Motive-force transmission changeover mechanism in disc apparatus

A motive-force transmission changeover mechanism in a disc apparatus comprising:

• a traverse unit;
• an optical pickup fixed on the traverse unit and adapted to run on parallel guide rails laid on a chassis of the traverse unit;
• a traverse holder holding the traverse unit via shock-absorbing members;
• a drive motor;
• and a disc-carrying tray to carry a disc for loading and unloading;
• an optical pickup drive mechanism having a traverse rack integrally connected to the optical pickup, and a gang of gear wheels to be detachably connected to the traverse rack for transmission of driving power of the drive motor;
• a traverse unit inclining mechanism having a lateral slider having an oblique cam slot and a rack, a forward projection of the traverse holder slidably fitted in the oblique cam slot, and a tray feeding pinion detachably mesh with the rack of the lateral slider;
• and a tray driving mechanism including a tray rack, an L-shaped cam slot both formed on rear surface of the disc-carrying tray, and a tray feeding gear wheel concentrically combined with the tray feeding pinion;
• wherein a rotary control piece is pivotally fixed on the chassis of the traverse unit and being spring-biased to rotate in one direction;
• a retainer post stands upright on the chassis to prevent rotation of the rotary control piece;
• an intervening transmission switching gear wheel which makes the tray feeding gear wheel couple or decouple from the gang of gear wheels is rotatably fixed on the rotary control piece;
• a catch pin is fixed on the upper surface of the rotary control piece;
• and a cam rib is formed on lower surface of the traverse rack in confronting relation with the rotary control plate which is so configured as to make the rotary control piece release from the retainer post, and at the same time make the catch pin follow the rib contour, thereby allowing the transmission switching gear wheel to couple or decouple from the tray feeding gear wheel.