JPH03235249A - Magazine for housing plural disks - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent trays from being unnecessarily separated by fixing or releasing upper and lower halves with a locking mechanism composed of the extended part of a movable locking member provided on the upper half, and a columnar member fixed to the lower half. CONSTITUTION:A supporting member 20 whose cross section is L-shaped is fixed onto the inner wall surface of an upper half 6, and a discoid movable locking member 19 is held therebetween so as to be slid between the upper half 6 and the member 20. At the outer peripheral part of the member 19, three extending parts 19a-19c are protruded, notched parts 19d-19f are formed at the tip part and three columnar members 14, 16 and 17 are fixed on the lower half 7 to form the locking mechanism for fixing the upper and lower halves 6 and 7. Therefore, by fixing the upper and lower halves 6 and 7 while operating the locking mechanism when an operator handles a magazine 5, the halves and the housed trays can be prevented from being unnecessarily separated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Technical Field The present invention relates to a system in which a plurality of information recording disks (hereinafter simply referred to as disks) are arranged and housed, and are removably installed in a mounting section in a player housing, and are operated by a breaker. This invention relates to a multi-disk storage magazine that supplies stored disks according to the storage conditions.

BACKGROUND ART A multi-disc storage player including such a multi-disc storage magazine (hereinafter simply referred to as magazine) is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-52250, in which arbitrary disks in the magazine are sequentially selected and turned. The disc is provided with a transport mechanism for transporting the disc to a performance position by a performance means including a table and a pickup, and conversely transporting the disc from the performance position back into the magazine. Note that the disks in the magazine are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the disk supporting surface of the turntable.

In such a multi-disc storage player, when a selected disc is transported from inside the magazine to the playing position, that is, onto the turntable, it is necessary to transport the selected disc from inside the magazine in a direction parallel to the disc supporting surface of the turntable, and in a direction perpendicular to the said direction, that is, inside the magazine. The disks are moved in two directions in the arrangement direction of each disk, and this is done by the above-mentioned disk ejecting and transporting mechanism. Specifically, either the playing means including a turntable or the like and the magazine are supported on a predetermined movable supporting member, and this is reciprocated in the arrangement direction of the respective disks by a predetermined driving means. Instead, the disks are moved in the arrangement direction. Further, regarding the movement of the disk in the direction parallel to the disk supporting surface of the turntable, the following configuration is adopted.

As shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, the magazine is housed in a housing 251 which is a rectangular parallelepiped magazine body as a whole.
and support shafts 2 arranged in the housing in a direction perpendicular to the disk supporting surface of the turntable (in the direction of arrow Z and the opposite direction) and extending in the arrangement direction.
52, each of which can support a disk 253 on its main surface, and which can protrude from the housing along each main surface and can be housed therein. That is, by simply protruding the trays 254 each carrying a disk 253 from the housing 251, the disks 253 can be conveyed in one direction (disk conveyance in a direction parallel to the disk supporting surface of the turntable).

On the other hand, a dogleg-shaped tray pushing member 256 is rotatably provided on the side of the magazine to engage with each tray 254 one by one and push the tray out of the housing 251. Further, a sliding member 257 is provided in the vicinity of the magazine so as to be able to reciprocate linearly, and its forward movement direction end 257a is engaged with a tray pushing member 256, and a driving member (not shown) is engaged with the tray pushing member 256. The tray push-out member 25G is moved by the means, and a rotational moment is applied to the tray push-out member 25G, causing it to rotate.

Note that, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, two pins 256a are provided protruding from the tray push-out member 256.
The tray pushing member 256 is guided by this pin 256a slidably engaging two arcuate guide grooves 258a and 258b formed in the movable supporting member (not shown) on which the playing means is mounted. and rotate.

That is, by reciprocating the movable supporting member carrying performance means including a turntable, a pickup, etc. in the arrangement direction of each tray 254 (in the direction of arrow Z and the opposite direction), the trays between each tray 254 and the turntable are moved. A configuration in which the disc 253 on this tray is positioned on the turntable by relative movement and positioning in the arrangement direction, and by rotationally driving the tray pushing member 256 described above, a desired tray 254 is pushed and projected out of the magazine. This is the result.

As mentioned above, in order to mount a desired disc in the magazine onto a turntable, the conventional magazine has a structure in which the disc and the tray supporting the disc protrude out of the magazine along its main surface. It is necessary to provide a large space within the player housing to move the tray, making it difficult to downsize the player.

Incidentally, there has recently been a desire to develop a multi-disc storage player that can be installed near the driver's seat of an automobile. However, since the space allowed for the player to occupy near the driver's seat is extremely small, it is difficult to meet this demand by following the above configuration.

Summary of the Invention [Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to enable the development of a multi-disc storage player that is extremely small and suitable for use in a vehicle, and to To provide a multi-disk storage magazine with good operability.

[Structure of the Invention] The multiple disk storage magazine according to the present invention includes a housing consisting of a pair of upper and lower halves that are separable from each other;
a plurality of plate-shaped trays that are arranged and accommodated in the housing, each of which can support an information recording disk on its main surface, and that can be protruded from the housing along each main surface and accommodated; the lower half body; and a locking mechanism for fixing the lower halves to each other.

[Operation of the Invention] In the multi-disc storage magazine having such a configuration, the upper and lower halves, which are the housing parts of the magazine, are separated, so that each tray can be separated from each other in a direction perpendicular to its main surface. becomes. Moreover, the lower half body and the lower half body are fixed and released by the locking mechanism.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a multi-disk storage player including a multi-disc storage magazine as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The main part of the multi-disc storage player is, for example, a player housing 2 that is removably inserted into a holding space that holds the dash board (not shown) of an automobile through an insertion opening formed in the dash board (not shown). The front portion of the player housing, that is, the front panel portion is exposed outside the holding space.

As shown in FIG. 1, a front panel 3 forming the front surface of the player housing 2 is formed with a rectangular insertion opening 3a for inserting and mounting a magazine 5 into a mounting portion within the player housing.

The insertion port 3a extends in the left-right direction. Note that the direction of arrow X is to the left, and the direction of arrow Y is to the front. Further, arrow Z indicates upward. Although not shown, the front panel 3 is provided with an operating section for operating the multi-disc storage player and a display section for displaying the operating status of the player.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the magazine 5 consists of an upper half body 6 and a lower half body 7 that are separable from each other, and has an overall rectangular parallelepiped-shaped /X housing arranged inside the housing. Two types of approximately rectangular plate-shaped trays All and Tray B1, each of which is housed in a tray and can support a disk 9 on its main surface.
2. The lower half 7 is simply formed into a generally rectangular plate shape to form only the bottom surface of the housing, and the upper half 6 is formed by the edges of the main portion of the rectangular plate shape to form the top and side surfaces of the housing. It is made by integrally joining together a hanging part that extends downward.

Three trays All and two trays B12 are provided, and these are arranged alternately. Tray Al
The tray B12 has circular holes 11a and 12a at one corner thereof, and as shown in FIG. The holes fit smoothly. Therefore, as is clear from FIG. 3, each tray can rotate around this cylindrical member 14, and can thereby be protruded and stored in the housing consisting of the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7. . Figure 6 (
As is particularly clear from a) or C) and FIG. 7 (■ or C), two types of trays All and B12
have almost the same shape as a whole except for the following points.

