Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigehiro Itoh

Takashi Matsuda

Yasuyuki Nakanishi

Tatsunori Fujiwara

Kei Shirahata

Koutarou Oka

A cartridge changing device includes a mechanism for restricting the rotation of a loading hook engaged with an inserted cartridge when discharging the cartridge from a holder so that the cartridge does not slide out of the holder and fall out of the device. The holder is movable from a standby position where a cartridge is inserted to a play position where the cartridge can be played. A rotatably disclosed loading hook is engagable with the cartridge inserted into the holder to hold the cartridge. A cartridge transfer mechanism stops the cartridge at a stop position after ejection where the cartridge is ejected out of the holder by restricting a reverse rotation of the loading hook in a direction of releasing the cartridge after ejection by pushing an eject lever. The eject lever can include a stopper and the loading hook can include a projection which comes into contact with the stopper of the eject lever after the eject lever has been pushed so as to restrict the rotation of the loading hook and then stop the cartridge at the stop position after ejection. Therefore, when a cartridge is ejected from a holder, the cartridge is transferred to the same position at all times due to the non-engagement of the loading hook with the cartridge during ejection.

Cartridge changing device

A cartridge changing device comprises a plurality of insertion detecting switches each for detecting an insertion of a cartridge into each holder. If a cartridge is detached from one holder due to a careless operation by an user during a movement of the holder, the cartridge changing device detects the detachment of the cartridge and then putts the holder back into position, thereby preventing damage to the device and cartridge. Furthermore, when a cartridge is inserted into a holder free of a cartridge through an insertion opening of another holder, in which another cartridge is being played, lies just above the former holder in a downward and slanting direction, projecting parts of the former holder, which are inserted into square holes of the open/close door, receive the front end of the inserted cartridge. Thus, the projecting parts prevent the open/close door from being bent.

Growing community of inventors

Hyogo, Japan

Shigehiro Itoh