JP3457486B2 - Disc changer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a CD or a CD-ROM.
The present invention relates to a disc changer for accommodating a plurality of discs (disc-shaped recording media) and automatically setting a selected disc in a disc drive (recording / reproducing device / optical pickup). More specifically, the present invention relates to a disc changer for accommodating a plurality of discs mounted on a carriage and automatically exchanging the discs by moving the carriage in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a disc changer having a simple structure in which about three or four discs can be stocked and automatically exchanged, for example, a rotating disc tray as shown in FIG. It is called) is known. This carousel type disc changer is, for example, an actual open flat 4-12.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1045, etc., and the disc tray 101 on which a plurality of discs are placed is rotated to rotationally move the selected disc to the position of the optical pickup. In this disc changer, a plurality of recesses 102, ..., 102 for mounting discs are provided on the upper surface of a disc-shaped disc tray 101 so as not to overlap each other. Then, the optical pickup (not shown) moves up and down at the reproducing position, and passes the through hole 103 provided in the recess 102 to sandwich the disc with the clamper (not shown) arranged above the disc tray 101. It is provided so as to be attached and held. The exchange of the performance disc in this disc changer is performed by rotating the disc tray 101 and moving the selected disc to the reproducing position while the optical pickup is lowered below the disc tray 101 and retracted. .

In the case of the disc changer having such a structure, the disc tray 101 needs to be prevented from warping or the like and have a high degree of flatness in order to prevent the disc tray 101 from rubbing against the chassis 104 of the disc reproducing apparatus around it. There is. Therefore, reinforcing ribs for obtaining sufficient rigidity to prevent warpage are provided to increase the apparent thickness and height dimension. Also, the disc tray 101
Is provided so as to rotate on the chassis while being supported by rollers so as to rotate stably in a horizontal plane.

[0004]

However, according to this disc changer, one disc tray 1 is used.
Since the disks are placed and stocked on 01 so that they do not overlap with each other, the external dimensions (width x depth) of the apparatus increase as the number of stocked disks increases, thus taking up space. For example, even when stocking only three discs, the external dimensions of the device are 4 and at least twice the disc diameter in the width and depth directions, respectively.
You will need more than double.

Further, the disc tray 101, on which a plurality of discs are placed on one plane, becomes a large cost because it is a large-sized molded part requiring surface accuracy. In addition, the conventional disc changer requires supporting components such as rollers to smoothly rotate the disc tray 101, so that the number of components is increased and the cost is increased.

Further, the disc tray 101 must be formed thick so as to obtain sufficient strength in order to eliminate the warp, which makes the disc reproducing apparatus bulky. In addition, since the pickup itself is moved up and down with respect to the disk, a space and an elevating mechanism therefor are required, which causes a problem that the dimension in the height direction becomes large.

Further, in the case of a cartridge type disc changer for accommodating a plurality of discs stacked as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-38657, since the disc and the carriage are stacked behind the pickup, they are stored. There was a drawback that the disc could not be taken out or replaced during the performance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a disc changer which can have a smaller outer diameter, a smaller height and a lower cost than the conventional one when accommodating the same number of discs. More specifically, the present invention provides
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disc changer having an inexpensive structure which can be made the smallest in height and can be downsized when accommodating about three discs. It is another object of the present invention to provide a disc changer that allows other discs to be taken out and replaced even during performance.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a disk changer according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a drawer for accommodating a plurality of carriages for mounting a disk and reciprocating between a disk ejecting position and a drawer accommodating position. , Clamper mechanism that can hold the disc between the turntable by lifting and sliding, and slide in the same direction as the reciprocating direction of the drawer
A couple of possible sliders and a couple between the drawer and the slider.
And a driving mechanism for actuating the clamper mechanism.
It has a transmission slider that can slide in the same direction as the lid and
It is configured to move up and down by the movement of the reach slider.
Reach slider and the slider is the drawer storage position
The clutch mechanism can be engaged only when the vehicle is in the position.

Therefore, due to the driving force of the driving means,
A couple acts between the lower and slider, causing the drawer to move.
The slider is moved by restricting the
Move the drawer by restricting the movement of da
If both the work and the slider are allowed to slide,
If the slider is lighter than the drawer and has less sliding friction,
Select the drawer and slider like, and
Can be activated. The drawer ejects the disc
Moving to the closed position, the user can
You can replace the disk on the page. In addition, the slider and transmission
With the rider and clutch engaged by the clutch mechanism,
By moving the Ida, the clamper mechanism is raised and lowered,
Clamp or release the disc.

When the drawer is not in the drawer storage position during the above series of operations, the clutch mechanism is disengaged, so that the slider and the clamper mechanism are separated. Therefore, while the drawer is moving,
Even if the drawer is immovable due to the operator forcibly stopping the drawer or something is pinched and the slider is accidentally moved by the driving means, the movement of the slider is not transmitted to the clamper mechanism. Absent. As a result, the holding of the playback disc by the clamper mechanism is maintained, and the playback of the disc is not interrupted.

The disk changer of claim 2 is provided with stopper means for limiting the movement of the drawer only when the clamper mechanism is releasing the disk. Therefore, the movement of the drawer is limited while the drive means moves up and down the clamper mechanism via the slider. Therefore, even if the power of the drive means or other external force acts on the drawer while the clamper mechanism is moving up and down, the drawer does not move accidentally.