That is, the positions of the claw parts 11b and 12b on which the operator applies his fingertips when pulling out each tray out of the magazine 5 are different;
These claws are arranged so as to be relatively shifted in a plane parallel to the main surface of each tray. Because of this configuration, the claw portion 11 of one tray, for example, tray All. When placing your finger on tray B, the other tray B1 adjacent to tray A
The trays can be taken in and out of the magazine 5 easily without interference between the claw portions 12b of No. 2 and the fingertips.

In addition, the edges of both trays All and tray B12, in this case, the two edges of each tray formed in a rectangular plate shape, are located on a virtual straight line passing through the center of the disk supporting surface of each tray along the disk supporting surface of each tray. On or in the vicinity of a diagonal line connecting diagonals, a plurality of tray holding arms, which are constituent members of separation and positioning means to be described later, hold two types of held parts 11C and 1.1d for holding each tray, respectively. 1.
2c and 12d are formed. As is clear from Figure 6 (a3 and (b) and Figure 7 (a) and mountains),
One of the two types of held parts formed on each tray, held parts 11c and 12c, consists of a groove formed in the end surface of the tray. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and (C) and FIGS. 7(a) and (C), the other held part 11d
and 12d are formed by slightly recessing both main surfaces of the tray to make the tray thinner than the other parts. Note that the held parts lid and 12d may not be made thin, but may be formed to have the same thickness as the other parts. However, such a thin wall contributes to making the magazine 5 thinner.

As is clear from the figure, held parts 11c and lld formed on tray A1-1 and held parts 1.2c and 12d formed on the other tray B12 adjacent to tray All are different from each other. They are arranged to be relatively shifted in a plane parallel to the main surface.

That is, each held portion 11. c and lid, and 1
2c and 12d are not arranged in a straight line in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of each tray, but are offset from each other and distributed along the main surface of the tray. Because of this configuration, the space that must be provided within the player housing 2 for swinging of each tray holding arm (described later) to separate the trays is reduced in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the tray, and the magazine This makes it easier to make the player 5 smaller and thinner in this direction, and by extension the player as a whole to be thinner.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6 (mountain to FIG. 7(C)), each tray All and tray B12 has notches 11f and 11g in the vicinity of the held portions 11c, lld, 12c and 12d, respectively. , 12f and 12g are formed.

As will be described later, these notches are for avoiding interference between each tray holding arm, which is a component of the separation and positioning means (described later), and a tray adjacent to the tray held by the arm.

As is clear from FIGS. 6(a) to 7(C), the main surfaces of each tray All and tray B12 are provided with circular recesses 11. for accommodating and positioning the disks 9.
h and 12h, and openings 11i and 12i through which a clamper, which will be described later, can be inserted are provided. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tray holding arm of the separating and positioning means is also attached to the end of the lower half body 7 forming a part of the housing of the magazine 5, similarly to each of the trays described above. (described later)
The held parts 7a and 7b held by the holding parts 7a and 7b are formed as thin parts that are thinner than other parts. Note that these held portions 7a and 7b may not be made thin, but may be formed to have the same thickness as the other portions.

As shown in FIG. 2, two cylindrical members ]6 and ]7, similar to the above-mentioned cylindrical member 14, are provided protruding from the inner wall corner of the lower half 7 of the magazine 5. As shown in FIG. Each tray All and tray B12 is also movable in the axial direction of the cylindrical member 1.4 that rotatably supports them, and the cylindrical member 14 not only acts as a shaft support member that pivotally supports each tray. , also acts as a guide member that guides the trays so that they are aligned in plan view. One cylindrical member 1
By performing two functions in this way, the number of parts is reduced by one compared to a structure in which two members are provided to perform each function individually.

As described above, each tray All and tray B12 is rotated around the cylindrical member 14 to be protruded from and stored in the magazine 5. The tray protrusion and storage operation is limited to rotation as described above. First, a configuration in which the tray reciprocates linearly can be considered, but by adopting such a rotation configuration, the tray always moves smoothly, and the operator can easily move the tray while loading or replacing discs. The operability when loading and unloading the magazine is good.

Here, a locking mechanism for fixing the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7, which constitute the housing of the magazine 5, to each other will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a movable locking member 19 formed in a disk shape and annular shape is attached to the inner wall surface of the upper half body 6 so as to be freely rotatable along its main surface. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, on the inner wall surface of the upper half 6, there is a supporting member 20 having an oval-shaped cross section perpendicular to the center of the ring. The movable locking member 19 is fixed to the support member 20 by adhesive or the like at the end surface.
It is arranged so that it is slidably held at its inner circumferential portion by the lower side portion and the upper half body 6.

Three protruding parts 19a to 19C are protruded from the outer circumference of the movable locking member 19, and semicircular notches 19d to 19f are formed at the tips of each of the protruding parts.
Annular grooves 14a, 15B and 1 as locked parts formed on the outer circumferential surfaces of the tip ends of the cylindrical members 14, 16 and 17 of the book.
Each of the notches 19d to 19f can be smoothly fitted into the notch 7a. For example, a cylindrical member 14 is shown in FIG.
A perspective view of the projecting portion 19a that engages with the projecting portion 19a is shown. Note that the relationships between the other two columnar members 16 and 17 and the overhanging portions 19b and 19c are also similar. That is, each of the movable locking members 19 provided on the upper half body 6 Notches 19d to 19
By fitting f, the upper half body 6 and lower half body 7 are fixed to each other, and when this fitted state is released, the two parts can be separated. In addition,
Each notch 19d to 1.9f is an annular groove]-4a,
The position of the movable locking member 19 in a state where it is fitted into 16a and 17a is referred to as a locking position, and the position of the movable locking member 19 in which this fitting is released is referred to as a non-locking position.

As shown in FIG.
7, one protrusion 19c of the movable locking member 19
By engaging with the notches 19d to 19f of each of the protruding parts 19a to 19c, the direction is directed in the direction of fitting into the annular grooves 14a, 16a, and 17a of each cylindrical member 14.16 and 17 (in the direction of arrow G). A biasing lever 21 for biasing the movable locking member 19 is swingably provided via a support pin 21a. Further, a spring member 22 that applies a biasing force to the biasing lever 21 is fitted into the support pin 21a. These biasing lever 21 and spring member 22 constitute a biasing means for biasing the movable locking member] 9 toward the above-mentioned locking position. The upper half body 6 and a locking mechanism for fixing the lower half body 7 to each other.

By providing such a locking mechanism, when an operator handles the magazine 5 to load or replace a disk in the magazine 5, the locking mechanism is activated to secure the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 to each other. By doing so, the upper half body 6, the lower half body 7, and each tray containing them can be prevented from being accidentally separated.

