JP2001035060A - Disk changer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a device much thinner and smaller. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a stocker part 2 having a plurality of semi-circular trays 3 laminated in upper and lower directions, the trays being moved away from the center hole 101A of a disk 101 to load the disk, a driving means for driving the stocker part 2 in upper and lower directions, an expanding means for expanding a gap between a tray 3 holding a disk instructed to be recorded/reproduced and a tray 3 below it and returning the gap to its original state when recording/reproducing is over, disk regulating members 24 and 25 provided in the expanding means so as to be engaged with/ disengaged from the center holes of all the disks on the trays 3, and a driving chassis 9 movable up and down and swung around a rotary shaft 10 to advancing/retreating a recording/reproducing part 6 to/from the semi-circular part of the tray 3 between the gap-expanded trays 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disk changer device which is most suitable for a general disk changer device, and more particularly to a disk changer device in which a recording / reproducing unit enters a standby disk storage unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of disc changer device has been required to be reduced in size and thickness due to diversification of installation locations. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-125029 discloses an example of such a configuration. It is shown. Hereinafter, a conventional disk changer of this type will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10, a plurality of trays 103 are provided in a disk storage unit 102 for storing a plurality of disks 101.
Are stacked so as to be movable in the vertical direction. When the disc is stored, the disc inserted from the disc insertion slot 104 is transported by the loading unit 105,
It is inserted in order on each tray 103 moving up and down by elevator means (not shown). At the time of disc recording / reproduction, when the user designates the number on the tray to be selected, elevator means (not shown) lifts the disc with the corresponding number and the tray thereabove together and places it between the tray below it. A space is formed, and the disk recording / reproducing unit 107 supported by the drive chassis 106 is inserted into the space. The center hole of the disk is held on the turntable of the spindle motor 108 of the disk recording / reproducing unit 107. After the tray is separated, the recording and reproduction of the disk is performed by the pickup of the disk recording and reproduction unit 107. Thus, the size and thickness of the conventional disk recording / reproducing apparatus can be reduced.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional disk changer device, when recording and reproducing a disk, the entire disk recording / reproducing unit 107 equipped with the spindle motor 108 is located between the trays of the disk storage unit 102. As a result, the height of the apparatus is increased by the height of the disk recording / reproducing unit 107, and there is a problem that it is difficult to further reduce the size and thickness.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and provides a disk changer device that can be further reduced in size and thickness.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a disc changer apparatus comprising: a stocker means in which a plurality of substantially semicircular trays for mounting the disc by escaping a center hole of the disc are vertically stacked; Drive means for driving the disc in the up and down direction, expanding means for increasing the distance between the tray holding the disc for which recording or reproduction has been instructed and the tray below it, and returning to the original state when recording or reproduction is completed. A disc positioning means provided on the expanding means for engaging and disengaging the center holes of all the discs on each tray, and recording from the side of the expanded tray between which the semicircle of the tray is cut off. Recording section moving means for moving the reproducing section forward and backward. According to this configuration, even if the recording / reproducing unit enters between the trays, the recording / reproducing unit does not hit the tray because the semicircular shape of the tray enters from the cut side, and the apparatus is reduced accordingly. The size and thickness can be further reduced.
Also, since the disc positioning means which engages and disengages with the center holes of all the discs held in each tray of the stocker means interlocks with the disc center hole in conjunction with the expanding means, the space between the expanded trays is restored. When returning to the state, the disc can be reliably held without causing a position shift.

Further, in the disc changer device according to the present invention, the recording unit moving means includes a chassis member movable vertically and swingable about a base end in a horizontal direction. As a result, the range of movement is narrower than that in the conventional movement in the linear direction, so that the size of the apparatus can be further reduced.

Further, in the disc changer device according to the present invention, the recording section moving means is opened up and down by the recording / reproducing section which has entered between the expanded trays to form an entrance path of the recording / reproducing section. And a flap-shaped oscillating member protects the upper and lower disks from the recording / reproducing unit, so that a gap between the upper and lower disks and the recording / reproducing unit is provided. It can be minimized and the device can be made even thinner.

Further, in the disc changer device according to the present invention, the recording portion moving means takes a standby position beside a disc insertion slot in the device, and moves from the standby position toward the center of the device to set a recording / reproducing position. Therefore, the space inside the device can be effectively used, and the size of the device can be further reduced.

