Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Richoh Company, Ltd.

Tetsuo Kanno

Yoshiaki Aota

Akihiko Okamoto

Hitoshi Inada

Hiroshi Koide

Takashi Ogawa

Tetsuro Hirota

Junichi Watanabe

Hiromi Juso

Masayuki Suzaki

Masaaki Sofue

Yuji Nakajima

Hideo Inuzuka

Toshimichi Hagiya

Yuji Kitamura

Makoto Iwasawa

Takeziro Koguchi

Kazumi Tanabe

Yasushi Kotake

Hiroshi Kamata

Makoto Yamahata

The present invention provides a disk drive unit which includes a body case having an opening portion for inserting a disk cartridge and for facilitating removal of the cartridge from the body case. A shutter mechanism having a shutter which is rotatably supported in the body case and is movable between an open position for inserting the cartridge and a closed position for preventing airborne debris from entering the interior of the body case. The shutter is normally in the closed position and is opened when a cartridge is inserted or ejected. A loading device is positioned within the body case and is configured to vertically move the cartridge so as to load the inserted cartridge onto a driving device. The loading device also selectively ejects the cartridge in an ejection movement. A driving device is provided to rotate a disk stored in the cartridge and is preferably fixed to the body case. The shutter mechanism also includes a cam linked with the shutter which is provided to rotate or pivot the shutter upwardly in association with the ejection movement of the cartridge caused by the loading device so as cause the shutter to move to the open position when the cartridge is being ejected.

Disk drive unit having improved shutter mechanism

An optical pickup unit is formed such that a portion on an upstream side of the air flow has a streamline shape or similar shape to the streamline shape so as to keep the air flow generated with high speed rotations of a disc-shaped recording medium away from a vicinity of an objective lens. According to this arrangement, dust contained in the air flow can be prevented from adhering to the surface of the objective lens. Moreover, the dust will not enter inside the optical pickup unit through a small clearance between a lens holder of the objective lens and a cover for the optical pickup unit.

Dust-proof structure for optical pickup unit

In an optical disk drive apparatus of a disk-exchangeable type, a locking mechanism is provided for locking a disk ejecting member of the disk loading mechanism. The locking mechanism includes an ejection arm which is connected to an ejection button and which is movable between an engaging position at which it is interlocked with an ejecting means and a disengaging position at which it is disconnected therefrom. A displacing member is operatively connected to the ejection arm and is movable between a locking position at which the ejection arm is kept at the disengaged position and a released position at which the ejection arm is kept at the engaging position. A controller is operative to keep the displacing member at the locking position when a spindle motor for rotating an optical recording medium enclosed in a disk cartridge is rotated and at the lock-releasing position when the spindle motor is stopped.

Optical disk loading apparatus with disk loading mechanism

An optical disk drive unit has an opening portion formed in a body case to insert an optical disk cartridge having an optical disk therein into the body case and take the optical disk cartridge out of the body case; a driving device for receiving and rotating the optical disk; and a rotatable shutter for opening and closing the opening portion. A leg portion extends from a shutter body. A center of rotation of the leg portion is located on a side of the driving device disposed within the body case and away from the opening portion of the body case. No closing operation of the shutter body is influenced by mounting the optical disk cartridge into the body case. At least one face of the shutter may be constructed by an arc face having a shape approximately equal to the shape of an arc around the center of rotation. A projecting portion may be disposed outside the shutter. In this case, a lower portion of the projecting portion comes in contact with the optical disk cartridge after an end portion of the projecting portion comes in contact with the optical disk cartridge.

Optical disk drive unit

An apparatus for measuring an optical output of an optical pickup device disposed in an optical disk drive unit has a dummy cartridge approximately of the same type as a disk cartridge mounted to the optical disk drive unit; a light-receiving element disposed in a predetermined position of the dummy cartridge; an optical level measuring display device for inputting the light-receiving signal thereto and displaying a measured value of the optical output; and a controller for controlling an operation of the optical disk drive unit such that this optical disk drive unit performs a predetermined operation for measuring the optical output. The above measuring apparatus may further comprise a connector device for externally outputting the light-receiving signal of the light-receiving element. In this case, the optical level measuring display device inputs the light-receiving signal thereto through the connector device. An apparatus for measuring a magnetic field distribution of a magnetic head disposed in a magnetooptic disk drive unit and generating an auxiliary magnetic field is also shown.

Apparatus measuring an output of a disk drive

A sealing structure is provided for sealing the optical recording medium and at least a part of an access mechanism against an outside of the apparatus when the disk cartridge is mounted at a predetermined position within the apparatus.

