JP2589676Y2 - Locking and ejecting device for recording media of information equipment - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information device in which a case containing an information recording medium such as an optical disk or a magnetic tape is mounted, and particularly to a recording device for an information device having a function of gradually discharging the case from the device body. It relates to a medium lock / discharge device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a disk changer for a vehicle or the like,
A case (magazine) in which a plurality of disks are stored is inserted into the device main body, and a desired disk is selected and pulled out from the case in the device main body, and a reproducing operation and the like are performed. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of a lock / discharge device that locks an inserted case and discharges the case in a conventional disc changer. An insertion hole 1a is formed on the front surface of the device main body 1, and a case (magazine) 2 is inserted from the insertion hole 1a and loaded into the loading section 1b.

The case 2 is inserted into the loading section 1b in the discharge direction (B
(Direction) is provided. The urging mechanism 3 includes an urging member 4, a spring 5 that constantly presses the urging member 4 in the B direction, and a viscous damper 6 that suppresses the moving speed of the urging member 4 in the B direction. ing. A rack 4a is formed on the right side of the urging member 4 in the figure, and a pinion gear 6a that meshes with the rack 4a is fixed to a shaft that rotates with a load by the viscous damper 6. The loading section 1b is provided with a lock mechanism 7 for locking the case 2. This locking mechanism 7
A lock lever 8 that rotates about a shaft 7a and a spring 9 that constantly urges the lock lever 8 in the clockwise direction in the figure are provided, and a lock pin 8a is provided at the tip of the lock lever 8. The loading unit 1b is provided with an unlocking member 10 that moves in the direction of arrow A.

On the bottom surface of the case 2, there are formed a guide groove 11 extending linearly in the B direction, and an L-shaped engaging groove 11a which is continuous at the end of the guide groove 11 in the B direction.
When the case 2 is inserted into the loading section 1b from the insertion hole 1a,
During the insertion, the front end of the case 2 in the insertion direction is
Then, the urging member 4 is pressed against the urging force of the spring 5 in the case 2.
Is inserted. When the case 2 is inserted to a predetermined position, the lock pin 8a enters the guide groove 11, and the case 2
Is completely inserted, the lock pin 8a urged clockwise by the spring 9 is locked in the locking groove 11a, and the case 2 is locked. At this time, the case 2 is constantly urged by the spring 5 in the discharge direction (B direction). When the case 2 is ejected, the unlocking member 10 is driven leftward in the figure by a driving unit (not shown), and the distal end of the lock lever 8 is pushed counterclockwise by the unlocking member 10. At this time, the lock pin 8a comes off the locking groove 11a, and the lock of the case 2 is released. Then, the case 2 is pushed by the rising portion 4b of the urging member 4 receiving the elastic force of the spring 5, and is discharged in the B direction.

[0005]

In the above device, when the viscous damper 6 is not provided, when the lock pin 8a comes off the locking groove 11a, the force of the spring 5 resiliently pressing the urging member 4 is obtained. As a result, the case 2 is ejected vigorously in the direction B and jumps out of the device body 1. Therefore, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the moving speed of the urging member 4 in the direction B is reduced by the viscous damper 6, and after the lock is released, the case 2 is gradually discharged from the insertion hole 1a. However, since the viscous damper 6 is expensive, the provision of the viscous damper 6 increases the manufacturing cost and increases the number of components arranged in the loading portion 1b, which hinders the thinning of the device body. Further, when the case 2 is inserted, the viscous damper 6 becomes an insertion load, and the resistance force when the case is inserted becomes unnecessarily strong.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium locking / discharging device for an information device which can gradually discharge the unlocked case without using a viscous damper or the like.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a recording medium locking / discharging apparatus, comprising: a guide portion which extends from a front end to a rear end in an insertion direction of a device and intersects with the insertion direction; A locking portion formed continuously on the rear end side of the guide portion is provided, and a locking member locked to the locking portion when the case is inserted is provided on the device body side; Biasing member in the locking direction, and a direction in which the lock member is detached from the locking portion when discharging the case, and then the case is gradually discharged while sliding the locking member against the guide portion. And a drive unit for driving the motor.

[0008]

In the above means, when the case is inserted,
The lock member urged by the urging member is locked by a locking portion provided on the case, and the case is locked in an inserted state. When the case is ejected, the lock is driven by the drive unit in a direction in which the lock member is disengaged from the locking unit, and the lock of the case is released. At this time, the lock member slides on the inclined guide portion, and the case is gradually discharged to the outside of the device main body due to the inclination of the guide portion.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a disc changer according to an embodiment of the present invention and a case (a magazine) loaded therein, FIG. 2 is a front view of the changer shown in FIG.
Is a partially enlarged plan view showing a case loading portion in the device main body,
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the loading unit shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion indicated by V in FIG. 3. The device body 15 of the disc changer has a front surface (a decorative surface).
Has an insertion hole 15a into which a case CT containing a plurality of disks is inserted. The inside of the device main body 15, which is the inner part of the insertion hole 15 a, forms a case mounting portion 16. The loading portion 16 is provided with a case lock / discharge device, and its components are attached to a bottom plate 16a.

