Sony Corporation

Keiji Maruta

Akihiro Yamada

Junichi Suzuki

Kazuyuki Takizawa

Yoshitaka Ukita

Kenji Shintani

Takashi Naito

Hideki Okii

Kazutaka Noborimoto

Masanobu Nishikata

Kazuto Naganuma

Minoru Otsuka

Hiroshi Orikawa

Shigeru Miyazaki

An optical disk player for reproducing information stored on various types of optical disks, such as video disks and compact disks having diameters different from that of the video disk, for recording audio signals and for recording audio and video signals, wherein a skew sensor detects an inclination of an optical disk relative to an optical pickup, a skew servo mechanism controls the inclination of the optical pickup, relative to the optical disk on the basis of the detected inclination, a disk size detector detects the size of the disks, a disk detector detects signals, recorded in audio and audio/video compact disks indicative of the type of optical disk, and on the basis of the detected outputs from the size detector and the disk detector, the skew servo is effected continuously from the innermost track to outermost track or slightly before the outermost track when the disk is a video disk or audio/video compact disk, but wherein the skew servo is stopped at a predetermined position inwardly of the outerost track when the disk is an audio compact disk.

Optical disk player with disk size and pickup location responsive skew

An optical disk having radially discrete main and lead-in track areas in which there are respectively recorded color video information according to one of a plurality of TV systems, such as, NTSC and systems, and code data including data identifying that one TV system, is reproduced by an optical disk player including a head for initially scanning and picking up the code data recorded in the lead-in track area and then scanning and picking up the color video information recorded in the main track area. The output of the head is supplied to a reproducing circuit having at least one operating mode corresponding to a predetermined one of the TV systems for processing the color video information from the output of the head when the TV system used for recording is consistent with the predetermined one of the TV systems corresponding to the operating mode, the identifying data is decoded from the output of the head when the latter scans the lead-in track area, and a function of the optical disk player is controlled in response to an inconsistency between the predetermined TV system corresponding to the operating mode of the optical disk player and the TV system used for recording as determined from the derived identifying data. The function thus controlled may be the operation of an indicator or a disk ejector, the generation of a display or message on a monitor, or the change-over of the operating mode of the disk player.

Optical disk apparatus compatible with different television system

An apparatus for reproducing signals recorded on a selected one of first and second discs of different diameters, such as, a relatively large diameter video disc and a relatively small diameter compact disc, has a disc-transporting tray mounted for substantially horizontal movement between a first or operative position within a housing and a second or disc-inserting and withdrawing position in which the tray projects substantially forwardly from the housing through an opening at the front of the latter, the tray having first and second disc mounting portions dimensioned for receiving and holding the relatively large and small diameter discs, respectively, and the second or relatively small-diameter disc mounting portion being disposed at a front part of the tray and substantially contained within the confines of the first or large-diameter disc mounting portion for minimizing the required size of the tray, and hence the overall size of the apparatus. Further, access to the second or relatively small-diameter disc mounting portion of the tray for inserting or withdrawing a compact disc may be had when the tray is only partly projected from the housing, thereby to reduce the time required for loading and unloading or exchanging a compact disc.

Apparatus for reproducing selectively loaded discs of different diameters

An optical disk player is provided with a casing or base which need not be substantially larger than a square inscribed by the circular perimeter of the compact disk which it plays by causing the optical pick-up to radially scan the disk along a path at a predetermined angle to the sides of the square, preferably at about 45.degree. thereto. At the outermost position of the pick-up, its object lens is centered at the outermost track on the disk, and a corner of the casing conveniently accommodates the portion of the pick-up which then necessarily extends outwardly beyond the outermost track.

Compact optical disk player including non-orthogonal optical paths

An insertion hole is formed in an objective lens holder which receives at least a distal end of a member arranged inwardly of the holder in substantially the axial direction of a support shaft. The objective lens holder can be made thin in the axial direction of the support shaft without requiring the member to be reduced in size, and an objective lens drive device can be made thin without causing degradation of sensitivity.

Driving apparatus for an objective lens

A device for supporting and positioning the objective lens in an optical reading apparatus, such as, a video disc player, comprises a first pair of parallel leaf springs attached at one end thereof to a fixed support member for motion parallel to a record medium surface. A movable frame is attached to the other ends of the first springs, and a second pair of leaf springs movable perpendicularly to the record medium surface extend from the frame, the second springs being generally parallel to and between the first pair but with their faces perpendicular to those of the first pair. The objective lens is mounted at the free ends of the second pair of springs, and is movable electromagnetically in orthogonally related directions by means of coils and magnets associated with the objective lens and with the frame.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Keiji Maruta