Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Utility Patent
1999-10-15
2001-01-02
Cao, Allen T. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S075110
Utility Patent
active
06169712
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recorded medium reproducing apparatus having a recorded medium exchanger, and more particularly to display means for displaying information of a presence/absence of a recorded medium in a recorded medium stocker of a recorded medium reproducing apparatus which can exchange a recorded medium even during the reproduction of another recorded medium.
RELATED BACKGROUND ART
As a conventional recorded medium reproducing apparatus having a recorded medium exchanger, a disk reproducing apparatus such as shown in
FIG. 26
disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.
4-38673
is known in which a stocker houses a plurality of carriers each capable of placing a disk thereon and is raised or lowered by stocker transport means to a height at which a desired carrier is pulled out by a tray. Namely, the stocker is moved by a distance corresponding to the number of shelves for housing carriers.
The tray is transported between a load position shown in FIGS.
26
(
a
) and
26
(
b
) and an eject position shown in FIGS.
26
(
c
). As shown in FIG.
26
(
a
), the carrier having a desired disk placed thereon is pulled out on the tray at the load position, and the disk is clamped by clamping means to reproduce the disk as shown in FIG.
26
(
b
).
As the tray with the carrier moves from the position shown in FIG.
26
(
a
) to the position shown in FIG.
26
(
c
), the carrier on the tray is exposed to the outside of the apparatus housing. In this state, the disk on the carrier is exchanged or a new disk is placed on the carrier. As the tray with the carrier moves from the position shown in FIG.
26
(
c
) to the position shown in FIG.
26
(
a
) and the carrier on the tray is moved back to the stocker, the disk can be exchanged or a new disk can be added to the apparatus. This disk reproducing apparatus is advantageous over a conventional disk reproducing apparatus with an exchanger in that a disk magazine is not used. The disk magazine is expensive, and if it is dismounted from the apparatus and placed at a different position, it takes some time to locate this disk magazine. This is inconvenient to use.
However, this disk reproducing apparatus disclosed in the above-described Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.
4-38673
has only one means for pulling a carrier out of the stocker. Therefore, a disk in the stocker cannot be exchanged during the reproduction when the carrier is at the position of reproducing means.
FIG. 27
shows a disk reproducing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.
3-71432
which can exchange a disk even during the reproduction of another disk. This disk reproducing apparatus is of a so-called carousel type. A tray
126
shown in
FIG. 27
is driven by a motor and moved into and out of a reproducing apparatus main body
128
in the arrow direction A. A rotary table
130
is rotatively mounted on the tray to be driven by a motor in the arrow direction B. A plurality of disk holders
134
are formed on the rotary table
130
so as to hold disks
101
around the rotation center
132
. Each disk holder
134
has a 12 cm CD groove
134
a
and an 8 cm CD groove
134
b
. The bottom of the disk holder
134
is inclined in the rotation direction so as to hold a disk in a slanted state.
An opening
136
is formed in the disk holder
134
in the radial direction of the rotary table
130
so as to insert therethrough a turn table and a reproduction head. An opening
138
is formed in the tray
126
at the center back end thereof so as to communicate with the opening
136
of each disk holder
134
. During the reproduction, the turntable and reproduction head are inserted into these openings
138
and
136
.
A subsidiary chassis
142
is supported under the tray at the center back of a mechanical chassis
140
of the reproducing apparatus main body
128
by a pivot shaft
144
which is pivoted in the arrow direction C by a motor. The subsidiary chassis
142
is mounted with the turntable
172
and an unrepresented reproduction head. A disk clamper
1466
is fixedly mounted on the mechanical chassis, facing the turntable
172
over the tray
126
. As the subsidiary chassis
142
pivots upward while the tray
126
is housed in the reproduction apparatus main body
128
, the turntable
172
and reproduction head rise and are inserted into the opening
136
of the disk holder
134
. Therefore, the disk
101
is placed on the turntable
172
, raised above the disk holder
134
, and clamped by the disk clamper
146
. In this state, the disk can be reproduced by the reproduction head.
As the subsidiary chassis
142
pivots downward while the tray
126
is housed in the reproduction apparatus main body
128
, the disk
101
is placed again on the disk holder
134
and the turntable
172
and reproduction head are retracted from the opening
136
. Upon a disk ejection operation in the reproduction state, the turntable
172
and reproduction head are retracted from the openings
136
and
138
in the horizontal direction. Therefore, while the reproduction continues, the tray
126
can be pulled out of the reproduction apparatus main body and disks can be exchanged.
A presence/absence of a disk on the tray can be detected by a signal from an optical pickup of the reproduction head. Specifically, after the tray
126
is housed in the reproduction apparatus main body
128
and the height of the optical pickup is adjusted so that light from the optical pickup can be focussed on the surface of the disk at some position, the tray
126
is rotated. A focus error signal of the optical pickup takes a zero value when light is focussed on the surface of the disk. Therefore, by checking the waveform of the focus error signal, information of a presence/absence of a disk on the disk holder
134
can be obtained. With this disk reproducing apparatus, even if a disk is exchanged or dismounted by opening the tray
126
during the reproduction, information of whether a disk was placed on or dismounted from a disk holder
134
cannot be displayed on a display device because the tray cannot be rotated during the reproduction even if the tray
126
is again closed.
Since an “exchange or dismount work of a disk during the reproduction” cannot be displayed on a “display device”, a user is required to perform cumbersome operations in order to confirm the contents of the work of opening the tray during the reproduction and exchanging or dismounting a disk. Namely, a user is required either (1) to “interrupt the reproduction, to rotate a corresponding disk holder to the reproduction position, and to confirm a presence/absence of a disk by using a pickup” or (2) to “visually confirm by opening the tray”.
This Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.
3-71432
discloses the structure that “a light emitting element and a light receiving element are mounted on the tray, facing the disk holder”. Also with this structure, the disk holder cannot be rotated after the disk is exchanged and the tray is closed, so that a presence/absence of a disk cannot be confirmed. The disk holder cannot be rotated because the disk holder collides with the reproduction unit during the reproduction. Therefore, the contents of a disk exchange or dismount work during the reproduction cannot be displayed immediately on a display device.
Although it is possible to make the contents of the exchange or dismount work be displayed on the “display device”, achieving this configuration is very cumbersome and the control system thereof becomes complicated. Specifically, in order to achieve this configuration, it is necessary to rotate the disk holder after a user exchanges or dismounts a disk and before the tray is closed, and to close the tray after the check operation is performed during the rotation”.
More specifically:
(3) A new key is required for instructing to “rotate the disk holder before the tray is closed”. In this case, a user is required to operate the instruction key, and after it is confirmed that the work contents are displayed on the disp
Cao Allen T.
Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Robinson Eric J.
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