A positioning groove 17 and a guide groove 18 are formed on the bottom surface of the case CT, that is, on the surface facing the bottom plate 16a. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Are formed linearly along the insertion / ejection direction (E1-E2 direction) of the case CT. This positioning groove 17
Guide pins 16b, 16b inserted into the positioning grooves 17 protrude from the bottom plate 16a in the apparatus body 15 when the case CT is inserted. Similarly, the guide groove 18 formed on the bottom surface of the case CT opens at the front end in the insertion direction (E1 direction) of the case CT and extends obliquely with respect to the E1-E2 direction. The side wall 18f which becomes the portion 18b and opposes it extends parallel to the guide portion 18b.

An engaging portion 18a is provided at the base of the guide groove 18 on the E2 side. The locking portion 18a is formed in a concave shape on the bottom surface of the case CT so as to be continuous with the guide groove 18. The locking portion 18a has a locking side 18c substantially perpendicular to the insertion / ejection direction (E1-E2 direction). The bottom plate 1 of the loading section 16 of the device body 15
6a is provided with a lock member 19 that is rotatably arranged about a shaft 19a.

The lock member 19 is urged clockwise in FIGS. 3 and 5 by a torsion spring 20 shown in FIG. A substantially triangular lock projection 19b protrudes from the tip of the lock member 19 and faces the bottom surface of the case CT. Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the F1
An unlocking member 21 that moves in the −F2 direction is provided. At the left end of the lock release member 21 in the figure, a contact portion 21a facing the tip of the lock member 19 is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, a rack 21b is formed on the right side of the unlocking member 21 in the drawing. A motor 23 is provided on the bottom plate 16 a of the loading unit 16, and its rotation output is reduced by a reduction gear group 22, and a pinion gear 22 a of the reduction gear group 22
1b.

The unlocking member 21 can be slowly moved in the directions F1 and F2 by the reduction ratio of the reduction gear group 22. In the present embodiment, the motor 23 drives the disk drive unit having the disk clamp mechanism and the optical pickup up and down to drive the drive source of the elevator type disk selection mechanism for facing this unit to a desired disk in the case CT. It is also used as In this embodiment, the lock release member 2 is used.
1. The drive unit 30 is constituted by the reduction gear group 22 and the motor 23.

Further, an urging member 24 for constantly urging the loaded case CT in the discharge direction E2 is disposed on the bottom plate 16a of the loading section 16. The urging member 24 has two long holes 24a, 24a formed in an intermediate portion.
Guide pins 16 projecting above the bottom plate 16a at 4a, 24a
c and 16c are inserted, and the biasing member 24 is slidable in the E1-E2 direction. Further, an abutting portion 24b which is bent upward at a right angle is formed at the far end of the urging member 24. Further, the urging member 24 is always urged in the E2 direction by a tension spring 25. When the case CT is inserted into the loading portion 16, the insertion-side tip of the case comes into contact with the contact portion 24 b of the urging member 24, and the case is inserted against the tensile force of the tension spring 25. Become.

A description will now be given, mainly with reference to FIG. 6, of a discharging operation of the case of the disc changer having the above-mentioned structure. <Case Insertion Operation> When the case CT is inserted through the insertion hole 15a, the case C
The front end of T in the direction E1 contacts the contact portion 24b of the biasing member 24. The urging force of the spring 25 in the discharge direction E2 acts on the case CT from the point of contact. When the case CT is further inserted against this urging force, the lock projection 19b of the lock member 19 is moved to the right end 18 of the guide groove 18.
e, and the lock projection 19b is
Slide on the side wall 18f.

When the case CT is completely inserted, the lock projection 19b moves to the inside of the guide groove 18, and the lock member 19 rotates clockwise by the urging force of the spring 20, and the lock projection 19b is locked. The portion 18a is locked on the locking side 18c. At this time, the case CT is locked in a state in which the urging member 24 continues to apply the urging force in the E2 direction. Then, a disk is selected and pulled out from the case CT, the disk is clamped by the disk drive unit and driven to rotate, and a reproducing operation and the like are performed.

