Disk apparatus

• US 7,577,966 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Shinya, Miroku, Nobuyuki, Araki, Yukihiro, Kage, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Tianjie
• Application Number:
  US10/576,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 720/624, 720/625, 720/646, 720/647, 720/713, 360/99.02, 360/99.03, 360/99.06, 360/99.07, 369/77.11, 382/317
• US Class Current: 720/624
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/0286 mounted on a pivotal lever
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/038 Centering or locking of a plurality of discs in a single cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/051 Direct insertion, i.e. without external loading means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/121 the apparatus comprising a single recording/reproducing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a disk apparatus reduced in size, thickness and weight, by reducing a space for carrying a disk and a space between the floating unit and the stationary frame for use in holding the floating unit in a floating state, as much as possible, with a simple structure. In the disk apparatus of the present invention, the floating unit held in a floating state in the stationary frame is so arranged that the roller arm can rotate itself, pressing a disk-shaped recording medium onto the disk guide provided on the stationary frame, to carry the disk-shaped recording medium to a desired position.

Claims

1. A disk apparatus comprising:

a stationary frame having an opening for inserting or ejecting a disk-shaped recording medium,

a disk guide which is rotatably provided in the proximity of said opening of said stationary frame, and which leads the insertion and ejection of said disk-shaped recording medium, and

a floating unit which is held in a floating state through elastic component in said stationary frame, and which has a function to perform recording and/or reproducing on said disk-shaped recording medium, wherein

said floating unit includes a disk-carrying member having a roller arm which rotates itself while pressing said disk-shaped recording medium onto said disk guide, so as to carry said disk-shaped recording medium to a desired position, and

when the completion of the ejection of said disk-shaped recording medium is detected, a control slider is moved to allow a projection formed on said control slider to contact a projection formed on said stationary frame, to thereby engage a part of said roller arm with a part of said disk guide.

2. A disk apparatus comprising:

a stationary frame having an opening for inserting or ejecting a disk-shaped recording medium,

a disk guide which is rotatably provided in the proximity of said opening of said stationary frame, and which leads the insertion and ejection of said disk-shaped recording medium, and

a floating unit which is held in a floating state through elastic component in said stationary frame, and which has a function to perform recording and/or reproducing on said disk-shaped recording medium, wherein

said floating unit includes a disk-carrying member having a roller arm which rotates itself while pressing said disk-shaped recording medium onto said disk guide, so as to carry said disk-shaped recording medium to a desired position, and

said roller arm is held obliquely to a plane having said opening for disk insertion and ejection on said stationary frame, so that said disk-shaped recording medium inserted into said opening for said disk insertion and ejection is carried inclining to said plane.

3. A disk apparatus comprising:

a stationary frame having an opening for inserting or ejecting a disk-shaped recording medium,

a disk guide which is rotatably provided in the proximity of said opening of said stationary frame, and which leads the insertion and ejection of said disk-shaped recording medium, and

a floating unit which is held in a floating state through elastic component in said stationary frame, and which has a function to perform recording and/or reproducing on said disk-shaped recording medium, wherein

said floating unit includes a disk-carrying member having a roller arm which rotates itself while pressing said disk-shaped recording medium onto said disk guide, so as to carry said disk-shaped recording medium to a desired position, and

said stationary frame comprises two frame sections having an upper frame and a lower frame, and wherein a projection formed on said disk guide at the rear side of said disk apparatus is engaged with a hole formed in said upper frame, so that said disk guide is rotated a predetermined angle on their engaging portion as a rotation center, relative to said upper frame at the front side of said disk apparatus.

4. A disk apparatus comprising:

a stationary frame having an opening for inserting or ejecting a disk-shaped recording medium,

a disk guide which is rotatably provided in the proximity of said opening of said stationary frame, and which has a function to perform recording and/or reproducing on said disk-shaped recording medium, wherein

a floating unit which is held in a floating state through elastic component in said stationary frame, and which has a function to perform recording and/or reproducing on said disk-shaped recording medium, wherein

said floating unit includes a disk-carrying member having a roller arm which rotates itself while pressing said disk-shaped recording medium onto said disk guide, so as to carry said disk-shaped recording medium to a desired position, and

said floating unit further includes a disk carriage-driving member which comprises a motor for driving said roller arm, a transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving power from said motor to said roller arm, a loading completion detecting means for detecting the completion of disk-loading, and a control slider for transmitting an information detected by said loading completion detecting means to said transmission mechanism.

5. The disk apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein a space between said disk guide and said floating unit is used as a space for carrying said disk-shaped recording medium, and as a space for holding said floating unit in a floating state.

6. The disk apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein a desirable sized space for carrying said disk-shaped recording medium is formed when said roller arm is operated to press said disk-shaped recording medium onto said disk guide while said disk-shaped recording medium onto said disk guide while said disk-shaped recording medium is being carried, and wherein a desired space for holding said floating unit in a floating state in said stationary frame is ensured, when said clamping member performs a clamping operation to clamp said disk-shaped recording medium at a recording/reproducing position during a recording/reproducing operation, after said roller arm is free from the pressing operation to said disk guide.

7. The disk apparatus as recited in claim 4, further comprising a locking mechanism which locks said floating unit to said stationary frame, when said disk-shaped recording medium is inserted and carried, when said disk-shaped recording medium is carried and ejected, or when the ejection of said disk-shaped recording medium is completed.

8. The disk apparatus as recited in claim 4, provided with a locking mechanism which locks said floating unit to said stationary frame, when said control slider is moved according to the operating condition of said disk-shaped recording medium, and a projection formed on said control slider contacts with a projection formed on said stationary frame.

9. The disk apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said control slider is moved to unlock said floating unit and hold it in a floating state, when said disk-carrying member has carried said disk-shaped recording medium to a recording/reproducing position.

10. The disk apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving power from said motor to said roller arm includes a worm and a worm wheel divided into two section along a rotation axial direction, and wherein the rotation shaft of said worm wheel is inclined to a direction orthogonal to the direction for carrying said disk-shaped recording medium.