Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-10
2002-09-24
Tupper, Robert S. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06456582
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chucking apparatus and method for a cartridge, and more particularly to a chucking apparatus and method for restricting a position of a cartridge accommodating a storage medium and loaded in a recording/reproducing apparatus at a recording/reproducing position thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is important that a cartridge accommodating a storage medium such as an optical disk and a magnetic disk should be loaded always stably in a recording/reproducing apparatus at a predetermined recording/reproducing position, in order to record/reproduce data in/from the storage medium. If a position restriction (chucking) error such as a cartridge float and a cartridge shift occurs at the predetermined recording/reproducing position, it is impossible to correctly record/reproduce data. In order to avoid this, a recording/reproducing apparatus is equipped with a cartridge chucking apparatus for loading/unloading. the cartridge at a predetermined recording/reproducing position. A conventional cartridge chucking apparatus is mounted so that when a cartridge is inserted into the recording/reproducing apparatus, the chucking apparatus holds it, and moves it to a predetermined recording/reproducing position whereat the position in the back/front, right/left and up/down directions is restricted.
FIG. 10
is a perspective view of a conventional cartridge chucking apparatus adapted to an MD recording/reproducing apparatus.
FIGS. 11A and 11B
are diagrams illustrating the operation of the cartridge chucking apparatus shown in
FIG. 10
as viewed along an arrow F direction,
FIG. 11A
shows the state that a cartridge is inserted, and
FIG. 11B
shows the state that the cartridge is fixed at a predetermined recording/reproducing position.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the conventional cartridge chucking apparatus adapted to an MD recording/reproducing apparatus is mounted in a main frame (not shown) of the MD recording/reproducing apparatus and constituted of a loading chassis
80
, a base chassis
90
and elastic members
3
a
and
3
b
for energizing both the base chassis
90
and loading chassis
80
so as to make them engage with each other. The loading chassis
80
holds a cartridge
1
inserted into an inlet of the MD recording/reproducing apparatus and loads it at, or unloads it from, a predetermined recording/reproducing position. The base chassis
90
restricts (chucks) the position of the cartridge
1
in the front/back, right/left and up/down directions as viewed in
FIG. 10
, at a loading position to which the loading chassis
80
was moved.
The cartridge
1
accommodates a storage medium (disk) and has two reference holes
2
side by side on the right side as viewed in FIG.
10
. These reference holes
2
are formed on the bottom side of the cartridge as concaves with bottoms. The hole
2
a
is a circle hole, and the hole
2
b
is an elongated hole with arc sides.
The loading chassis
80
is mounted in a main frame (not shown) of the MD recording/reproducing apparatus as described above and has support shafts
84
a
and
84
b
extending from opposite sides. A lift (not shown) for raising/lowering the loading chassis
80
in the main frame is coupled to the support shafts
84
a
and
84
b
. As the loading chassis
80
is raised in the main frame, it takes a position corresponding to the inlet (not shown) into which the cartridge
1
is inserted. The loading chassis
80
is provided with spring hooks
86
a
and
86
b
projecting from the left side and rear side of the loading chassis
80
.
The base chassis
90
is fixed to the bottom of the MD recording/reproducing apparatus and positioned under the loading chassis
80
spaced by a predetermined distance therefrom. The base chassis
90
made of a thin plate has opposite side walls
91
a
and
91
b
generally bent at a right angle. The side walls
91
a
and
91
b
have guides
94
a
and
94
b
formed at generally the center portions thereof, the guides making the support shafts
84
a
and
84
b
of the loading chassis
80
be guided and fitted therein. Similar to the loading chassis
80
, the base chassis
90
has spring hooks
96
and
96
b
projecting from the left side and rear side of the base chassis
90
. On the surface of the base chassis
90
, projected left reference planes
92
a
and
92
d
and projected right reference planes
92
b
and
92
c
are formed. Of these, the projected right reference planes
92
b
and
92
c
have narrow positioning pins
98
c
and
98
b
extending upward from the upper surfaces of the planes
92
b
and
92
c
. The left reference planes
92
a
and
92
d
have the same height as (is flush with) the right reference planes
92
b
and
92
c.
The spring hooks
86
a
and
86
b
of the loading chassis
80
and the spring hooks
96
a
and
96
b
of the base chassis
90
are coupled together by the elastic members
3
a
and
3
b
and are energized by the elastic members
3
a
and
3
b
. Therefore, the elastic members
3
a
and
3
b
always energize the loading chassis
80
down to the base chassis
90
.
Next, with reference to
FIGS. 11A and 11B
, the operation of the conventional cartridge chucking apparatus constructed as above will be described. As shown in FIG.
11
A, the cartridge
1
is inserted into the inlet of the MD recording/reproducing apparatus and accommodated in the loading chassis
80
. At this time, the loading chassis
90
is at the raised position, with their support shafts
84
being held by the lift (not shown). As the cartridge
1
is inserted into the loading chassis
80
, this insertion state is detected with a detector (not shown) and the lift is driven to lower the loading chassis
80
. The loading chassis
80
is lowered while being maintained horizontally, because the support shafts
84
are held by the lift at the center of the loading chassis
80
which is energized by the elastic members
3
a
and
3
b
at opposite ends thereof.
As the loading chassis
80
is lowered horizontally by the lift, as shown in
FIG. 11B
the positioning pins
98
c
and
98
b
of the base chassis
90
are inserted into the reference holes
2
, i.e., circle hole
2
a
and elongated hole
2
b
of the cartridge
1
, by the force of the elastic members
3
so that the position in the front/back, right/left and up/down directions can be restricted.
As described above, with the conventional cartridge chucking apparatus, the positioning pins
98
c
and
98
b
are correctly inserted into the reference holes, i.e., circle hole
2
a
and elongated hole
2
b
, to fix the cartridge
1
, while the loading chassis
80
holding the cartridge
1
is maintained horizontal by the force of the elastic members
3
.
With the conventional cartridge chucking apparatus, however, if the cartridge
1
inserted into the loading chassis
80
and temporarily aligned in position shifts in the loading chassis
80
(shift in front/back and right/left directions, rotation and the like) by external shocks such as vibrations, the positioning pins
98
c
and
98
b
cannot be inserted into the reference holes
2
even the force of the elastic members
3
is applied.
In order to solve this problem, techniques have been developed which utilize the principle of lever to allow the cartridge
1
to be fitted in with a relatively small force. Such techniques are described, for example, in JP-A-HEI-4-319370.
FIG. 12
is a perspective view of a cartridge chucking apparatus utilizing the principle of lever and adapted to a conventional cartridge recording/reproducing apparatus.
FIGS. 13A
to
13
C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the cartridge chucking apparatus shown in
FIG. 12
as viewed along an arrow G direction.
FIG. 13A
shows the state that a cartridge is inserted,
FIG. 13B
shows the state that the cartridge is lowered, and
FIG. 13C
shows the state that the position of the cartridge is restricted and the cartridge is set at a predetermined recording/reproducing position.
As shown in
FIG. 12
, the conventional cartridge chucking a
Asano Takahiro
Ono Atuomi
Suwa Takafumi
Yamamoto Masato
Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
Robinson Eric J.
Robinson Intellectual Property Law Office PC
Tupper Robert S.
Watko Julie Anne
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