Abstract: A method of improving a sound reproduction of a turntable, the includes rotatably coupling a stylus cartridge to a head shell of a tonearm; and mechanically communicating the stylus cartridge and a spindle of the turntable, whereby rotation of the stylus cartridge is guided by said mechanical communication so that the stylus cartridge remains tangent to a groove of a grooved disc rotating with the spindle.

Abstract: A contour measuring apparatus includes: an arm including a stylus in a distal end and being swingable with respect to a cabinet; an attitude change mechanism configured to change an attitude of the arm within a swing range; a stopper configured to make contact with the arm when the arm moves nearer to an installation part of an object to be measured within the swing range; and a controller configured to operate the attitude change mechanism based on a power-off command and return the arm to a mechanical limit position in which the arm makes contact with the stopper.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tuning mechanism for flying pickup heads in data storage devices. The pickup device includes a coil, a pivot, a suspension, and a piezoelectric bender. The piezoelectric bender made by a bi-layer or a multi-layer piezoelectric material is formed on one end of the suspension, and proper voltages applied to the piezoelectric bender via wires enable the piezoelectric bender to undergo both neutral axis displacement and bending deflection. A pickup head is attached to the free end of the piezoelectric bender opposite to the coil, and via the piezoelectric bender, focusing and tracking motion of the pickup head can be tuned at the same time. Furthermore, since the characteristic of the piezoelectric bender is similar to bimetallic elements, the bender can undergo large bending deflection to compensate large deformation of rotating optical disks, so that the flying height of the pickup head can be tuned to maintain a constant focusing distance in reading/writing data.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tuning mechanism for flying pickup heads in data storage devices. The pickup device includes a coil, a pivot, a suspension, and a piezoelectric bender. The piezoelectric bender made by a bi-layer or a multi-layer piezoelectric material is formed on one end of the suspension, and proper voltages applied to the piezoelectric bender via wires enable the piezoelectric bender to undergo both neutral axis displacement and bending deflection. A pickup head is attached to the free end of the piezoelectric bender opposite to the coil, and via the piezoelectric bender, focusing and tracking motion of the pickup head can be tuned at the same time. Furthermore, since the characteristic of the piezoelectric bender is similar to bimetallic elements, the bender can undergo large bending deflection to compensate large deformation of rotating optical disks, so that the flying height of the pickup head can be tuned to maintain a constant focusing distance in reading/writing data.

Abstract: A disk reproducing device that has two guide rails disposed at both sides of a disk and that reads data recorded on both sides of the disk using a single pickup device (21) by moving the pickup device along the guide rails. Each guide rail is composed of two linear guide shafts connected by an arcuated guide section (15). The arcuated guide section has a diameter smaller than that of the linear guide shafts, joints connecting the guide shafts and the guide section have tapering shapes, and a plurality of turning bearings are disposed on the pickup device. The pickup device can therefore move smoothly. In addition, all guide shafts can be swung substantially equally by swinging only one linear guide shaft thereby permitting a tilt adjustment to be executed by a single motor. The apparatus further has an adjusting member composed of a flat spring, a screw and other parts, to adjust a position of the pickup device relative to the disk.

Abstract: A tangential transducer arm assembly for disk play-back machines, whose pivot for movement in the plane which is parallel to the surface of a disk, is disposed upon a carriage for linear movement upon a track in a plane which exists perpendicular to said disk and which intersects the rotational axis of said disk.One of two embodiments utilizes the frictional drag between said disk and a stylus to pull said carriage along said track, while a mass suspended in a liquid checks that movement to hold said carriage in the correct position for transducer arm tangency.The other embodiment utilizes a stepping motor to drive said carriage along said track. Said stepping motor derives its drive signal from the misalignment of a magnet and a differential Hall effect sensor. Said magnet is part of said transducer arm and said differential Hall effect sensor is fixed to a true tangency indicating reference base, whose pivot is the same as said pivot and whose rotation is determined by a cam surface.

Abstract: Apparatus for correcting or compensating for the tracking error of the pivotally mounted (1) tone arm (23) of a phonograph includes a first intermediate member (9) to which said tone arm (23) is pivotally (1) connected, a second intermediate member (12) which is rotatably connected to the first intermediate member (9) by a belt (18) and pulleys (13) which are sized in such a way that a photodiode source (21) and a photodiode detector (22) both carried by the second intermediate member (12) will tend to be indirectly moved by a motor to maintain them substantially constantly in register with a point on the tone arm (23). A slotted mask (24) carried by the tone arm (23) is interposed between the source (21) and the detector (22) and its slot defines a central "null" position in which said motor will not be driven when the required relationship exists. Deviation in either direction will cause the motor to be driven to re-establish this relationship. An insignificant maximum tracking error below 0.1.degree.

Abstract: A phonograph tone arm cartridge rotating system that keeps the cartridge perpendicular to the record groove radius by pivoting it with a belt and pulley linkage that does not change length or tension during movement of the tone arm.

Abstract: A mechanical compensator for the horizontal angular error of the playing arm of a record player. A lever is mounted upon and rotatable in a horizontal plane about a first bearing affixed to the base frame of the record player, the lever carrying a second bearing journalling a vertical shaft upon which the playing arm is mounted for joint rotation therewith. As the vertical shaft rotates during the second-tracking movement of the playing arm and the vertical shaft, a member affixed to the shaft is caused by a cam track to rotate the lever about the first bearing. The member affixed to the shaft may be a second lever having a cam follower which cooperates with a fixed cam, or the member affixed to the shaft may be a plate having a cam track therein which cooperates with a fixed cam follower.

Abstract: Equipment for playing gramophone records, and a method of operating same to reduce or eliminate so-called lateral tracking error comprising a turntable deck (10), a rotatable turntable (11) thereon, a tone arm (12, 20, 21) pivotally mounted on the deck and carrying a stylus for tracking across a record placed on the turntable, the tone arm being afforded a component of linear forwards movement during operation in combination with the angular inwards movement of the stylus towards the center of the turntable, there being a guidance system (15, 16, 26, 28, 33, 34) to determine and control movement of the tone arm whereby, in use, the longitudinal center line of the stylus maintains alignment with a tangent to the record groove at the point of stylus contact therewith.

Abstract: A compensator for the horizontal angular error of a record player arm. A first lever is disposed in a horizontal plane beneath the player arm, a first, fixedly positioned bearing supporting an intermediate portion of the first lever so that such lever can rotate in a horizontal plane. The first lever has a bearing on a first end thereof journalling a vertically rotatable shaft upon which the player arm is mounted for limited vertical motion with respect to the arm but so as to rotate horizontally with the vertical shaft. A second lever in the form of a flat horizontal optical mask is affixed to the vertical shaft to rotate therewith, the optical mask having an arch-shaped slit therein which is convex in the direction away from the axis of the vertical shaft. A source of light is disposed close to the optical mask on one side thereof, and two spaced photo-receivers are disposed on the other side of the optical mask.

Abstract: A phonograph pickup arm for use in disc records arranged to compensate for error in the tracking path. By use of adjacent curved surfaces in mounting and support members the point of rotational access of the pickup arm shifts as the stylus associated with the pickup arm moves left to right or vice versa to compensate for the usually present tracking error.