As mentioned above, since the locking mechanism is configured to simultaneously fix the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 at three points, each part of the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 can be accurately connected without being distorted. be given Further, since the movable locking member 19 is formed in a substantially disk shape and rotates along its main surface, the space that must be provided in the magazine 5 for the operation of the movable locking member 19 is small, and the magazine 5 This contributes to the miniaturization of the internal body and, by extension, the player as a whole. However, the shape and movement of the movable locking member 19 are not limited to this configuration, and various other configurations may be used, such as a swingable arm shape or a lever shape that can reciprocate linearly. Needless to say, it is applicable.

In addition, as mentioned above, the three cylindrical members 14, 16 and 17 that support and guide each tray are used to fix the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 to each other in this way. Since it was also used as a component, the number of parts was kept to a minimum.

Next, a description will be given of a performance means transport mechanism that moves a performance means including a turntable, a pickup, and a disc clamp mechanism, and mounts the performance means on a disc to be played in the magazine 5.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the magazine 5 is inserted into a mounting portion within the player housing 2. As shown in FIGS. The upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 constituting the magazine 5, as well as the ends and side ends of each of the trays All and B12 in the magazine insertion direction, are arranged in a straight line in the arrangement direction of the trays. The notches 6a, 6b, 7d, llj, llk, 12j and 1
2k is formed. Note that, regarding the lower half body 7, a notch at the end in the magazine insertion direction is not shown.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, two guide shafts 24 and 25 are provided in the player housing 2 so as to fit into the two longitudinal grooves formed by these respective notches.
is arranged to extend in the vertical direction, and
One guide shaft 25 is fixed to the player housing 2. These guide shafts 24 and 2
Reference numeral 5 denotes a device that slides on the trays All and B12 and the lower half body 7 that are to be separated from each other as will be described later, and guides them in the separation direction. As shown in a perspective view of one of the guide shafts 24 in FIG. 13, flanges 24a and 25a are formed near the upper ends of both guide shafts 24 and 25, forming the upper half of the housing of the magazine 5. By fitting the notches 6a and 6b of the upper half body 6 into the upper end portions of the guide shafts 24 and 25, the upper half body 6 is supported by both the flanges 24a and 25a, and the lower half body 6 is moved downward. is regulated. In addition, as mentioned above, one of the guide shafts 25 or the player housing 2
In contrast, the other guide shaft 24 projects onto the free end of a lever member 26 that is swingably provided with respect to the player housing 2 via a support pin 26a. The spring member 2
7 in a direction toward the magazine 5. Therefore, this guide shaft 24 is connected to the magazine 5.
When the magazine 5 is inserted into the player housing 2, the lever member 26 is retracted by swinging clockwise in FIG. At the same time as the insertion is completed, the lever member 26 is returned by the biasing force of the spring member 27, thereby fitting into each notch of the magazine 5.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, a disk-shaped movable locking member 19 that fixes the upper half 6 and lower half 7 of the magazine 5 to each other has three protruding portions. Another projecting portion 19g is integrally formed in the vicinity of the projecting portion H19a, which is one of the projecting portions 19a to I9c. The guide shaft 25 is in a state where it pushes this projecting portion 19g. As a result, the movable locking member 19 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, and each of the projecting portions 19a to 1-9C of the movable locking member 19 is locked.
The book is separated from the cylindrical members 14, 16 and ]7, the upper half 6 and the lower half 7 are no longer fixed, and the two can be separated.

The playing means transport mechanism described below vertically separates the upper half 6 and lower half 7 of the magazine 5, which can be separated as described above, in response to a playing command, and carries a disc to be played. After the tray is separated from the other trays, a playing means including a turntable or the like is brought to correspond to the disc and mounted thereon.

First, the separation positioning means forming a part of the performance means conveying mechanism will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 11, and 12, two disc-shaped movable cam members 29 and 30 are located within the player housing 2, respectively, to the rear and right sides of the mounted magazine 5. , is arranged so that its main surface extends in the vertical direction (arrow Z direction and the opposite direction) from which the upper half body 6, the lower half body 7, and each tray are to be separated;
Moreover, it is rotatably attached to the player housing 2. The outer circumferential surfaces of both of the cam members are worm wheels to which torque is applied via the gears described below. As clearly shown in FIG. 14, six cam grooves 30a to 30f are formed on the main surface of the cam member 30. Further, the other cam member 29 is formed to have a completely symmetrical shape to the one cam member 30,
As is clear from FIG. 12, six cam grooves similar to the valley grooves of the cam member 30 are formed on its main surface. In addition,
By making the cam members 29 and 30 thin and disk-shaped in this manner, the space they occupy is reduced, the efficiency of space utilization within the player housing is increased, and the player can be made more compact.

As shown in FIG. 9, the above two cam members 2 and 3
A motor 32 is disposed deep within the player housing 2 so as to be located between 0 and 0. As shown in FIG. 12, one of the cam members 29 is rotated by the motor 32 applying torque through the gears 32a, 3B, 34 and 35 and the worm 36. As shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the other cam member 30 has gears 32a and 3.
Torque from the motor 32 is transmitted sequentially through 3.37 and 38 and the worm 39. Both cam members 29 and 30 are driven synchronously and at the same rotational speed by the torque applying means.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, a flat plate-shaped bracket 41 extending in the vertical direction is disposed between one cam member 30 and the magazine 5 (However, in FIG. 41 is not shown), this bracket 4
1, the six tray holding arms 43 to 48 as tray holding members are arranged at one end thereof via support pins 43a to 48a in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction in which the lower half 7 of the magazine 5 and each tray are to be separated. It is attached so that it can swing freely. As shown in FIG. 11, pivot pins 43b to 48b are provided at the other end of each of these tray holding arms 43 to 48 to support the support bin 43a.
It is planted parallel to 48a. Six slide pieces 61 to 66 are provided near each of the pivot pins and are slidably guided by seven guide shafts 51 to 57, which are respectively provided to extend in the vertical direction. Each of the pivot pins is pivotally connected to each of the slide pieces. For details, refer to each slide frame 61 to 6.
An oval groove extending horizontally is formed on the side surface of the holder 6, and each pivot pin is slidably engaged with this groove. Of these six slide pieces, the top five slide pieces 61 to 65 each hold thin-walled held portions lid and 12d formed on each tray All and tray B12 in the magazine 5, respectively.

Further, the remaining slide piece 66 holds a held portion 7b formed as a thin wall portion in the lower half 7 of the magazine 5.

Then, the above six tray holding arms 43 to 48
Sliding pins 43C to 48c as cam followers are installed in parallel to the support pins 43H to 48a and the pivot pins 43b to 48b, respectively, in the central part of the 14th It is slidably engaged with each of the cam grooves 30a to 30f of the cam member 30 shown in the figure. That is, the rotation of the cam member 30 based on the rotation of the motor 32 causes each of the tray holding arms 43 to 4 to
8 is constructed so that it can be swung appropriately. Note that the timing of swinging of each tray holding arm will be described in detail in the section of explanation of operation described later.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, a flat bracket 71 is provided between the other cam member 29 and the magazine 5 so as to extend in the vertical direction. Tray holding arms 73 to 78 as holding members are attached to one end thereof via support bins 73a to 78a so as to be able to vibrate in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 12, pivot pins 73b to 78b are installed at the other end of each of the tray holding arms 73 to 78 in parallel with the support pins 73a to 78a. Of these six pivot bins, the top five pivot bins 7'3b to 77b are the held portions formed on each tray A]1 and tray B12], 1c, and 12c. It smoothly engages in the oval groove. In addition, the remaining one pivot pin 78b
A slide piece 8] which is slidable along a guide shaft 80 provided to extend in the vertical direction is provided near the slide piece 81, and the pivot pin is pivotally attached to this slide piece 81. Specifically, an oval groove extending horizontally is formed on the side surface of the slide piece 81, and the pivot pin 78b is slidably engaged with this groove.