Further, in the disc changer device according to the present invention, the recording section moving means operates by moving the recording / reproducing section in an inner circumferential direction with respect to the disc; and the disc of the recording / reproducing section. A second detection lever operated by movement in the outer peripheral direction with respect to the first and second switches, and a common switch operated by the first and second detection levers to detect an inner peripheral end position and an outer peripheral end position of the recording / reproducing unit. With this configuration, the position of the recording / reproducing unit can be detected by one switch in accordance with the moving direction, so that a complicated connection configuration is not required and the number of components can be reduced.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The disk changer device according to the following embodiment is an example of a vehicle-mounted disk changer device installed and used in an automobile.

In FIG. 1, a stocker unit 2 for storing a plurality of disks 101 is disposed inside a housing 1, and a plurality of trays 3 holding the disks 101 are provided in the stocker unit 2. Are laminated and arranged at the corners of the right side plate 1B and the back plate 1C. Each of the trays 3 is formed in a semicircular shape with a half on the near side removed substantially along a diagonal line between the left back corner 1E and the right front corner 1F. It is curved so as to escape the hole 101A. The end of each tray 3 facing the back plate 1C, and the right side plate 1B and the back plate 1
A ridge is formed on the upper surface of the end facing the corner with C and on the upper surface of the end facing the right side plate 1B. When the trays 3 are stacked, a space corresponding to the height of the ridge is formed. Are formed, and the disk 101 is accommodated in this space. Each tray 3 has three holes at three places.
A, 3B, and 3C are formed, and three guide shafts whose both ends are fixed to the upper surface plate and the lower surface plate of the housing 1 are inserted into these holes. For this reason, the plurality of trays 3
The book can be moved up and down by being guided by a guide shaft.

A disk insertion slot 4 for inserting and removing the disk 101 is formed in the front plate 1A of the housing 1, and inside the housing 1 near the disk insertion slot 4 is provided. And a loading section 5 including a disk transport roller. A recording / reproducing unit 6 for recording / reproducing the disk 101 is disposed on the near side along the left side plate 1D in the housing 1. Recording / playback unit 6
Has an optical head chassis 8 that supports an optical pickup 7, and the optical head chassis 8 is supported by a drive chassis 9 via a not-shown dambar that absorbs external vibrations and shocks. The drive chassis 9 is supported so as to be able to swing around a rotation shaft 10 and to be able to move up and down by elevator means (not shown). Optical head chassis 8
A spindle motor 11 is provided on the back surface of the optical disk drive.
01 is fixed. The optical head chassis 8 includes an optical pickup 7.
A feed screw 12 is provided for moving the head toward the center of the turntable 11A.

FIG. 2 is a schematic right side view of FIG.
Shows a state at the time of normal operation, and (b) shows a state at the time of opening the tray. In FIG. 2, a stocker support plate 13 slidably supported in the front-rear direction along the side plate 1B of the housing 1 includes:
Two elongated holes 14A and 14B having different vertical positions in the horizontal direction and two cam grooves 15A and 15B are formed. Two guide pins 16A and 16B implanted on the side plate 1B of the housing 1 are engaged with the long holes 14A and 14, and the cam grooves 15A and 15B are slidably supported in the vertical direction. Two guide pins 18A and 18B implanted on the tray plate 17 are engaged. In addition, the first cam gears 20A and 20B and the second cam gear 21 are provided on the metal plate 19 and the tray support plate 17 fixed to the upper surface plate of the housing 1, respectively.
A, 21B and third cam gears 22A, 22B are arranged so as to be rotatable and engageable in the vertical direction. further,
Disk restricting members 24 and 25 that can be engaged with the center hole 101A of the disk 101 on each tray 3 are fixed to the metal plate 19 and the tray support plate 17, respectively. These disc regulating members 24 and 25 have a gap with the disc 101 to be conveyed so that the disc 101 can be inserted into the tray 3 or ejected from the tray 3 to the outside.

