Abstract: First and second optical heads (3A, 3B) are disposed on the same side with respect to a plane including a disk surface. Then, a media tray (19) on which a disk is mounted is moved within a plane substantially parallel with the disk surface. Using two optical heads (3A, 3B) selectively, recording and/or reproducing is performed with respect to the optical disk. The height of a disk apparatus does not increase, and signal lines connected to the optical heads (3A, 3B) are not forced to bend.

Abstract: A disc drive according to the present invention is adapted to a disk cartridge including: a disk; a body to contain the disk; a window provided for the body to allow a data reading and/or writing head to access the disk; a shutter for opening or closing the window; and a rotational member including a gear as a part of its outer periphery and rotating to open or close the shutter. The drive includes a shutter driving mechanism for opening and closing the shutter by rotating the rotational member of the disk cartridge, and the shutter driving mechanism includes a driving gear, which engages with the gear of the rotational member and which turns around a first rotation shaft. The first rotation shaft swings around the center of rotation of the rotational member of the disk cartridge that is held on the holding portion.

Abstract: A turntable for a disk storage medium includes disk mounting section, shaft center boss and ribs. The disk mounting section includes disk mount surface, center boss and inner side surface. The disk mount surface is used to mount the disk medium thereon. The center boss has an outer side face that engages with a center hole of the disk medium. The inner side face defines a space that has a center axis aligned with that of the center boss. The shaft center boss includes an outer side face and a hole into which a rotating shaft is inserted so as to transmit a driving force to, and rotate, the disk medium. The ribs join the outer side face of the shaft center boss and the inner side face of the disk mounting section together so that through holes are formed between these side faces.

Abstract: A disk drive, selectively accommodating a cartridge with a disk and at least one positioning hole on the bottom or the disk only, includes: a drive mechanism; a read/write head; a tray for putting the cartridge or the disk thereon, inserting it to a first position, in which the drive mechanism can mount the disk, and ejecting it to a second position, in which the cartridge or the disk is removable; and at least one positioning pin, which has a top portion inserted into the positioning hole to position the cartridge within a plane parallel to the disk. The tray has at least one clearance hole, into which the positioning pin is inserted such that the top portion thereof is fitted with the positioning hole of the cartridge in the first position, and the center of the clearance hole is offset to the center of axis of the top portion.

Abstract: An optical disc drive includes: a tray to mount a cartridge including a disc and having a positioning hole; a chassis for supporting the tray to move in a first direction; a spindle motor; an optical head; a traverse base, which is supported on the chassis so as to rotate around an axis defined in a second direction near one end of the chassis in the first direction and which mounts the spindle motor and the optical head thereon, the second direction being parallel to the disc and perpendicular to the first direction; a traverse holder coupled to the traverse base; a positioning pin provided for the traverse holder and fitting in with the positioning hole, thereby positioning the cartridge; and an elevating portion for moving a portion of the traverse holder in a third direction perpendicularly to the disc.

Abstract: A tray for mounting a cartridge incorporating a flat information recording medium includes sliders sliding in a loading direction of the cartridge on a tray base in cooperation with the mounting action of the cartridge, and a slider moving mechanism for moving the slider between an initial position, and a plurality of stopping positions remote from the initial position by specific distances in the loading direction. The plurality of stopping positions are at least in two stopping positions, that is, a first stopping position remote from the initial position by a first distance in the loading direction, and a second stopping position remote from the initial position by a second distance longer than the first distance in the loading direction. Thereby, if a cartridge is mounted on a tray in a wrong direction, the user can easily recognize its wrong mounting.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a plurality of optical heads corresponding to a plurality kind of disks, and a disk distinction device for distinguishing whether a set disk is a first disk or a second disk when a disk is set on a disk tray, a first disk tray conveying mechanism for the first disk and/or the second disk tray conveying mechanism for the second disk conveys the disk tray to a first tray position in which recording and/or reproducing is performed on the first tray or the second tray position in which recording and/or reproducing is performed on the second tray, according to a result distinguished by the disk distinction device, thereby, an optical head corresponding to a disk set to the disk tray is selected correctly and a recording or reproducing operation is performed on the disk.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus capable of stably moving an optical head is provided. The apparatus includes an optical head for recording data to or reproducing data from a disk, a first guide member having an axis substantially parallel to the disk for supporting the optical head in such a manner that the optical head is moved along the axis, a second guide member for limiting rotation of the optical head about the axis, a rack mounted on the optical head and having a reference pitch line substantially parallel to the axis, a pinion for moving the optical head by the pinion being engaged with the rack and being rotated, and a pressing member for pressing the rack toward tie pinion. The vector of a force exerted by the pinion on the rack in response to the pressing member pressing the rack toward the pinion substantially intersects the axis.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with a disc rotation mechanism for placing and rotating a disc, a plurality of optical heads for emitting light beams for recording and/or reproducing data on the optical disc, a transport unit including a guide structure for guiding the optical heads to be radially transportable on the disc, an optical head transport mechanism for transporting the optical heads along the guide structure, and a transport base for supporting the disc rotation mechanism, the guide structure and the optical head transport mechanism, an optical head storing portion having a plurality of storage support guides for supporting and storing each of the plurality of optical heads, and an optical head insertion and removal mechanism for transporting each of the optical heads from the optical head storing portion to the transport unit or from the transport unit to the optical head storing portion, and each optical head stored in the optical head storing portion is t

