JPH08203189A - Disk detecting device for disk changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enhance the accuracy for detecting whether a disk is housed in a disk housing body or not, and also to enhance the housing efficiency of the disks into the housing body by providing a slit having a specific width for limiting a passing zone in the thickness direction of the disk in an optical path from a light emitting element to a light receiving element. CONSTITUTION: This device is provided with a disk housing body 2 for housing disks 1 in parallel to each other and a carrier 3 for taking out a desired disk from the housing body 2 moving in the thickness direction of the plural disks 1 housed in this housing body 2 or returning the disk to its original position after reproducing this disk. The carrier 3 is equipped with the light emitting element 5 and the light receiving element 6 for detecting the presence of the disk 1 housed in the housing body 2. To the housing body 2, a light shielding wall 8 having the slit 7 for limiting the passing zone in the thickness direction of the disk 1 in the optical path from the light emitting element 5 to the light receiving element 6 is fixed, and when a guide width of the disk 1 in the housing body 2 is denoted as B, and the thickness of the disk 1 as t, the width of the slit 7 should be smaller that 2t-B.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a CD, a CD-ROM.
Further, the present invention relates to a disc detecting device in a disc changer such as a laser disc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a disc changer, as shown in FIG. 5, a disc accommodating body 2 for accommodating a plurality of discs 1 in parallel with each other, and a plurality of discs 1 accommodated in the thickness direction. There is known one which is provided with a carrier 3 which moves to take in a desired disc from the container 2 and which returns the disc to its original position after being reproduced (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-61056). The storage body 2 is provided with guides 4 for storing the plurality of stored discs 1 at a constant pitch P. Then, the light emitting element 5 and the light receiving element are arranged in the carrier 3 so that the disk 1 housed in the housing 2 can be sandwiched from a direction along the plate surface thereof, that is, a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the disk 1. 6 is fixed and the disc 1 is accommodated in the accommodating body 2, and the light from the light emitting element 5 is blocked by the accommodated disc 1 or the disc 1 is not accommodated and the light is emitted. Whether or not the disc 1 is stored at each storage position in the guide 4 of the storage body 2 is detected by reaching the light receiving element 6.

In the disc detecting device of the disc changer constructed as shown in FIG. 5, the guide 4 is used.
Since light can pass through the gap between the guide 1 and the disc 1, the detection accuracy of the presence / absence of the disc 1 is low. In order to eliminate such a defect, as shown in FIG. 6, it is conceivable to narrow the gap through which the light is transmitted. However, even in this case, since the light reflected by the disc 1 adjacent to the disc 1 whose presence should be detected may reach the light receiving element 6, sufficient detection accuracy cannot be obtained. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 denote the same parts. In order to make such detection accuracy sufficient, the light from the light emitting element is guided to the plate surface of the disk housed as described above by the prism, and the light reflected by the plate surface of the disk, ( It is also known to detect the presence / absence of a stored disk by guiding the transmitted light at the disk storage position when the disk is not stored) to a light receiving element by another prism (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-198073). Gazette).

However, in the case of using such a prism, it is necessary to dispose the prism between a plurality of disks housed in a housing, so that the number of parts is not increased because the prism is used. However, there is a drawback in that the distance between the stored discs becomes relatively large, and the storage efficiency of the discs in the storage body decreases.

[0005]

In the above-described conventional disc detecting device for the disc changer, the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of the disc is low as described above, and if the detection precision is increased, the storage efficiency of the disc decreases. There were challenges. The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has a high detection accuracy of the presence / absence of a disc stored in a storage body, and further, a disc detection in a disc changer capable of increasing the storage efficiency of the disc in the storage body. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0006]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION To solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the above-mentioned object, a disk detecting device in a disk changer of the present invention is a disk housing in which a plurality of disks are housed in parallel with each other. A disk detecting device in a disk changer comprising: a transporting device that moves in the thickness direction of the stored plurality of disks to take in a desired disk from the storage body and returns the disks to the original position after being reproduced. The transporter includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element that are fixed so that the disc stored in the storage body can be sandwiched from a direction along the plate surface thereof, and the disc is stored in the storage body. The light from the light emitting element is blocked by the stored disc, or the light is not transmitted to the light receiving element when the disc is not stored. Depending on whether or not a disc is stored at each position of the storage body, the storage body has a passage area in the thickness direction of the disc in the optical path of light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element. The width of the slit in the thickness direction of the accommodated disc is 2t−B, where B is the guide width of the disc in the accommodating body and t is the disc width. It is characterized by being made smaller. Then, the storage body and the light shielding wall may be integrated.

