Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Masanori Onishi

Yuji Ariyoshi

Kiyoshi Ishioka

Toru Tanaka

Katsuhiko Koshino

Masanao Wakikawa

Masahiko Nakamura

Yukio Morioka

Seizo Miyoshi

Yosuke Noda

Tadashi Yoshikawa

Hidemi Sasaki

Kiyoshi Ikoma

Tetsuya Nakakohara

For providing an optical disk driving device that is capable of accurately performing recording and reproduction of even disks that include warpage without the provision of a tilt mechanism, a clamper is comprised of a central clamper portion for pinching and holding a disk between the clamper and a turntable, and an outer clamper portion for abutting against an outer periphery of the disk and pressurizing the same in case the disk includes any warpage to thereby correct the warpage. It is accordingly possible to restrict an angle formed between a light beam and an information surface of the disk to be within a specified value for accurately performing reproduction.

Optical disk driving device having a clamper for correcting warpage of an optical disk

An optical pickup device featuring reduced number of components and improved workability for achieving cost reduction and improved product quality. A base stand ( ) is provided with a first guide section ( ) and a second guide section ( ) which stand upright from the base stand individually and can slidably engage with the first and second engagement portions ( ) provided on a mount base ( ), respectively. This arrangement permits the base stand ( ) having the guide sections ( ) fixed thereon to be assembled directrly with the mount base ( ) including an optical pickup thereon, resulting in simplified assembly operation and enhanced operation efficiency. Further, integral forming of the base stand ( ) together with the first guide section ( ) and the second guide section ( ) into one body enables it to reduce the number of components, cut the production costs and improve the product quality

Optical pickup device and production method of optical pickup device components

An optical disc device, having a traverse base includes an optical pickup and a feed motor that drives the optical pickup forward and backward from an inner circumferential position of an optical disc to an outer circumferential position thereof. This device comprises a loading device for transferring an optical disc from the exterior of the device body onto the traverse base, and a loading driving device for driving the loading device by using the driving of the feed motor. The feed motor can move the optical pickup for signal reproduction and eject the optical disc to the exterior of the device, thereby reducing the number of motors used in the device to provide a more inexpensive optical disc device.

Optical disc device

It is an object of this invention to provide a light and inexpensive disc changer that does not require a stocker having a plurality of shelves or a plurality of subtrays. A group of spacers (,) held by a disc holding means are driven by a vertical drive means to select any disc (,) of a group of discs (,) held by the spacers (,). A spindle drive means detaches a holding claw (,). A horizontal transfer means transfers any disc (,) supported on a subtray (,) to a sound recording/reproduction position, and a disc clamp means clamps the disc.

Disk changer comprising spindle drive means for a holding claw

A disc changer includes a tray support horizontally movable between a disc mounting position and a playing position in a housing; a rotation shaft on the tray support; and a tray rotatable around the rotation shaft and having a plurality of disc carrying areas each for carrying a disc, the disc carrying areas being equally angularly spaced. The tray has a generally polygonal profile, and the tray support has a width which is shorter than the effective diameter of the tray.

Disc changer

An automatic disc changer which includes a tray storage section for accommodating a stack of disc trays each having an opening defined in a support surface thereof on which a corresponding information carrier disc is placed. An information pick-up unit is disposed at a location adjoining the tray storage section and supported for movement up and down between elevated and lowered positions corresponding respectively to play and stand-by positions. A tray transport mechanism is provided for transporting a lowermost one of the stack of the disc trays within the tray storage section towards the stand-by position immediately above the information pick-up unit. Also, tray elevating mechanism carrying the information pick-up unit and operable to elevate the disc tray at the stand-by position towards the play position is located in the play section. A tray returning mechanism is provided for returning the disc tray at the play position back to the tray storage section and immediately above the stack of the disc trays remaining within the tray storage section.

Automatic disc changer for retrieving a lowermost disc from a stack of

A magnetic recording-reproducing device operable by selective depression of various operating buttons and a manual switch in various modes. A reproduce button and a rewind button or a fast-forward button may be simultaneously locked in operative positions. A review mode is attained by the depression of the fast-forward button when the reproduce button is kept locked in the operative position. A cue mode is attained by the depression of the fast-forward button when the reproduce button is kept locked in the operative position. When the tape transport motion is halted as the tape is completely rewound or taken up in the review or cue mode, the rewind or fast-forward button is released from the locked position and the recording-reproducing device is switched into the reproduce mode. When no further tape transport is permitted, that is, when the tape is completely taken up in the cue mode, the reproduce button is released from the locked position and the magnetic recording-reproducing device is automatically switched to the stop mode. However, when the tape is completely rewound in the review mode, the recording-reproducing device remains in the reproduce mode and the tape is played back. When a tape counter displays a predetermined number, the locked rewind or fast-forward button may be automatically released and the recording-reproducing device may be automatically switched to the reproduce mode; and when a manual switch is kept open, the tape-transport motor is automatically stopped but the record and reproduce buttons are kept locked when the tape is completely taken up in the record mode.

Magnetic recording-reproducing device

A plurality of parallel push rods is vertically movably supported between an inactive position to which each push rod is normally biased and an active position in which it engages a drive mechanism of the tape recorder. Each of the rods is provided with a notched portion. A latch bar having a plurality of projections arranged along one edge thereof is pivotally supported at one end and has its opposite end biased toward the push rods to permit its projections to engage each of the notched portions of the rods. The notched portion of the rods has a first notch with which the associated projection of the latch bar normally engages when the push rods are in the inactive position and a second notch with which that projection engages to lock the push rod in the active position. At least one of the push rods is provided with a protrusion in the direction toward the latch bar to cause it to rotate about its pivot to unlock another push rod from the active position.

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Hirakata, Japan

Masanori Onishi