This slide piece 81 is connected to the lower half 7 of the magazine 5.
Holds a held portion 7a formed as a thin wall portion.

Sliding bins 73c to 78c as cam followers are installed in the central portions of the six tray holding arms 73 to 78 in parallel with the supporting bins 73a to 78a and pivot bins 73b to 78b, respectively. The tip of each sliding bottle is formed on the main surface of the cam member 29.
They are each slidably engaged with the cam grooves of the strips. That is,
Due to the rotation of the two cam members based on the rotation of the motor 32,
Each of the tray holding arms 73 to 78 is configured to swing in synchronization with the other tray holding arms 43 to 48 described above.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, an address plate 83 formed in an arc shape is fixed concentrically to the cam member 29 on the opposite side of the cam surface. Six slits 83a are formed in the address plate 83, with one pitch corresponding to a rotation angle of 30 degrees of the cam member 29. A photosensor 84 is provided to detect this slit, and is fixed to the player housing 2 via a bracket 85. This address plate 83 and photosensor 84 are for detecting the rotational angular position of both cam members 29 and 30, that is, the swinging position of each tray holding arm 43 to 48 and 73 to 78.

The above motor 32 and gears 32a, 3B, 34.35
．． 37 and 38 and worms 36 and 39,
A driving force applying means for applying driving force to both cam members 29 and 30 is configured. The driving force applying means and both cam members 29 and 30 constitute a holding arm driving means, that is, a holding member driving means for swinging each tray holding arm 43 to 48 and 73 to 78. Further, the holding arm driving means and each tray holding arm separate the upper half 6 and lower half 7 of the magazine 5, and select a tray carrying a desired disk from among the trays accommodated therein. Separation and positioning means is configured to select and position the tray by separating it from other trays in a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the tray.

Note that this separating and positioning means is also referred to as disk holding means. That is, the disc to be played, along with the tray carrying the disc, is separated from other trays and positioned and held at a predetermined position by the separating and positioning means, and the disc in this position is moved as described below.
Performance means including a turntable are mounted nearby and the performance begins.

Here, the above separation and positioning means will be explained in more detail.

First, as described above, the separating and positioning means has two sets of six tray holding arms each driven by two cam members 29 and 30, and each tray of the magazine 5 is controlled by both tray holding arm groups. , held portions 11c, lld formed along the disk supporting surface on an imaginary straight line passing through the center of the disk supporting surface or at an end in the vicinity thereof.
, 12C and 1.2 d. In other words, each tray formed into a rectangular plate shape is held by the tray holding arm group on or near a diagonal line connecting two diagonals thereof. On the other hand, both the magazine 5 and the player housing 2 surrounding it are formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this structure in which the rectangular parallelepiped magazine 5 is surrounded by the rectangular parallelepiped player housing 2, the diagonal corner of each tray, and thus the magazine 5
By arranging the two sets of tray holding arm groups separately near the two diagonal corners of the whole, a relatively large space can be created in the area located between the two tray holding arm groups, that is, in the inner corner of the player housing 2. can get.

Therefore, the holding arm driving means comprising the aforementioned cam members 29 and 30, motor 32, etc. can be efficiently disposed in this space.

Further, as mentioned above, two sets of tray holding arm groups each consisting of six tray holding arms are provided, and these tray holding arm groups hold each tray at two locations near the diagonal line thereof, thereby holding the disks on the tray. Although the trays are separated in the direction perpendicular to the plane, each tray has two guide shafts 24 and 2 as described above.
5 without shifting from each other, it is not necessary to hold the tray at two locations as described above, but by one of the two tray holding arm groups, for example, the tray holding arms 43 to 48. It is also possible to have a configuration in which only one location on each tray is held and the moving force is applied. Therefore, the remaining tray holding arm group, that is, the tray holding arms 73 to 78, cooperates with this one set of holding arm groups to hold each tray and move the trays in parallel so that the trays do not tilt. This acts as a tray tilt regulating means. Note that the tray holding arms 43 to 48 are referred to as a first tray holding member, whereas each of the tray holding arms 73 to 7 of the other set is referred to as a first tray holding member.
8 is referred to as a second tray holding member.

By providing such a tray inclination regulating means, the tray is always moved in parallel without inclining, so that the disk on the tray will not shift due to the inclination of the tray.
This ensures that playing means including a turntable, which will be described later, etc., are always mounted reliably and smoothly on the disc.

Note that the driving force applying means for applying a driving force to each of the tray holding arms 73 to 78 serving as the above-mentioned tray tilt regulating means is exclusively applied to each of the tray holding arms 43 to 48 that control the separation operation of each tray. Since the motor 32 that applies the driving force is also used, there is no need to provide a special driving force applying means exclusively for the tray tilt regulating means, and the number of driving sources can be reduced.

Here, the configuration of each tray holding arm group described above will be explained in more detail. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, six tray holding arms 43 to 48, which are one group of tray holding arms arranged at the rear of the magazine 5, alternately move along two different virtual planes. They are arranged so that they can oscillate. That is, the six tray holding arms are alternately divided into two subgroups, in this case tray holding arm 4.
3. 45 and 47 are made into one small group, and the remaining three tray holding arms 44, 46 and 48 are divided into another small group, and the virtual planes along which the tray holding arm groups of both small groups should be moved are mutually horizontal planes. It is shifted within. Because of this configuration, if these two imaginary planes are made to overlap each other in the horizontal direction as shown in the figure, compared to the configuration in which all the tray holding arms 43 to 48 are moved along one common imaginary plane, The projected area of the virtual plane required for moving each tray is halved, making it easier to downsize the player as a whole.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, tray holding arms 43, 45 and 47 as one small group and tray holding arms 44, 46 and 47 as one small group are arranged offset from each other in the horizontal plane as described above. 48, a partition member 88 is interposed to separate these two sets. By this partition member 88, the tray holding arm groups of the two subgroups are accurately guided, and are prevented from interfering with the tray holding arm groups of the other group due to distortion, etc., and operation is performed smoothly.

On the other hand, as is clear from FIGS. 9 and 12, the six tray holding arms 73 to 78 disposed at the rear of the magazine 5 are also arranged alternately in the same manner as the tray holding arms 43 to 48 described above. divided into two small groups, these two
The two subgroups are arranged staggered in the horizontal plane, and
A partition member 89 is provided between them.

Note that, as described above, each tray holding arm 43 to 48
Further, each of the tray holding arms 73 to 78 is configured to swing, but the movement of each of the tray holding arms is not limited to the swing as described above, but various other movements such as parallel movement can be considered. However, by adopting such a swinging configuration,
The operation of each tray holding arm is always performed reliably and smoothly.