Further, in the disk changer of the third aspect, power transmission between the drive means and the drawer and the slider is performed by a slidable pulley and a belt. Therefore, if the drawer cannot be moved due to the operator forcibly stopping the drawer or something being caught during the movement of the drawer, the pulley between the drive means and the drawer can be used. And the belt slips. Further, the disk change according to claim 4
The slider is rotatably mounted on the slider and
The moving gear that rotates depending on the step and the moving gear that is formed in the drawer.
And a rack to which the dynamic gear is screwed.
It In this case, the drive means should rotate the moving gear.
Creates a couple between the drawer and the slider.
Can be made.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The structure of the present invention will be described below in detail based on an example of an embodiment shown in the drawings. In this specification, the side of the disc changer where the disc take-out port is present is called the front side, the opposite side is called the back side, and the direction orthogonal to the disc transport direction is called the width direction.

1 to 46 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a disc changer of a type which accommodates three discs. This disc changer accommodates two of the three carriages 1, 1, 1 on which the disc 7 is placed and reciprocates between a disc take-out position 8 and a drawer storage position 55, and a disc 7 that moves up and down. And a slider 32 for operating the clamper mechanism 36.
And a drive motor 33 as a driving means for selectively operating the drawer 2 and the slider 32 depending on the driving direction, and a clutch mechanism 37 that connects the slider 32 and the clamper mechanism 36 only when the drawer 2 is in the drawer storage position 55. It has and.

This disc changer is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 46, an optical pickup 3 as a disc drive which is arranged at a drive position 10 on the far side of the device from the disc storage position 9 and performs recording / reproduction of the disc 7; A disc setting mechanism 4 for moving one carriage 1 and a disc 7 above it up and down to a disc drive loading position 11 or a disc non-loading position 12 at the same level as the lowest carriage 1 of the disc storage position 9. , Disk storage position 9
And a carriage raising / lowering mechanism 5 for raising / lowering the carriage 1 at the drive position 10 between the disc non-loading position 12 of the disc setting mechanism 4 and a position higher than the position.
And a carriage moving mechanism 6 for moving the carriage 1 to the spaces S1 and S2 formed at either the disk storage position 9 or the drive position 10 by the operation of the carriage lifting mechanism 5.

As shown in FIG. 32, the carriage 1 is made of, for example, a plastic thin plate having a substantially square planar shape, and a recess 13 for mounting the disk 7 is formed in the center thereof, and the disk 7 is placed and stored therein. It is provided to do. The recess 13 is a large recess 1 for accommodating a 12 cm disc.
3a and a small recess 13b for accommodating an 8 cm disc are formed concentrically.

As shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, teeth 14 projecting laterally at a constant pitch are integrally formed on both side edges of the carriage 1. This tooth 14 corresponds to a rack, but the part corresponding to the tooth bottom is removed,
The pin 16 of the pin gear 15 is provided so as to pass therethrough in the vertical direction. Also, this carriage 1
A through hole 17 is formed from the center of the recess 13 to the side on the front side of the device for passing the optical pickup 3 as an optical pickup.

Further, notches 18 are provided on both sides of the carriage 1 on the inner side of the apparatus. This cutout 18
Is for passing a support column of a clamper arm 20 supporting a clamper 19 located above the carriage 1. The clamper arm 20 is arranged so as to enter the inside of the carriage 1, and the outer dimensions of the disc changer are set as a whole. The carriage 1 is provided so that it can be accommodated in the size of two sheets. It should be noted that two carriages 1 are placed in the disc storage position 9 in a state of being stacked, and one is placed in the disc loading position 11 to the non-loading position 12 of the drive position 10 on the inner side of the apparatus.

In the case of this embodiment, the drawer 2 accommodates two carriages 1 and reciprocates the disc ejecting position 8 and the disc accommodating position 9 by the drive motor 33 and the rotation transmission mechanism 38 shown in FIGS. To do. As shown in FIG. 1, the reciprocating range of the drawer 2 is the drawer storage position 55 in which the entire drawer 2 is housed inside the device.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 1 on the front side of the drawer 2 is located between the disc take-out position 8 where the disc 7 can be replaced by popping out from the disc take-out port. A rack 2b is formed on one frame portion 2a along the reciprocating direction of the drawer 2. A drive motor 33 is connected to the rack 2b via a rotation transmission mechanism 38.

The rotation transmission mechanism 38 includes a moving gear 39, an intermediate gear 40, a moving pulley 41 rotatably attached to the slider 32, and a fixed pulley 42 rotatably attached to the apparatus frame 23. There is. The movable gear 39, the intermediate gear 40, and the movable pulley 41 are attached to the front end of the slider 32 that is slidable in parallel with the rack 2b of the drawer 2. The moving gear 39 is screwed to the rack 2b of the drawer 2. The moving gear 39 is interlocked with the moving pulley 41 via the intermediate gear 40. The fixed pulley 42 is arranged substantially in the width direction of the slider 32 of the moving pulley 41. The moving pulley 41 and the stationary pulley 42 are connected to the belts 43, 4
Connected by 3. Further, the fixed pulley 42 is connected to the drive motor 33 fixed to the device frame 23. Therefore, even if the slider 32 slides, the distance between the moving-side pulley 41 and the fixed-side pulley 42 hardly changes, so that belt transmission is continuously performed.

In this embodiment, since the rotation transmission mechanism 38 includes the transmission mechanisms of the pulleys 41, 42 and the belt 43, when the drive motor 33 continues to rotate when the drawer 2 is forcibly stopped by an external force. Is a pulley 41, 4
There is slippage between the 2 and the belt 43. Therefore, the gears are not disengaged from each other, and no abnormal noise is generated.
It does not put an excessive load on b, the moving gear 39, or the like.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the rotation transmission mechanism 38 has a pulley 41,
Although the transmission mechanism of the belt 42 and the belt 43 is included, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotation transmission mechanism 38 may be configured by only gears or may include other types of transmission mechanisms.

