Sony Corporation

Satoshi Uwagawa

Toshiaki Ueda

Mitsuo Ohashi

Eiichi Hirata

A protection-cover opening/closing mechanism for a digital still camera includes an electromagnet having stator around which an electromagnetic coil is formed and a movable member, a first lever to which the movable member is pivotally attached at a first end portion and which receives a rotational force, a second lever which is able to reciprocate on a stationary member, which is engageable with a second end portion of the first lever, and which is pressed toward an initial position thereof. While a CD-R is being operated, current is applied to the electromagnetic coil to restrain the movable member on the stator and thereby prevent the first lever from rotating, and the movement of the second lever in the direction away from the initial position is limited due to the engagement between the first lever and the second lever, thereby locking a protection cover at a closed position.

Protection-cover opening/closing mechanism for recording/playback apparatus

A disc driving apparatus has two bases. Both bases swing about their parallel shafts provided at the same side of the bases between positions where the bases chuck a disc-shaped recording medium and positions where they release the medium. A member for rotating the medium is provided for one of the bases, and another member for connecting the medium and the member in order to rotate them together is provided for the other of the bases. The disc driving apparatus also has a pickup for accessing the medium, a chucking mechanism for chucking the medium, a pickup moving mechanism, and a locking mechanism. The pickup can be moved in the radial direction of the medium. The pickup moving mechanism moves the pickup in the radial direction of the medium when the chucking mechanism releases the medium. The locking mechanism locks the movement of the pickup after it is moved to a specified position by the pickup moving mechanism.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Satoshi Uwagawa