Apparatus for simultaneously moving the pickup and turntable of a disk player

An apparatus for moving a pickup of a disc player, said pickup positionable to reproduce signals stored on a disk seated on a turntable of a disk player, comprising:

• a plurality of guide bars;
• a pickup unit having a supporting surface and a first member defining a first inner surface extending from said supporting surface, for supporting the pickup on said supporting surface, said pickup unit disposed to move linearly along said guide bars toward or away from a center of the turntable;
• a spindle motor unit having an upper plane and a second member defining a second inner surface extending from said upper plane, said upper plane being disposed beneath the turntable, said spindle motor unit disposed to move linearly along said guide bars with said first inner surface facing and being spaced apart from said second inner surface to form a gap between said first member and said second member;
• and
• moving means providing a single engaging surface disposed within said gap, for simultaneously engaging said second inner surface of said spindle motor unit and said first inner surface of said pickup unit, and for simultaneously driving both said spindle motor unit and said pickup unit to selectively move toward each other and away from each other in dependence upon modes of operation of the disk player.

An apparatus for moving a pickup mounted on a pickup unit into position to reproduce signals stored on a disk seated on a turntable of a disk player, said apparatus comprising:

• a spindle motor unit having an upper plane and a first member defining a first inner surface extending transversely from said upper plane, said upper plane being disposed beneath the turntable, said spindle motor unit disposed to move linearly for moving the turntable;
• said pickup unit having a supporting surface and a second member defining a second inner surface extending transversely from said supporting surface, for holding the pickup on said supporting surface, said pickup unit disposed to move linearly along a radial direction toward or away from a center of the turntable;
• guide means engaged by said pickup unit and said spindle motor unit while said pickup unit and said spindle motor unit are oriented with said second inner surface facing and spaced apart from said second inner surface to form a gap, between said first member and said second member, said guide means for supporting said spindle motor unit during said linear motion of said spindle motor unit, and for supporting said pickup unit during said linear motion of said pickup unit;
• moving means comprising a single engaging surface disposed within said gap for simultaneously engaging said first inner surface of said first member of said spindle motor unit and said second inner surface of said second member of said pickup unit;
• and
• a single motor for moving said moving means;
• said moving means moving said spindle motor unit towards said pickup unit during a first mode of operation of the disk player, and said moving means moving said spindle motor unit away from said pickup unit during a second mode of operation of the disk player.

A method of positioning a pickup mounted on a pickup unit to reproduce signals from a disk mounted on a turntable rotated by a spindle motor unit in a disk player, comprising:

• rotating a pinion gear in a first rotational direction during a first mode of operation of the disk player;
• sliding a first rack gear meshed with said pinion gear, in a first linear direction in response to said rotation of said pinion gear in said first rotational direction, said pickup unit having a supporting surface with said first rack gear extending transversely from said supporting surface;
• and
• sliding a second rack gear, attached to said spindle motor unit and meshed with said pinion gear, in a second linear direction opposite said first linear direction in response to said rotation of said pinion gear in said first rotational direction said spindle motor unit having an upper plane and said second rack gear extending transversely from said upper plane such that said second rack gear faces and is spaced apart from said first rack gear to form a gap in which said pinion gear is located between said second rack gear and said first rack gear;
• said pickup unit and said spindle motor unit moving toward each other in response to said sliding of said first rack gear and said second rack gear in said first linear direction and said second linear direction, respectively.

An apparatus for moving a pickup mounted on a pickup unit into position, said pickup for reproducing signals from a disk seated on a turntable of a disk player, comprising:

• a spindle motor unit having an upper plane and a first member defining a first inner surface extending transversely from said upper plane, said upper plane disposed beneath the turntable and said spindle motor unit disposed to move linearly in a first direction, for moving the turntable;
• said pickup unit having a supporting surface and a second member defining a second inner surface extending transversely from said supporting surface, for holding the pickup on said supporting surface, said pickup unit disposed to move linearly in a second direction opposite said first direction while said first inner surface of said first member faces and is spaced apart from said second inner surface of said second member to form a gap between said first member and said second member;
• moving means always spaced apart from the pickup, comprising a single engaging surface disposed within said gap for simultaneously engaging said first inner surface of said first member of said spindle motor unit and said second inner surface of said second member of said pickup unit and moving said spindle motor unit and said pickup unit in said first direction and
• said second direction, respectively;
• and said moving means moving said spindle motor unit and said pickup unit away from each other during a mode of operation of the disk player.

A disk player having a pickup for reading data stored on a disk and a turntable for rotating said disk, comprising:

• a pickup unit having a first side and a second side opposite said first side, said pickup unit having said pickup disposed on said first side of said pickup unit;
• a spindle motor unit having a first side and a second side opposite said first side, said spindle motor unit having said turntable disposed on said first side of said spindle motor unit;
• guide means slidably attached to said pickup unit and slidably attached to said spindle motor unit such that said pickup unit can slide along said guide means in a first and second direction and said spindle motor unit can slide along said guide means in said first and said second direction;
• a first meshing means mounted on said second side of said pickup unit, said first meshing means facing in a first meshing direction;
• a second meshing means mounted on said second side of said spindle motor unit while said second meshing means is spaced apart from and faces said first meshing means to form a gap between said first meshing means and said second meshing, means;
• a rotating member positioned between said first meshing means and said second meshing means and disposed within said gap such that said rotating member is simultaneously engaged with and meshes with said first meshing means and said second meshing means;
• and
• rotating means for rotating said rotating member, causing said pickup unit and said spindle motor unit to slide along said guide means in said first direction and said second direction.