DE29521708U1 - Compact disc playback mechanism - Google Patents

Description

MB269-12155.3

ALCO Electronics Ltd., Hong Kong

Compact disc playback mechanism

The present invention relates to a compact disc player mechanism which is intended to play more than one compact disc.

According to the invention there is provided a compact disc player mechanism comprising: a body for accommodating compact discs therein, with respect to which at least first and second horizontal positions are provided, a pickup mechanism having a motor-driven rotary base carrying a compact disc thereon and rotating it, and having a motor-driven laser pickup for reading data recorded on the rotating compact disc, and a unit movement mechanism adapted to move the pickup mechanism from the first position to the second position and, in each of the positions, to move the pickup mechanism upward for operation and downward for passage.

In a preferred embodiment, the movement mechanism is designed to move the pickup mechanism along a substantially linear path from the first position to the second position.

Preferably, the movement mechanism is designed to move the pickup mechanism back and forth between the first position and the second position.

Advantageously, the movement mechanism is designed to rotate the pick-up mechanism in each of the positions upwards and downwards.

In a specific construction, the receiving mechanism has an engaging part and a slideway is provided along which the engaging part slidably engages, such that the relative movement between the engaging part and the slideway causes the upward and downward movement of the receiving mechanism.

Preferably, the slideway is arranged to be moved relative to the engagement part by means of the movement mechanism to cause the upward and downward movement of the take-up mechanism.

In a preferred embodiment, the movement mechanism comprises an angularly movable part which defines the slideway.

Particularly preferably, the movable part is rotatable.

It is preferred that the movable member is arranged to roll along a fixed slideway.

Preferably, the fixed slideway is substantially straight.

Preferably, the movable member is arranged to disengage from the fixed slideway when the pickup mechanism is moved into each of the positions.

In a preferred arrangement, the movement mechanism is movable with the receiving mechanism from the first position to the second position.

Advantageously, the body is provided with engagement means for positively engaging the receiving mechanism in each of the positions.

The invention further provides a compact disc player which comprises the playback mechanism described above.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1
until 5

Plan views of a first embodiment of a compact disc playback mechanism according to the invention, showing the playback mechanism in five consecutive operating states;

Figures 6
until 10

corresponding side views of the playback mechanism of Figures 1 to 5;

Figures 11
to 15

Figure 16

corresponding end views of the playback mechanism of Figures 1 to 5;

a development view of a slideway included in the playback mechanism of Figures 1 to 15; and

Figure 17

a plan view of a second embodiment of a compact disc playback mechanism according to the invention.

The first embodiment

Reference is first made to Figures 1, 6 and 11 of the drawings, in which a first compact disc (CD) player mechanism 10 embodying the invention is shown, which player mechanism 10 comprises a generally rectangular horizontal body drawer 11 on which a generally rectangular platform 12 is slidable between a first end HA and a second end HB of the body drawer 11 opposite the first end HA, and which carries thereon a pickup mechanism 13 on one side and a movement mechanism 14 on the other side. The movement mechanism 14 is arranged to both slide the platform 12 on the body drawer H and, in conjunction therewith, to rotate the pickup mechanism 13 relative to the platform 12.

The pickup mechanism 13 is constituted by a motor-driven rotary base 15 which passes through the center hole of a compact disc to support and rotate it at high speed, and a laser pickup lens 16 which is arranged to be driven by a DC motor 17 so that it gradually slides along a straight slideway 18 extending radially with respect to the rotary base 15 to read data recorded on the rotating compact disc. All of these parts are mounted on a generally rectangular body plate 19. The body plate 19 is hinged at one end 19A along one side of the platform 12 so that the entire pickup mechanism 13 is rotatable between a horizontal position (for playing a compact disc) and a submerged position (for passage). A free end 19B of the body plate 19 has a pin 20 projecting forward.

The movement mechanism 14 is formed by a rotating drum 21 and a DC motor 22, both of which are mounted upright on the platform 12. A gear train 23 is provided immediately below the platform 12, which transmits the rotation drive of the motor 22 to the drum 21. A slideway 24 provided with an endless groove is formed in and around the cylindrical peripheral wall of the drum 21, in which slideway 24 the pin 20 of the pickup mechanism 13 engages so as to be displaceable in the radial direction with respect to the drum 21.

