U.S. Philips Corporation

Johannes W Faber

Peter J Janssen

Adrianus J Franken

Hendricus F Smulders

Pieter Van Der Giessen

Gunter Weick

Jacques P Klomp

Jacobus A deVos

Wouter H Swinkels

An information medium comprises an information disc 1 which can be rotated inside the enclosure 5 and which carries a hub 2 which extends through an opening 9 in a main wall 6 of the enclosure with some clearance. Radial displacements of the information disc are limited by elastic means between the hub and the edge 23 of the central opening in the main wall.

Disc cassette

The device includes a first connector housing (7) in which end portions of a number of optical fibres (1) are secured and a second connector housing (11) in which a corresponding number of optical elements to be connected to the fibres, for example end portions of further optical fibres (3), is secured. After the connection has been established, the two connector housings (7, 11) are detachably coupled by means of a locking device which includes a first locking portion (17) which is provided at the first end (16) of a lever (15) provided on the first connector housing (7) and a second locking portion (18) which cooperates with the first locking portion and which is provided on the second connector housing (11). In order to establish also an electrical connection between pairs of conductors (35, 41), an electrical contact member (27, 37) is provided near each of the two locking portions (17, 19). In the locked condition, these contact members (27, 37) are electrically interconnected; they are separated from one another upon unlocking.

Optical and electrical connector device

A device for translating a slide comprises a frame 15, a first guide rod 17A, a second parallel guide rod 17B, and first and second bearing means which cooperate with respective guide rods. The slide 13 is rectilinearly movable along an X-axis of an orthogonal triaxial system further comprising a Y-axis and a Z-axis. The first bearing means comprises a first bearing sleeve 19A1 and a second bearing sleeve 19A2, the slide being supported against movement along the Y-axis and Z-axis by the first bearing sleeve 19A1 and a first guide rod 17A and against movement along the Z-axis by the second bearing sleeve 19A2 and the first guide rod 17A. The second bearing means comprises a bearing sleeve 19B which together with the second guide rod 17B supports the slide against movement along the Y-axis and the Z-axis.

Device for translating a slide

A disc cassette comprising an information disc has a slot 10 for the passage of a recording and/or reproducing head and a central opening 9 for the passage of a drive spindle. On the outside it carries a closing cover which is movable towards an operational position and which has a slot 12 which aligns with the slot 10 in the envelope in the operational position of the closing cover. The closing cover 11 extends further than the central opening 9 in the major wall to cover this opening in the closing position of the closing cover and has a further opening 13 which overlaps the central opening in the envelope of the disc cassette in said operational position to allow the passage of drive spindle of a drive apparatus. Preferably the closing cover and the envelope cooperate with each other near the central opening to retain the closing cover against undesired displacements away from the enclosure.

Disc cassette with slidable cover

A manipulator having an object holder which can be moved in three directions of translation and three directions of rotation. The object holder is connected by coupling members to driving members secured to a frame. A modular construction is obtained by making the coupling members for the directions of translation and the directions of rotation identical to each other, respectively. The driving members for the directions of translation and the directions of rotation, respectively, are also identical. The modular construction results in a very accurate construction with a minimum number of different components.

Manipulator having six degrees of freedom

A modular data storage system for a plurality of identical data carriers (3) includes at least one recorder apparatus and at least one storage module (10). The storage module includes an internal transport device (32). An external transport device (13) is associated with the outside of the storage module, which external transport device can transport data carriers between the recorder apparatus and the storage module. The recorder apparatus includes a recorder module (9) comprising a module frame having outer dimensions which are substantially equal to those of a module frame of the storage module so that all of these modules can be arranged successively adjacent to form optional configurations adapted to suit specific requirements. The external transport device (13) cooperates with the recorder and storage modules at their backs and is located inside a cabinet (5, 6, 8, 13) of the modular data storage system.

Modular data storage system

A switch for making and breaking optical connections of optical fibers, by connecting one fiber to another fiber of a group of fibers. The coupling of fibers is realized in a V-groove in a first holder. The switch comprises two holders, each of which comprises a gear ring. These rings are made to engage by means of a helical spring. The first holder accommodates several fibers which are equidistantly distributed over its circumference. A coupling between two fibers is broken by pulling the holders apart (against the force of the spring). By subsequently rotating the holders and moving the holders towards each other again, a coupling between the fiber on the second holder and a further fiber on the first holder is realized. The second holder comprises a positioning ring which provides coarse orientation of the holders with respect to each other. The two gear rings provide exact final positioning of the holders.

Optical fiber switch with rotary gear movement

A disk unit (1) comprises a circular information disk (2) accommodated in an enclosure, at least one major wall (6) of the enclosure being formed with a slot (11) for an information write and/or read head of a disk drive apparatus, which slot is closed by means of a sliding plate (12) of a slot sealing device when the disk unit is disposed outside the drive unit, and which slot can be opened by sliding the sliding plate from the closed position to the open position when the disk unit is inserted into a drive unit. An actuating member for moving the sliding plate is constituted by a lever (13) which is journalled on the major wall (6) in which the slot (11) is formed, in such a way that a transmission ratio greater than unity is obtained between a free end (15) of the lever which is externally accessible to the drive unit and a second free end (16) which is connected to sliding plate (12).

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Johannes W Faber