Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~~~~~f~~
A RECORDING AND/OR REPRODUCING APPARATUS FOR A CARTRIDGE
ACCOMMODATING A RECORDING MEDIUM AND AN EJECT MECHANISM THEREOF
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and/or
reproducing apparatus using a cartridge in which a recording
medium is accommodated and an eject mechanism thereof. More
particularly, this invention relates to a recording and/or
reproducing apparatus using a cartridge accommodating a
recording medium having a holder for holding an inserted
cartridge and an eject mechanism thereof.
2. Background of the Invention
Disc players having a disc cartridge in which an optical
disc is accommodated as a recording medium, for example, loaded
thereon to reproduce and/or record the disc are roughly
classified as two kinds of systems, i.e., one system in which a
disc player body has an openable and closable lid through which
a disc cartridge is loaded and/or ejected and another system
called a front loading system in which a disc cartridge is
loaded onto and/or ejected from an insertion mouth formed on the
front wall of the disc player body.
Of various types of disc players, portable small and
thin disc players adopt the former system to load and/or eject
the disc cartridge by opening and/or closing the openable and
closable lid in order to simplify its mechanism.
If the portable disc players of the above-mentioned
1
~~~~~~~b
system are designed so as to eject the disc cartridge, then it
becomes very convenient for the user to take the disc cartridge
from the disc player body with ease. However, the portable disc
players are too small to afford a sufficient space in which the
eject mechanism is provided. On the other hand, the disc
players of front loading system are adapted to eject the disc
cartridge by electric driving power. Such front loading system,
however, cannot be applied to the portable disc players.
For this reason, it is not easy for the user to eject
the disc cartridge from the portable disc player and the
portable disc players are not easy to handle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to
provide an eject mechanism of a cartridge having a recording
medium accommodated therein in which the above-mentioned
problems can be solved.
It is another object of the present invention to provide
a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a cartridge
accommodating therein a recording medium in which the above-
mentioned problems can be solved.
According to the present invention, there is provided an
eject mechanism of a cartridge accommodating therein a recording
medium which includes a cartridge holder, an eject operation
member and a lock mechanism. The cartridge holder is attached
to a base member so as to become rotatable between a first
position and a second position lower than the first position.
The cartridge holder loads thereunto the cartridge and holds the
2
~~tJ~~~ab
inserted cartridge. The eject operation member is attached to
the cartridge holder so that it can be freely moved. The eject
operation member is engaged with the cartridge inserted into the
cartridge holder and moved in unison with the inserted
cartridge. The lock mechanism restricts the eject operation
member from moving in a disc cartridge eject direction under the
condition that insertion of the cartridge into the cartridge
holder is finished and releases a restricted movement of the
eject operation member in the disc cartridge eject direction
when the cartridge holder is rotated from the second position to
the first position.
According to the present invention, there is provided a
recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a cartridge
accommodating therein a recording medium which includes a base
member, a cartridge holder, an eject lever and a lock mechanism.
The base member includes a recording medium recording and/or
reproducing portion disposed thereon. The cartridge holder is
attached to the base member so as to become rotatable between a
first position and a second position lower than the first
position. The cartridge holder loads thereunto a cartridge and
holds the cartridge inserted thereto. The cartridge holder
includes a major wall portion of substantially square
configuration, a pair of side wall portions formed along a pair
of opposed sides of the major wall portion and a pair of holding
portions projected from the pair of side wall portions into the
cartridge holder so as to become parallel to the major wall
portion and holding the cartridge inserted thereto. The eject
3
lever is engaged with the cartridge inserted into the cartridge
holder and moved in unison with the inserted cartridge. The lock
mechanism restricts the eject lever from moving in a disc
cartridge eject direction under the condition that insertion of
the cartridge into the cartridge holder is finished and releases
a restricted movement of the eject lever in the disc cartridge
eject direction when the cartridge holder is rotated from the
second position to the first position. The eject lever is
attached to one of the pair of side wall portions of the
cartridge holder such that the eject lever can freely be moved
along the direction in which the cartridge is inserted into and
ejected from the cartridge holder. The lock mechanism is
disposed on one of the pair of side wall portions along a side
wall to which the eject lever is attached.