[0007]

In the disc detecting device in the disc changer configured as described above, since the light passing from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is limited in the thickness direction of the disc by the slit of the light shielding wall, it is stored in the housing. The light that reaches the light receiving element is surely blocked by the housed disc, and the accuracy of detecting the presence or absence of the disc becomes sufficiently high.
Further, since the prism and the like described in the conventional example are not required, the storage efficiency of the disc in the storage body can be sufficiently increased.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. In these figures, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 used for explaining the conventional example indicate the same. A light-shielding wall 8 having a slit 7 for limiting a pass region in the thickness direction of the disc 1 in an optical path of light from the light emitting element 5 to the light receiving element 6 is fixed to the housing body 2, and the disc 1 in the housing body 2 is fixed. When the guide width of the guide 4 is B and the thickness of the disk 1 is t, the width s of the slit 7 in the thickness direction of the housed disk 1 is s.
Is smaller than 2t-B. Reference numeral 9 indicates the optical axes of the light emitting element 5 and the light receiving element 6. Further, the center of the guide 4 of the storage body 2 in the width direction of the disc 1 and the center of the slit 7 in the width direction are aligned. This is to minimize the influence of the play between the disc 1 and the guide 4 when the disc 1 is moved.

When the disk 1 approaches the one end of the guide 4, the clearance between the other end of the disk 1 and the other end of the guide 4 becomes Bt as shown in FIG. B
If −t <(B−s) / 2 holds, no light is transmitted. Therefore, on condition that s> 0, t> 0, B> 0,
Summarizing the above s, s <2t−B. In the disc detection device described above, the width s of the slit 7 is
Since s <2t-B, the light is surely blocked by the disc 1, and therefore the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of the disc 1 is sufficiently high. In this embodiment, the light shielding wall 8 having the slit 7 is provided on the light receiving side, but it may be provided on the light emitting side, or may be provided on both the light emitting side and the light receiving side. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide 4 and the light shielding wall 8 may be integrated and a slit 7 may be provided therein.
If the width s of the slit 7 is sufficiently smaller than 2t-B, the center of the guide 4 in the width direction of the disk 1 and the center of the slit 7 in the width direction do not have to coincide with each other.

[0010]

As described above, in the disc detecting device of the disc changer of the present invention, the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of the disc can be made sufficiently high, and the storage efficiency of the disc in the width direction can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a main part showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Disc 2 Disc Storage Body 3 Conveyor 4 Guide 5 Light Emitting Element 6 Light Receiving Element 7 Slit 8 Light Shielding Wall

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A disc housing for accommodating a plurality of discs in parallel with each other, and a desired disc taken in from the accommodating body by moving in the thickness direction of the accommodated plurality of discs. Is a disc detection device in a disc changer having a carrier for returning to the original position after reproduction, wherein the carrier accommodates the disc housed in the container from a direction along a plate surface thereof. A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element which are fixed, and a disk is stored in the housing, and light from the light-emitting element is blocked by the stored disk, or the disk is not housed and the light To the light receiving element, and whether or not a disc is stored at each storage position of the storage body depending on whether the storage element is a light emitting element. When a light-shielding wall having a slit that limits a passage area in the thickness direction of the disc in the optical path of light from the to the light receiving element is fixed, and the guide width of the disc in the storage body is B and the thickness of the disc is t, The disc detection device in a disc changer, wherein the width of the slit in the thickness direction of the accommodated disc is smaller than 2t-B. 2. The disc detecting device in the disc changer according to claim 1, wherein the housing and the light shielding wall are integrated.