Disk changer

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a disc changer applied to a disc as a data recording medium such as a CD (compact disc).

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as a disc changer used for a disc such as a CD, which is a data recording medium, as shown in FIG. 7, information is recorded on the disc 155 or the information recorded on the disc 155 is reproduced in the main body 102. A recording / playback device 110 is provided, and a magazine 150 for accommodating a disc 155 is mounted so as to be adjacent to the side of the recording / playback device 110. It is generally well known that a disk transfer device 130 for transferring a disk 155 between them is provided.

【0003】

The disk transfer device 130 includes an engaging arm 132 that engages with a tray 156 that holds the disk 155, and also includes a transfer member 131 that extends in the disk transfer direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7), and the transfer member 131 includes a transfer member 131. Normally, a rack (not shown) is provided along the extension direction (that is, the disk transfer direction), and as will be described later, an electric motor is provided via a gear mechanism (not shown) having a gear that meshes with the rack. By driving the transfer member 131 (not shown) or the like, the tray 156 holding the disk 155 is transferred between the magazine 150 and the recording / playback device 110. The virtual line of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the disc 155 and the tray 156 (see the solid line display) housed in the magazine 150 are pulled out to the right, transferred, and mounted on the recording / playback device 110.

【0004】

Further, in order to smoothly perform the sliding operation of the transfer member 131, a pair of guide portions 137 are provided to guide the transfer member 131 so as to be slidable in the disk transfer direction. The guide portions 137, 137 are generally provided at a position where one of the guide portions 137, 137 projects toward the magazine 150 in order to guide the sliding operation of the transfer member 131 more stably. Conventionally, these guide portions 137 and 137 are fixedly provided to the disc changer main body 102. On the other hand, the recording / playback device 110 has a turntable 112 on which the disc 155 is mounted and rotated, and a pickup unit for writing information to the disc 155 rotated by the turntable 112 or reading the information recorded on the disc 155. The pickup unit 111 and the turntable 112 are supported by a base, and usually hold the disc 155 mounted on the turntable 112 in a crimped state with the substrate of the recording / playback device 110. Therefore, it is integrally driven together with the above base.

【0005】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

By the way, conventionally, the transfer member 131 is formed as a rigid body by, for example, a steel plate having a predetermined thickness (for example, about 1 mm), and in order to avoid interference between the transfer member 131 and the magazine 150, the guide portion 137 is It is provided outside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 151 by a predetermined dimension. Therefore, in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction, the space for the sliding operation of the transfer member 131, that is, the space between the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 151 and the side wall 105 of the disk changer body 102 (FIG. 7). It is necessary to secure a large size (see Y2 dimension in) above a certain level, which is disadvantageous in terms of making the disc changer compact, for example, for an in-vehicle use where the mounting space is limited.

【0006】

Further, conventionally, the guide portion 137 is fixedly provided to the disc changer main body 102, and the guide portion 137, the transfer member 131, and the turntable 112 and the pickup portion driven in the disc changer main body 102 are provided. It was quite difficult to lay out the layout so that interference with other driving parts such as 111 could be reliably avoided in a limited space.

【0007】

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, can be made compact with a relatively simple configuration, and can prevent interference between a disk transfer member and other driving parts in a limited space. The purpose is to provide a disk changer that can be reliably avoided.

【0008】

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the first invention) includes a disc storage means for storing a disc and a recording / playback means for recording information on the disc or reproducing the information recorded on the disc. And, on the premise of a disk changer provided with a disk transfer means for transferring the disk between the disk storage means and the recording / playback means, in such a disk changer, the disk transfer means may be a disk itself or a disk holding member. It has an engaging portion to be engaged, and includes a transfer member extending in the disk transfer direction and elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction, and a driving means for driving the transfer member in the disk transfer direction. At the same time, a guide portion capable of slidably guiding the transfer member in the disk transfer direction is provided, and the transfer member is provided so that the portion corresponding to the disk storage means is located outside the disk storage means. The feature is that the intermediate portion is elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by a predetermined amount.

【0009】

Further, in the invention according to claim 2 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the second invention), in the first invention, the guide passage of the guide portion is inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disc storage means. When the transfer member is positioned and slides to a position corresponding to the disk storage portion, the intermediate portion thereof is elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disk storage means. It is characterized by that.

【0010】

Further, in the invention according to claim 3 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the third invention), in the first invention, the guide passage of the guide portion is inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disk storage means. The transfer member has a straight portion extending in the disk transfer direction and a meandering portion meandering outward from the straight portion, and the transfer member is in the middle of sliding to a position corresponding to the disk storage means. The feature is that the portion is deformed by the meandering portion in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction.

