Automatic disc loading apparatus

In a disc player having a casing structure provided with a record disc insertion slot, a turn-table assembly, a pick-up assembly associated with said turn-table assembly for playing back a record disc mounted on said turn-table assembly, and loading means for conveying said record disc from said record disc insertion slot along a predetermined plane on a straight line passing adjacent a playing position on said turn-table assembly until the center of said record disc reaches a position adjacent the center of said playing position of the turn-table assembly, wherein said loading means includes:

• a carrier plate for carrying said record disc, said carrier plate being movable along said straight line toward and away from said turn-table assembly;
• and
• a disc guide assembly including a pair of disc guide members movable toward and away from each other within said casing structure in the neighborhood of said slot, a pair of disc detectors respectively mounted on said disc guide members and respectively positioned to associate with edge portions of said record disc, said disc detectors being adapted to produce disc association signals indicative of the relationship between said detectors and the edge portions of the record disc, and drive means for driving said disc guide members toward or away from each other substantially symmetrically with respect to said straight line in response to said signals until a predetermined relationship between said signals is produced.