Further, stopper means 44 is arranged at the inner part of the frame portion 2a in which the rack 2b of the drawer 2 is formed. The stopper means 44 includes a stopper protrusion 2c that is integrally formed with the drawer 2 and projects downward, and a stopper lever 45 that is swingably attached to the apparatus frame 23.
And a stopper claw 45a formed on the upper surface of the stopper lever 45 and capable of contacting the stopper projection 2c, and a torsion coil for urging the stopper lever 45 in a direction in which the stopper projection 2c and the stopper claw 45a can contact each other. And a biasing spring 46 formed of a spring. As shown in FIGS.
The urging spring 46 urges the stopper lever 45 in the right rotation direction in each drawing.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the stopper lever 45 and the stopper release protrusion 52a of the transmission slider 52 do not come into contact with each other, the stopper lever 45 comes into contact with the stopper stop 23a integrally formed with the apparatus frame 23. Swing is restricted. At this time, the stopper protrusion 2c of the drawer 2 and the stopper claw 45a can come into contact with each other, and at other times, the stopper protrusion 2c and the stopper claw 45a do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, when the drawer 2 is located at the deepest side and the transmission slider 52 is not located at the deepest side, the drawer 2 cannot slide to the front side.

Further, on the frame portion 2d opposite to the frame portion 2a on which the rack 2b of the drawer 2 is formed, each drawer switch 47 fixed to the device frame 23,
Switch parts 2e and 2f for turning on / off 48 are formed. A rear drawer switch 47 is arranged near the farthest side of the device frame 23, and a front drawer switch 48 is arranged near the foremost side. Each of the switch parts 2e and 2f is composed of a step part that keeps the drawer switches 47 and 48 in an ON state, and also includes the frame part 2
It is formed near the deepest side and near the center of d. As shown in FIG. 1, when the drawer 2 is at the farthest side,
The back side switch unit 2e turns on the back side drawer switch 47. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the drawer 2 is closest to the front side, the front side switch unit 2f turns on the front side drawer switch 48. Therefore, by turning on / off the drawer switches 47 and 48, it is detected whether the drawer 2 is at the farthest side, at the foremost side, or between them.

As shown in FIG. 32, the drawer 2 has star gears 22 and 31 having wide tooth widths on the front side and the back side of the drawer, which are drive positions 10, and the disk storage position 9 and the drive position. A pin gear 15 is provided at the boundary with the pinion 10. Further, as shown in FIGS. 43 and 46, the drawer 2 includes a lower carriage 1 of the two carriages 1 and 1 at the disk storage position 9.
It has a side pedestal 21a for supporting the edge of the carriage 1 and a front pedestal 21b for supporting the tip edge of the carriage 1.

Two carriages 1, 1 stacked
Are supported by the pedestals 21a and 21b and the star gear 22, respectively, so that they can be moved separately. Therefore, after the two carriages 1 and 1 stacked at the disk storage position 9 are pulled out to the disk removal position 8 by the operation of the drawer 2, the upper carriage 1
When only this is pulled into the apparatus by the rotational drive of the pin gear 15, the disk 7 mounted on the lower carriage 1 is exposed. Therefore, the disk 7 accommodated in the lower carriage 1 can be replaced. The movement of the carriage 1 to the inner side of the device (horizontal movement) is performed by the star gear 2.
The tooth surfaces 22a and 31a of 2, 31 are used as rails.

On the other hand, the slider 32 is arranged in parallel and adjacent to the rack 2b of the drawer 2 and is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the apparatus frame 23. On one side of the slider 32, a switch portion 32a for turning on / off the slider switches 49, 50 fixed to the device frame 23 is formed. The switch part 32a is composed of a step part for keeping the slider switches 49, 50 on.
The rear slider switch 49 and the front slider switch 50 arranged side by side are fixed to the device frame 23 on the side of the switch portion 32a. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the slider 32 is at the farthest side, the far side slider switch 49 is turned on. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the slider 32 is at the frontmost side, the front slider switch 50 is turned on. Therefore, by turning on / off each slider switch 49, 50,
It is detected whether the slider 32 is at the farthest side, at the foremost side, or between them.

At the front end of the slider 32,
Engaging claws 32b are formed. The engaging claw 32b is
When the slider 32 is located at the frontmost side, it abuts on a slider stop 23b formed on the device frame 23.
Due to this contact, the slider 32 cannot slide further toward the front side. In FIG. 1, the reference numeral denotes a claw portion 23c that slidably attaches the slider 32 to the device frame 23.

A clamper mechanism 36 is arranged at the back of the device frame 23. Clamper mechanism 36
Is a clamper 19 for fixing the disk 7 to the optical pickup 3, a clamper arm 20 for holding the clamper 19 and moving up and down, a tilt plate 51 for moving the clamper arm 20 up and down, and a transmission slider 52 for tilting the tilt plate 51. Is equipped with.

The transmission slider 52 is arranged on the back side of the slider 32 and is slidable with the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction. The front end surface of the transmission slider 52 and the slider 32
It is possible to contact the rear end face of the. Transmission slider 5
2 is a stopper release protrusion 52a formed near the central portion
And an inclined groove 52b formed at the rear end. A clutch mechanism 37 is provided at the contact portion between the transmission slider 52 and the slider 32.