According to the present invention, since the eject
mechanism for the cartridge in which the recording medium is
accommodated can be simplified in structure, it is possible to
make the eject mechanism small and thin. Also, it is possible to
make the recording and/or reproducing apparatus using the above-
mentioned eject mechanism small and thin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a disc player
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the disc
player according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of a chassis
and a disc drive mechanism portion of the disc player according
4
~ic~~~~~
to the embodiment of the present invention;;
FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the chassis
and a battery case portion of the disc player according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of a battery
lid and a pivot portion of an upper lid of the disc player
according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 6 is a plan view, partly in cross-sectional form,
of the battery lid of the disc player according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the pivot portion of the
battery lid of the disc player according to the embodiment of
the present invention;
FIGURE 8 is an exploded perspective view of a panel
frame at its portion in which operation buttons are disposed;
FIGURE 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the
panel frame at its portion in which the operation buttons are
disposed;
FIGURE 10 is a perspective view showing the rear surface
of the upper lid of the disc player according to the embodiment
of the present invention;
FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of the disc drive
mechanism portion of~the disc player according to the embodiment
of the present invention;
FIGURE 12 is an exploded perspective view of an eject
mechanism portion of the disc player according to the embodiment
of the present invention;
;. ..:. ~J~~
~1~J~
FIGURE 13 is a diagram used to explain engagement
between an engagement tab of an eject lever of the eject
mechanism and a concave portion of the disc cartridge;
FIGURE 14 is a side view used to explain operation of
the eject mechanism and illustrating the state that the disc
cartridge is not yet inserted into the cartridge holder;
FIGURE 15 is a side view used to explain operation of
the eject mechanism and illustrating the state that the disc
cartridge was inserted into the cartridge holder;
FIGURE 16 is a side view used to explain operation of
the eject mechanism and illustrating the state that the disc
cartridge is loaded onto a predetermined loading portion; and
FIGURE 17 is a side view used to explain operation of
the eject mechanism and illustrating the state that the disc
cartridge was ejected from the cartridge holder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a
cartridge accommodating therein a recording medium and an eject
mechanism thereof according to the present invention will
hereinafter be described with reference to the drawings. In the
following embodiment, the case that an optical disc is used as a
recording medium and a disc cartridge is used as a cartridge
will'be described.
FIGURE 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective
view showing an outer face of a disc player 1 which will be
described below as a recording and/or reproducing apparatus
according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown
6
1
f~ .~. e~ l~,r ~~
in FIGURE 1, a magneto-optical disc or optical disc 100
hereinafter simply referred to as a disc) having a diameter of
approximately 64 mm that is loaded on the disc player 1 is
accommodated within a cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a
disc cartridge) 101 made of a plastic material so as to become
rotatable. A signal, i.e., a signal representing a piece of
music or the like is already recorded on the optical disc 100.
The disc cartridge 101 in which the disc 100 is accommodated is
loaded onto the disc player 1 and thereby the disc 100 is
reproduced.
This disc player 1 is made smaller and thinner as
compared with disc players of the same kind because the disc
player 1 is designed with a great stress on the portability.
The disc player l,is of a ultra-thin type and has a thickness of
18.5 mm.
The structure that can make the disc player 1 become
small and thin will be described with reference to FIGURES 2 to
4.
In FIGURES 2 to 4, reference numeral 2 designates a maim
chassis (hereinafter simply referred to as a chassis) which
serves as a fundamental framework of the disc player 1. As
shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the chassis 2 is of a frame which
comprises four side wall portions, i.e., a left side wall
portion 2a, a rear side wall portion 2b, a right side wall
portion 2c and a front side wall portion 2d each composed of a
thin sheet metal.
The left side wall portion 2a, the rear side wall
7
~~~~~~'~b
portion 2b, the right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2 are
formed by bending a sheet metal in a U-shaped fashion to which
a sheet metal forming the front side wall portion 2d is fixed,
thereby forming the frame-shaped chassis 2 having four walls.
A disc drive mechanism portion 40 on which the disc
cartridge 101 is loaded is accommodated within the chassis 2.
The disc drive mechanism portion 40 will be described more fully
later on.
To the lower surface of the chassis 2 is fixed a circuit
board 3 on which a disc drive circuit and a signal reproducing
circuit, not shown, are disposed by screws.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a battery case which houses
a battery 6 as a power supply of the disc player 1. The battery
case 5 is made of a rigid material molded by zinc die casting,
for example. The battery case 5 is attached to the right side
wall portion 2c of the chassis 2.
A structure of a portion in which the battery case 5 and
the chassis 2 are secured to each other will be described more
in detail with reference to FIGURE 4. Projected portions 2c1,
2c2 are projected from the upper edge of the right side wall
portion 2c of the chassis 2. On the other hand, vertically
elongated engagement apertures 7a, 7b are formed on the side
wall of the battery case 5 in association with the projected
ortions 2c1 2c2. The
P ~ projected portions 2c1, 2c2 of the
chassis 2 are engaged into the engagement apertures 7a, 7b
upwardly. Then, the right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2
and the battery case 5 are fastened together by screws 8 in the
8
' ~ .~ ~i H,
direction perpendicular to the direction in which the projected
portions 2c1, 2c2 are engaged into the engagement apertures 7a,
7b.