Abstract: A disk drive is loadable with either first or second cartridge in which a disk having a signal recording side is stored. In performing read and/or write operation(s), not only the distances between the signal recording side and the back surfaces of the first and second cartridges but also planar shapes of the first and second cartridges are different from each other. The disk drive includes a spindle motor with a turntable on which the disk is mounted and rotated, a read/write head for reading and/or writing a signal from/onto the signal recording side, and a supporting structure for supporting the back surface of the first or second cartridge at a vertical level, which is changeable with respect to the turntable according to the shape of the cartridge loaded, so that the disk is mounted on the turntable and that the signal is read and/or written from/on the disk.

Abstract: A turntable for a disk storage medium includes disk mounting section, shaft center boss and ribs. The disk mounting section includes disk mount surface, center boss and inner side surface. The disk mount surface is used to mount the disk medium thereon. The center boss has an outer side face that engages with a center hole of the disk medium. The inner side face defines a space that has a center axis aligned with that of the center boss. The shaft center boss includes an outer side face and a hole into which a rotating shaft is inserted so as to transmit a driving force to, and rotate, the disk medium. The ribs join the outer side face of the shaft center boss and the inner side face of the disk mounting section together so that through holes are formed between these side faces.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus capable of stably moving an optical head is provided. The apparatus includes an optical head for recording data to or reproducing data from a disk, a first guide member having an axis substantially parallel to the disk for supporting the optical head in such a manner that the optical head is moved along the axis, a second guide member for limiting rotation of the optical head about the axis, a rack mounted on the optical head and having a reference pitch line substantially parallel to the axis, a pinion for moving the optical head by the pinion being engaged with the rack and being rotated, and a pressing member for pressing the rack toward tie pinion. The vector of a force exerted by the pinion on the rack in response to the pressing member pressing the rack toward the pinion substantially intersects the axes.

Abstract: A disk storage magazine in which the number of stored disks per unit volume can be increased. A pair of disk holding members (4), which are bent into a bellows shape by the number of stored disks, are arranged substantially in parallel with a direction in which disks (1) come off on both sides of a magazine case (2). When the disk storage magazine is opened, the disk (1) is held by valley portion of the folded portions of the disk holding members (4), and held between tapered faces on opposite sides of the valley portion. When the disk storage magazine is closed, the disk holding member (4) is bent until the tapered faces holding the edge of surface of the disk (1) become substantially in parallel with the disk surface, and fixes and holds the disks (1) in a state of touching and pressing the disks (1). Thereby, clearances in the stacking direction between the disk (1) and the disk holding member (4) can be eliminated.

Abstract: To present a disk loading device reduced in the thickness of the entire device, capable of loading plural types of cartridge and bare disk commonly, easy to handle in horizontal or vertical position, and particularly excellent in dust-proof performance or manual insertion and discharge performance of tray in power off state, a holder 100 moved back and forth by transfer means provided inside includes a detecting switch 114 of a shutter opener 103 and a detecting switch 115 of a disk holder 104, and these two detecting switches are combined, while a dust-proof member such as dust-proof cover 42 is provided in a passage to the disk and optical head 7 in an external air stream in the device, and therefore, immediately after putting the media into the holder 100, the type and state of the media can be detected, and breakage of device due to insertion of plural types of cartridge in wrong direction or wrong side can be prevented, and also contamination of the disk or optical head 7 by suction of dust or smoke can

Abstract: An automatic disk changer has a recording/reproducing device capable of operating a reproducing-only disk and a recording/reproducing possible disk, disk trays that can be placed on the recording/reproducing device, and each of which has a disk-type discriminating means able to discriminate as to whether the disk could be a reproducing-only disk or a recording/reproducing possible disk, a tray storage holding the disk trays, and a tray carrier able to pullout/insert the disk trays from/into the tray storage and able to transport the disk tray to/from the recording/reproducing device.