【0011】

Further, in the invention according to claim 4 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the fourth invention), in any one of the first to third inventions, the recording / playback device is rotated by mounting a disc. A first base material having a turntable, a pickup unit for writing information to a disk rotated by the turntable or reading information recorded on the disk, and holding the pickup unit and the turntable, and a first base material. A second base material provided with a clamping member for pressing and holding the disc supported by the turntable against the turntable is provided, and one of the second base material and the first base material is used. Is swingably engaged with the other base material so that the disc and the clamp member can come into contact with and separate from each other, and the guide portion of the disc transfer means is provided on the one base material. When the disc is mounted on the turntable, the transfer member is housed along one of the base materials.

【0012】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 are a plan explanatory view and a side explanatory view schematically showing the configuration of the disk changer 1 according to the present embodiment, respectively. As shown in these figures, in the disc changer 1, information is provided on one side of the main body 2 forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing, for example, on a disc 55 as a data recording medium such as a CD (compact disc). A recording / reproducing device 10 is provided for recording the information or reproducing the information recorded on the disc 55. A removable magazine 50, for example, as a disc storage means for storing the disc 55, is mounted in a lateral region adjacent to the recording / playback device 10.

【0013】

The magazine 50 includes a main body 51 whose outer shape is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and more preferably, a plurality of parallel crosspieces 51a (see FIG. 2) are provided in the magazine main body 51. There is. Then, by holding each of the discs 55 on the tray 56 as a disc holding member and supporting each of the trays 56 with the crosspiece 51a, a plurality of discs 55 can be stored in a stacked state at predetermined intervals. It has become like.

【0014】

On the other hand, the recording / playback device 10 has information on a turntable 12 on which the disc 55 is placed and rotated, a drive motor 13 (see FIG. 2) for rotationally driving the turntable 12, and a disc 55 rotated by the turntable 12. A pickup unit 11 for writing or reading information recorded on the disk 55 is provided, and the pickup unit 11, the turntable 12, and the drive motor 13 are all held on the base 14. Further, the recording / reproducing device 10 has an upper substrate 15 forming a ceiling portion thereof, and the upper substrate 15 presses and holds a disk 55 mounted on the turntable 12 against the turntable 12. The clamper 17 to be made is rotatably attached. The base 14 is swingably supported by the upper substrate 15 via a pair of pivot shafts 14s.

【0015】

A disk transfer device 30 for transferring the disk 55 between the magazine 50 and the recording / playback device 10 is provided. The disk transfer device 30 has an engaging arm 32 at one end that engages with the engaging portion 56a provided at the end of the tray 56, and extends in the disk transfer direction (left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2). A strip-shaped transfer member 31 is provided, and the transfer member 31 is provided with a rack 31a along its extension direction (that is, a disk transfer direction). Further, the disk transfer device 30 includes a gear mechanism 34 (34A to 34E) having a gear 34A that meshes with the rack 31a, and a drive motor 35 that drives the transfer member 31 in the disk transfer direction via the gear mechanism 34. Is provided.

【0016】

In this embodiment, the transfer member 31 is made of, for example, a relatively soft synthetic resin, and is not easily deformed in the disk transfer direction due to its shape, but is relatively easy in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction. It can be elastically deformed. As the material of the transfer member 31, for example, relatively hard rubber or a thin (for example, about 0.1 to 0.2 mm) steel plate may be used as a material capable of performing the same action.

【0017】

Further, in the present embodiment, a guide portion 37 for guiding the sliding operation of the transfer member 31 in the disk transfer direction is provided on the base 14 of the recording / playback device 10 as will be described in detail later. There is. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide portion 37 is set so that at least the guide passage 37a is located inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine main body 51.

【0018】

In the above configuration, when the disc 55 and the tray 56 (see the solid line display in FIGS. 1 and 2) housed in the magazine 50 are transferred to the recording / playback device 10 side, the drive motor 35 is moved in a predetermined direction. The gear mechanism 34 (34A to 34E) is rotationally driven by rotating to. As a result, the rack 31a meshing with the gear 34A is sent to the right in the drawing (that is, to the recording / reproducing device 10 side), and the transfer member 31 provided with the engaging arm 32 at the right end is moved to the right. Since the tray 56 is engaged with the engaging arm 32 by the engaging portion 56a, the tray 56 is pulled to the right as the transfer member 31 moves. For example, the engaging arm 32 hits the wall surface of the disk changer 1. It is transferred until it touches. Then, with this transfer stopped, the disc 55 is mounted on the turntable 12 (see the alternate long and short dash line display in FIGS. 1 and 2). On the contrary, when the disc 55 mounted on the turntable 12 is returned to the magazine 50 and stored, the drive motor 35 is rotated in the opposite direction, so that the disc 55 and the disc 55 and the disc 55 and the disc 55 are stored in the opposite direction. The tray 56 can be moved to the left in the figure (that is, to the magazine 50 side).

