Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-08
2004-01-20
Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2153)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S030910, C369S030860
Reexamination Certificate
active
06680882
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for reproducing a disc.
A disc reproducing system having an automatic disc changer has recently become popular. The disc reproducing system is provided with a rack wherein a large number of CDs are stored so as to improve the storing efficiency of the CDs.
FIG. 26
is a perspective view of such a reproducing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open 9-223351 which has been filed by the present patent applicant.
FIGS. 27 and 28
show another reproducing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open 59-104759.
The system of
FIG. 24
will be described firstly. A disc reproducing system is provided with a roulette device
3
mounted on a chassis base
2
in a housing. The housing comprises the chassis base
2
, casing
8
, rear panel
9
and the front operation panel
10
. The roulette device
3
comprises a base
3
a
, rack base
3
b
having a spindle
3
c
and a center pole
5
mounted on the spindle
3
c
, and five rotary circular racks
4
a
,
4
b
,
4
c
,
4
d
and
4
e
, each having a center hole
4
in which the center pole
5
is engaged. Hence, all of the racks
4
a
to
4
e
are securely mounted on the center pole
5
in a tiered formation.
In each of the racks
4
a
to
4
e
, there is formed radial slits
40
in each of which a recording medium D such as CD can be stored. A radial recess
41
through which a disc player
7
provided adjacent the racks
4
a
to
4
e
passes is further formed in each of the racks
4
a
to
4
e
at a predetermined circumferential position. In the player
7
, an arm
7
a
is provided for taking out one of recording mediums D. The arm
7
a
is operated by a driving device (not shown) upon loading and ejecting of the recording mediums D into and out of the disc player
7
thereby passing through one of the slits
40
of the rack from the underneath thereof.
The front operation panel
10
is provided with an opening
10
a
through which the recording mediums D is inserted and taken out. The opening
10
a
is covered by a door
6
having a pin
6
a
projected downward from the top. The pin
6
a
engaged with the upper end of the center pole
5
so that the door
6
is rotatably mounted thereon. The door
6
is rotated on the pole
5
in the counterclockwise direction to disclose the racks
4
a
to
4
e
through the opening
10
a.
On the underside of the rack
4
a,
an encoder (not shown) and photo sensors are provided for detecting position of a desired recording mediums on one of the racks
4
a
to
4
e.
When a select button on the operation panel
10
is operated to select a desired recording mediums, the racks
4
a
to
4
e
are rotated and stored at an angular position where the desired recording medium is stored. The disc player
7
is vertically moved to the position of one of racks where the recording medium is stored. The arm
7
a
takes out the recording medium and loads it on the disc player
7
, thereby reproducing the recording medium.
Referring to
FIGS. 27 and 28
, an annular storing base
12
is rotatably provided in a frame
11
and rotated by a rotating device
13
. On the storing base
12
, a plurality of recording mediums D are stored. An information reading and writing device
15
and an arm driving device
17
for driving an arm
16
are mounted on a holding base
14
. A guide
15
a
is provided for guiding the recording medium D. An opening
18
is formed for inserting the recording medium D. The arm
16
has pawls
16
a
and is driven by a screw
19
.
When a desired recording medium D is selected, the storing base
12
is rotated so that the selected recording medium is positioned at the opening
18
of the information reading and writing device
15
. Then, the arm
16
is moved in the direction X by the arm driving device
17
, and inserts the recording medium D into the device
15
. The recording medium D is located at a position d shown by dotted lines. At the position, the information is read and written.
Thereafter, the information reading and writing device
15
moves the recording medium D to a position where a part of recording medium D is projected from the opening
18
.
A detector (not shown) mounted on the arm
16
detects whether the recording medium D contacts with the arm
16
or not. If contacts, the pawls
16
a
are moved in the direction Y in
FIG. 27
by solenoids (not shown) to grip the recording medium D. If does not contact, the arm
16
is moved in the direction X until contacts. Then, the arm
16
is moved in the direction X′ so that the recording medium D is returned to the storing base
12
, and hence the sequential operation is completed.
FIG. 29
shows an example of a rotating mechanism of the disc reproducing system. In the rotating mechanism
20
, a shaft
22
is secured to a frame
21
at the upper end thereof, and to a base
23
at the lower end thereof. On the shaft
22
, a disc holder
24
is rotatably mounted. A plurality of discs D are radially arranged and supported on a disc receiver
24
a
of the disc holder
24
.
The disc holder
24
has a toothed periphery
24
b
with which a pinion
25
is engaged.
The disc holder
24
is rotated by a motor through the pinion
25
so as to position a selected disc to a reproducing device (not shown).
In the system of
FIG. 26
, it is necessary to provide a device for preventing the center pole
5
from vibrating. If the center pole
5
vibrates, the position of the desired disc may not be exactly detected.
In the system shown in
FIGS. 27 and 28
, it is also necessary to provide a vibration preventing device of the rotating device
13
in order to exactly load a disc. However, it is difficult to provide such a device for the rotating device
13
.
The device of
FIG. 29
has following problems.
(1) In the rotating device
20
having five degrees of freedom at the shaft
22
and one degree of freedom at the pinion
25
, it is important that the shaft
22
is kept vertical, because the vibration of the shaft causes the peripheral position to largely fluctuate.
(2) Since the driving pinion
25
having a small diameter engages with teeth of disc holder having a large diameter, there is a case where the pitch of the teeth changes about 0.8 mm by change of ambient temperature.
(3) The deflection of the disc holder renders the operation relative to the driving mechanism including the driving pinion
25
defective.
(4) Since the shaft
22
is disposed in the center of the disc holder
24
, no devices can be provided in the central portion of the disc holder.
In order to resolve above described problems, a rotating mechanism
20
′ shown in
FIG. 30
has been proposed.
The rotating mechanism
20
′ comprises a base
27
, an annular disc holder
28
having a disc receiver
28
a
and a toothed periphery
28
b
and a driving pinion
29
engaged with the toothed periphery
28
b.
On the underside of the disc holder
28
, an annular projection
28
c
is formed. The annular projection
28
c
is mounted on a plurality of rotating rollers
30
rotatably mounted on the base
27
, so that the disc holder
28
is rotatably mounted on the base
27
about the axis Z. Thus, the disc holder
28
is positioned in the Z, X and Y axes by the roller
30
.
In order to mount a large number of discs on the disc holder, there is a disc holder having an inside diameter of 200 mm.
Such a large disc holder causes the following problems.
(1) In order to precisely manufacture the disc holder, the manufacturing cost increases.
(2) It is difficult to produce the disc holder having a high preciseness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a disc reproducing system in which a rotating shaft is prevented from vibrating.
According to the present invention, there is provided a system for reproducing a disc comprising, a base, a disc holder for holding a plurality of discs, supporting means for rotatably mounting the disc holder on the base, guiding means provided between the disc holder and the base for guiding the disc holder so as to be rotated about an axis, rot
Fukushima Yoshimitsu
Ikedo Yuji
Nagata Hitoshi
Yamane Atsushi
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Miller Brian E.
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
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