Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Condition indicating – monitoring – or testing – Including radiation storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-29
2003-07-01
Tran, Thang V. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Condition indicating, monitoring, or testing
Including radiation storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
active
06587412
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of an apparatus for detecting abnormal insertion of a disc, an apparatus for holding the disc, an apparatus for reproducing information, and an apparatus for recording information. More specifically, an apparatus for detecting abnormal condition occurring when a disc-shaped recording medium for recording or reproducing information, such as CD (Compact Disc), DVD or the like, is inserted to a loading slot one-by-one. Moreover, an apparatus for holding the disc having the apparatus for detecting abnormal condition, an apparatus for reproducing information having the apparatus for holding the disc, and an apparatus for recording information having the apparatus for holding the disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional information reproducing apparatus or information recording apparatus for using an optical disc, basically, reproducing information from only one optical disc, or recording information on only one optical disc are in common use.
On the other hand, there are two ways to insert the optical disc for reproducing information to the information reproducing apparatus or to insert the optical disc for recording information to the information recording apparatus.
The first one is the way to insert the optical disc by using a tray. In this way, the tray for holding the optical disc is pulled out horizontally when the optical disc is inserted. Then after setting the optical disc on the tray, the tray is horizontally moved to be inserted into the apparatus. The second one is the way to insert the optical disc by using driving rollers. In this way, at the time of recording information or reproducing information, a user tentatively insert the optical disc into the loading slot one by one to have the disc caught between carrying rollers. Then after having it caught, the disc in itself is horizontally moved by the rotation of the carrying rollers to be inserted to the apparatus.
In the two ways, the second way is the one for broadly using in a vehicle-installed information reproducing apparatus, a handy-sized information reproducing apparatus or the like. The second way is called “slot-in system” generally.
In the slot-in system, measures against a double insertion, which is the insertion that more than one disc are consecutively inserted, are generally taken. If the double insertion is occurred, for example, the destruction of a clamp system is occurred or the destruction of the optical discs double-inserted in themselves.
In a conventional way to prevent occurring the double insertion, for example, a member for shuttering the loading slot is set after the insertion of the first disc is finished, the insertion of the following disc is prevented by the member.
The insertion that two discs are completely overlapped and inserted is not the “double insertion” in this explanation. It is the “double insertion” in this explanation that as shown in
FIG. 12
an optical disc
100
and an optical disc
101
are inserted having an partly overlapped area, namely, the two discs overlapped having plane shape with a character of eight.
In case of using the conventional measures against the above-mentioned double insertion, the member for shuttering the loading slot is set when the former disc is inserted to the predetermined position. Therefore the following disc may be destroyed by the member. In addition, the member in itself may be destroyed because its proper motion is prevented.
Moreover, in case of holding the disc in the state that the two discs are consecutively inserted in the above-mentioned way, the surface of the following disc may be damaged by contact with the clamp system for holding the disc, or the clamp system in itself may be damaged because its proper motion is prevented.
Further in so-called changer system that is available to hold a plurality of discs at the same time, if the two discs are consecutively inserted in the above-mentioned way, the following disc may be damaged when a reproducing section in the changer system is moved, or the reproducing section in itself may be damaged because its proper motion is prevented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for detecting an abnormal insertion of a disc body, which can certainly detect that a plurality of disc bodies like optical discs are consecutively inserted to a loading slot, and can prevent the disc bodies from destroying.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an apparatus for detecting the absence or the presence of the occurrence of the abnormal insertion that a plurality of disc bodies each of which should be inserted separately one by one are inserted consecutively. The apparatus has a passing detecting device for detecting the passing of the disc body, mounted on a passing route of the disc body, and a determining device for determining the occurrence of the abnormal insertion if the detecting device detects the passing again after the detecting device detected the passing once.
According to the apparatus of the present invention, a passing detecting device, which is mounted on a passing route of the disc body, detects the passing of the disc body. Then if the detecting device detects the passing again after the detecting device detected the passing, a determining device determines the occurrence of the abnormal insertion. Therefore, it is possible to detect certainly that a plurality of disc bodies are inserted consecutively, and to perform the following processing for avoiding the abnormal insertion.
In one aspect of the apparatus of the present invention, the passing detecting device has an. irradiating device and a disc body detecting device. The irradiating device irradiates a light beam on the passing route of the disc body. Then the disc body detecting device detects that the disc body passes through the passing route when the light beam is shielded. Therefore, it is possible to detect certainly that a plurality of disc bodies are inserted consecutively without no object contacts with the disc bodies.
In another aspect of the apparatus of the present invention, the passing detecting device includes a contact detecting device which detects that the disc body passes through the passing route if the disc body passing through the passing route contacts with the contact detecting device. Therefore, the passing is detected in a mechanical fashion, so that it is possible to detect certainly that a plurality of disc bodies are inserted consecutively.
In another aspect of the apparatus of the present invention, the passing detecting device further includes a holding device and a ejecting device. The holding device holds the disc body. Then if the determining device determines the occurrence of the abnormal insertion, the ejecting device ejects the disc body being inserted. Therefore, the disc body being inserted is ejected when the abnormal insertion is detected so that it is possible to prevent the disc bodies from destroying.
In another aspect of the apparatus of the present invention, the passing detecting device further includes a holding device and a announcing device. The holding device holds the disc body. If the determining device determines the occurrence of the abnormal insertion, the announcing device announces the occurrence of the abnormal insertion. Therefore, the occurrence of the abnormal insertion is announced so that it is possible to prevent the disc bodies from destroying and to prevent the abnormal state from being continued.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an apparatus for detecting the absence or the presence of the occurrence of the abnormal insertion that a plurality of disc bodies each of which should be inserted separately one by one are inserted consecutively. The apparatus has a passing detecting device for detecting a passing of the disc body, mounted on a passing route of the disc body, and a completion detecting device for detecting a completion of
Abe Takuya
Goto Hiroki
Kimura Tomomichi
Kobayashi Hiroyuki
Kubota Hidetsugu
Pioneer Corporation
Tran Thang V.
LandOfFree
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