Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Tadashi Maeoka

Kaoru Matsuoka

Yoshito Saji

Benichi Miyazaki

Masaki Kondo

Jirou Kajino

Hitoshi Minabe

Tomio Yamamoto

Masayuki Shinoda

Asayuki Matsumura

Takamichi Nakagawa

Yukihiro Fukushima

Yoshihiro Fujimoto

Genichi Yamada

Hideto Soga

Takaaki Kumazawa

Tetsurou Tanaka

Ko Hamano

A disk device includes a turntable which is rotationally driven and, for placing a disk thereon, a clamper for rotatably holding the disk between the turntable and the clamper, a loading mechanism for carrying the disk inserted to between the turntable and the clamper, a clamp arm which includes a clamper holder for rotatably holding the clamper by a claw fitted to the hook with a clearance and an arm unit disposed pivotably on a pivot shaft positioned apart from the clamper holder, the clamp arm moving the clamper between a disk pressing position and a retreat position, and a clamper restricting member including a resilient portion capable of contacting a part of the clamper on the side opposite to the side of the clamper moved to the retreat position and on a side apart from the pivot shaft of the arm unit.

Disk device having a clamper restricting member

An audio-video playback device in which a plane formed by the right sides of the device body and a plane formed by the right side of the monitor portion are on a substantially same plane, and the plane is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis (R-R) of rotatably supporting portions. The center of gravity of the device body is located toward the right side, whereby the stable side-down setting of the device in the manner that the right sides ( R and R) face downward is realized. While, operation switches and the like are not disposed on the right sides, a user lying down can operate the device and watch natural display images and listen to natural sounds if the device is sidewards.

Audio-video device reproducing apparatus

A disk driving apparatus includes: a head base unit which supports a head for recording data into and reproducing data from a storage medium, the head base unit being able to travel between a first position where the head is close to the storage medium for recording data thereto and reproducing data therefrom and a second position where the head is apart from the storage medium; a tray provided with a tray rack extending in a predetermined direction, the tray being slidable along the tray rack between a third position at which the head performs recording and reproduction on the storage medium and a fourth position at which an operator can place the storage medium; a driving power source; a tray gear which is driven by the driving power source; a rotation body gear which is driven by the driving power source; a partial gear which partially engages with the rotation body gear at a predetermined angle; and a rotation body which, in accordance with the rotation of the partial gear, reciprocally rotates so that the head base unit travels between the first position and the second position. When the tray is present at the third position, the tray gear is apart from the tray rack. Moreover, the rotation body includes a rotation body engagement section which engages with the tray while the tray travels from the third position to a predetermined position. Furthermore, the rotation body further includes a rotation body protrusion which pushes the tray substantially in the same direction as the sliding direction of the tray such that the tray gear engages with the tray rack while the tray is travelling between the third position and the fourth position.

Disk driving apparatus

An optical disk apparatus for a double-sided optical disk has an optical pickup unit for reproducing information from the optical disk, and base members carrying driving unit for shifting the pickup unit and a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the pickup unit. The drive of the pickup unit is conducted through a timing belt, and different reduction systems are used for reproducing operation of the optical pickup unit and for the shifting of the optical pickup unit from one to the other sides of the disk, by the operation of a switching mechanism for effecting switching between these reduction systems, such that, during the reproduction, the optical pickup unit is moved finely to provide a high resolution, whereas the shifting of the optical pickup unit from one to the other side of the disk is effected at a high speed. The motor as the power source therefore can operate at a low speed, thus reducing levels of vibration and noise.

Optical disc apparatus for recording and reproducing signals on both

A magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus is provided with a motor for driving a capstan, a cassette loading mechanism for loading a tape cassette at a predetermined position, a tape loading mechanism reciprocable between an inoperative position where the tape is ready be drawn out from the tape cassette and an operative position where the tape is drawn out and wound onto a guide drum, an operating mode changing mechanism driven by the motor for changing operating mode of the apparatus, a reel turntable driving mechanism for transmitting a rotational driving force of the motor to reel turntables, and a clutch for transmitting intermittently the driving force of the motor to the cassette loading, tape loading and operating mode changing mechanisms, whereby cassette loading operation, tape loading operation, operating mode changing operation and tape transporting operation and performed by the single motor.

Magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Tadashi Maeoka