Next, a mechanism that constitutes the above-mentioned playing means conveying mechanism together with the above-mentioned separation and positioning means will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 9, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16, a cylindrical support shaft 95 is provided in the player housing 2 in the vertical and vertical directions so as to be located to the left of the mounted magazine 5. That is, each of the trays described above is arranged to extend in the direction in which they are to be separated, and is fixed to the player housing 2 at its lower end. A male screw 96 formed in a cylindrical shape is rotatably fitted onto the support shaft 95 . A longitudinal movable support member 98 formed in the shape of a flat plate is fitted at one end of the upper end of the male screw 96. This movable carrier member 98 extends in the horizontal direction. That is, the movable supporting member 98 is swingable about the support shaft 95 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the trays are separated, and is also movable along the support shaft 95. Furthermore, the movable support member 98 swings between an insertion position where it can be inserted between the separated trays and a non-insertion position where it can be removed from between the trays. The swinging position of the movable support member 98 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and the solid line in FIG. 9 is the insertion position;
The swinging position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure is the non-insertion position. Note that this insertion position is also referred to as a position facing the disk because when the movable support member 98 is in this position, the movable support member can face the recording surface of the disk 9 on the tray. The non-inserted position is also referred to as a non-opposing position.

The movable carrier member 98 is also movable along the support shaft 95 between a low position shown in solid lines in FIG. 15 and a high position shown in dash-dotted lines.

A turntable 100 is provided near the swinging end of the movable support member 98 . A guide shaft 101 and a worm 102 are arranged parallel to each other on the movable support member 98 along the longitudinal direction of the movable support member, and one end 103b of the carriage 103 is screwed into the worm 102. Moreover, it is slidably supported by a guide shaft 101 at the other end. However, the guide shaft 101 and the worm 102 are not shown in FIG.

The carriage 103 houses an optical pickup including an objective lens 105 (shown in FIG. 9). This optical pickup is similar to a known one and will not be described in detail, but it includes a servo mechanism that servo drives the objective lens 105 in the focusing direction and the tracking direction, and it directs the laser beam emitted from the laser beam irradiation device to the disk. The recorded information is read by irradiating the recording surface and changing the reflected light. As shown in FIG. 9, the movable support member 98 is formed with a substantially rectangular opening 98a through which the objective lens 1O5 accesses the recording surface of the disk 9. Also, Figures 9 and]
As shown in FIG. 6, the guide shaft 101 that guides the carriage 103 is disposed within another elongated opening 98b formed in the movable support member 98, and this opening is utilized as an installation space for the guide shaft 101. . Therefore, the space that the guide shaft 101 should occupy is reduced, contributing to miniaturization of the player.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 16, the above-mentioned worm 10
2, a plurality of pulleys and hooks thereof are rotated by a motor 108 disposed on the proximal end side of the movable support member 98.
Torque is applied through a power transmission mechanism 109 consisting of a book belt to rotate it. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a carriage 1
03 is engaged with the actuator] 11a and is activated, the carriage 103 moves towards the turntable 100.
A detection switch 111 is provided to detect when the movement limit position is reached.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, on the movable support member 98,
A photosensor 112 is located near these 11 detection switches.
is provided. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, when the movable support member 98 is in the non-inserted position, five slits 113a that can be detected by the photosensor 112 are arranged in the vertical direction. A plate 113 is attached to the left inner wall surface of the player housing 2.

The guide shaft 101 described above, the worm 102,
The motor 108, the power transmission mechanism 109, and the detection switch 111 constitute a pickup guide drive means for guiding and moving the carriage 103 carrying the pickup toward and away from the turntable 100.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 16, a clamper arm 1]5 is disposed along the lower surface of the movable support member 98, and extends downward near the proximal end of the movable support member 98. One end of the support pin 116 is swingably attached to the formed hanging portion 98d. The clamper arm 115 swings in a plane including the vertical direction.

A pressing member 117, that is, a clamper, which presses the disc 9 to be played toward the disc supporting surface of the turntable 100 is attached to the swinging end of the clamper arm 115 via a spherical bearing 118 (shown in FIG. 16). It is rotatably mounted.

The above-described clamper arms 1 and 15, the pressing member 1]8, and peripheral small members related thereto constitute a disk clamping mechanism that clamps the disk 9 to the disk supporting surface of the turntable 100. Further, this disc clamp mechanism, the turntable] 00, the optical pickup including the carriage 103, and the pickup guide drive means including the guide shaft 101, the worm 102, the motor 108, etc. are collectively referred to as the performance means. That is, the movable support member 98 supports this playing means and swings.

Next, a description will be given of a supporting member driving means for swinging the movable supporting member 98 and moving it along the support shaft 95, which is a swinging support axis.

FIG. 15 is a view taken along arrows xv-xv in FIG. 9, including a partial cross section, and as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. Motors 121 and ]2 are provided in front and behind the motor 95, respectively.
2 are arranged.

A motor 121 provided at the rear of the support shaft 95 is used to move the movable support member 98 along the support shaft 95, and a motor 122 provided at the front is used to swing the movable support member 98. It is.

Note that, as will be described later, the motor 122 also applies driving force to the disk clamp mechanism described above.

As is clear from FIG. 15, a cylindrical female screw 123 is screwed into the male screw 96 which is rotatably and slidably fitted onto the support shaft 95 and carries the movable support member 98. A gear 123a is integrally formed at the lower end of this female screw 123, and torque from the motor 121 is transmitted to this gear 123a and It is transmitted to the female thread 1-23.

On the other hand, a cylindrical member 130 is rotatably fitted onto the female thread 123, and a cylindrical bottle 130a is protruded from the upper end of the cylindrical member. This pin] 30a is inserted through the circular opening 98f with a predetermined gap. A gear]-30b is integrally formed at the lower end of the cylindrical member 130.
32, face gear 133, worm 134, worm wheel 135a, gear 135b, gears 136 and 13
7, the torque from the motor 22 is transmitted to the gear 130b and the cylindrical member 130. Note that the gears 136 and 137 are not integral with each other, but are both concentrically supported by a shaft 139, and as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a pin 137a protruding from the upper stop of the lower gear 137 is slidably fitted. As shown in FIG. 9, the support shaft 95 that pivotally supports the movable support member 98 is placed in the aforementioned non-insertion position, that is, the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. A spring portion +4140 is fitted therein as a bias spacing imparting means for imparting a bias spacing towards the target.

The above motors 121 and 122 and gears 123a and 1
24 and 125a, worm wheel 125b, worm 126, gears 127 and 128, and pin 130
a, gears 130b and 132, and face gear 133
, a worm 134, a worm wheel 135a,
The gears 135b, 136, and 137 and the pin 137a constitute a torque applying means that selectively applies torque to each of the female thread 123 and the cylindrical member 130. Further, the torque applying means and the female thread 1
23, the cylindrical member 130, and the aforementioned male screw 96 constitute a carrier member driving means for swinging the movable carrier member 98 around the support shaft 95 and moving it along the support shaft 95. Further, this carrying member driving means, the movable carrying member 98, the support shaft 95, the above-mentioned separation positioning means, and the movable carrying member 98
The spring member 140 that applies a bias to the disc constitutes a playing means conveying mechanism that moves the aforementioned playing means such as the turntable 100 and attaches it to the disc to be played.