【0019】

In the present embodiment, as described above, the transfer member 31 is not easily deformed in the disk transfer direction, but is elastically deformable in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction, and the portion corresponding to the magazine 50. Is elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by a predetermined amount so that the magazine body 51 is located outside the magazine body 51. That is, in the present embodiment, as described above, the guide portion 37 is set so that at least the guide passage 37a is located inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 51 (see FIG. 3). More preferably, tapered portions 51c and 31c are formed at the corner portion on the guide portion side of the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 51 and the tip portion of the transfer member 31, respectively.

【0020】

Then, when the transfer member 31 is sent out to the magazine 50 side (see the arrow in FIG. 3), the transfer member 31 is once oriented diagonally outward along the tapered portion 51c on the magazine body 51 side. After that, it is sent to the magazine 50 side along the side substrate 5 of the disk changer main body 2. In this way, the transfer member 31 is elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by a predetermined amount so that the portion corresponding to the magazine 50 is located outside the magazine body 51. It has become.

【0021】

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the transfer member 31 is configured to be elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction, and the portion corresponding to the magazine 50 is located outside the magazine 50. As a result, the intermediate portion is elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by a predetermined amount. Therefore, even if the guide portion 37 is provided inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 51, the transfer member 31 can be used. It does not interfere with the magazine body 51. As a result, in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction, the space for the sliding operation of the transfer member 31, that is, the space between the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 51 and the side substrate 5 of the disk changer body 2 (FIG. 1 and the Y1 dimension in Figure 3) can be set smaller. That is, the disk changer 1 can be made compact with a relatively simple configuration. Further, the guide portion 37 can be arranged in the movement locus of the disc 55 and the tray 56, and the space outside the guide portion 37 can be effectively used.

【0022】

Further, in particular, at least the guide passage 37a of the guide portion 37 is located inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine 50, and the transfer member 31 slides to a position corresponding to the magazine 50. Since the middle part of the magazine 50 is elastically deformed in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by the outermost part of the outer wall of the magazine 50, the transfer member 31 is elastic so as not to interfere with the magazine 50 by using the outer wall of the magazine 50. It can be transformed.

【0023】

FIG. 4 is a plan explanatory view showing an enlarged main part of the guide part in order to explain a modified example of the guide part. In the guide portion 47 according to this modification, the guide passage 47a extends inward from the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine main body 51 with a straight portion 47a1 extending in the disk transfer direction and meandering outward from the straight portion 47a1. The transfer member 31 has a meandering portion 47a2, and when the transfer member 31 slides to a position corresponding to the magazine 50, the intermediate portion thereof is deformed by the meandering portion 47a2 in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction, and the magazine main body It is designed to avoid interference with 51. According to this modification, even if the guide passage 47 of the guide portion 47 (particularly, its straight portion 47a1) is located inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 51, the meandering portion 47a2 is meandering. By appropriately setting the shape, the transfer member 31 can be elastically deformed so as to be directed in a direction that does not interfere with the magazine body 51.

【0024】

By the way, in the present embodiment, as described above, a guide unit 37 for guiding the sliding operation of the transfer member 31 in the disk transfer direction is provided on the base 14 of the recording / playback device 10. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a transfer member storage portion 38 composed of grooves having a predetermined depth and width is provided on the side surface of the base 14. The guide portion 37 is more preferably formed as a predetermined length portion on the inlet side of the transfer member accommodating portion 38. The remaining portion of the transfer member storage portion 38 has a groove size set so that the gap with the transfer member 31 is slightly larger than that in the case of the guide portion 37, and the transfer that is guided by the guide portion 37 and enters. The member 31 can be stored smoothly. The entire transfer member storage portion 38 may form a guide portion.

【0025】

The transfer member storage portion 38 is more preferably provided over the entire side surface of the base 14, but extends in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the base 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the tray 56 is on standby for transfer, the base 14 is rotated counterclockwise with respect to the upper substrate 15 by a certain angle, and the turntable 12 and the clamper 17 are opened. The inclination angle of the transfer member storage unit 38 is set so that the transfer member storage unit 37 is horizontal. In the present embodiment, the base 14 and the upper substrate 15 correspond to the first base material and the second base material according to claim 4, respectively, and the base 14 corresponds to the upper substrate 15. The guide portion 37 and the transfer member storage portion 37 are provided on the base 14 so as to be swingably supported.

【0026】

When the transfer member 31 is driven to the right in the figure and the tray 56 and the disk 55 are set between the turntable 12 and the clamper 17 from the transfer standby state of FIG. 5, the transfer member 31 is accompanied by this. Is stored in the transfer member storage unit 38 while being guided by the guide unit 37 (see FIG. 6). Then, with the guide portion 37 housed, the base 14 is rotated clockwise by a predetermined drive mechanism, and the disc 55 and the tray 56 are mounted on the turntable 12 and added by a predetermined mechanism. The disc 55 is crimped against the turntable 12 by a clamper 17 that assists in pressure action.

