the magnetic disk supported on a electrically conductive flexible member. The wiring plate is configured from an insulated member sandwiched between the moving unit and the flexible member and a wiring portion that is formed on the flexible member and electrically connected to the magnetic head.

Growing community of inventors

Fuchu, Japan

Jiro Ueki