<Case Discharge Operation> When the case discharge operation is performed, the motor 23 shown in FIG. 3 exerts a driving force in any rotational direction, and this driving force is reduced by the reduction gear group 22. Then, the lock release member 21 moves at a relatively low speed in the F1 direction due to the engagement between the pinion gear 22a and the rack 21b. When the unlocking member 21 moves in the F1 direction and the contact portion 21a abuts on the tip of the lock member 19, the lock member 19
Rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 19a against the elastic force of the spring 20. By the rotation of the lock member 19 in the counterclockwise direction, the lock projection 19b of the lock member 19 comes off from the locking side 18c of the guide groove 18. Thereby, the lock on the case CT is released, and the case CT is moved to E2 by the force of the spring 25 for urging the urging member 24.
It begins to be pushed in the direction.

The lock member 19 detached from the locking side 18c receives a pressing force in the F1 direction by the lock release member 21 and receives a guide portion 18b serving as a side wall of the guide groove 18.
Hit. The guide portion 18b is inserted in the insertion / ejection direction E1-
The biasing member 2 is formed to be inclined with respect to E2.
The guide portion 18b is pressed against the lock projection 19b by the urging force of No.4. From this state, the motor 23
Is rotated in the reverse direction, and the reduction ratio of the reduction gear group 22
The lock release member 21 starts to be driven at a low speed in the direction F2. With the slow movement of the lock release member 21 in the F2 direction, the lock member 19 abutting on the contact portion 21a gradually rotates clockwise by the urging force of the spring 20. Therefore, the lock projection 19b is connected to the guide 1
8b is slid at a low speed, and the case CT is gradually discharged in the E2 direction. The discharge speed of the case CT can be freely adjusted by the rotation speed of the motor 23, the reduction ratio of the reduction gear group 22, or the inclination angle of the guide portion 18b with respect to the discharge direction E2.

As described above, in this embodiment, the guide groove 1
The case CT can be gradually discharged by the inclination of 8 and the low speed operation of the lock member 19. Therefore, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to use a viscous damper for reducing the moving speed of the urging member, and thus the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, in the conventional structure, it is difficult to set a desired discharge speed because the discharge speed of the case depends on the characteristics of the viscous damper and the urging force of the urging member. The discharge speed of the case CT can be set arbitrarily based on the inclination angle of 18 and the moving speed of the unlocking member 21.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the unlocking member 21 is driven in the F1-F2 direction by a rotating cam, and the shape of the cam causes the unlocking member 21 to be unlocked. The moving speed in the F2 direction may be set. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the urging member 24 is used.
Is provided, and the case CT is actuated by the urging force of the spring 25.
Is urged in the discharge direction, and the guide portion 18b and the lock protrusion 1
9b, the case CT is gradually discharged. However, without providing the urging member 24, after the lock between the lock projection 19b and the locking portion 18a is released, the lock projection is released. The case CT may be forcibly driven in the F2 direction, and the case CT may be gradually discharged by sliding between the lock protrusion 19b and the inclined side wall 18f.

Instead of providing the guide groove 18 and the locking portion 18a in a concave shape on the bottom surface of the case CT, the inclined guide portion and the locking portion may be projected from the bottom surface. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case (magazine) for a disc changer in which a plurality of discs are stored is shown as an example as a case loaded in the apparatus. However, the case in the present invention is not necessarily limited to this type of case. For example, the present invention can be similarly implemented even in a case where a single recording medium is stored.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the case is provided with the inclined guide portion and the locking portion. After the lock member is removed from the locking portion, the lock member is slid on the guide portion.
Thus, since the case is discharged, the case can be discharged gradually, and the discharge speed can be set. Therefore, an expensive viscous damper as in the related art is not required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing a disc changer as an embodiment of an information device and a case loaded therein;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the disc changer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a case mounting portion of the disc changer shown in FIG. 1 and the like;

4 is a rear view of the loading section shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion V in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a case discharging operation.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing a case loading portion of a conventional disc changer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Device main body 16 Loading part 16a Bottom plate 18 Guide groove 18a Locking part 18b Guide part 18c Locking side 19 Lock member 19a Lock protrusion 20 Torsion spring 21 Lock release member 23 Motor 24 Biasing member 25 Spring 30 Drive part

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] A guide portion extending from the front end to the rear end in the insertion direction with respect to the device, intersecting the insertion direction, and a latch formed continuously on the rear end side of the guide portion. A lock member that is locked to the locking portion when the case is inserted,
An urging member for urging the lock member in the locking direction;
A drive unit that removes the lock member from the locking portion when discharging the case, and then drives the lock member in a direction to gradually discharge the case while sliding the lock member against the guide portion. Recording media lock / discharge device for information equipment.