The clutch mechanism 37 includes a clutch lever 53 swingably attached to the front end of the transmission slider 52, a clutch pin 32c formed on the upper surface near the back end of the slider 32, and a clutch lever. A clutch claw 53a formed on the lower surface of the clutch 53 that can be hooked on the clutch pin 32c, and an urging spring 54 formed of a torsion coil spring that urges the clutch lever 53 in a direction in which the clutch claw 53a can be hooked on the clutch pin 32c. I have it. In the present embodiment, the urging spring 54 urges the clutch lever 53 in the clockwise rotation direction, as shown in FIGS.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the clutch pin 32c is brought into contact with the front side of the clutch claw 53a while moving to the back side to urge the clutch lever 53 to urge the spring 54.
A guide surface 53b formed of an inclined surface is formed so that the guide surface 53b can be pushed away. Here, when the slider 32 is separated from the transmission slider 52 and the clutch pin 32c is not caught by the clutch claw 53a (FIG. 5), when the slider 32 slides to the back side, the clutch pin 32
c contacts the guide surface 53b of the clutch claw 53a, and the clutch lever 53 is swung counterclockwise against the biasing spring 54 in the leftward rotation direction. Then, the clutch pin 32c becomes the clutch claw 53.
A is crossed over and engaged (FIGS. 6 and 7). When the slider 32 is moved further in this state, the slider 3
The rear end surface of 2 comes into contact with the front end surface of the transmission slider 52, and both the slider 32 and the transmission slider 52 move to the rear side. Here, when the slider 32 is moved to the front side, the transmission slider 52 is pulled and moved to the front side via the clutch pin 32c, the clutch claw 53a, and the clutch lever 53.

An engagement step 53c is formed on the side of the clutch lever 53 so as to project laterally. The engagement step 53c has a clutch release rib 2g formed from the central portion of the lower portion of the frame portion 2a of the drawer 2 to the inner portion thereof.
Can be pressed. And the clutch release rib 2
When g presses the engagement step 53c of the clutch lever 53, the clutch lever 53 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing against the biasing spring 54, and the slider 32 and the transmission slider 5
The clutch with 2 is disengaged. That is, since the clutch claw 53a and the clutch pin 32c cannot engage with each other, the transmission slider 52 does not move even if the slider 32 is moved to the front side. Further, the formation position of the clutch release rib 2g is set from the position that presses the engagement step 53c to the innermost part when the drawer 2 slides with the transmission slider 52 and the drawer 2 positioned on the innermost side. There is.

Further, the stopper release projection 52a of the transmission slider 52 can be brought into contact with the side portion of the stopper lever 45. Due to this contact, the stopper release projection 52a
The stopper lever 45 to the stopper protrusion 2c of the drawer 2.
And the stopper claw 45a of the stopper lever 45 are swung in a direction in which they cannot be engaged. The stopper release protrusion 52a is
When the transmission slider 52 is located at the deepest side, the stopper lever 45 is swung counterclockwise against the biasing spring 46 in the leftward rotation direction in the figure so that the stopper projection 2c and the stopper claw 45a cannot come into contact with each other. In addition, the stopper release protrusion 52a is provided on the transmission slider 5
2 is on the front side of the innermost side, the stopper lever 4
5, the stopper projection 2c and the stopper claw 45a can come into contact with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the transmission slider 5
The inclined groove 52b formed on the side surface of the rear end portion of 2 communicates the upper portion on the front side and the lower portion on the rear side. Note that FIG.
The reference numeral 23d indicates the transmission slider 52 and the device frame 23.
It is a claw that is slidably attached to.

The tilting plate 51 has a structure similar to that shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the rectangular shape is substantially the same, and the longitudinal direction is aligned with the width direction of the device frame 23. The tilt plate 51 is provided along the width direction of the device frame 23.
Bearing holes 51a formed on both end surfaces on the center line C passing through the front end of the pair, and a guide hole formed on the front side of the bearing hole 51a by being fitted into the inclined groove 52b of the transmission slider 52 and guided. It is provided with a mating pin 51b and an ascending / descending groove 51c formed on the inner side of the bearing hole 51a and into which the support pin 20a of the clamper arm 20 is fitted.

Each bearing hole 51a is rotatably fitted to a support pin 23e formed on the apparatus frame 23.
Therefore, the reciprocating movement of the transmission slider 52 guides the engagement pin 51b in the inclined groove 52b like a follower joint of the positive cam, whereby the tilting plate 51 tilts about the center line C of the bearing hole 51a. To be done. Then, when the transmission slider 52 moves to the back side, the engaging pin 51b is guided upward and the tilting plate 51 becomes substantially horizontal. Further, when the transmission slider 52 moves to the front side, the engaging pin 51b is guided downward and the tilting plate 51 tilts with the back side up.

The clamper arm 20 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the support pin 20a fitted and guided in the ascending / descending groove 51c of the tilting plate 51, the guide rib 35 having the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction, and the clamper 19 are rotatable and slightly movable in the vertical and horizontal directions. And a holding hole 24 for holding. The guide ribs 35 are fitted in vertical grooves of guide rails 34 formed in the vicinity of both side ends of the inner part of the device frame 23 and supported so as to be able to move up and down. Support pin 2
Reference numeral 0a denotes the ascending / descending groove 5 of the tilting plate 51 due to tilting of the tilting plate 51.
The inside of 1c is guided like a follower of a positive cam, whereby the clamper arm 20 is moved up and down. The shapes of the clamper arm 20 and the guide rail 34 are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, and may be those shown in FIG. 32, for example.

The clamper 19 is composed of a cylindrical body having flanges at both ends, and is supported in a support hole 24 at the tip of the clamper arm 20 so as to be slightly movable in the vertical and horizontal directions by using the flanges at the upper and lower ends. ing. 14-
As shown in FIG. 31, in the center of the carriage 1 on the back side,
An optical pickup 3 is installed. Optical pickup 3
Is fixed to the device frame 23, and the disk 7 and the carriage 1 and clamper 19 on which the disk 7 is mounted are moved up and down to load and unload the disk 7. That is, the clamper 19 fixes the disc 7 to the optical pickup 3.

