Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-22
2002-02-05
Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2153)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06345027
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Inventioin
The present invention relates to a disk driving apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk driving apparatus for recording data in and reproducing data from a disk-type storage medium (hereinafter, simply referred to as “a disk”), the disk driving apparatus having a simple structure for (i) inserting therein and ejecting therefrom a tray on which the disk is placed and (ii) ascending and descending a recording/reproducing head relative to the disk, in connection with the movement of the tray.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current generally used recording/reproduction apparatus for a disk, or a storage medium operates insertion and ejection of the disk as follows. First, the disk is set on a tray projecting out from the apparatus. The tray is then slid into the apparatus, whereby a head base unit supporting a rotation table, a disk motor and an optical head ascends so that the disk is placed on the rotation table. Thus, the disk is separated from the tray and is carried up to an upper position at which recording/reproduction is performed by the optical head. Moreover, the disk is ejected by performing the above-described steps in reversed order.
The above-described disk driving apparatus mainly has two activities, i.e., inserting and ejecting the tray, with or without the disk, into and from the apparatus and ascending and descending the head base unit in connection with the insertion and ejection of the tray.
With the recent remarkable spread of CDs, CD-ROMs and the like, minimization and lower production cost of the disk driving apparatus are greatly demanded. In order to meet such demands, it is necessary to perform the above-described two main activities with a single driving power source.
Japanese Patent Application No. 3-292964 and Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 5-182335 disclose examples of disk driving apparatuses having such a structure.
Specifically, such a disk driving apparatus generally includes a loading driving power source, a head base unit with a pin provided on its tip, a rotation body having a cam groove that engages with the pin of the head base unit, an intermediate gear which shares a rotating shaft with the rotation body, a planetary gear being engaged with the intermediate gear and supported by the tip of the rotating shaft of the rotation body so as to be revolvable around a sun gear and rotatable on its axis and a tray provided with a U-shaped rack. The rotation body reciprocally rotates so as to ascend and descend the head base unit. The intermediate gear is rotationally driven by the loading driving power source. In the case where the tray is conveyed, the planetary gear rotates along a linear portion of the U-shaped rack. Once the tray reaches the deepest closed position of the apparatus, the planetary gear starts to revolve and rotate, together with the rotation body, along a curved portion of the U-shaped rack. The rotation of the rotation body forces the head base unit to ascend, whereby the disk driving apparatus is ready for recording/reproducing.
Furthermore, a lock structure is also disclosed in the above-mentioned publications which prevents the rotation body from revolving around the sun gear during the conveyance of the tray.
According to the above-described structure, however, the tray may forcibly be halted by an operator or other factors while it is projecting out from the disk driving apparatus, or the tray may forcibly be pulled out from or pushed into the disk driving apparatus. In these cases, no matter how firm the lock for the rotation body is made, the lock of the rotation body may come off. As a result, the rotation body may revolve around the sun gear before the tray reaches the deepest closed position of the disk driving apparatus which, in some cases, results in contact of the head or the rotation table with the tray. Accordingly, there are problems of breaking the head and deteriorating the profile irregularity of the rotating table.
Moreover, according to the above-described structure, the head base unit is supported only at one point where the pin at the tip thereof and the cam groove of the rotation body engage with each other. Therefore, for example, when the disk driving apparatus is dropped on a floor, an impact load on the whole head base unit is concentrated on the single supporting point. As a result, there may also be problems of damage or distortion of the cam groove of the rotation body or the pin of the head base unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, a disk driving apparatus includes: a head base unit which supports a head for recording data into and reproducing data from a storage medium, the head base unit being able to travel between a first position where the head is close to the storage medium for recording data thereto and reproducing data therefrom and a second position where the head is apart from the storage medium; a tray provided with a tray rack extending in a predetermined direction, the tray being slidable along the tray rack between a third position at which the head performs recording and reproduction on the storage medium and a fourth position at which an operator can place the storage medium; a driving power source; a tray gear which is driven by the driving power source; a rotation body gear which is driven by the driving power source; a partial gear which partially engages with the rotation body gear at a predetermined angle; and a rotation body which, in accordance with the rotation of the partial gear, reciprocally rotates so that the head base unit travels between the first position and the second position. When the tray is present at the third position, the tray gear is apart from the tray rack. Moreover, the rotation body includes a rotation body engagement section which engages with the tray while the tray travels from the third position to a predetermined position. Furthermore, the rotation body further includes a rotation body protrusion which pushes the tray substantially in the same direction as the sliding direction of the tray such that the tray gear engages with the tray rack while the tray is travelling between the third position and the fourth position.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a ratio of the number of teeth of the tray gear and the number of teeth of the rotation body gear is an integer.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a disk driving apparatus includes: a head base unit which supports a head for recording data into and reproducing data from a storage medium, the head base unit being able to travel between a first position where the head is close to the storage medium for recording data thereto and reproducing data therefrom and a second position where the head is apart from the storage medium; a tray provided with a tray rack extending in a predetermined direction, the tray being slidable along the tray rack between a third position at which the head performs recording and reproduction on the storage medium and a fourth position at which an operator can place the storage medium; a driving power source; a tray gear which is driven by the driving power source; a rotation body gear which is driven by the driving power source; a partial gear which partially engages with the rotation body gear at a predetermined angle; a rotation body which, in accordance with the rotation of the partial gear, reciprocally rotates so that the head base unit travels between the first position and the second position; a rotation body lock portion provided for the rotation body, which locks the rotation movement of the rotation body while maintaining the head base unit at the second position; and an unlock portion provided for the tray, which acts on the rotation body lock portion so as to allow rotation of the rotation body.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the rotation body lock portion includes an elastic portion integrally provided for the rotation body and a lock detent provided on a tip of the ela
Maeoka Tadashi
Miyazaki Benichi
Saji Yoshito
Shinoda Masayuki
Kupstas Tod
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Miller Brian E.
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