Optical disk drive apparatus

An ejection inhibiting mechanism in a disk memory device of a meidum exchanging type has a latching solenoid for inhibiting the operation of an ejecting mechanism for ejecting a memory medium; an inhibit releasing device for releasing the inhibition of the operation of the ejecting mechanism by the operation of the latching solenoid when a predetermined time has passed after power of the disk memory device is stopped; and a storage battery charged at any time and supplying power to the latching solenoid and the inhibit releasing device. The operation of the ejecting mechanism is inhibited until the rotation of the memory medium is stopped. A cartridge for a disk constructing the memory medium is ejected after the power of the disk memory device is turned off and the rotation of the disk is completely stopped. An attractive state of the latching solenoid is released when the predetermined time has passed.

Inhibiting ejection of disc memory for selected time after power off

An optical disk apparatus for an optical disk enclosed in a disk cartridge comprises a casing for accommodating the cartridge through a cassette insertion aperture formed therein. A disk drive motor for rotating the optical disk, a loading assembly for detachably loading the cartridge on the disk drive motor, and an optical pickup device for recording data on and/or reproducing data from the optical disk are provided in the casing. Deflecting member provided for sealing the periphery of the optical pickup device against the flow of outside air introduced in the casing. A specific air-seal or door structure is provided for preventing introduction of air from the cassette insertion aperture into the casing. In the case that the optical pickup device comprises an optical head casing and an optical system accommodated in the optical head casing, the optical head casing is provided with air-supply means for supplying pressurized air into the optical head casing to maintain the interior of the optical head casing at a pressure higher than the exterior thereof.

Optical disk apparatus

An optical disk drive apparatus includes a tray into which an optical disk or a cartridge housing therein an optical disk may be inserted. The tray is movable first in a horizontal direction and then in a vertical direction. A cone arm having a cone disk rotatably supported at its distal end is provided and the proximal end is fixedly supported near the entrance of the apparatus where an insertion slot for inserting an optical disk or cartridge is located. The cone arm is flexible and elongated in shape and has its intermediate portion operatively coupled to a bracket fixedly mounted on the tray, so that as the tray moves horizontally and then vertically, the cone arm is automatically deflected to bring the cone disk in engagement with the optical disk, thereby causing the optical disk properly mounted on a spindle motor. Further, an oil damper is interconnected with both a loading/ejecting arm and a shutter opening and closing member.

Disk drive apparatus with oil damper on eject lever

An optical disk drive includes an optical disk, a pair of guide shafts, a carriage having an optical pick-up movable in the radial direction of the disk as guided by the guide shafts. A plurality of rollers are rotatably mounted on the carriage so that a rolling contact is provided between the guide shafts and the carriage. Preferably, one of the rollers is pressed against the associated guide shaft so as to absorb any play which may exist in the rollers. Each of the guide shafts is so structured to define a part of a closed magnetic flux circuit, and each of a pair of coils fixedly mounted on the carriage is loosely fitted on this part of the associated guide shaft. As a result, a pair of linear motors is defined on both sides of the carriage using the pair of guide shafts to define a pair of closed magnetic flux circuits partly.

Optical disk drive

A floppy disk device includes a driving hub, a pressure cone engageable with the hub for holding a floppy disk therebetween, a leaf spring rotatably supporting the cone for pressing the cone against the hub, a cone lift arm and a door for closing or opening a slot for insertion or removal of the floppy disk. When an operator closes or opens the door, its movement is transmitted to the cone lift arm which either presses or releases the leaf spring depending upon whether the door is closed or opened. The provision of the cone lift arm as an intermediate member between the door and the leaf spring allows to produce various desirable effects. Another embodiment includes the provision of a pawl which allows to insure that the cone comes into engagement with the hub only when the floppy disk is properly aligned. A further embodiment includes the provision of a specially structured steel belt for use in transmitting driving power to a carriage carrying thereon a magnetic head for reading and writing information on the floppy disk.

Floppy disk drive with a linearly operated media clamp

A disk driving device includes a cartridge holder for accommodating a disk cartridge. Guide rollers associated with the cartridge holder are each guided by a guide slot to move the cartridge holder so as to load the disk cartridge in the device. The device includes a mechanism for preventing information from being unwantedly written into the disk which is encased in the disk cartridge.

Disk driving device for a disk cartridge

An apparatus for driving a floppy disc includes a first sensor responsive to a magnetic disc encased in a jacket of the floppy disc. Before the magnetic disc is gripper in a predetermined position, a d.c. motor included in a disc rotating mechanism is started in order to prevent rush current therethrough. After the start of the d.c. motor, a second sensor senses a return of the magnetic disc to a predetermined regular position whereupon a cone load drive source is activated to automatically move a cone toward a drive hub. Thus, the magnetic disc can be gripped and set in the regular position merely by inserting it into the apparatus. The apparatus also includes ejection apparatus for ejecting the floppy disc.

Growing community of inventors

Ebina, Japan

Tetsuo Kanno