Because the battery case 5 made of a rigid material is
fixed to the right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2 formed
as a frame by bending the thin sheet metal, strength of the
chassis 2 can be considerably increased as compared with the
case that the chassis 2 is not provided with the battery case 5.
The battery 6 that is accommodated into the battery case
as the operation power supply is an exclusively-prepared
battery of rechargeable type. The disc drive mechanism portion
40 and electronic circuits on the circuit board 3 are energized
by contacting electrodes 6a, 6b formed on one end face of the
battery 6 terminals 9a, 9b of an input base plate 9 disposed
within the battery case 5.
An opening portion of the battery case 5 through which
the battery 6 is loaded or unloaded is opened and/or closed by a
battery lid 10 which is pivotally supported to the chassis 2 in
the horizontal direction. A structure of the battery lid 10
will be described later on.
The chassis 2 whose strength is increased by fixing the
battery case 5 made of the rigid material thereto is covered
with a lower lid 11, an upper lid 12 and a panel frame 13
composing the housing of the disc player 1.
The lower lid 11 is made of an aluminum plate and is of
such a size as to cover the lower surface of the chassis 2 to
the lower surface of the battery case 5. The lower lid 11 is
9
fixed to the chassis 2 and the battery case 5 by screws 14.
The chassis 2 includes on its rear portion pivotally
supported a pair of arms 15a, 15b each made of a sheet metal so
that the pair of arms 15a, 15b can be rotated in the vertical
direction (upper and lower direction). The upper lid 12 that is
formed of the aluminum plate so as to cover the upper surface of
the chassis 2 is secured to the pair of arms 15a, 15b by screws
16. Specifically, the upper lid 12 can be rotated in the upper
and lower direction relative to the chassis 2 and arranged as an
openable and/or closable lid which opens and/or closes the disc
cartridge loading portion of the disc drive mechanism portion
40.
The panel frame 13 disposed between the lower lid 11 and
the upper lid 12 is a U-shaped frame made of a hard plastic
material so that the panel frame 13 can be extended along the
left side wall portion 2a, the rear side wall portion 2b and the
front side wall portion 2d of the chassis 2. The panel frame 13
is fixed to the outer peripherah surface of the chassis 2 by
screws 17.
The panel frame 13 includes at its central wall portion
facing to the left side wall portion 2a of the chassis 2
provided a variety of operation buttons 18, i.e., six kinds of
operation buttons, such as PLAY, FAST FORWARD, REVERSE, PAUSE,
STOP and VOLUME ADJUSTMENT of the disc. Operation of the disc
is switched and volume is adjusted by depressing touch-sensitive
switches 19a fixed to the left side wall portion 2a of the
chassis 2 with the respective operation buttons 18.
~~.ey~5l~'~
As described above, in the disc player 1 according to
this embodiment, strength of the chassis 2 is increased by
fixing the battery case 5 made of the rigid material to the
frame-shaped chassis 1 made of the thin sheet metal. Further,
the lower lid 11 made of aluminum is fixed across the chassis 2
and the battery case 5, and the upper lid 12 made of aluminum is
attached to the upper surface of the chassis 2. Furthermore,
the panel frame 13 made of the hard plastic material is fixed to
the outer peripheral surface of the chassis 2. Consequently,
according to the present invention, it is possible to construct
the disc player which can generally be made small, thin and
light and whose strength can be made sufficient in actual
practice.
The structure according to this embodiment uses special
structures for the pivot portion of the battery lid 10 that
opens and/or closes the battery case 5 and the pivot porion of
the upper lid 12 that opens and/or closes the disc loading
portion in order to miniaturize the disc player.
These structure portions will be described with
reference to FIGURE 5.
As shown in FIGURE 5, the battery lid 10 comprises a
rotating plate 10a pivotally supported to the chassis 2 so as to
open and/or close the opening portion of the battery case 5 and
a lid body lOb attached to the rotating plate 10a so as to
become slidable along the surface direction of the rotating
plate 10a in a predetermined range.
The lid body lOb includes an engagement protrusion 21
11
;.: ~; . ,; .
~'~.~~~~Je
formed at the tip end portion thereof. On the other hand, the
battery case 5 includes at its~opening edge an engagement
aperture 22 as shown in FIGURE 6. The battery lid 10 closes the
opening portion of the battery case 5 under the condition that
the lid body lOb is moved to the free end portion side of the
rotating plate 10a. Then, the battery lid 10 is locked by
engaging the engagement protrusion 21 with the engagement
aperture 22 after the lid body lOb was moved to the base end
portion side of the rotating plate 10a from this state.
The pivot portion of the thus arranged battery lid 10
relative to the chassis 2 is provided at substantially the same
portion as one pivot portion of the upper lid 12.