Although not particularly shown, the clamper 19 has an iron plate which is attracted to a magnet embedded in the hub 25 portion of the pickup body 3, and when it is fitted into the hub 25 portion when the disc 7 is moved up and down. Then, the disk 7 is attracted to the hub 25 and holds the disk 7 between it and the turntable. Of course, depending on the type of the optical pickup, a magnet may be arranged on the clamper 19 side to attract the hub 25 of the pickup 3. The clamper arm 20 comes into contact with the edge of the carriage 1 supported by the lifter 26 at the disc non-loading position 12 when descending,
While pushing down the carriage 1 together with the lifter 26, the disk 7 fitted in the hub 25 portion of the optical pickup 3 is clamped and fixed by the clamper 19.

A return spring 27 for pushing up the lifter 26 is provided between the lifter 26 and the apparatus frame 23. The spring 27 has a dogleg shape in which both ends are raised as compared with the center, and both ends are fitted into the groove 28 of the lifter 26 and the center part is pressed against the device frame 23. On the other hand, the lifter 26 has the guide pins 30 at both ends engaged with the oblique guide grooves 29 provided in the device frame 23, and the lifter 26 is almost entirely prevented from being twisted by being pushed up by the spring 27 and pushed down by the clamper arm 20. It is provided so as to be able to move up and down within the range of the guide groove 29 while maintaining a horizontal state. The lifter 26, the clamper arm 20 and the return spring 27 constitute the disc setting mechanism 4.

The carriage raising / lowering mechanism 5 is composed of star-shaped gears 22 and 31 having long tooth widths arranged on the front side and the rear side of the drawer 2, respectively, and a drive source (not shown) for rotating them. The teeth 14 on both sides of the carriage 1 are hooked by the star gears 22 or 31 to support substantially the center of the carriage 1, and are raised or lowered by the rotation of the star gears 22 and 31. The tooth width of the star gears 22, 31 reaches about half of the length of the carriage 1, and the star gears 22, 22 or 31, on both sides,
It is provided so that the carriage 1 can be supported between 31. The star gears 22 and 31 are provided at positions for supporting the central portions of the respective carriages 1 and 1 at the disk storage position 9 and the drive position 10. The star gears 22 and 31 are provided so that they can be rotationally driven separately.

The carriage moving mechanism 6 comprises star-shaped gears 22, 3 arranged on the front side and the rear side of the drawer 2, respectively.
1 and the pin gear 16 arranged at the boundary between them.
It is provided so that the pin gear 16 meshes with the teeth 14 on both sides of each carriage 1 and the carriage 1 is moved on the tooth surfaces of the star gears 22 and 31 by the rotation of the pin gear 15. . The carriage 1 when moving from the front side to the back side of the drawer 2 is the lower carriage 1 or the pedestals 21 a or the lifters 2 on both sides of the drawer 2.
Supported by 6.

The disc changer configured as described above operates as follows.

First, the operation of exchanging with an external disk will be described with reference to FIGS. With the drawer 2 in the drawer storage position 55 as shown in FIG.
By operating [PEN], the drive motor 33 rotates the moving gear 39 in the left rotation direction in the drawing. Moving gear 39
Due to the leftward rotation, the couple acting between the slider 32 and the drawer 2 tends to slide the slider 32 toward the back and the drawer 2 toward the front . Since the slider 32 is lighter and has less sliding friction than the drawer 2,
The slider 32 is moved to the back side first. As a result, the rear end of the slider 32 contacts the front end of the transmission slider 52. When the transmission slider 52 moves to the innermost side, the movement is restricted by a stopper (not shown). Therefore, the slider 32 and the transmission slider 52 are restricted from sliding inward.

In this state, the movable gear 39 further rotates counterclockwise, so that the drawer 2 slides toward the front side. At this time, since the transmission slider 52 is located at the innermost side, the stopper release protrusion 52a of the transmission slider 52 presses the stopper lever 45, so that the drawer 2
The stopper protrusion 2c and the stopper claw 45a of the stopper lever 45 cannot engage with each other. Therefore, the drawer 2 is slid to the front side without being restricted in movement by the stopper means 44.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the drawer 2 slides toward the front side, the clutch release rib 2g of the drawer 2 swings the clutch lever 53 to pull the slider 32 and the transmission slider 52 in the pulling direction. Unlink the.

When the drawer 2 slides toward the front side and the carriage 1 holding it reaches the disk take-out position 8, the front side switch portion 2f of the drawer 2 turns on the front side drawer switch 48. As a result, the drive motor 33 stops and the drawer 2 stops. In this state, the disk 7 is replaced.

After the replacement, the operation key [CLOSE] is operated. As a result, the drive motor 33 drives the moving gear 39 so as to rotate in the right rotation direction in the drawing. By rotating the moving gear 39 to the right, the slider 32 is moved toward the back of the drawer 2.
A couple of forces act on the front side, but the slider 32, which is lighter than the drawer 2 and has small sliding friction, slides on the front side first. At this time, since the clutch lever 53 is pushed away by the clutch release rib 2g of the drawer 2, the clutch pin 32c of the slider 32 does not get caught by the clutch pawl 53a of the clutch lever 53, and only the slider 32 slides to the front side.