The drum 21 has a coaxial bottom gear 25 having an upper level 25A and a lower level 25B of peripheral teeth. The upper teeth 25A extend around the entire gear 25 and mesh with the gear train 23. The lower teeth 25B extend only about 240° around the gear 25 and are offset radially outwardly from the upper teeth 25A. A fixed toothed rack 26 is mounted along the side of the body drawer II adjacent the moving mechanism 14, having a length approximately the same as the arc length of the lower teeth 25B. The rack 26 is arranged relative to the gear 25 in such a way that it meshes with it, such that when rotated by the motor 22, the gear 25 rolls along it, the drum 21 being carried along by the same rolling movement. When the gear 25 rolls along the rack 26, the platform 12, including the pick-up mechanism 13, is moved linearly from one end 11A/11B to the other end 11B/11A of the body drawer II. When the platform 12 reaches one of the body drawer ends 11A/11B, the gear 25, due to the absence of its own teeth 25B, disengages from the corresponding end of the rack 26, thereby defining a first position A for the platform 12 at the first body drawer end HA (Figure 1) and a second position B at the second body drawer end HB (Figure 5).

The bottom side of the gear 25 has a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate ribs 27A and 27B, each of which extends for approximately 90°. A first group of three upstanding projections 28A are formed on the body drawer II at its first end HA. The projections 28A are provided at the same level as the gear bottom ribs 27A and 27B and define a parking space for the rib 27A. Parking of the bottom rib 27A in the parking space defined by the projections 28A necessarily determines the position A of the platform 12. Another group of three upstanding projections 28B are further formed on the body drawer II adjacent to its second end HB, which correspondingly define a parking space for the other bottom rib 27B. Likewise, the parking of the floor rib 27B in this second parking space necessarily determines the position B of the platform 12.

The movement of the platform 12 will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, which illustrate how the platform 12 moves from position A to position B, the drum 21 being rotated by means of the motor 22 in an anti-clockwise direction as indicated by an arrow X. This movement consists of three successive time periods, namely a time period I (before the gear 25 engages the rack 26), a time period II (while the gear 25 engages the rack 26) and a time period III (after the gear 25 has disengaged from the rack 26).

The movement time period I is shown in Figures 1 to 2, during which the bottom rib 27A of the gear 25 moves at an angle out of the parking space defined by the projections 28A and the bottom teeth 25B of the gear 25 move at an angle to engage the rack 26. Before the gear 25 engages the rack 26, the platform 12 remains stationary in position A. The gear

25 (and hence the drum 21) simply rotates through an angle of 60°.

The movement time section II is shown in Figures 2 to 4, during which the gear 25 meshes with the rack and thus rolls along it. The gear 25 and also the drum 21 rotate through an angle of 240°. The platform 12 is pushed from position A to position B.

The movement period III is shown in Figures 4 to 5, during which the bottom rib 27B of the gear 25 moves angularly into the parking space defined by the projections 28B and the bottom teeth 25B of the gear 25 move angularly out of engagement with the rack 26. Since the gear 25 no longer engages with the rack 26, the platform 12 remains fixed in position B. The gear 25 (and hence the drum 21) simply rotates through an angle of 60°.

Figures 6 to 10 and Figures 11 to 15 of the drawings correspond to Figures 1 to 5, which illustrate not only the linear movement of the platform 12, but also the action of the rotating drum 21 on the pickup mechanism 13.

Referring further to Figure 16 of the drawings, the grooved slideway 24 on the drum 21 has a developed profile as shown which can be divided into three successive sections I, Ii and Hl corresponding to the periods of movement I, II and III of the platform 12. The slideway sections are designated by reference to the angle of rotation of the drum 21. Section I covers the range from 0° to 60° in which the slideway 24 is horizontal at the initial 18° at an upper level and then descends to a lower level. Section II covers the range from 60° to 300° in which

the slideway 24 runs horizontally throughout on the lower level. Section III covers the area from 300° to 360°, in which the slideway 24 rises back to the upper level and runs horizontally on the upper level for the last 18°.

Considering that the pin 20 of the pick-up mechanism 13 is in continuous engagement with the grooved slideway 24 of the drum 21, the rotation of the drum 21 will rotate the entire pick-up mechanism 13 between its horizontal position and its immersion position. In period/period I, the pick-up mechanism 13 is rotated downward from its horizontal position to its immersion position while the platform 12 remains in position A. In period/period II, the pick-up mechanism 13 remains in its immersion position while the platform 12 moves from position A to position B. In period/period III, the pick-up mechanism 13 is rotated upward from its immersion position back to its horizontal position while the platform 12 remains in position B.

The platform 12 is displaceable from position B back to position A by a series of movements in a directly reverse order to the successive movements described above, whereby the gear 25 (and hence the drum 21) is rotated by the motor 22 in the opposite direction, clockwise. The reversal is used to simultaneously rotate the pick-up mechanism 13.

When the CD player mechanism 10 is actually used, positions A and B of the platform 12 define two adjacent positions for two compact discs to be placed next to each other. These two CD positions can be provided by means of a support plate located on the entire player mechanism 10, which has two openings

which expose the rotary base 15 of the pickup mechanism 13 when the platform 12 and hence the pickup mechanism 13 are either in position A or in position B. Consequently, two compact discs can be placed side by side, for example one after the other, on the playback mechanism 10 for playback.