As shown in FIGURE 5, first bearing portions 23a, 23b to
which the battery lid 10 is pivotally supported are
symmetrically formed on upper and lower edges of the right side
wall portion 2c near the bent portion between the rear side wall
portion 2b and the right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2.
A second bearing portion 25 that pivotally supports the right
arm 15b to which the upper lid 12 is attached is formed between
the upper and lower first bearing portions 23a and 23b.
Each of the first bearing portions 23a, 23b that
pivotally supports the battery lid 10 is projected as a U-shaped
member in which the base portion is erected vertically and the
tip end portion is inwardly bent in the horizontal direction. In
association therewith, upper and lower projected portions 10a1,
10a2 projected on the base end portion of the rotating plate 10a
of the battery lid 10 include supporting shafts 24a, 24b
12
projected therefrom in an opposing relation. The upper and
lower supporting shafts 24a, 24b can be assembled with ease when
the upper and lower supporting shafts 24a, 24b are inserted into
and engaged with the first bearing portions 23a, 23b from the
lateral direction.
In this structure, flange portions 24a1, 24b1 are
respectively formed on the root portions of the supporting
shafts 24a, 24b. When the battery case 5 is fixed to the right
side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2 after the supporting
shafts 24a, 24b were engaged with the first bearing portions
23a, 23b, the flange portions 24a1, 24b1 are brought in contact
with one portion of the battery case 5. Thus, the battery lid 10
can be assembled accurately without wobbling under the condition
that the supporting shafts 24a, 24b are prevented from being
disengaged from the first bearing portions 23a, 23b (see FIGURE
7).
The second bearing portion 25 that pivotally supports
the arm 15b to which the upper lid 12 is attached is projected
in an erected tab fashion between the first bearing portions 23a
and 23b in the direction perpendicular to the first bearing
portions 23a, 23b. The arm 15b is pivatally supported by a
caulking pin 26 to the second bearing portion 25 so that the arm
15b can be rotated in the vertical direction.
According to the above-mentioned structure, the pivot
portions of the battery lid 10 and the upper lid 11 whose
rotating directions are different are efficiently disposed on
the chassis 2 and the space can effectively be used, thereby.the
13
~~~~~~b
disc player being miniaturized advantageously.
Further, in the disc player 1 according to this
embodiment, there is considered a structure that the portions in
which the operation buttons 18 are disposed on the panel frame
13 can maintain sufficient strength.
The structure of the panel frame 13 will be described
with reference to FIGURES 8 and 9.
As illustrated, the panel frame 13 includes concave
portions 27 corresponding to the operation buttons 18. The
operation buttons 18 are properly disposed in the concave
portion 27.
Each operation button 18 includes on its rear surface
two kinds of pins 28, 29. The pins 28, 29 are faced to the
inner surface of the panel frame 13 via through-holes 30, 31
bored on the bottom portion of_ the concave portion 27. Of the
two kinds of pins 28, 29, one pin 28 is opposed to the touch-
sensitive switch 19a of the switch base plate 19 fixed to the
left side wall portion 2a of the chassis 2. The other pin 29 is
coupled to a plate spring 32 fixed to the inner side surface of
the panel frame 13.
As shown in FIGURE 8, the plate spring 32 includes
flexible portions 32a formed by predetermined slits in
accordance with the respective operation buttons 18. The pin 29
of each operation button 18 is connected and fixed to the
flexible portion 32a by melt-bonding caulking. Each operation
button 18 is urged to return to the original state under spring
force of the flexible portion 32a of the plate spring 32. Also,
14
~.~t3~;~Ji~
the pin 28 is brought in contact with the touch-sensitive switch
19a via a through-hole 32b bored through the plate spring 32.
When the operation button 18 is depressed against the
spring force of the plate spring 32, the touch-sensitive switch
19a corresponding to the operation button 18 is energized and
various operations of the disc, i.e., PLAY, FAST FORWARD,
REVERSE, PAUSE, STOP are switched or volume is adjusted by
VOLUME ADJUSTMENT.
With the above-mentioned arrangement, the panel frame 13
according to this embodiment can maintain sufficient strength as
compared with the attachment structure of the ordinary operation
button 18.
Specifically, in the ordinary structure, the panel frame
13 includes the through-holes through which the operation
buttons 18 are entered. According to the embodiment of the
present invention, since the strength of the panel frame 13 is
considerably lowered at the lightening hole portions formed by
the through-holes, the concave portion 27 is used as the
disposed portion in which the operation buttons 18 are disposed
on the panel frame 13, i.e., the fundamental important portions
of the panel frame 13 are maintained, thereby making it possible
to avoid strength of the panel frame 13 from being lowered.
The strength of the panel frame 13 is sufficiently
maintained, which can considerably contribute to the increase of
the strength of the disc player 1 on the whole.