When the engaging claw 32b at the front end of the slider 32 comes into contact with the stopper stop 23b of the apparatus frame 23 and the sliding of the slider 32 is restricted, the drawer 2 slides inward. When the drawer 2 reaches the innermost drawer storage position 55, the inner switch part 2e of the drawer 2 turns on the inner drawer switch 47. As a result, the drive motor 33 stops and the drawer 2 stops. Then, the operation of exchanging with the external disk 7 is completed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, if the drawer 2 is projected even slightly from the device frame 23, the clutch mechanism 37 is released and the slider 32 that moves toward the front slides independently of the transmission slider 52. Therefore, even if the drawer 2 is forcibly stopped by holding the moving drawer 2 by hand or an object is pinched, and the slider 32 accidentally moves to the front side, the transmission slider 52 moves to the front side. There is no. For this reason, for example, when replacing the external disk 7 during playback of the disk 7, the drawer 2
Even if is forcibly stopped, the state of the clamper mechanism 36 is maintained, so that the reproduction is not interrupted.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the pulley 41, the rotation transmission mechanism 38 for the drive motor 33 and the drawer 2,
Since the combination of the belt 42 and the belt 43 is included, slippage occurs between the pulleys 41 and 42 and the belt 43 even if the drawer 2 is forcibly stopped. Therefore, the drive motor 33 is not forcibly stopped, so that the drive motor 33 is not overloaded and the drive motor 33 is not overloaded.
It is possible to prevent the roaring sound from being generated.

Next, the exchange operation of the disc 7 to be played will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 42. In FIG. 14, the disc 1 is clamped on the turntable of the optical pickup 3 and ready to be played, and the carriage 1 is below the disc 1. At this time, the other second and third disks 7 are stored in the respective carriages 1 and 1 and are stacked and stocked at the disk storage position 9 on the front side of the drawer and the front side of the apparatus. This is the play mode.

In this state, when the disc selection key [DISC2] is pressed to replace the disc 1 in the playing position with another stocked disc, for example, the second disc 7, the drive motor 33 is driven from the state shown in FIG. Rotates the moving gear 39 in the leftward rotation direction in the figure. Moving gear 39
The leftward rotation causes the slider 32, which is lighter than the drawer 2 and has small sliding friction, to slide inward. As a result of this sliding, as shown in FIG.
a turns off the front slider switch 50. Then, by sliding the slider 32 to the back side, the slider 32
The clutch pin 32c pushes open the clutch claw 53a of the clutch lever 53 along the guide surface 53b to get over (FIG. 6), and enters the back side of the clutch claw 53a (FIG. 7).

Further, the switch portion 32a of the slider 32 is
Turns on the rear slider switch 49. As a result, the drive motor 33 is rotated in the reverse direction. That is, the moving gear 39 rotates in the right rotation direction in the drawing. At this time, since the drawer 2 is located at the innermost side and cannot move further toward the inner side, the slider 32 moves to the front side with respect to the drawer 2. Since the clutch pin 32c of the slider 32 is caught by the clutch claw 53a of the clutch lever 53, the transmission slider 52 also moves to the front side by sliding the slider 32 to the front side.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the transmission slider 52 is moved to the front side, the stopper releasing projection 52a is separated from the stopper lever 45, and the stopper lever 45 is rotated clockwise by the urging spring 46. Thereby, the stopper claw 45a
The stopper protrusion 2c can be locked. Further, the engagement pin 51b in the inclined groove 52b is guided downward by the movement of the transmission slider 52 to the front side. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the tilting plate 51 is tilted with the back side facing upward.
Thereby, the support pin 2 in the ascending / descending groove 51c of the tilting plate 51 is
0a is guided upward. And the clamper arm 2
0 and the clamper 19 are moved upward.

The disk 7 is released by the rise of the clamper 19 and the lifter 26, and the carriage 1 is lifted to the height of the third carriage 1. The lifter 26 is lifted by the spring force of the return spring 27. As a result, the disk 7 is housed in the carriage 1 apart from the turntable (see FIG. 15). When the third disc 7 is replaced, the second disc 7 is lifted up to the position of the carriage 1.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the switch 32a turns on the front slider switch 50 by moving the transmission slider 52 to the front side. By this turning on, the drive motor 33 is stopped. At this time, the clamper arm 20 and the clamper 19 have reached the top.
From this, the change mode is set (see FIG. 16). A carriage 1 in which a disk selected from the second and third two disks 7, 7 stocked in the disk storage position 9 on the front side of the drawer 2, that is, the second disk 7 in this example is stored. Moves horizontally toward the space S2 at the drive position 10 on the rear side of the apparatus (see FIG. 17), and is directly above the first carriage 1 in which the first disk 7 loaded in the optical pickup 3 is stored. Move to. And
The second carriage 1 rides on the first carriage 1.
(See Figure 18).

After that, the third carriage 1 is moved up to the space S1 where the second carriage 1 has been so far by driving the carriage elevating mechanism 5 at the disk storage position 9 (FIG. 19). Then, the third carriage 1 has the same height as the second carriage 1 (see FIG. 20). After that, the first carriage 1 is moved to the disk storage position 9 in front of the apparatus by driving the carriage moving mechanism 6 (see FIG. 21). Then, the first carriage 1 enters under the third carriage 1 (see FIG. 22). After that, the second carriage 1 at the drive position 10 starts descending (see FIG. 23) and descends until it becomes the same height as the first carriage 1 (FIG. 24). The lowering of the second carriage 1 is performed by driving the carriage elevating mechanism 5 at the drive position 10. This ends the change mode.

Then, the drive motor 33 shown in FIG. 1 drives the moving gear 39 so as to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing.
Here, as shown in FIG. 8, since the drawer 2 is restricted from sliding toward the front side by the stopper lever 45,
The slider 32 slides inward by the left rotation of the moving gear 39. Then, the back side end of the slider 32 presses the front side end of the transmission slider 52, and the slider 32 and the transmission slider 52 move to the back side. As a result, the clamper arm 20 is lowered, the clamper 19 is lowered, and the lifter 26 is pushed down (see FIG. 25).