Note that, as described above, the movable support member 98 is configured to swing, or the movement of the movable support member 98 is not limited to rocking as described above, but various other movements such as parallel movement can be considered. . However, by adopting such a swinging configuration, the movement of the movable support member 98 is always performed reliably and smoothly.

Further, as described above, the movable support member 98 is swingably attached to the support shaft 95 so as to be able to swing between the insertion position where the movable support member 98 is inserted between the trays of the magazine 5 and the non-insertion position, and the movable support member 98 is separated from the other trays. Because of the configuration in which the movable support member 98 is movable also in the axial direction of the support shaft 95 in order to bring the playing means to a position corresponding to the tray that has been placed,
The player as a whole has been made smaller. However, as another configuration for making the movable support member 98 movable in two different directions, for example, the movable support member 98 may be mounted in such a manner that it can only swing relative to the support shaft 95. It is conceivable to provide a predetermined moving member that is movable in the tray separation direction and to mount the support shaft 95 on this moving member. However, in such a virtual configuration, compared to the implementation side configuration,
The movable member and a guide mechanism for movably guiding the movable member in the tray separation direction are required, leading to an increase in the number of parts and an increase in the size of the player as a whole.

By the way, as is clear from FIG. 9, the arrangement position of the support shaft 95, which is the pivot point of the movable support member 98, is determined by the holding position of each tray by the tray holding arms 73 to 78, which are disk holding means. , is located in front of the held parts 11c and 12c of each tray, and is set at a position closer to the insertion opening 3a for inserting the magazine 5 formed in the player housing 2 than these held parts. ing. By arranging the center of swing of the ring member 98 at such a position, a relatively large space is formed in the central and deep parts of the player housing 2, and the above-mentioned supporting member for operating the movable supporting member 98 is created. This space can be used as the space occupied by the drive means and other mechanisms, increasing the degree of freedom in selecting the setting positions of the mechanisms inside the player.

A configuration will now be described in which the power generated by the motor 122 for swinging the movable support member 98 also operates the disk clamp mechanism described above.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 16, and 17, an intermediate lever 142 is attached to a screw 14 on the lower surface of the proximal end of the movable carrier member 98.
2a (shown in FIG. 16), it is swingably mounted at its central portion in a horizontal plane. A cam portion 136b is integrally formed on the upper surface of the gear 136, which is a component of the power transmission mechanism that transmits the power from the motor 122 to the movable support member 98.
The cam surface of the cam portion can be slid into contact with the hanging portion formed at one swinging end of the cam portion 42b (the reference numeral is shown only in FIG. 16). As shown in FIG. 16, the intermediate lever 14
A hanging portion 142b is also formed at the other swinging end of No. 2,
A protrusion 142C protruding from this hanging portion 142b is connected to the clamper arm 11, which is a component of the disk clamp mechanism.
5 is brought into contact with the hanging portion 1]5a. That is, the cam portion 136b integrated with the gear 136 is rotated by the power applied from the motor 122,
The cam surface of the cam portion contacts and presses one hanging portion of the intermediate lever 142, so that the intermediate lever 142
pivots around a screw 142a that pivots, and a protrusion 142C formed on the other swinging end of the intermediate lever 142.
is configured to press the hanging portion 115a of the clamper arm 115, thereby clamping the disk.

FIG. 18 shows the configuration of a control unit that controls the operation of each internal mechanism of the multi-disc storage player configured as described above, and
In accordance with a control program stored in advance in the ROM 151, the U150 operates the RAM 153 in response to each signal from the keyboard 152, which includes a photo sensor 84, 112, a detection switch [1], and a switch group (not shown).
In cooperation with motors 32.108.121 and ]-22
It also issues commands to the turntable 100 and pickup 155.

An example of the control program will be explained with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 19 to 21 and the operation diagrams shown in FIGS. 22 to 27.

First, when the keyboard 152 shown in FIG. 18 is operated by the operator to issue a performance command for playing a desired disc and the number of songs is specified, the multi-disc storage player operates as shown in FIGS. It operates according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 19, when a performance command is issued and the number of pieces of music is specified (step Sl), the control unit first performs the following steps.
It is confirmed that the magazine 5 is installed in the player housing 2 by a detection signal issued by a magazine detection means (not shown) (step S2). If the magazine 5 is attached, each internal mechanism is activated by executing the 10th-decking subroutine (step S3) shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. Note that when this 10th loading subroutine is executed, the magazine 5 is only inserted into the player housing 2, and the lower half 7 and upper half 6 of the magazine 5 have not yet been separated. .

Note that when the magazine 5 is inserted into the player housing 2 by the operator, a movable locking member 1 fixes the upper half 6 and the lower half 7 of the magazine 5 to each other.
The guide shaft 25 shown in FIG. 9 pushes one protrusion K 19 g of 9 by the reaction force of this mounting force. As a result, the movable locking member 19 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 and FIG. 14. The upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 are separated from each other, and the fixed state between the upper half body 6 and the lower half body 7 is released, and the two can be separated. Further, in this state, the movable support member 98 on which the playing means including the turntable 100 is mounted is in the non-insertion position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

Also, when installing the magazine 5 into the player housing 2, each tray holding arm 43 to 48 and 73
78 respectively hold each tray and the held portion of the lower half body 7.

As shown in FIG. 20, when the above command is issued, the control section first rotates the motor 32 in the normal direction (step S4) and
The two cam members 29 and 30 are rotated forward by an angle θ, for example, 30″, and each tray holding arm 43 to 48 and 7
3 to 78 are swung from the states shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 to the state shown in FIG. 22. As a result, the lower half 7 of the magazine 5 is moved downward and the upper half 6
separated from Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 22, at the same time as the lower half body 7 and the upper half body 6 are separated, the lowest tray All of the five trays accommodated in the magazine 5 is separated from the other trays. and brought to a position corresponding to the playing means including the turntable 100.

If the disk containing the designated track is carried on the third tray A11 from the bottom among the five trays arranged, the motor 32 is further rotated in the normal direction (step S5), and both cams are rotated in the forward direction. 2 members and 30 are synchronously added to 6 more
It is rotated forward by 0°, and the state shown in FIG. 22 changes to the state shown in FIG. 23, and then the state shown in FIG. 24, and the tray All carrying the desired disk is separated from the other trays. Further, along with this tray separation operation, the motor 121 is caused to rotate forward (step S5), and the movable support member 98 carrying the playing means is moved upward from the lowest position by a distance equivalent to the thickness of two trays. The tray 11 is moved and positioned at a position corresponding to the tray 11 separated from other trays. Note that the rotation angles of both cam members 29 and 30 and the movable support member 9
8 is the address plate 83 and ]1 detected by the two photosensors 84 and 112 described above.
The control section counts the number of slits 83a and 113a in each of the three slits 83a and 113a using a counter provided therein, and detects the number based on this count value. Further, the above operation is performed while comparing the address of the tray currently located corresponding to the playing means, that is, the address of the current disc, and the address of the search disc, which is the disc being searched.