An arrangement of the disc drive mechanism portion ~0
that is accommodated in the chassis 2 will be described with
~~~~Wib
reference to FIGURES 3 and 11.
In FIGURES 3 and 11, reference numeral 41 depicts a
mechanical chassis which serves as a base plate of the disc
drive mechanism portion 40. The mechanical chassis 41 is
supported to supporting members 2e projected from the inner
surface side of the chassis 2 at a plurality of positions in the
horizontal direction through a damping mechanism in a floating
state. The damping mechanism is composed of a rubber damper 42
and a coil spring 43.
On the mechanical chassis 41 are disposed a turntable 44
on which the disc 100 is held and which is rotated by a spindle
motor (not shown) and an optical pickup (not shown) for reading
a signal from the disc 100. Reference numeral 45 depicts a
positioning pin projected on the mechanical chassis 41. While
only one positioning pin 45 is illustrated, there are provided a
pair of positioning pins 45 in actual practice.
The mechanical chassis 41 includes at its bearing
portion 46 formed at the rear end thereof a cartridge holder 47
s
for holding the diso cartridge 101 pivotally supported in the
upper and lower direction.
The cartridge holder 47 comprises an upper surface plate
portion 47a, two side plate portions 47b, 47c downwardly bent
from the left and right sides of the upper surface plate portion
47a at a right angle and lower supporting plate portions 47d,
47e projected from the inner lower ends of the two side plate
portions 47b, 47c at a right angle which are integrally formed.
The disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47
16
under the condition that the cartridge holder 47 is rotated with
a predetermined angle relative to the mechanical chassis 41.
Then, the cartridge holder 47 is downwardly rotated so as to
overlap the mechanical chassis 41 from the above-mentioned
state, whereby the disc cartridge 101 is loaded on the
mechanical chassis 41 at its predetermined loading position.
Specifically, at the same time when the disc cartridge 101 is
properly positioned by engaging reference apertures formed on
the lower surface of the disc cartridge 101 with the positioning
pins 45,
the disc 100 is held at its central portion exposed to the lower
surface side of the disc,cartridge 101 on the turntable 44.
The cartridge holder 47 includes on its right side plate
portion 47c a shutter releasing member 80 projected to the inner
portion of the cartridge holder 47 to release as slide shutter
102.
The cartridge holder 47 includes on the outer surface
side of the right side plate portion 47c thereof attached a
shutter closing lid member 48. The shutter closing lid member
48 is formed of a sheet metal, and a convex portion 48a of the
shutter closing lid member 48 is projected to the inner portion
of the cartridge holder 47 via a through-hole 49 of the right
side,plate portion 47c of the cartridge holder 47.
When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 47, the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 47 while the shutter 102 slides at its side
surface along the convex portion 48a of the shutter closing lid
17
~~~.c~l.~~fe~0
member 48. When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 47 up to its predetermined position, the convex
portion 48a is engaged with the engagement aperture 102a of the
shutter 102 and the shutter releasing member 80 is inserted into
a groove formed on one side surface of the disc cartridge 101
and is thereby brought in contact with a shutter locking member
(not shown) provided within the disc cartridge 101. Thus, the
shutter releasing member 80 releases the shutter 102 from being
locked by the shutter locking member and is brought in contact
with the shutter 102. As a consequence, in accordance with the
insertion of the disc cartridge 101, the shutter 102 is moved by
the shutter releasing member 80 to expose a part of the disc 100
from the opening portion formed on the lower surface of the disc
cartridge 101. Thus, a part of the disc 100 is opposed to an
optical pickup (not shown).
When the disc cartridge 101 is ejected from the
cartridge holder 47, owing to the action of the shutter closing
lid member 48 engaged with the engagement aperture 102a of the
shutter 102 when the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 47 the shutter 102 is closed as the disc
cartridge 101 is ejected.
Although the rotation supporting point of the cartridge
holder 47 and the rotation supporting point of the upper lid 12
are set at slightly displaced positions in the disc player 1
according to this embodiment, the cartridge holder 47 is rotated
in unison with the opening and/or closing operation of the upper
lid 12.
18
Specifically, the cartridge holder 47 includes projected
portions 47b1, 47c1 projected from left and right side plate
portions 47b, 47c in the horizontal direction. The left and
right arms 15a, 15b to which the upper lid 12 is fixed include
projected portions 15a1, 15b1 inwardly projected in the
horizontal direction. The projected portions 15a1, 15b1 are
opposed to the lower portions of the projected portions 47b1,
47c1 of the cartridge holder 47. When the upper lid 12 is
opened, the projected portions 15a1, 15b1 of the arms 15a, 15b
come in contact with the projected portions 47b1, 47c1 of the
cartridge holder 47 to elevate the projected portions 47b1,
47c1. As a consequence, the cartridge holder 47 is rotated in
the upper direction following the upper lid 12. Maximum opening
angles of the upper lid 12 and the cartridge holder 47 are set
to 25° and 20°, respectively.
