Disc driving apparatus

Details Disc driving apparatus Disc driving apparatus

2002-03-19

2004-04-06

Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

With particular cabinet structure

With mechanism to place disc on a turntable

Reexamination Certificate

active

06717904

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disc driving apparatus, and more particularly to a disc driving apparatus in which a disc such as an optical disc is carried in and out between a disc clamping position and a disc loading/unloading position.
FIGS. 8 and 9
schematically show the basic configuration of a disc driving apparatus in which the usage object is a disc-like recording medium (disc) such as a CD, a DVD, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, or a CD-RW.
FIG. 10
is a plan view of a disc tray
1
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the disc tray
1
is configured by a synthetic resin molded article which is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. A disc mounting area
13
is formed into a circular shape in a front part of a bottom plate portion
12
of the disc tray, and an opening
14
is formed over a range extending from the disc mounting area
13
to a rear portion.
In the disc driving apparatus, the disc tray
1
can be horizontally moved between a disc loading/unloading position which is not shown, and a disc clamping position which is shown in FIG.
9
. After the disc tray
1
is advanced to the disc clamping position shown in
FIG. 9
, a disc D mounted on the disc mounting area
13
of the disc tray
1
is clamped by a clamp mechanism
5
.
The illustrated clamp mechanism
5
includes an arm
52
which is vertically swung about a fulcrum
51
in a fixed position, and below the disc tray
1
which is advanced to the disc clamping position as indicated by the arrow F in
FIG. 9. A
turntable
54
is attached to the rotation shaft of a motor
53
which is mounted on the arm
52
. A damper
55
is placed above the disc tray
1
which is advanced to the disc clamping position, so as to be opposed to the turntable
54
. The damper
55
is liftably held on a holding member
56
.
In the clamp mechanism
5
, after the disc D mounted on the disc mounting area
13
of the disc tray
1
is carried in to the disc clamping position, the arm
52
is upward swung as indicated by the arrow a in
FIG. 9
, whereby the turn table
54
is caused to enter the opening
14
of the disc tray
1
to raise the disc D from the disc mounting area
13
of the disc tray
1
. The raised disc D pushes up the clamper
55
so that the clamper is slightly raised from the holding member
56
. Under this state, the disc D is clampingly held between the turntable
54
and the damper
55
by the attractive force due to a magnet disposed in the turntable
54
or the damper
55
.
In such a disc driving apparatus, the vertical swinging amplitude of the arm
52
of the clamp mechanism
5
is limited in order to reduce the thickness of the whole shape of the apparatus. The disc tray
1
is moved between the disc loading/unloading position and the disc clamping position while the end portions in the width direction of the disc tray are guided. Therefore, a center portion in the width direction of the disc tray
1
may be caused by its own weight to warp into a downward protruded shape. When the disc tray
1
is formed by a molded article of an economical synthetic resin of general purpose grade, particularly, the possibility that such warpage occurs is raised. In the case where warpage such as described above occurs in the disc tray
1
, depending on the degree of the warpage, the deformed portion which is downward protruded interferes with the turn table
54
or another mechanical component when the disc tray is advanced to the disc clamping position or retracted therefrom, whereby the stability of the disc loading operation or the disc unloading operation is impaired or such an operation is not smoothly conducted.
The Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10-275390 discloses a disc driving apparatus having a structure which is similar to that of the disc driving apparatus described with reference to
FIGS. 8 and 9
. In the disclosed apparatus, as shown in
FIG. 8
, a guide face which is upward inclined as forward moving is formed on the side of the disc tray
1
in order to prevent the disc tray
1
from interfering with the damper
55
to cause a malfunction when the disc tray
1
is retracted from the disc clamping position to the disc loading/unloading position as indicated by the arrow R. When the disc tray
1
is retracted as indicated by the arrow R, the retracting operation is conducted while the guide face slides over the damper
55
to push up the damper
55
.
The technique disclosed in the publication is merely a technique which prevents a maloperation due to interference between the disc tray
1
and the damper
55
placed above the disc tray from occurring. Therefore, the technique cannot be applied to a configuration for preventing a maloperation due to interference between the disc tray
1
and the turn table
54
or another mechanical component placed below the disc tray, from occurring. Such interference is caused by downward projecting warping of the disc tray
1
such as that described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is conducted under the above-described circumstances. It is an object of the invention to provide a disc driving apparatus in which a disc tray that is advanced to a disc clamping position is prevented from warping to be downward projected, whereby the stabilities of the disc loading operation and the disc unloading operation are enhanced.
It is another object of the invention to provide a disc driving apparatus in which a warping disc tray can be surely prevented from interfering in a disc clamping position with a turn table or another mechanical component placed below the disc tray.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a disc driving apparatus in which the stabilities of the disc loading operation and the disc unloading operation are excellent even when a disc tray is formed by a synthetic resin molded article and an economical synthetic resin of general purpose grade is used.
The disc driving apparatus of the invention includes: a disc tray which is movable between a disc clamping position and a disc loading/unloading position; and a clamp mechanism which clamps a disc that is mounted on the disc tray and carried in to the disc clamping position. The apparatus has disc supporting member for supporting the disc tray which is advanced to the disc clamping position, from a lower side of the disc tray, thereby preventing the disc tray from downward warping.
In the disc driving apparatus, the disc tray which is advanced to the disc clamping position is supported from the lower side to be prevented from downward warping, by the function of the disc supporting member. Therefore, there is no possibility that the disc tray downward warps to interfere with a mechanical component placed below the disc tray, such as a turn table. As a result, the disc loading operation and the disc unloading operation are stabilized, and the reliabilities of the operations are improved.
Preferably, the disc supporting member may have: a butting portion which is downward projected from the disc tray; and a receiving portion which is disposed on a stationary member, which is relatively slidable with respect to the butting portion, and which receives the butting portion. In this case, the butting portion can be formed into a rib-like shape which longitudinally elongates, and the receiving portion can be formed integrally with a chassis serving as the stationary member. When such a configuration is employed, it is not necessary to use the butting portion or the receiving portion which is formed as a separate component, and hence the reliabilities of the disc loading operation and the disc unloading operation can be enhanced without increasing the number of components. Therefore, it is possible to economically provide a disc driving apparatus having an excellent operation reliability.
In the embodiment, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the disc supporting member has: a butting portion which is formed by a lower face of the disc tray; and a receiving portion which is upward projected from the stationary member, which is rel

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