Sony Corporation

Shuji Koseki

Akihisa Inatani

Yasuo Osada

Hiromu Watanabe

Yutaka Shimada

Yasuhiro Suda

Toshimasa Takahashi

Renji Tamura

Eiji Ide

Tsutomu Morita

Yuji Sudo

A disc transport apparatus for detecting a disc-shaped recording medium with specified diameter, transporting the disc-shaped recording medium to a chucking position, but not transporting a disc-shaped recording medium with different diameter, when detected, to the chucking position includes a recording medium mount section capable of mounting a first disc having a first diameter and a second disc having a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, an optical detection unit that uses a light receiving section for receiving reflected light from a detection target in response to light emitted from a light emitting section and that is provided at a position opposite a disc having the first diameter when the disc is mounted on the recording medium mount section and at a position not opposite a disc having the second diameter when the disc is mounted on the recording medium mount section, and a control section for determining whether a disc is mounted based on a detection result of the optical detection means.

Apparatus for and method of mounting disks having different diameters

A disk centering system includes: a disk mount portion having a disk mount surface on which a disk form recording medium is to be mounted, the disk mount portion being provided with a predetermined reference point; and at least three disk centering portions for pressing the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium, the disk centering portions being located in radial directions with the reference point as a center, wherein each of the disk centering portions can be moved between a centering position at which the disk centering portion makes contact with the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium mounted on the disk mount surface to thereby center the disk form recording medium and a stand-by position located on the outer side relative to the centering position, and the centering positions are located at an equal distance from the reference point in the radial directions with the reference point as a center.

Disk centering system

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a tape cassette having a magnetic tape wound about a pair of tape reels includes a supply side reel block, a takeup side reel block, a capstan arbor, a driving unit and a switching unit. The supply side reel block rotationally drives a supply side tape reel and includes a supply side reel block gear portion. The takeup side reel block rotationally drives a takeup side tape reel and includes a takeup side reel block gear portion. A capstan arbor runs the magnetic tape. The driving unit selectively runs the supply side reel block gear portion and the takeup side reel block gear portion in rotation by engaging the gear portions with each other. The driving unit includes a driving source and an intermediate gear for transmitting the driving power from the driving source to the supply side reel block gear portion, takeup side reel block gear portion and to the capstan arbor. The switching unit switches an running state of the magnetic tape by the actuating member being thrust from its initial position. The actuating member is thrust for moving the intermediate gear along its axis of rotation for transmitting the driving power from the driving source to one of the supply side reel block gear portion and the takeup side reel block gear portion and to the capstan arbor.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus with switching unit for switching

A recording and reproducing apparatus includes a head supporting member supported on a head slider and having a first head holder for supporting a recording and reproducing head and a second head holder for slidably supporting an erase head so that the erase head can be moved linearly and independently of the recording and reproducing head. The head supporting member is rotatable to reverse the orientation of the recording and reproducing head and of the erase head in accordance with a switching operation that reverses the travel direction of the tape. A record button is attached to a record lever that engages a recording operation slide member when the record button is depressed to release the recording operation slide member from holding the erase head away from a contact surface of the tape.

Recording head apparatus for a tape player

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Shuji Koseki