Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2002-11-12
Dinh, Tan (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S075210, C369S077110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06480442
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disk player, and particularly to a disk player which detects a disk by using a plurality of sensors and controls leading-in and ejecting operations of the disk, and a technology to detect the object such as a disk, by a reflection type optical element.
Conventionally, many disk players are provided with a disk loading mechanism for lording-in and ejecting the disk. Normally, these disk players detect disk positions or disk diameters by sensors using optical elements, and based on these, control the disk loading mechanisms. The sensors for detecting the disk by using the optical element are roughly divided into 2 types of sensors such as transmission type and reflection type ones. The transmission type one of these sensors, detects the existence of the disk in such a manner that a light receiving portion and a light emitting portion are oppositely arranged in the upper and lower portions of the mechanism, and the light from the light emitting portion is interrupted by the disk, thereby the light receiving portion can not receive the light. On the other hand, the reflection type sensor detects the disk by receiving the light reflected by the disk when the disk exists on the light receiving and emitting surface of a reflection type photo-interrupter.
Conventionally, it is necessary that the sensor for such the disk loading control has 4 functions for leading-in start position detection, for disk diameter judgement, for ejection stop position detection, and for re-leading-in start position detection. When these 4 functions are realized by, for example, 3 sensors, the following structure can be considered. That is, as shown in
FIG. 8
, a loading roller
2
is provided on a disk insertion inlet
1
a
side in the disk player
1
. The loading roller 2 is composed of 2 bar-like rollers provided in parallel to each other so that these rollers can nip and hold the disk, and arranged in parallel to the inserted disk surface and in the direction perpendicular to the disk insertion direction. One roller of the loading rollers
2
is rotatably provided so that it can be rotated by the driving mechanism provided with the drive source.
Three sensors A, B and C are arranged on the disk insertion inlet
1
a
side in the vicinity of such the loading rollers
2
. The sensor A is used for leading-in start position detection, the sensor B is used for disk diameter judgement, and the sensor C is use both for ejection stop position detection and for re-leading-in start position detection. Two sensors A and B are located in the vicinity of the middle portion of the loading rollers
2
and in the disk insertion direction, and the sensor A is located on the disk insertion inlet
1
a
side, and the sensor B is located on the loading rollers
2
side. The sensor C is located in the vicinity of an end portion of the loading rollers
2
.
Operations of sensors A, B and C, as described above, of the disk player 1 are as follows. That is, as shown in
FIG. 9
, when a disk D is inserted from the disk insertion inlet
1
a
, the sensor A detects it, and the loading rollers
2
start rotation. Then, when the disk D is pushed in the disk player
1
, the leading edge of the disk D is nipped by the loading rollers
2
, the disk D is pulled in by the loading rollers
2
, and conveyed to a disk playing section, not shown. At this time, as shown in
FIG. 10
, the diameter of disk D is discriminated by the sensor B. That is, when the sensor B detects the disk D, the disk D is judged to be the 12 cm disk D
1
, and when the sensor B does not detect the disk D, the disk D is judged to be the 8 cm disk D
2
.
Next, after the playing operation in the disk playing section has been completed, and when the disk D is ejected, the disk D is nipped by the loading rollers
2
which are rotated in reverse to the case of insertion, and sent out. Then, as shown in
FIG. 11
, the sensor C detects off-position of the end portion of the disk D, and the loading rollers
2
stop in the condition that the disk D is nipped a little. At the condition, when the disk D is pushed in, the end portion of the disk D is detected by the sensor C, as shown in
FIG. 12
, and the loading rollers
2
are rotated in the pulling-in direction, and the disk D is pulled in again.
Incidentally, as described above, the sensors provided in the disk player are expensive, and when a large number of such sensors are provided in the disk player, it is disadvantageous in cost. Further, when a large number of sensors are installed, man-hours are increased. Particularly, because high accuracy is required for sensors, for example, in order to avoid the influence by the heat, caution is necessary for soldering, and so on, in short, because handling operations when a large number of sensors are installed, are rather difficult, thereby, the use of a large number of sensors are disadvantageous in an increase of the assembly efficiency and a reduction of the production cost.
As previously mentioned, the sensors each using an optical element are basically classified into two types of sensors, such as transmission type ones and reflection type ones exist as shown in
FIGS. 13A
to
14
B.
The transmission type sensors of these ones, as shown in
FIG. 13A
, are structured such that a light receiving section
11
and a light emitting section
12
are arranged opposite to each other, and on standby condition, the light receiving section
11
are receiving the light always. As shown in
FIG. 13B
, when a disk
13
exists between the light receiving section
11
and the light emitting section
12
, the disk
13
interrupts the light from the light emitting section
12
and the light receiving section
11
can not receive the light, thereby, the existence of the disk
13
is detected.
In this case, as the light receiving section
11
, a phototransistor, or the like, is used, and as the light emitting section
12
, an LED, or the like, is used. Further, in
FIGS. 13A and 13B
, as an example, a case where the light receiving section
11
is equipped on an upper portion
14
of the mechanism, and the light emitting section
12
is equipped on a printed-wiring board
15
arranged in the mechanism, is shown. In this connection, numeral
16
in the drawing is a wire which electrically connects the light receiving section
11
side to the light emitting section
12
side.
On the other hand, the reflection type sensor uses a reflection type photo-interrupter
17
which is a single body, as shown in
FIG. 14A
, and on standby condition, a condition that the reflection type photo-interrupter
17
emits the light always, is made to be kept. As shown in
FIG. 14B
, when the disk
13
exists on a light receiving and light emitting surface
17
a
of this reflection type photo-interrupter
17
, the disk
13
is detected when the light reflected by the disk
13
is received.
In the disk player, it is necessary to provide a plurality of sensors to detect a disk leading-in start, to judge the disk diameter, to detect a disk ejection stop, or the like. However, depending on the arrangement position or arrangement direction of the plurality of sensors, optical paths of sensors interfere with each other, and there is a case where stable detection becomes difficult, thereby, malfunction is generated.
Further, in the transmission type detection system as shown in
FIG. 13
, because the light receiving section
11
and light emitting section
12
are separated, it is necessary to fix each of them respectively on a chassis or a board in the mechanism, and a wiring
16
to connect the light receiving section
11
to the light emitting section
12
is necessary. This results in an increase of the number of parts, complication of the apparatus, and an increase of man-hours.
On the other hand, in the reflection type detecting method as shown in
FIG. 14
, the method is structured to use the reflection type photo-interrupter of a single body, therefore, the number of parts can be reduced as compared to the transmission type detecting method, however, t
Hoshino Motonori
Nakatani Mitsuo
Ohno Hitoshi
Watanabe Katsumi
Clarion Co. Ltd.
Dinh Tan
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
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