Disc cartridge loading apparatus

A disc cartridge loading apparatus comprising:

• base means having disc rotationally driving means for rotationally driving a magneto-optical disc accommodated in a disc cartridge and an optical pickup unit for radiating at least one light beam on the magneto-optical disc;
• a cartridge holder for holding the disc cartridge, rotatably mounted on the base means at a point of rotation and moved between a loading position in which the magneto-optical disc accommodated in the disc cartridge is loaded on the disc rotationally driving means and an unloading position in which the magneto-optical disc accommodated in the disc cartridge is taken out of the disc rotationally driving means, the unloading position being at a higher position than the loading position;
• positioning means provided on the base means for positioning the disc cartridge held by the cartridge holder when the cartridge holder is positioned at the loading position, the positioning means including a pair of pins which are engaged to holes formed on the disc cartridge holder when the cartridge holder is positioned at the loading position;
• external magnetic field generating means for generating and applying an external magnetic field to the magneto-optical disc;
• supporting means for supporting the external magnetic field generating means and rotatable mounted on the cartridge holder, the supporting means being connected at a connected end to the optical pickup unit and being moved with the optical pickup unit in a radial direction of the magneto-optical disc, the direction being parallel to the insertion direction of the disc cartridge into the cartridge holder;
• abutment means provided between the cartridge holder and the supporting means so that the cartridge holder and the supporting means abut at an abutment location, and a first distance from the abutment location to the connected end of the supporting means is less than a second distance from the abutment location to the point of rotation of the cartridge holder, for rotating the supporting means when the cartridge holder is moved toward the unloading position, whereby a first rotational angle between the base means and the supporting means increases by a larger amount than a second rotational angle between the base means and the cartridge holder;
• and
• stopper means near the connected end of the supporting means for stopping the rotation of the supporting means when the cartridge holder is positioned at the loading position and for holding the supporting means approximately parallel to the base means.