The second carriage 1 and the lifter 26 are lowered together with the clamper 19 and the second disk 7 is clamped on the turntable. At this time, the switch portion of the slider 32 turns on the back side switch, so that the drive motor 33 is stopped. Immediately before the switch part of the slider 32 turns on the back side switch, the stopper release projection 52a of the transmission slider 52 rotates the stopper lever 45 to unlock the drawer 2 from sliding. Now the play mode is resumed and the exchange of the disk 7 is completed (Fig. 2
6). In addition, the first disk 7 to the third disk 7
When the replacement is performed, the first carriage 1 that has received the first disk 7 from the optical pickup 3 does not stop in the state of FIG. 16 and rises to the position of FIG.
FIG. 20 → FIG. 19 → FIG. 18 → FIG. 17 → FIG. 16 (FIG. 24) →
The carriage moves counterclockwise by operating as shown in FIGS.

Next, the second stocked on the front side,
The operation of taking out the third disk 7 and exchanging it during a performance will be described. FIG. 27 shows the same state as in FIG. Here, to open the drawer 2, the operation key [OPE
When [N] is pressed, the drawer 2 is popped out by the drive of the drive motor 33 (see FIG. 28), and the drawer 2 is fully opened (see FIG. 29). The second disk 7 can now be taken out. Incidentally, when [CLOSE] is pressed here, the drawer 2 is pulled into the apparatus and returns to the state of FIG. In addition, in order to take out the third disk 7, when [OPEN] is pressed again, the carriage moving mechanism 6 in the upper row is pressed.
The pin gear 15 rotates to move the second carriage 1 onto the star gear 31 on the inner side of the drawer. At this time, the second carriage 1 slides on the tooth surfaces of the star gear 22 on the front side of the drawer and the star gear 31 on the rear side of the drawer.

Then, the upper part of the third carriage 1 is opened, and the third disk 7 can be taken out. When [CLOSE] is pressed here, the pin gear 15 of the carriage moving mechanism 6 in the upper row rotates in the opposite direction to the previous one, pulls the second carriage back toward the drawer, and returns to the state of FIG.

The above-described embodiment is an example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, three discs can be exchanged, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to stock two discs or four discs or more. However, when accommodating about three disks, it is possible to provide a disk changer which has the simplest structure, is inexpensive, has a low height, and is compact in size as a whole.

Further, in this embodiment, the disc is a CD.
The recording medium is not particularly limited to the above, and other recording media such as a CD-ROM and MO can be reproduced.

[0067]

As is apparent from the above description, the disc changer of claim 1 includes a drawer that reciprocates between the disc take-out position and the storage position, and a clamper mechanism that can hold the disc between the turntable. , Drawer
Slider that can slide in the same direction as the
Drive means for applying a couple between the work and the slider.
The clamper mechanism can slide in the same direction as the slider.
The transmission slider, and
It is configured to move up and down by
Is the clutch only when the drawer is in the drawer storage position
Since it can be connected by the mechanism , the drawer cannot be moved due to the operator forcibly stopping the drawer or something being pinched while the drawer is moving, and the slider is accidentally moved by the drive means. Even if it moves, the movement of the slider is not transmitted to the clamper mechanism. Therefore, the holding of the reproducing disk by the clamper mechanism is maintained regardless of the forced stop of the drawer, so that the interruption of the disk reproduction can be prevented. Moreover, since the drawer can be opened and closed and the clamper mechanism can be moved up and down by one motor, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the size can be easily reduced.

Further, in the disc changer of the second aspect, since the clamper mechanism is provided with the stopper means for restricting the movement of the drawer only when the disc is released, the drive means is provided with the clamper mechanism via the slider. The movement of the drawer is restricted during raising and lowering. Therefore, even if the power of the driving means or other external force acts on the drawer while the clamper mechanism is moving up and down, the drawer does not move accidentally, and the malfunction of the drawer movement can be prevented. .

Further, in the disk changer of the third aspect, the power transmission between the drive means and the drawer and the slider is performed by the slidable pulley and the belt, so that the drawer is in the middle of movement. In addition, when the drawer cannot be moved due to the operator forcibly stopping the drawer or pinching something, slippage occurs in the pulley and the belt between the drive means and the drawer.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drive means, the drawer, and the slider from being overloaded. Further, there is no generation of abnormal noise such as disengagement of the gear that transmits power.
Further, the disc changer according to claim 4 is a slide changer.
It is rotatably mounted on the lid and can be rotated by driving means.
The moving gear that rotates and the moving gear that is formed on the drawer are screwed together.
And a moving tooth by the driving means.
By rotating the car, the drawer and slider
A couple can be applied between them.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a drawer in a storage position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a disc changer, showing the drawer in a disc ejecting position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an engaged state of a slider of a disc changer, a clamper mechanism, and a clutch mechanism, showing a state in which the slider is located at the innermost side.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an engaged state of a slider of a disc changer, a clamper mechanism, and a clutch mechanism, showing a state in which the slider is located at the frontmost side.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing an engaged state of a slider of a disc changer, a clamper mechanism, and a clutch mechanism, showing a state where the slider is at an intermediate position.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing an engaged state of a slider of a disc changer, a clamper mechanism, and a clutch mechanism, showing a state in which a clutch pin rides over a clutch pawl.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing an engaged state of a slider of a disc changer, a clamper mechanism, and a clutch mechanism, showing a state in which a clutch pin is caught by a clutch pawl.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing an engaged state of the slider of the disc changer, the clamper mechanism, and the clutch mechanism, showing a state where the slider and the transmission slider are located at the frontmost side.