When the address of the current disk matches the address of the search disk (step S6), motor 32 and motor 1
21 is stopped (step S7). Next, the motor 122 is rotated in the normal direction (step S8), and the movable support member 98, on which the playing means is mounted on its free end, is directed from the non-inserted position shown by the two-dot chain line to the inserted position shown by the solid line in FIG. and swing the turntable 1. to the disc to be played by activating the disc clamp mechanism. Have OO installed. This operation will be explained in further detail.

As mentioned above, the output of the motor 122 for swinging the movable support member 98 is transmitted through the gear 132 and the face gear 133.
, worm 134, worm wheel 135a, gear 1
35b and 136, bin 137a, m cars 137 and 13
0b, is applied to the movable carrier member 98 sequentially via the cylindrical member 130 and the bottle 130a. Before the motor 122 starts normal rotation, an arcuate groove 136a formed on the lower stop surface of the gear 36 and a pin 137a implanted on the lower stop surface of the gear 137 to slidably fit into this groove. are in the positional relationship shown in FIG. When the motor 122 starts normal rotation in this state, the movable support member 98 is moved toward the insertion position (the swing position shown by the solid line in FIG. 9) by the spring member 140 attached to the support shaft 95 that pivots the movable support member 98. Since it is biased, it is swung by the biasing force of the spring member 140. Therefore, the above two gears 136 and 1
37 are the arc-shaped groove 136a provided therein and the bottle 1
37a are rotated synchronously while maintaining the relative positional relationship shown in FIG. 17. In other words, the movable support member 98 is allowed to swing due to the biasing force of the spring member 140 due to the rotation of the motor 122. Thus, when the movable support member 98 swings to the insertion position shown by the solid line in FIG. is positioned at the insertion position.

If the two gears 136 and 137 described above are formed integrally with each other, when this state is reached, the power transmission system including the two gears is prevented from further operation. However, as mentioned above, both gears 136 and 137
37a is relatively rotatable within the range in which it slides within the arcuate groove 136a.

The motor 122 continues to rotate in the normal direction even after the above-mentioned positioning of the movable carrier member 98, thereby causing the gear 136 to rotate relative to the other gear 137 which is in the fixed state. As mentioned above, the cam portion 136 is located on the lower stop surface of this gear 136.
Since b is integrally formed, as the gear 136 rotates, the cam portion 136b comes into sliding contact with the intermediate lever 142, causing it to swing, as shown in FIG. This results in
Drooping portion 115a of the clamper arm 115 shown in FIG.
is pushed by the protrusion 142c of the intermediate lever 42, and the clamper arm swings (in the direction of arrow H) from the non-clamping position shown by the two-dot chain line to the clamping position shown by the solid line. Push it up to separate it from the tray and clamp it to the turntable 100. Note that this rotation of the cam portion 136b is performed after the movable support member 98 reaches the above-mentioned insertion position, so that the maximum diameter portion of the cam portion 136b and the intermediate lever]4
2 are prevented from interfering with each other. Moreover, if this clamping operation is performed while rotating the turntable 100, clamping errors will be reduced.

After the above operation, the controller waits for a certain period of time to elapse (indicated by step S9 in FIG. is stopped (step 510). Thereafter, the servo driving means (not shown) for the objective lens 105 included in the pickup is activated, and the motor 108 is rotated in the forward direction (step 51).
In step 1), the carriage 103 containing the pickup starts moving, and the performance starts.

After confirming that the performance of the first disc has ended (step 512), the control unit stops the forward rotation of the carriage transport motor 108 and stops the pickup operation, and immediately reverses the motor 108 (step 512). 81
3). By reversing the motor 108, the carriage 03 carrying the pickup is brought closest to the turntable 100 mounted on the swinging end of the movable support member 98. When the carriage 103 approaches the turntable 100, the protrusion formed on the carriage 103 reaches the ninth position.
It engages with the actuator 111a of the detection switch 111 shown in the figure to operate the detection switch. Based on the detection signal emitted from the detection switch 111, the control unit recognizes that the carriage 103 or the turntable 100 has come closest (step 514), and accordingly controls the motor 10.
8 and the carriage 103 is stopped (step 515).

After the above operation, the motor 122 is reversed (
In step 516), the disk clamp is released and the movable support member 98 is swung from the insertion position shown by the solid line in FIG. 9 to the non-insertion position shown by the two-dot chain line.

Note that this disc clamp release operation and the return operation of the movable support member 98 are performed by following the reverse process of the aforementioned disc clamp operation and the swinging operation of the movable support member 98 to the insertion position, so detailed description will be omitted. do not.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the movable support member 98 returns to the non-inserted position, the photosensor 112 provided on the swing groove of each movable support member can detect the address plate 113 to be detected. Reach the location and detect it.

For example, the control unit recognizes that the return operation of the movable support member 98 is completed based on the detection signal emitted from the photosensor 112 (step 517), and controls the motor 122.
is stopped to stop the movable carrier member 98 (step 518).

By the way, as is clear from the above description, in the multi-disc storage player, after the playing of the discs ends, and before the movable support member 98 returns to the non-insertion position, that is, the position not facing the disc that was being played,
Carriage 103 on movable carrier member 98 is brought closest to turntable 100 .

With this configuration, the player can be made smaller. This is because, as shown in the embodiment, the player housing 2 is usually formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and since the disk accommodated therein is circular, relatively large spaces are formed at the four corners inside the player housing 2. Therefore, when the longitudinal movable support member 98 is in the non-opposed position, the movable support member 98 is configured to be located close to and along the inner wall surface of the player/1 housing 2. The end portions are necessarily accommodated in one of the four corner spaces. Therefore, if the carriage 103 is moved to the end of the movable support member 98 after the end of the performance as described above, and then the movable support member is returned to the non-opposed position, the carriage 103 can be This increases the space utilization efficiency within the player housing 2, making it easier to downsize the player.

Through the series of operations described above, the performance of one disc is completed.

As shown in FIG. 19, after performing the above series of operations, the control section checks whether there are any more designated disks (step 520), and if there are two or more designated disks, The 20th-daying subroutine (step 521) shown in FIGS. 19 and 21 is executed to operate each internal mechanism.

In the 20th playing subroutine, the control unit first checks whether the second disc to be played is located above or below the disc that has finished playing first (step 522). Then, if the tray carrying the second designated disk or the tray All at the top position among the five trays arranged, the control unit rotates the motor 32 in the forward direction (step 823). The two cam members 29 and 30 are further rotated forward by 60 degrees, and the 24th
From the state shown in the figure, the state shown in FIG. 25 is changed to the state shown in FIG. 26, and the tray A]-1 in the uppermost position is separated from the other trays. Along with this tray separation operation, the motor 121 is rotated in the normal direction (step 523), and the movable support member 98 carrying the playing means is moved for two trays from the position determined in the above-mentioned 10th-daying subroutine. It is raised by a distance corresponding to the thickness and positioned at a position corresponding to the lowest tray A1.1 separated from the other trays as described above.