FIGS. 3A and 4A are front views of the first cam gears 20A and 20B, and FIGS.
(B) is a cam development view of the first cam gears 20A and 20B. In the first cam gears 20A and 20B, spiral cam grooves 23 into which protruding pieces provided on the tray 3 are inserted in a state where they are engaged with each other are continuously formed. Further, the width of the spiral ridge portion 20C of the cam gears 20A and 20B facing each other is formed to be thicker than the width of the other ridge portion 20D. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second and third cam gears 21A, 21B and 22B
The width of the peak portion 21C of A, 22B (only the second cam gears 21A, 21B are shown) is formed to be thicker than the width of the other peak portions 21D. Second and third cam gears 21
A, 21B and 22A, 22B are the first cam gear 2
Together with 0A and 20B, in the engaged state (FIGS. 4 and 6), they rotate synchronously by the rotational driving force of a motor (not shown). When the cam gears 20, 21, and 22 rotate in synchronization with each other, the trays 3 having the projections engaged with the respective cam grooves 23 move up and down as a unit. At the time of this vertical movement, the cam gear 20,
The wide ridges 20C, 21C and 22C of 21 and 22 open between the trays located at that position, and the cam gears 20, 21 and 22 engaged vertically are disengaged.

For example, when the reproduction of the top disk is specified, as shown in FIG.
When rotated, each tray 3 moves to the upper cam groove 23, and when the uppermost tray 3-1 exceeds the wide portion 21C,
Since the top tray 3-1 and the second tray 3-2 are separated by the wide portion 21C, the distance therebetween is widened. In this state, the rotation of the gear cam is stopped and, as shown in FIG.
5, the stocker support plate 13 is driven forward in the horizontal direction, and the cam grooves 15A and 15B formed in the stocker support plate 13 cause the tray support plate 17 to move downward while tilting forward. Upper trays 3-1 and 2
The space between the second tray 3-2 and the third tray 3-2 is greatly expanded. As a result, insertion, ejection, and recording / reproduction of a disc with respect to the top tray 3-1 can be performed.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the disk 101 on which recording and reproduction is performed is selected, and the recording and reproduction unit 6 enters between the opened trays 3.
3 schematically shows a series of operations up to the start of recording and reproduction. The disk 101 selected by the expanding operation shown in FIG. 2 is supported by a guide 26 disposed on the outer periphery thereof. Rotatable flap-shaped levers 27 and 28 are disposed at the bottom end and the top end of the drive chassis 9 that can move vertically. The recording / reproducing unit 6 arranged on the drive chassis 9 moves to a predetermined position by the raising / lowering operation of the drive chassis 9 and also enters between the trays 3 that have been opened by the swing operation of the drive chassis 9. To stop at a predetermined recording / reproducing position. At this time, the flap-shaped levers 27 and 28 are driven by the end faces thereof as the recording / reproducing unit 6 enters, and the discs 10 other than the selected disc, that is, the discs 10 located above and below the selected disc.
1 to protect the recording / reproducing unit 6. Thereafter, the optical head chassis 8 holding the recording / reproducing unit 6 is moved linearly toward the center of the disk 101 by a driving unit (not shown), and
Is aligned with the center hole 11A of the disk 101, and the disk 101 is turned by the clamper 11B.
A is fixed on A, and the recording / reproducing operation is performed again after returning to the predetermined recording / reproducing position.

FIG. 8 shows the recording / reproducing section 6 equipped with the turntable 11A, the optical pickup 7, and the like in a state where the optical head chassis 8 has returned to the recording / reproducing position. An optical system such as a light-emitting element is incorporated in the optical pickup 7, and a laser beam emitted from an objective lens constituting the optical system is irradiated on the disk 101,
The light reflected at 01 is incident on the light receiving element via the objective lens. The light receiving element converts the received laser light into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal. From this output signal, information recorded on the disk 101 is reproduced. When performing an operation other than the reproduction, the optical pickup 7 is moved in the outer circumferential direction of the disk 101 by the feed screw 12 and then rotated again around the rotation 10 so that the predetermined standby position shown in FIG. Move to.

FIG. 9 shows the recording / reproducing unit 6 supported on the back surface of the optical head chassis 8. On the back surface of the optical head chassis 8, a switch 31 and rotatably supported detection levers 32 and 33 are arranged. At the ends of the short sides 32A and 33A of the detection levers 32 and 33, mounting portions for mounting a coil spring 34 are provided, respectively.
In the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and
Is urged to rotate clockwise in the figure. By moving the optical pickup 7 in the inner circumferential direction 40A, the end of the short side 32A of the detection lever 32 is driven by the shoulder 7A of the optical pickup 7 at a predetermined position, and the long side 32B of the detection lever 32 is switched by the switch 36. Is turned on or off, the moving end of the pickup 7 in the inner circumferential direction is detected.
The detection lever 33 is provided in the outer peripheral direction 4 of the optical pickup 7.
The end of the short side 33A is driven by the shoulder 7B of the optical pickup 7 at a predetermined position by the movement to the position 0B, and the long side 33B turns the switch 36 on or off. A moving end in the direction is detected.

