Disc driving device

Details Disc driving device Disc driving device

1998-09-24

2001-07-17

Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2652)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

With particular cabinet structure

Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc

C369S197000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06262960

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disc drive device for rotationally driving a disc-shaped recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a recording medium for recording information signals, a disc-shaped recording medium, abbreviated herein to a disc, having a disc-shaped substrate carrying a recording layer, is in widespread use.
This disc-shaped recording medium is housed in, for example, a cartridge to form a disc cartridge or is directly loaded on the disc drive device, without being housed in a cartridge. For this disc-shaped recording medium, information signals are recorded or read out by a head as the recording medium is run in rotation.
These discs of different diameter sizes have been proposed depending on the usage and application. Also, the disc cartridges of different sizes have been proposed depending on the size of the discs accommodated therein. The disc cartridge holding a small-sized disc is thinner in thickness than the disc cartridge holding a large-sized disc.
The disc drive device for rotationally driving these discs of different sizes is required to be able to cope with the discs of different sizes, that is to be compatible with respect to these discs.
However, with the discs of different sizes, the area of each disc held by the turntable of the disc drive device (holding area) is set to an optimum area depending on the disc size. The turntable of the disc drive device is also set to a diameter related to the size of the associated disc. In general, the larger the disc diameter, the broader is the holding area and the larger the size of the turntable.
Therefore, if a small-sized disc is to be run in rotation using a disc drive device associated with the large-size disc, the turntable encroaches into the disc recording area to decrease the recording capacity. Moreover, the head portion of the recording/reproducing apparatus tends to collide against the turntable.
On the other hand, if a large-sized disc is to be run in rotation using a disc drive device associated with the small-sized disc, the disc holding state is unstable to render it impossible to realize stable recording/reproduction.
Moreover, if, in case a disc is held in a cartridge and loaded as a disc cartridge in the disc drive device, the loaded cartridge differs in thickness, the disc height position in the disc drive device differs with the disc size to render it impossible to run the disc in rotation satisfactorily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a disc drive device which holds the discs of different sizes in stability so as to assure a sufficient recording area and in which the discs of different sizes held in cartridges of different thicknesses can be positioned at predetermined height to enable stabilized rotation of the discs held in the cartridges.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a disc drive device including a main body unit of the disc drive device, a disc holding unit for rotatably holding the disc-shaped recording medium loaded on the main body unit, and rotational driving means for rotationally driving the disc holding unit, wherein
the disc holding unit has a holding area for the disc-shaped recording medium which is rendered variable depending on the size of the disc-shaped recording medium held therein.
When the small-sized disc is loaded on the disc drive device, the disc holding unit holds the small-sized disc in stability by an area corresponding to the holding area for the small-sized disc, with the rotational driving means running the disc holding unit holding the small-sized disc and hence the small-sized disc in rotation.
When the large-sized disc is loaded on the disc drive device, the disc holding unit holds the large-sized disc in stability by an area corresponding to the holding area for the large-sized disc, with the rotational driving means running the disc holding unit holding the large-sized disc and hence the large-sized disc in rotation.
The disc drive device is preferably provided with detection means for detecting the size of the disc held in the disc holding unit. In this case, the disc holding unit varies the disc holding area depending on the size of the disc detected by the detection means.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a disc drive device including a main body unit of the disc drive device, cartridge holding means mounted for movement relative to the main body unit of the disc drive device and having a plurality of containers for containing the disc cartridges of different sizes therein and movement actuating means for causing movement of the cartridge holding means between a position in which the containers face the outside of the main body unit and a predetermined position inside the main body unit of the disc drive device.
The movement actuating means sets the height position of the cartridge holding means in the main body unit of the disc drive device depending on the size of the disc cartridges contained in the container of the cartridge holding means.
The disc in the disc cartridge held by the cartridge holding means has different height positions depending on the difference in thickness of the disc cartridges. By movement of the cartridge holding means by movement actuating means in the inside of the disc drive device, the discs in the cartridge are positioned at predetermined height positions in the inside of the main body unit of the disc drive device.
The disc drive device is preferably provided with detection means for detecting the size of the disc cartridge accommodated in the container of the cartridge holding means. The movement actuating means sets the height position in the main body unit of the disc drive device of the cartridge holding means depending on the size of the disc cartridge as detected by the detection means.
The disc drive device according to the present invention, in which the disc holding unit for rotatably holding the disc has the outer rim of the holding area for the disc which is variable depending on the size of the disc held therein, can stably hold the discs of different sizes as it secures a sufficient recording area for each disc.
Also, the disc drive device according to the present invention, in which the movement actuating means for causing movement of the cartridge holding means sets the height position of the cartridge holding means in the disc drive device depending on the size of the disc cartridge held in the container of the cartridge holding means, can maintain a constant height position in the main body unit of the disc drive device for the discs contained in the disc cartridges, even if the loaded disc cartridges are of different size, thus appropriately holding these different size discs.


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