9A and 9B are diagrams showing the rear end portion of the slider, FIG. 9A being a plan view and FIG. 9B being a side view.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a tilting plate, (A) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

11A and 11B are diagrams showing a clamper arm and a clamper, FIG. 11A being a plan view, and FIG. 11B being XI-XI in FIG.
It is sectional drawing in a line.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the main part of the clamper mechanism showing a state where the clamper is at the lowermost position of the movable range.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the main part of the clamper mechanism showing a state where the clamper is at the uppermost position of the movable range.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a play mode state.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which the disc is being taken out from the optical pickup for disc replacement.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state where a disc is taken out from an optical pickup for disc replacement.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which the carriage is moved from the disc storage position to the drive position for disc replacement.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which the carriage is moved from the disc storage position to the drive position for disc replacement.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which a carriage below a disc storage position is moved to an empty space above for disc exchange.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which a carriage below a disc storage position is moved to an empty space for disc exchange.

FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which a carriage containing a disc that has been mounted on an optical pickup until now is moved from a drive position to a disc storage position for disc replacement. .

FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which a carriage for accommodating a disc, which has been mounted on an optical pickup until now, has been moved to a disc storage position for disc replacement. Show.

FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which a carriage containing a selected disc is moved to an empty space above an optical pickup.

FIG. 24 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state where a carriage accommodating a selected disc is moved to an empty space above an optical pickup.

FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the disc changer of the present invention, showing a state in which the clamper arm is lowered to move the clamper toward the optical pickup.

FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a disc changer of the present invention, showing a state where a carriage and a lifter are lowered by a clamper arm and an optical pickup is loaded with a disc.

FIG. 27 shows the disc changer in the play mode.

FIG. 28 shows a state in which the drawer is being opened for exchanging the disc at the disc storage position during disc reproduction.

FIG. 29 shows a state in which the drawer is opened for exchanging the disc at the disc storage position during disc reproduction.

FIG. 30 shows an intermediate state in which the upper carriage is moved further to the inner side of the drawer while the drawer is opened to exchange the disk at the disk storage position during disk reproduction, and the lower carriage is being opened.

FIG. 31 shows a state in which the upper carriage is moved further to the inner side of the drawer while the drawer is opened to exchange the disk at the disk storage position during disk reproduction, and the lower carriage is opened.

FIG. 32 is a plan view showing the outline of a carriage, a carriage elevating mechanism, and a moving mechanism arranged in a disc changer.

FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a pin gear forming the carriage moving mechanism and teeth formed on a side edge of the carriage.

FIG. 34 is a schematic explanatory view of a disc setting mechanism, showing a state where a carriage supported by a lifter is arranged at a disc non-loading position.

FIG. 35 is a schematic explanatory view of the disc setting mechanism, showing a state where the carriage is pushed up by the lifter from the disc non-loading position to the same position as the carriage below the disc storage position.

FIG. 36 is a schematic explanatory view of a carriage elevating mechanism, showing a state in which a carriage pushed up to the same position as a carriage below a disk storage position is being further lifted to an upper space by a star gear.

FIG. 37 is a schematic explanatory view of a carriage lifting mechanism, showing a state where a carriage pushed up to the same position as a carriage below a disk storage position is further lifted to an upper space by a star gear.

FIG. 38 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the carriage during disc exchange, showing a state where the carriage accommodating the disc being played has moved to the disc loading position.

FIG. 39 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the carriage during disc exchange, showing a state in which the carriage has moved from the disc loading position to the disc non-loading position in order to exchange the disc being played.

FIG. 40 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the carriage during disc exchange, showing a state in which the carriage accommodating the discs collected from the optical pickup is being moved further upward.

FIG. 41 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the carriage during disc exchange, showing a state in which the carriage containing the disc collected from the optical pickup is moved to a further upper space and is arranged at the same position as the upper carriage of the disc storage position. Show.

FIG. 42 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the carriage during disc exchange, showing a state in which the carriage below the disc storage position containing the selected disc is moved to the space below the carriage containing the disc collected from the optical pickup. Show.

FIG. 43 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the disc changer of the present invention.

44 is a cross-sectional view showing a side edge of a carriage of the disc changer of FIG.

45 is a cross-sectional view of the drive position of the disc changer of FIG. 30.

FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view of the disc changer of FIG. 30 at a disc storage position.

FIG. 47 is a plan view of a conventional three-disc type disc changer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 carriage 2 drawers 7 discs 8 Disc removal position 32 slider 33 Drive motor (drive means) 36 Clamper mechanism 37 Clutch mechanism 41 Moving pulley 42 Fixed pulley 43 belt 44 Stopper means 55 Drawer storage position

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A drawer for accommodating a plurality of carriages for mounting discs and reciprocating between a disc take-out position and a drawer storage position; The above
Slider that can slide in the same direction as the reciprocating movement of the drawer
And a couple force is applied between the drawer and the slider.
Drive means for causing the clamper mechanism to
A transmission slider slidable in the same direction as the rider, and
It is configured to move up and down by the movement of the transmission slider,
The transmission slider and the slider are
Connected by the clutch mechanism only when in the lower storage position
Disc changer characterized by being possible . 2. The disc changer according to claim 1, further comprising stopper means for limiting the movement of the drawer only when the clamper mechanism is releasing the disc. 3. The disc changer according to claim 1, wherein power transmission between the drive means and the drawer and the slider is performed by a slidable pulley and a belt. 4. When the slider is rotatably provided
The moving gear that is both rotated by the drive means and the drive gear
The rack formed on the lower and to which the moving gear is screwed
In any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that
Disc changer as described.