The second embodiment

Finally, reference is made to Figure 17 of the drawings, in which a second compact disc player mechanism 30 embodying the invention is shown, which player mechanism 30 is circular when viewed from above and is designed to hold six compact discs side by side in a circular arrangement. The player mechanism 30 has a circular body drawer 31 around the inner periphery of which an annular toothed rack 36 (equivalent to the above rack 26) is provided. The player mechanism 30 further includes a platform 32 (equivalent to the above platform 12) supporting thereon a pick-up mechanism 33 (equivalent to the above pick-up mechanism 13) and a moving mechanism 34 (equivalent to the above moving mechanism 14). The platform 32 is pivoted about the vertical axis of the circular body drawer 31, with the pickup mechanism 33 on the radial inner side and the movement mechanism 34 on the radial outer side. The movement mechanism 34 includes a rotating drum 35 (equivalent to the protruding drum 21) which meshes with the circular rack 36 by means of a coaxial bottom gear (equivalent to the protruding gear 25).

The operation of this playback mechanism 30 is essentially the same as that of the previous playback mechanism 10, except that the present platform 32 and hence the take-up mechanism 33 are now rotated by means of the movement mechanism 34 so that they move from the one CD position

move angularly (instead of linearly) to the next CD position, whereby the pickup mechanism 33 is rotated downwards to pass through.

It will be appreciated that the first playback mechanism 10 may be modified to play more than two compact discs inserted one after the other in a linear array, with the pickup mechanism 13 being able to be moved step by step in any direction from one CD position to the next CD position by means of the movement mechanism 14.

The invention has been given by way of example only, and various modifications and/or changes to the described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.

Claims (12)

MB 269-12155.3 ALCO Electronics Ltd. NEW CLAIMS 1. Compact disc player mechanism comprising a body part (11) a platform (12) which can be moved on the body part (11), a pickup mechanism (13; 33) mounted on a body plate (19) having first and second ends (19A, 19B), the first end (19A) being pivotally connected to the platform (12) and the second end (19B) having an engagement portion (20), and having a motor-driven rotary base (15) for supporting and rotating a compact disc and a motor-driven laser pickup device (16) for reading data recorded on a compact disc, and a movement mechanism (14; 34) adapted to move the pickup mechanism (13; 33) from a first to a second position and, in each of the two positions, to rotate the pickup mechanism upwards for operation and downwards for transit between the positions, the movement mechanism (14; 34) together with the pickup mechanism (13; 33) being movable from the first position to the second position, the movement mechanism (14; 34) having a movable slideway (24) along which the engagement part (20) slidably engages such that the movement of the slideway (24) relative to the engagement part (20) causes the pickup mechanism (13; 33) to rotate up and down, the slideway (24) being angularly movable. 2. Compact disc player mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism (14; 34) is designed to move the pickup mechanism (13; 33) along a substantially P/JS/mu chen linear path from the first position to the second position. 3. Compact disc player mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movement mechanism (14; 34) is designed to move the pickup mechanism (13; 33) back and forth between the first position and the second position. 4. Compact disc player mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the movement mechanism has an angularly movable part (21; 35) which defines the slideway (24). 5. Compact disc player mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the body part (11) has a fixed track (26; 3 6), and the movable member (21; 35) is arranged to be movable while engaging the stationary track so as to move the pickup mechanism (13; 33). 6. A compact disc player mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the fixed track (26) is substantially straight. 7. Compact disc playback mechanism according to one of claims 4 to 6, in which the movable part (21; 35) is arranged so that it disengages from the fixed track (26; 36) when the pickup mechanism (13; 33) is rotated upwards. 8. Compact disc player mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the body part (11) is provided with engagement means (28A, 28B) for positive engagement with the pickup mechanism (13; 33) in each of the positions. 9. Compact disc player mechanism according to claim 8, wherein P/JS/mu the engaging means comprises a plurality of projections (28A, 28B) arranged on the body part (11) and a rib (27A, 27B) arranged on the movable part (21; 35) and for engaging with the projections (28A, 28B) for securing the pickup mechanism (13; 33) in the first and second positions. 10. Compact disc playback mechanism according to one of claims 4 to 9, in which the angular movement of the movable part (21; 35) and the movable slideway (24) is a rotation through an angle. 11. Compact disc player mechanism that a body (11) with respect to which at least a first and second horizontal position for placing a compact disc are defined,
a pickup mechanism (13; 33) with - a motor-driven rotating base (15) for carrying and rotating a compact disc and - a motor-driven laser pickup device (16) for reading data recorded on a rotated compact disc, and a movement mechanism (14; 34) adapted to move the pickup mechanism (13; 33) from the first position to the second position and, in each of the positions, to move the pickup mechanism (13; 33) upwardly for operation and downwardly for transit between the positions. 12. Compact disc player which a compact disc playback mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 11. P/JS/niü