On the other hand, the second disc to be played is, for example, the second disc from the top (fourth from the bottom) of each tray in which five discs are arranged.
If it is carried on tray B 1.2 of the second sheet),
The control unit reverses the motor 32 (step 524) to
The two cam members 29 and 30 are reversed to change the state shown in FIG. 24 to the state shown in FIG. 23, and the second tray B12 from the top is separated from the other trays. Further, along with this tray separation operation, the motor 121 is reversely rotated (step 524), and the movable supporting member 98 is
The playing means is lowered by a distance corresponding to the thickness of one tray from the position determined in the playing subroutine, and the playing means is positioned at a position corresponding to the second tray B12 from the top.

As a result of the above operation, when the address of the current disc matches the address of the second disc to be played, which is the search disc (step 525), the motor 32 and the motor 121 are stopped (step 526). Step S in the 10th-ding subroutine
Based on steps S27 to S37 similar to steps S8 to S18, each mechanism is activated to play the second disc.

After this, as shown in FIG. 19, the presence or absence of unplayed discs after the third disc is checked (step 540), and if three or more discs are specified, they are played according to the 20th playing subroutine described above. However, if all the specified discs have finished playing, put all mechanisms into playback mode, or
Or stop the operation.

As is clear from FIGS. 22 to 26, about the free end of each of the tray holding arms 43 to 48 and 73 to 78, which holds the tray separated from the other tray groups. One half is oriented parallel to the tray it holds. For example, in FIG. 25, about half of the free end of the tray holding arm 44 that holds the second tray B1.2 from the top separated from the other trays is parallel to the tray B12 that it holds. ing. Because of this configuration, the turntable 1
Performance means including 00 and movable support member 9 equipped with the same
8 can always be smoothly inserted between the trays without interfering with each tray holding arm, and the playing means can be reliably and smoothly attached to the disc.

Effects of the Invention As detailed above, the multiple disk storage magazine according to the present invention includes a housing consisting of a pair of lower halves and a pair of lower halves that are separable from each other; It consists of a plurality of plate-shaped trays that can support disks on their surfaces and can be protruded from the housing along each main surface and accommodated therein.

For example, a multi-disc storage player that uses a magazine with such a configuration may have the following configuration.

That is, in response to a performance command, the lower half body and the lower half body are separated, and the tray carrying the desired disc is selected from among the trays and held in a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the tray. Separation and positioning means for separating and positioning the trays from other trays; and a separation positioning means that is movable between an insertion position and a non-insertion position in which the trays can be inserted between the trays in a direction substantially perpendicular to the separation direction of the trays, and in the separation direction. It has a movable support member that is movable and supports a playing means including a turntable, a pickup, and a disc clamp mechanism, and a support member drive means that moves the movable support member appropriately in each of the above directions, and the disc to be played is moved. After the supported tray is separated from other trays by the separating and positioning means, the movable supporting member is inserted between the trays, the playing means is attached to the disc, and the disc is clamped by the disc clamping mechanism to operate the pickup. At the very least, the performance begins.

In a multi-disc storage player with such a configuration, the space that must be provided within the player housing to mount the playing means for the discs to be played is extremely small, and the player as a whole can be miniaturized. It can also be used by being stored in a space formed in the dash board of an automobile.

Furthermore, the multiple disk storage magazine according to the present invention has a locking mechanism that fixes and releases the upper and lower halves. Therefore, when the operator handles the magazine, if the locking mechanism is activated to secure the upper and lower halves to each other, there is no chance that they will inadvertently separate and the internal tray and disks will fall. This prevents this and improves operability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a multi-disc storage player including a multi-disc storage magazine according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial views of the magazine equipped with the multi-disc storage player shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 4 and 5 are an IV-IV arrow view and a V-■ arrow view including a portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 (a
) is a plan view of the tray included in the magazine shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, and (C) is a plan view of the tray included in the magazine shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, and FIG.
Arrow view, Fig. 7 (field is a plan view of other trays included in the magazine shown in Figs. 2 to 5, No. 7 opening), and (C)
are shown in Figure 7 (respectively ■b-■b arrow view and ■C- regarding rice fields)
■A view in the direction of arrow C; FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the magazine shown in FIGS. 2 to 5; FIG. 9 is a plan view of the internal mechanism of the multi-disk storage player shown in FIG. 1; Figures 10 to 12 are cross-sectional views taken along line X-X and XI in Figure 9, respectively.
-XI sectional view and xn-xn sectional view, Fig. 13 and Fig. 1
4 is an enlarged perspective view and an enlarged view of a part of the internal mechanism shown in FIG. 9, and FIGS. 15 and 16 are an XV-XV directional view and a view of FIG. 17 is an enlarged view including a partial cross section of a part of the internal mechanism shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 18 is a view shown in FIGS. 1 to 17. A block diagram of the control system of the multi-disc storage player, FIGS. 19 to 21 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the multi-disc storage player shown in FIGS. 1 to 17, and FIGS. 22 to 2
7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the multi-disk storage player shown in FIGS. 1 to 17, FIGS. 28 and 29 are front views and plan sectional views of the conventional magazine, and FIG.
FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of a member for operating the magazine shown in FIGS. Explanation of symbols of main parts 2...Player housing 5...Magazine 6...Upper half 7...-Upper half 7a, 7b, llc, lld , 12c. 12d...Holded part 11
...Tray A 12...Tray B14.16.17...Cylindrical member 19...
...Movable locking member 21...Biasing lever 22.27, 140...Spring member 24.25.
...Guide shaft 26--Lever member 29.30...Disc-shaped movable cam member 32, 10
8, 121, 122...Motor 43144.4
5,46,47.48.7B. 74.75.76.77.78 ...Tray holding arm 83.113 ...Address plate 84.11
2... Photo sensor 88, 89... Partition member 95... Support shaft 96... Male thread 98... Movable support member 100... ... Turntable 1 (11 ... Guide shaft 102 ... Worm 103 ... Carriage 109 ... Power transmission mechanism 111 ... Detection switch 115... Clamp arm 117... Pressing member (clamper) 130...
...Cylindrical member 142...Intermediate lever 150...CPU 151...ROM 153...RAM

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A housing consisting of a pair of upper and lower halves that are separable from each other, each of which is arranged and housed in the housing and can support an information recording disk on its main surface. and a plurality of disk storage magazines comprising a plurality of plate-shaped trays that protrude from the housing along each main surface and can be stored therein, and a locking mechanism that fixes the upper half and the lower half to each other. . (2) The locking mechanism is provided on at least one of the upper half body and the lower half body between a locking position where it can engage with a locked portion formed on the other half and a non-locking position. Claim 1 comprising a movable locking member that is movable at
Multi-disc storage magazine listed. (3) The magazine for storing multiple disks according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the locked parts are provided, and the movable locking member engages with each of the locked parts at the same time. (4) The plural-disk storage magazine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the locked portion comprises a columnar member provided on the other inner wall surface so as to protrude toward the one inner wall surface. (5) The plurality of disks according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the movable locking member is a disk-shaped member rotatably attached to the one inner wall surface at a substantially central portion. Storage magazine. (6) Claims 2 to 5 further comprising a biasing means for biasing the movable locking member toward the locking position.
A multiple-disc storage magazine according to any one of the above.