The upper lid 12 includes left and right plate spring
members 50, 51 fixed to its rear surface as shown in FIGURE 10.
The plate spring members 50, 51 include resilient projection
portions 50a, 50b and 51a, 51b projected therefrom in the front
and back direction. The right plate spring member 51 includes a
resilient projection portion 51c projected at its central
portion.
Any of the resilient projection portions 50a, 50b, 51a,
51b is bent with an inclination so that it is floated from the
inner surface of the upper lid 12. When the upper lid 12 is
closed, the resilient projection portion 51c of the right plate
spring member 51 comes in contact with the upper surface plate
19
portion 47a of the cartridge holder 47 to push the cartridge
holder 47 in the lower direction. As a consequence, the
cartridge holder 47 is rotated in the lower direction following
the upper lid 12..
When the upper lid 12 is closed completely, the central
resilient projection portion 51c of the right plate spring
member 51 urges the cartridge holder 47 against the mechanical
chassis 41 side and the .resilient projection portions 50a, 50b
and 51a, 51b of the two plate spring members 50, 51 urge the
disc cartridge 101 against the mechanical chassis 41 side.
Thus, the disc cartridge 101 can be reliably loaded onto the
disc cartridge loading portion on the mechanical chassis 41
without wobbling.
The front resilient projection portions 50a, 51a of the
plate spring members 50, 51 are brought in contact with the disc
cartridge 101 in front of the cartridge holder 47. On the other
hand, the rear resilient projected portions 50b, 51b are brought
in contact with the disc cartridge 101 through left and right
through-holes 52a, 52b bored through the upper surface plate
portion 47a of the cartridge holder 47.
The upper lid 12 is locked by a lock mechanism under the
condition that it is closed completely. The lock mechanism
comprises a hook-shaped lock member 53 provided on the center of
the front side wall portion 2d of the chassis 2 and an
engagement plate 54 fixed to the inner surface side of the front
end of the upper lid'I2 in response to the lock member 53.
When the upper lid 12 is closed completely, the upper lid 12 is .
N~J~4.~~itS
locked by engaging an engagement concave portion 54a of the
engagement plate 54 with the lock member 53.
When the upper lid 12 is released from the locked state,
it is possible to open the upper lid 12 by sliding a lock
release operation member 55 provided in the panel frame 13 to
disengage the lock member 53 from the engagement plate 54.
When the upper lid 12 is released from the locked state
and the upper lid 12 is opened, if the disc cartridge 101 is
loaded in the cartridge holder 47, then the disc cartridge 101
is ejected from the cartridge holder 47.
An arrangement of an eject mechanism of this disc
cartridge 101 will be described in detail with reference to
FIGURE 12.
As shown in FIGURE 12, the cartridge holder 47 includes
on its right side plate portion 47c unitarily formed a
supporting plate portion 57 projected from the lower snd to the
horizontal direction. The supporting plate portion 57 includes
an eject lever 58 formed of a sheet metal supported thereto so
as to become slidable in the front and rear direction, i.e., in
the same direction as the direction in which the disc cartridge
101 is loaded and/or ejected from the cartridge holder 47.
The eject lever 58 comprises a base plate portion 58a
extended along the supporting plate portion 57 of the cartridge
holder 47 and a resilient plate portion 58b and an extended
Elate portion 58c vertically erected from the front end portion
of the base plate portion 58a along the right side plate portion
47c of the cartridge holder 47 which are integrally formed.
21
.~. c~ ~ ~1 i~ (~
Guide elliptic apertures 59a, 59b formed in the longitudinal
direction of the base plate portion 58a are guided by guide pins
60a, 60b fixedly implanted on the supporting plate portion 57 of
the cartridge holder 47 so that the eject lever 58 can be slid
in a predetermined range in the front and back direction.
The base plate portion 58a of the eject lever 58
includes a spring stop protrusion 58d projected from the front
end thereof. A tension coil spring 61 is extended between the
spring stop protrusion 58d and the front guide pin 60a. The
eject lever 58 is constantly biased in the forward direction,
i.e., in the eject direction of the disc cartridge 101 under the
spring force of the tension coil spring 61.
The resilient plate portion 58b of the eject lever 58
includes on its tip end portion formed an engagement tab 62 made
of a resin to be engaged with a concave portion 103 formed on
the side portion of the disc cartridge 101. The engagement tab
62 is integrally formed with the eject lever 58 of the sheet
metal by outsert molding. The engageanent tab 62 is opposed to
the inside of the cartridge holder 47 via a though-hole 63 of a
rectangular shape bored through the right side plate portion 47c
of the cartridge holder 47. Under the condition that the disc
cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47, as shown
in FIGURE 13, the engagement tab 62 is in engagement with the
concave portion 103 of the disc cartridge 101, whereby the eject
lever 58 is slid in unison with the disc cartridge 101.
