Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – With mechanism to place disc on a turntable
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2002-06-25
Ometz, David L. (Department: 2651)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
With mechanism to place disc on a turntable
C369S077110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06411582
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk player, and more particularly, to a disk player which can achieve simplification of a configuration for actuating a pickup feeding mechanism for moving an optical pickup that reads optical disk signals in a radial direction of a disk, and simplification of a configuration for detecting a state of the overall mechanism in the disk player.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk players, such as CD players, of the type for reading optical disk signals basically include three mechanisms: a disk rotating mechanism for rotationally driving a turntable, thereby rotating a disk carried by the turntable, a disk mounting mechanism for mounting the disk onto the turntable of a disk drive section, and a pickup feeding mechanism for moving the optical pickup in a radial direction of the disk.
Hitherto, these three mechanisms have been individually actuated by three motors that are separately provided thereon. That is, since an immediate response and a high-speed rotation are essential, the disk rotating mechanism is directly actuated by a disk rotating mechanism motor that is direct-coupled to the turntable.
Because of sequential operation of the disk in the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the surface of the turntable, the disk mounting mechanism generally includes a transporting roller for horizontally transporting the disk onto the turntable, a clamper member for chucking the disk on the turntable, and a shift plate for switching the transporting roller and the damper member. The shift plate is linearly actuated by a disk mounting mechanism motor so as to switch the transporting roller and the clamper member, and to rotate the transporting roller.
Since a high degree of accuracy is essential, the pickup feeding mechanism is configured so that the optical pickup is precisely linearly moved by a lead screw that is directly engaged with the optical pickup, and the lead screw is adapted to be rotationally actuated by a pickup feeding mechanism motor that is arranged in the vicinity thereof.
On the other hand, in order to smoothly perform switching of actuation of the mechanisms and switching of modes between a control circuit and a signal processing circuit with a proper timing,, a plurality of detection elements, such as detection sensors and detection switches, are used in the disk player. More specifically, there are provided a disc detection element for detecting insertion of the disk, a chucking completion detection element for detecting the completion of chucking of the disk mounting mechanism, and an inner periphery detection element for detecting the optical pickup located at an inner peripheral position. In addition, signals from these detection elements are used as starting/stopping commands for switching the actuation of the mechanisms.
For example, the signal obtained by the disk detection element is used as a start command for the disk mounting mechanism motor when inserting the disk, and a stop command for the disk mounting mechanism motor during a disk ejecting operation. The signal obtained by the chucking completion detection element is used as a start command for the pickup feeding mechanism motor during a shift from a disk loading operation to a disk playback operation, and a stop command for the disk mounting mechanism motor. The signal obtained by the inner periphery detection element is used as a start signal for the disk rotating mechanism motor at the start of the disk playback operation, a stop signal for the disk rotating mechanism motor, and a start command for the disk mounting mechanism motor during a shift from the disk playback operation to the disk ejecting operation.
The inner peripheral position to be detected by the inner periphery detection element is the position where TOC (Table of Contents) information, which is administrative information recorded in the inner peripheral area (read-in area) of an information recording area in the disk, is readable. That is, in the disk playback operation performed by the optical pickup, the TOC information is first read at the inner peripheral position and then, the disk playback operation is started on the basis of the TOC information. The inner periphery detection element is provided to detect the optical pickup located at such an inner peripheral position.
In the above conventional disk player, a large number of motors and detection elements are included, thereby complicating the configuration thereof.
That is, as described above, three motors are required for the configuration such that motors are individually used for the disk rotating mechanism, the disk mounting mechanism, and the pickup feeding mechanism. The use of the three motors increases the number of components including motor supporting members and driving force-transmitting members to complicate the configuration, and moreover, occupies a large space to restrict an arrangement and a design of peripheral members, thereby causing the overall mechanism to be increased in size and complicated. In addition, the number of wires is also increased because of individual power supply and control of the three motors. Furthermore, with respect to cost, the motors occupy a considerably large proportion of the entire mechanism, so that the use of the three motors is an obstacle in achieving cost reduction.
On the other hand, since the three mechanisms are actuated by individual motors, at least three detection elements of the disk detection element, the chucking completion detection element and the inner periphery detection element are required for switching the actuation of the mechanisms. The use of the three detection elements increases the number of wires for the detection elements. In addition, although the detection elements occupy a small space in the mechanism as compared with the motors, the increased number thereof restricts an arrangement and a design of peripheral members, thereby causing the overall mechanism to be complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disk player which can achieve an increase in the versatility of the arrangement and design of the members, a reduction in size and simplification of the overall mechanism, and a reduction in cost by reducing the number of motors, detection elements, and associated members including wires.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk player, including a disk rotating mechanism for rotationally driving a turntable, thereby rotating a disk carried by the turntable, a disk mounting mechanism for mounting the disk onto the turntable of a disk drive section, and a pickup feeding mechanism for moving an optical pickup reading optical signals in a radial direction of the disk, wherein the disk player includes a selecting mechanism for transmitting a driving force from a single driving source selectively to the disk mounting mechanism and the pickup feeding mechanism.
In the disk player in accordance with the present invention, the selecting mechanism may preferably have a selecting member which moves between a disk mounting position to transmit the driving force to the disk mounting mechanism and a pickup feed position to transmit the driving force to the pickup feeding mechanism. The disk mounting mechanism may preferably have a disk mounting lock means which locks the selecting member to the disk mounting position during a disk mounting operation. In addition, the pickup feeding mechanism may preferably have a pickup feeding lock means which locks the selecting member at the pickup feed position during a pickup feeding operation.
In accordance with the described arrangements, the selecting member is locked at the disk mounting position by the disk mounting lock means during the disk loading and ejecting operations, whereby the disk mounting mechanism can be reliably kept coupled to the driving side. In addition, the selecting member is locked at the pickup feed position by the pickup feeding lock mean
Kawabata Masakazu
Nakatani Mitsuo
Clarion Co. Ltd.
Ometz David L.
Price and Gess
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