【0027】

As described above, in the recording / reproducing device 10 according to the present embodiment, the swingable base 14 is provided with the guide portion 37 and the transfer member storage portion 38, and the disc 55 and the tray 56 are mounted on the turntable 12. When the transfer member 31 is stored, the transfer member 31 is housed along the base 14, so that the guide portion 37 and the transfer member 31 are driven in the disk changer main body 2 by other means such as the turntable 12 and the pickup portion 11. It does not interfere with the driving parts. That is, in the disc changer main body 2 where the space is limited, interference between the guide portion 37 and the transfer member 31 and the other driving parts 11 and 12 can be reliably avoided.

【0028】

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements or design changes can be made without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the material of the transfer member 31 is not limited to a soft synthetic resin, and as described above, a material capable of performing the same action is, for example, a relatively hard rubber or a thin material (for example,). (Approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm) Steel plate or the like can also be used. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the transfer member 31 is provided with the rack 31a, and the transfer member 31 is driven in the disk transfer direction by driving the gear mechanism 34 that meshes with the rack 31a. Instead, for example, the roller may be pressed against the strip-shaped transfer member, and the transfer member may be driven by the frictional force generated between the rollers when the roller is rotated.

【0029】

[Effect of the invention]

According to the first invention of the present application, the transfer member is configured to be elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction, so that the portion corresponding to the disk storage means is located outside the disk storage means. Since the intermediate portion is elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by a predetermined amount, even if the guide portion is provided inside the outermost portion of the magazine outer wall, the transfer member interferes with the disk storage means. There is no. As a result, in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction, the space for the sliding operation of the transfer member, that is, the space between the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disk storage means and the side wall of the disk changer body can be set small. it can. That is, the disk changer can be made compact with a relatively simple configuration. Further, the guide portion can be arranged in the movement locus of the disc and the tray, and the space outside the guide portion can be effectively used.

【0030】

Further, according to the second invention of the present application, basically, the same effect as that of the first invention can be obtained. In particular, the guide passage of the guide portion is located inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disc storage means, and the transfer member is in the middle of sliding to the position corresponding to the disc storage means. Since the portion is elastically deformed in the direction orthogonal to the disk transfer direction by the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disk storage means, the transfer member is elastically deformed so as not to interfere with the disk storage means by using the outer wall of the disk storage means. Can be made to.

【0031】

Further, according to the third invention of the present application, basically, the same effect as that of the first invention can be obtained. In particular, the guide passage of the guide portion has a straight portion extending in the disk transfer direction and a meandering portion meandering outward from the straight portion inside the outermost portion of the outer wall of the disc storage means. When the transfer member is slid to a position corresponding to the disk storage means, the meandering portion is deformed in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction by the meandering portion. Therefore, the meandering shape of the meandering portion is appropriately changed. By setting, the transfer member can be elastically deformed so as to be directed in a direction that does not interfere with the disk accommodating means.

【0032】

Further, according to the fourth invention of the present application, basically, the same effect as any one of the first to third inventions can be obtained. Moreover, the recording / reproducing device includes the first base material and the second base material, and one of the base materials is swingably engaged with the other base material, so that the disc The guide portion of the transfer means is provided on one of the swingable base materials, and when the disc is mounted on the turntable, the transfer member is housed along the one base material. The guide portion and the transfer member do not interfere with other driving parts driven in the disc changer main body. That is, it is possible to reliably avoid interference between the guide portion and the transfer member and the other driving component in the disc changer main body having limited space.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a plane explanatory view which shows the schematic structure of the disk changer which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is a side view of the disk changer.

[Fig. 3]

It is a plane explanatory view which shows the main part of the guide part which concerns on the said Embodiment in an enlarged manner.

[Fig. 4]

It is an enlarged plan view of the main part which shows the modification of the guide part.

[Fig. 5]

It is a side explanatory view of the transfer member and the recording / playback apparatus which shows the disk transfer standby state.

[Fig. 6]

It is a side explanatory view of the transfer member which shows the disk mounting state, and the recording / playback apparatus.

[Fig. 7]

It is a plane explanatory view which shows the schematic structure of the disk changer which concerns on a prior art example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Disc changer 10 ... Recording / playback device 11 ... Pickup section 12 ... Turntable 14 ... Base (1st base material) 15 ... Upper substrate (second substrate) 17 ... Clamper 30 ... Disk transfer device 31 ... Transfer member 31a ... rack 32 ... Engagement arm 34 ... Gear mechanism 35 ... drive motor 37,47 ... Guide section 37a, 47a ... Guided passage 38 ... Transfer member storage 47a1 ... Straight part of the guide passage 47a2 ... Meandering part of the guide passage 50 ... Magazine 55 ... disk 56 ... tray