Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-20
2003-09-02
Whitehead, Jr., Carl (Department: 2813)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S030930, C369S030280
Reexamination Certificate
active
06614733
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for determining the presence or absence of a disk and the size of a disk loaded onto a disk holder of a multi-disk changer including a plurality of disk holders, each holder being able to selectively accommodate a disk of different size.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
is a simplified plan-view of a conventional multi-disk changer, and
FIGS. 2A and 2B
are drawings for the purpose of describing in detail the operation of determining the size of a disk inserted in the multi-disk changer of FIG.
1
.
The multi-disk changer
1
of
FIG. 1
includes a plurality of disk holders
11
to
14
, each being able to accommodate disks of different sizes, for example, a 12-cm compact disk (CD) and a 12-cm digital versatile disk (DVD), or an 8-cm compact disk. Two through-holes
21
and
22
to be used for determining disk size are formed in each disk holder.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, one of the two through-holes
21
and
22
is located inside 8-cm diameter of a disk holder and the other is between 8-cm and 12-cm diameter. And, the two through-holes
21
and
22
are also aligned along a line A-A′ through the center of a disk turntable, as shown in FIG.
2
A.
FIG. 2B
is a cross-section taken along the line A-A′ in FIG.
2
A. As shown in
FIG. 2B
, a pair of a light-emitting element
30
a
(or
31
a
) and a photo-detecting element
30
b
(or
31
b
) are placed above and below each through-hole
21
(or
22
) such that a light-beam from the light-emitting element
30
a
(or
31
a
) is transmitted to the photo-detecting element
30
b
(or
31
b
) through the corresponding through-hole
21
(or
22
).
Each detecting sensor composed of the pair of light-emitting element
30
a
(or
31
a
) and photo-detecting element
30
b
(or
31
b
), is used to detect the size of the disk placed on the disk holder
11
. For example, if an 8-cm disk has been placed on a 8-cm holding space
112
formed in the disk holder
11
, a light-beam from the inner light-emitting element
30
a
is blocked by the presence of the disk so that the corresponding inner photo-detecting element
30
b
can not detect any light-beam. However, the outer photo-detecting element
31
b
can still detect a light-beam from the outer light-emitting element
31
a
because the outer through-hole
22
is not blocked by the disk. In this case, it can be determined that the placed disk is 8-cm.
If a 12-cm disk is placed on a 12-cm holding space
111
formed in the disk holder
11
, the two light-beams from both light-emitting elements
30
a
and
31
a
are blocked by the 12-cm disk so that the two photo-detecting elements
30
b
and
31
b
can not detect any light-beam. The detection of no light-beam means that a 12-cm disk has been inserted.
When two light-beams from both light-emitting elements
30
a
and
31
a
are detected at both photo-detecting elements
30
b
and
31
b,
no disk has been inserted in the disk holder
11
, so that the light-beam detection by two photo-detecting elements
30
b
and
31
b
means that there is no disk in the disk holder
11
.
According to the above-described operations of the detecting sensors
30
and
31
, both the presence or absence of a disk and disk size can be determined at a time, and a servo control such as spindle motor control for rotating a loaded disk can be optimized for the determined disk size.
However, the above-described disk size determining apparatus in a multi-disk changer uses two detecting sensors to determine both the presence or absence of a disk and the disk size, so that the manufacturing costs of a multi-disk changer is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of determining the presence or absence of a disk as well as the disk size using only one detecting sensor in a multi-disk changer including a plurality of disk holders, each being able to selectively accommodate a disk of different size.
A disk size determining apparatus of a multi-disk changer according to the present invention, includes a turntable, a plurality of disk holders installed at the same distance from the center of the turntable, each disk holder being able to selectively accommodate a disk of different size, and a light-emitting element or a photo-detecting element above or below the turntable, wherein each of said disk holders has holes at the same distance from the center of the turntable, with a light beam passing through each hole from the light-emitting element in order that the disk size can be determined.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5150349 (1992-09-01), Takai et al.
patent: 6169712 (2001-01-01), Yoshimura
patent: 6288982 (2001-09-01), Kato
Dolan Jennifer M
Jr. Carl Whitehead
LG Electronics Inc.
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