Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval – Particular cabinet structure for optical media – Tray or drawer loading or ejecting
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-19
2004-09-07
Letscher, George J. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval
Particular cabinet structure for optical media
Tray or drawer loading or ejecting
Reexamination Certificate
active
06789260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tray-type disk drive apparatus that is most suitable for application to a CD/DVD player and the like, for example, and more particularly a technical field of a disk loading mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 49
, a general type of disk loading mechanism in a tray-type disk drive apparatus such as CD/DVD player or the like is constructed such that an optical pickup unit
202
is attached at the central upper part of a bottom
201
a
in a mechanical deck (acting as a reference table for all the mechanisms)
201
called a base chassis in such a manner that the optical pickup unit can be freely ascended or descended. In this case, the optical pickup unit
202
is made such that a spindle motor
204
is vertically installed to face upward on a unit base
203
, a disk table
205
is mounted on the upper end of the spindle motor
204
and an optical pickup
208
having an objective lens
207
installed vertically to face upward on a sled
206
through a double-axis actuator is mounted at the upper part of the unit base
203
at a rearward position of the spindle motor
204
. Then, this optical pick up unit
202
is mounted at the upper part of the ascending/descending frame
209
through a plurality of rubber insulators
210
in a horizontal manner, a pair of right and left fulcrum pins
211
formed on the same central part at both right and left sides of the rear end of the ascending/descending frame
209
are fitted to a pair of right and left fulcrum pin supporting segments
212
formed at both right and left sides of the rear end of the upper part of the mechanical deck
201
and the front end of the ascending/descending frame
209
can be ascended or descended by an oscillating motion in upward or downward direction against the mechanical deck
201
around a pair of right and left fulcrum pins
211
.
Then, a slider cam
213
is vertically attached to the upper portion of the front end of the mechanical deck
201
in such a way that it can be slid in rightward or leftward direction crossing at a right angle with a forward or rearward direction, a cam follower pin
215
formed at the central part of the front end of the ascending/descending frame
209
is slidably engaged with an inclined cam groove
214
formed in slant state to the rear surface of the slider cam
213
, a loading motor
216
is attached vertically in upward direction to the lower surface of one side at the front end of the mechanical deck
201
, a slider cam driving pinion
217
fixed to the upper segment of the front end of the mechanical deck
201
is engaged with a rack
218
formed at the front surface of the slider cam
213
. Then, the slider cam
213
is slid and driven in a rightward or leftward direction through the rack
218
by the pinion
217
normally or inversely rotated and driven by the loading motor
216
through a transmission mechanism
219
, thereby the cam follower pin
215
is driven to be ascended or descended in an upward or downward direction by the slant cam groove
214
, the front end of the ascending/descending frame
209
is ascended or descended in an upward or downward direction by an oscillating motion around the pair of right and left fulcrum pins
211
against the mechanical deck
201
.
Then, a disk tray driving pinion
220
is rotatably attached to the upper part of the other side of the front end of the mechanical deck
201
and the pinion
220
is cooperated with the slider cam driving pinion
217
. Then, the disk tray
221
is inserted horizontally from a tray inlet or outlet of a front panel (not shown) fixed to the front end of the mechanical deck
201
into an upper part in the mechanical deck
201
, and the disk tray
221
is attached in a horizontal state to be slidable in a forward or rearward direction at the upper part in the mechanical deck
201
over the pinions
217
,
220
, a transmission mechanism
219
, a slider cam
218
and the upper part of the optical pickup unit
202
. Then, a rack (not shown) of the disk tray
221
is driven by the disk tray driving pinion
220
normally or inversely driven to rotate by the loading motor
216
through the pinion
217
so as to perform both a loading (a retracting action) into the mechanical deck
201
of the disk tray
221
and an unloading (a drawing-out action) toward a forward side out of the front panel of the mechanical deck
201
.
Then, a chucking pulley supporting plate
222
is mounted in a horizontal state at the upper part of position where it is displaced at slight front end sides of both right and left side walls
201
b
of the mechanical deck
201
, a circular chucking pulley fixing hole
223
is formed at a position just above the spindle motor
204
by the chucking pulley supporting plate
222
, and a disk-like chucking pulley
224
is rotatably supported within the chucking pulley fixing hole
223
under a state having play in upward or downward direction and horizontal direction.
An entire thickness T1 of the related art disk tray
221
is formed to be thick by more than 15 mm, a deep concave section
225
of approximate inverse frustum of circular cone is formed above position displaced at the front end of the disk tray
221
, a large-diameter type disk outer circumferential mounting surface
226
with a diameter of about 12 cm is formed in a circular shape at the outer circumference of the bottom of the concave section
225
, a small-diameter type disk outer circumferential mounting surface
227
with a diameter of about 8 cm is formed in a concentric circle shape and in one step-down state at the central side of the bottom of the concave section
225
, and a pair of right and left recesses
228
are formed at both right and left side positions of the concave section
225
. A large central opening
229
formed from the central part of the concave section
225
toward its rear side is formed at the bottom of the disk tray
221
.
Then, at the time of disk loading, the outer circumference of a 12-cm laser disk LD or the like of a CD/DVD and the like is mounted in a horizontal state above a large diameter type disk outer circumference mounting surface
226
with a diameter of about 12 cm within the concave section
225
of the disk tray
221
, two pinions
217
,
220
are normally driven to rotate under a normal rotational driving of the loading motor
216
, the disk tray
221
is loaded (retracted) in a horizontal state into a retracted position in the mechanical deck
201
, thereafter the slider cam
213
is slid and driven toward one side by the pinion
217
, the front end of the optical pickup unit
202
is oscillated upwardly around a pair of right and left fulcrum pins
211
of the ascending/descending frame
209
and the optical pickup unit
202
is lifted from the descended position where it is inclined in a slant forward and lower direction to the ascending position where it keeps a horizontal attitude.
Then, both the disk table
205
of the spindle motor
204
and the objective lens
207
of the optical pickup
208
are inserted from below into the bottom opening
229
of the disk tray
221
, the disk table
204
is fitted from below into a center hole LDa of the laser disk LD, the laser disk LD is floated above the disk outer circumference mounting surface
226
of the disk tray
221
and the laser disk LD is chucked with magnet in a horizontal state on the disk table
205
by the chucking pulley
224
.
After that, while the laser disk LD is being driven to rotate by the spindle motor
204
, the objective lens
207
of the optical pickup
208
is searched in both inner and outer circumferential directions of the laser disk LD by the sled
206
to reproduce (read) data.
In addition, at the time of disk unloading, it performs an opposite operation to that of disk loading and the two pinions
217
,
220
are driven to Reversely rotate by reverse rotational driving of the loading motor
216
. That is, the slider cam
213
is slid and driven to the other side by the pinion
217
, the front end
Letscher George J.
Magee C R
Maioli Jay H.
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