US 6,665,254 B2 · Disk-loading apparatus

Abstract

A main chassis supports a tray that carries a disk and slides between a disk-discharging position and a disk-loading position. A drive gear meshes with a first rack formed in the tray to move the tray between the disk-discharging position and disk-discharging position. The tray is in cam engagement with the cam slider such that when the tray reaches a position close to the disk-loading position, the tray causes a second rack formed in the cam slider to move into meshing engagement with the drive gear. When the cam slider is driven to move, a guide groove formed in the cam slider guides the disk-reproducing unit such that the disk-reproducing unit starts moving to the disk-reproducing position only after the cam slider is meshing engagement with the drive gear such that the pitch circle of the drive gear is tangent to the pitch line of the second rack.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims5

Dependent claims

A disk-loading apparatus in which a main chassis supports a tray that carries a disk thereon and slides between a disk-discharging position and a disk-loading position, the apparatus comprising:

a drive gear rotatably mounted on the main chassis;
a first rack formed in the tray, said first rack being in meshing engagement with said drive gear when the tray is at the disk-discharging position and becoming out of meshing engagement with said drive gear when the tray is at the disk-loading position;
a cam slider having a second rack formed therein and a guide groove formed therein, said cam slider being movable relative to the main chassis in a first direction such that the second rack moves into engagement with said drive gear and in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that the second rack moves out of meshing engagement with said drive gear,
wherein when the tray has moved to a location very close to the disk-loading position, the second rack starts moving into meshing engagement with said drive gear;
wherein said first rack becomes out of meshing engagement with said drive gear before said cam slider has moved into meshing engagement with said drive gear such that a pitch circle of said drive gear is tangent to a pitch line of the second rack;
a disk-reproducing unit having an engagement portion that extends slidably into the guide groove;
wherein when said cam slider has moved into meshing engagement with said drive gear such that a pitch circle of said drive gear is tangent to a pitch line of the second rack, the engagement portion starts being guided along the guide groove so that said disk-reproducing unit starts rotating in a third direction about an axis to a disk-reproducing position;
wherein when said cam slider moves in the second direction, said disk-reproducing unit rotates in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction about the axis to a non-disk-reproducing position.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description4,708 words

Summary2,434 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a disk-loading apparatus for loading a CD and a DVD to their reproducing positions, and more particularly to a disk-loading apparatus in which a single motor is used to move a disk-carrying tray and to rotate a drive chassis that carries a recording-and-reproducing unit having a pick-up.

#2. Description of the Related Art

Brief description of the drawings15 figures

#The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a top view illustrating the configuration of a disk-loading apparatus according to the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a configuration of a part of a rotation-transmitting mechanism that transmits the rotation of a loading motor;

Detailed description1,979 words

#Embodiment

#Throughout the figures, an X-axis represents the direction of movement of a tray 3 and a Y-axis represents the direction parallel to a disk-carrying surface 3d of the tray 3. The Y-axis is perpendicular to the X-axis. A Z-axis represents a direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis.

#The disk-loading apparatus 1 according to the invention differs from the conventional apparatus 100 in the configuration of a rotation-transmitting mechanism that transmits the rotation of the loading motor 22 of FIG. 2 and the shape of a cam groove 51 (FIG. 6) formed in a slide plate 50.

Facts

Application

10/101,613Filed 21 Mar 2002

Priority

JP 2001-1056444 Apr 2001

Published

US 2002/0145964 A110 Oct 2002

Granted

16 Dec 2003

Term ended

25 May 2022

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 65 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification3 codes

G11B 17/047
Indirect insertion, i.e. with external loading means: with sliding loading means
G11B 17/056
Indirect insertion, i.e. with external loading means: with sliding loading means
G11B
Information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer

Timeline

4 Apr 2001Priority claimedJP 2001-105644
21 Mar 2002Application filedUS 10/101,613
21 Mar 2002Assigned to Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaishaassignment of assignor's interest
10 Oct 2002PublishedUS 2002/0145964 A1
16 Dec 2003GrantedUS 6,665,254 B2
25 May 2022Term endedEstimated, includes 65 days of adjustment

Disk-loading apparatus

Life of this patent

Disk-loading apparatus

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims5

Description4,708 words

Drawings

Classification3 codes

Life of this patent

Description4,708 words