[0019]

As described above, the disc changer device according to the present invention comprises: a stocker means in which a plurality of substantially semicircular trays on which the discs are placed while escaping the center hole of the discs are vertically stacked; Driving means for driving the stocker means in the vertical direction, widening the interval between the tray holding the disc for which recording or reproduction is instructed and the tray below it, and returning to the original state when recording or reproduction is completed Means, disk positioning means provided on the expanding means for engaging and disengaging the center holes of all the disks on each tray, and a side on which the semicircle of the tray is cut off between the expanded trays. Recording / reproducing unit for moving the recording / reproducing unit back and forth, so that even if the recording / reproducing unit enters between the trays, the side where the semicircle of the tray is cut off Since et enters, without recording reproducing unit hits the tray, further downsizing of the device by that amount, it can be made thinner. Also, since the disc positioning means which engages and disengages with the center holes of all the discs held in each tray of the stocker means interlocks with the disc center hole in conjunction with the expanding means, the space between the expanded trays is restored. When returning to the state, the disc can be securely held without causing a position shift.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a disk changer device according to an embodiment of the present invention during standby.

FIG. 2A is a schematic right side view of the disk changer device according to the embodiment of the present invention during standby; and FIG. 2B is a schematic right side view of the disk changer device according to the embodiment of the present invention during recording and reproduction.

FIG. 3 (a) is a front view of the embodiment of the present invention when the first cam gear is separated. FIG. 3 (b) is a developed view of the first cam gear when separated.

FIG. 4A is a front view of a first cam gear according to an embodiment of the present invention when the first cam gear is coupled; FIG.

FIG. 5 (a) is a front view of the second (third) cam gear in the embodiment of the present invention when it is separated. (B) A development view of the second (third) cam gear when it is separated.

FIG. 6 (a) is a front view of the embodiment of the present invention when the second (third) cam gear is connected; FIG. 6 (b) is a developed view of the second (third) cam gear when connected;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a recording / reproducing operation according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view at the time of recording / reproduction of the disc changer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a recording / reproducing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a conventional disc changer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 2 Stocker part 3 Tray 4 Disk insertion slot 5 Loading part 6 Recording / reproducing part 7 Optical pickup 8 Optical head chassis 9 Drive chassis 10 Rotating shaft 11 Spindle motor 11A Turntable 11B Clamper 12 Feed screw 13 Stocker support plate 14 Slot Reference Signs List 15 cam groove 16 guide pin 17 tray support plate 18 guide pin 19 metal plate 20 first cam gear 21 second cam gear 22 third cam gear 24, 25 disk regulating member 26 guide 27, 28 flap-shaped lever 31 switch 32, 33 Detection lever 34 Coil spring

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masakazu Kashikawa 4-3-1 Tsunashimahigashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa F-term (reference) in Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. 5D072 AB22 BH05 BH17 CA11 EB14

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A stocker means for vertically stacking a plurality of substantially semicircular trays on which the disc is placed while escaping a center hole of the disc, a drive means for driving the stocker means in a vertical direction, Expanding means for increasing the distance between the tray holding the disc instructed to be reproduced and the tray below it, and returning to the original state when recording or reproduction is completed; and Disk positioning means for engaging and disengaging the center holes of all the disks on the tray; and recording section moving means for moving the recording / reproducing section back and forth from the side where the semicircle of the tray is cut off between the expanded trays. Disc changer device. 2. The disc changer device according to claim 1, wherein said recording section moving means includes a chassis member movable vertically and swingable about a base end in a horizontal direction. 3. A flap-shaped swinging member which opens up and down by the recording / reproducing section which has entered between the expanded trays to form an entrance path of the recording / reproducing section, wherein the recording section moving means is provided. The disk changer device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording section moving means takes a standby position beside a disk insertion slot in the apparatus, and moves from said standby position toward a center of the apparatus to take a recording / reproducing position. 3. The disc changer device according to 2. 5. The recording section moving means operates by a first detection lever which operates by moving the recording / reproducing section in an inner circumferential direction with respect to the disk, and operates by moving the recording / reproducing section in an outer circumferential direction with respect to the disk. Operated by a second detection lever and the first and second detection levers,
2. A common switch for detecting an inner peripheral end position and an outer peripheral end position of the recording / reproducing unit.
The disc changer device as described.