The engagement tab 62 of the eject lever 58 includes, in
particular, an undercut portion 62 as shown in FIGURE 13.
22
G ~ e3 le ~ ej (~
Specifically, the engagement tab 62 is undercut in concave shape
at its root portion in which it is opposed to the concave
portion 103 of the disc cartridge 101.
Because the engagement tab 61 has the undercut portion
62a, the engagement tab 62 can be easily engaged with the
concave portion 103 of the disc cartridge 101 reliably.
Therefore, even when the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 47 with a slight inclination due to wobbling
within the cartridge holder 47 as shown by a one-dot phantom
line in FIGURE 13, the engagement tab 62 can be prevented from
being escaped from the concave portion 103. Thus, the
engagement state between the engagement tab 62 and the concave
portion 103 can be maintained reliably.
The eject lever 58 includes on the outer surface tip end
portion side of the extended plate portion 58c erected a lock
pin 64 that is engaged with a lock member 67 which will be
described later on. Further, the extended plate portion 58c
includes a guide pin 65 implanted on the inner surface side.
The guide pin 65 is engaged with the guide rectangular opening
66 bored through the right side plate portion 47c of the
cartridge holder 47 and is thereby guided so that the lock pin
64 is,accurately opposed to and engaged with the lock member 67.
The lock member 67 is pivotally supported by a shaft pin
68 to the rear end portion of the right side plate portion 47c
of the cartridge holder 47. The lock member 67 includes on its
tip end portion a tab portion 67a that is engaged with the lock
pin 64 of the eject lever 58.
23
The shaft pin 68 to which the lock member 67 is
pivotally supported includes a torsion coil spring 69 mounted
thereon. One end portion of the torsion coil spring 69 is
engaged with the cartridge holder 47 side and the other end
portion thereof is engaged with the lock member 67 side. Thus,
the lock member 67 is constantly biased in the clockwise
direction in FzGURE 12 under spring force of the torsion coil
spring 69.
The lock member 67 is locked at a predetermined
rotational position, i.e., at the position in which the tab
portion 67a is opposed to the lock pin 64 of the eject lever 58
when a part of the projected portion 67b comes in contact with a
stopper projection 70 projected toward the cartridge holder 47
side.
The lock member 67 includes an operation member 67c that
is used to release engagement between the eject lever 58 and the
lock pin 64. A lock releasing mechanism for operating the
operation member 67c is disposed on the mechanical chassis 41
side.
The lock releasing mechanism is of a so-called ratchet
mechanism and releases engagement'between the lock member 67 and
the lock pin 64 by using rotational operation of the cartridge
holder 47.
In association with the lock member 67 of the cartridge
holder 47 side, the mechanical chassis 41 includes a vertical
wall 71 implanted in tab-shape in an opposing relation to the
right side wall plate portion 47c of the cartridge holder 47.
24
The vertical wall 71 includes a ratchet member 72 forming the
ratchet mechanism pivotally supported thereto by a shaft pin 73.
The ratchet member 72 includes on its one portion provided an
action tab 72a opposing the operation member 67 of the lock
member 67 and also includes on the other end portion thereof a
stopper projection 72b.
A torsion coil spring 74 is attached to the shaft pin 73
to which the ratchet member 72 is pivotally supported. One end
portion of the torsion coil spring 74 is engaged with the
vertical wall 71 side and the other end portion thereof is
engaged with the ratchet member 72 side. The ratchet member 72
is biased in the opposite direction of the lock member 67, i.e.,
in the counter-clockwise direction shown in FIGURE 12 under
spring force of the torsion coil spring 74. The ratchet member
72 is locked at a predetermined rotational position, i.e., at
the position in which the action tab 72a is opposed to the
operation member 67c of the lock member 67 when the stopper
member 72b comes in contact with the upper edge portion of the
vertical wall 71.
The vertical wall 71 to which the ratchet member 72 is
attached is inclined and bent such that a front portion 71a is
opened toward the outside. Thus, the vertical wall 71 functions
as a guide wall which can smoothly guide the eject lever 58 when
the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47.
Operation of the eject mechanism thus arranged will be
described in detail below.
Initially, as shown in FIGURE 14, when the disc
~~~~~J~
cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47 under the
condition that the cartridge holder 47 is elevated relative to
the mechanical chassis 41, i.e., under the condition that the
upper lid 12 is opened, the engagement tab 62 of the eject lever
58 is engaged with the concave portion 103 of the side portion
of the disc cartridge 101. As a result, the eject lever 58 is
moved rearwardly in unison with the disc cartridge 101 against
the spring force of the tension coil spring 61 at the same time
when the disc cartridge 101 is moved.
