Device for manually controlling movement of pickup arm in automatic record player

Abstract

A device for manually controlling movement of a pickup arm in an automatic record player, comprising: a manually movable manipulation member; a detecting unit including at least one light-emitting element and at least two light-receiving elements disposed to receive the beam of light emitted from the light-emitting element to detect the amount and direction of a movement of the manipulation member and to generate a corresponding signal; control circuitry receiving this signal to generate an output corresponding to the direction and the amount of the movement of the manipulation member; and a driving unit for causing linear parallel movement of the pickup arm radially of a record disk and actuated by the output of the control circuitry to move this pickup arm in a direction and amount of movement corresponding to those of the manipulation member. This device assures easy and free control of the movement of the pickup arm in a desired direction and amount by manipulation of a single manipulation member, and improves the life of the detecting unit due to non-mechanical contact mechanism of this unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.