At that time, engagement between the engagement tab 62
and the concave portion 103 is reliably maintained because the
engagement tab 62 of the eject lever 58 includes the undercut
portion 62a as described above. As a consequence, even when the
disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47 with
a small wobble, the engagement tab 62 can be prevented from
being disengaged from the concave portion 103.
Even if the engagement tab 62 is disengaged from the
concave portion 103, the resilient plate portion 58b of the
eject lever 58 is guided by the vertical wall 71 of the lock
releasing mechanism portion, thereby preventing the engagement
tab 62 from being disengaged from the concave portion 103.
Therefore, the eject lever 58 can reliably be moved in unison
with ahe disc cartridge 101.
When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the deepest
portion of the cartridge holder 47 completely, as shown in
FIGURE 15, the lock pin 64 of the eject lever 58 is engaged with
the tab portion 67a of the lock member 67, thereby the eject
26
a ::
C
lever 58 being locked.
Engagement operation between the lock pin 64 and the
lock member 67 will be described more in detail below.
Initially, when the eject lever 58 is moved in the
rearward direction, the lock pin 64 contacts with and presses
the tip end portion of the inclined edge of the tab portion 67a
of the lock member 67. The lock member 67 is rotated by the
pressing force of the lock pin 64 downwardly against the spring
force of the torsion coil spring 69. Then, when the lock pin 64
passes the tab portion 67a, the lock member 67 is returned to
the original position under spring force of the torsion coil
spring 69, whereby the lock pin 64 is engaged with the tab
portion 67a. Thus, the eject lever 58 is locked.
Then, the cartridge holder 47 is rotated in the lower
direction by closing the upper liu 12 from the state that the
eject lever 58 is locked after the disc cartridge 101 was
inserted into the cartridge holder 47 completely. Under the
condition that the disc cartridge 101 is loaded onto the disc
cartridge loading portion provided on the mechanical chassis 41,
as shown in FIGURE 16, the operation member 67c of the lock
member 67 passes the action tab 72a of the ratchet member 72 and
placed under the action tab 72a.
The operation member 67c of the lock member 67 passes
the action tab 72a of the ratchet member 72 as follows.
Because the lock member 67 is restricted by the stopper
member 70 from rotating in the clockwise direction, the
operation member 67c contacts with and presses the operation tab
27
~..~e31~~.~d~
72a of the ratchet member 72. By the pressing force of the
operation member 67c, the ratchet member 72 is rotated in the
clockwise direction, i.e., in the direction in which the action
tab 72a is escaped from the operation member 67c of the lock
member 67 against the spring force of the torsion coil spring
74. As a result, the operation member 67c of the lock member 67
passes the action tab 72a of the ratchet member 72.
When the cartridge holder 47 is rotated in the upper
direction after the upper lid 12 was opened from this state as
shown in FIGURE 17, the ratchet member 72 is restricted by the
stopper member 72b from rotating in the counter-clockwise
direction. Therefore, when the operation member 67c of the lock
member 67 comes in contact with the action tab 72a of the
ratchet member 72, the lock member 67 is rotated in the counter-
clockwise direction relatively to the cartridge holder 47
against the spring force of the torsion coil spring 69.
Specifically, when the operation member 67c of the lock
member 67 contacts with the action tab 72a of the ratchet member
72, the lock member 67 is left as it is while the cartridge
holder 47 is rotated in the upper direction. Thus, the lock pin
64 is disengaged from the tab portion 67a of the lock member 67
and the lock member 67 is released from the locked state,
whereby the eject lever 58 is moved in the forward direction and
returned to the original position under spring force of the
tension coil spring 61. As a result, the disc cartridge 101 is
ejected from the cartridge holder 47 by the eject lever 58.
When the cartridge holder 47 is elevated up to the
28
~~.ci~;~J
uppermost rotational position after the upper lid 12 was opened
completely, the operation member 67c of the lock member 67
passes the action tab 72a of the ratchet member 72 so that the
lock member 67 is returned to the original state.
mhe disc cartridge 101 is ejected from the cartridge
holder 47 at the same time when the upper lid 12 is opened as
described above. Therefore, the user can eject the disc
cartridge 101 from the cartridge holder 47 with ease.
While the disc cartridge in which the optical disc is
accommodated as the recording medium has described so far, the
present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to
an eject mechanism of a tape cassette in which a magnetic tape
is accommodated as a recording medium.
Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention
with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be
understood that the invention is not limited to that precise
embodiment and that various changes and modifications could be
effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing
from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the
appended claims.
29
