Abstract: A disc player (1) has two record storage magazines (3) with a multiplicity of stacked disc holders (6), each holding a disc (5), in storage compartments (10). A transporting device (4) moves a selected disc (5) with its holder (6) to and fro between a storage compartment (10) and a playback unit (7). The transporting device (4) has two independently controllable extraction devices (12) for the disc holders (6), and these extraction devices (12) may travel horizontally on the transporting device (4). Either the two extraction devices (12) are ready to extract a holder (6) for a disc (5) from the appropriate record storage magazine (3), or one extraction device (12) has been taken to a central position in which it secures a disc (5) with its holder (6) taken from the appropriate record storage magazine (3) in alignment with the turntable (8) of the playback unit (7) while the other extraction device (12) remains in readiness for the other record storage magazine (3).

Abstract: A vehicle disk player is disclosed in which a disk is inserted through a disk inserting opening, the disk is fixedly mounted on a turn table by a clamper arm when conveyed to a predetermined position in the player, the turn table is rotated for reproduction of data recorded in the disk, and reproducing means including the clamper arm and turn table are supported in a floating manner. The player is provided with a centering mechanism for positioning said disk at the middle of the disk inserting opening with centering pins. The centering pins are arranged out of the range of vibration of the disk which is fixedly mounted on said turn table supported in a floating manner.

Abstract: A magazine disk player for accommodating either a plurality of disks or a single disk. The disk player includes a magazine loading section for holding a magazine, disk conveyor for supplying a disk from the magazine to the turn table, and returning the disk thereinto, a magazine loading detecting device for detecting the loading of the magazine, an operating member which is movable between a first position and a second position, and which, when the magazine is loaded into the magazine loading section, is moved from the first position to the second position being engaged with the magazine, a locking member provided near the magazine loading section in such a manner that the locking member is movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, and which is engaged with the magazine to lock the latter to the magazine loading section being urged towards the locking position wherein the magazine loading detector detects the position of the locking member.

Abstract: A Delay Locked Loop For Clock Synchronization is disclosed that solves the problem of aligning a clock signal (V.sub.OUT) with a reference signal (REF) in the shortest time and without instability. The clock signal (V.sub.OUT) is passed through an conventional, variable delay line (20) whose phase delay is controlled by a charge (V.sub.CTRL) on a capacitor (C). The invention employs an improved phase detection system (21) including first and second phase detectors (22), (26) and a first logic gate (28). The reference signal (REF) is delayed at the second phase detector (26). A logic circuit (30) is reset by a pulse (nReset) charging the capacitor (C) to a maximum voltage (V.sub.CTRL). Maximum voltage (V.sub.CTRL) drives the variable delay line (20) to the minimum achievable delay. The reset pulse (nReset) is then removed, and the voltage (V.sub.CTRL) is bled from the capacitor (C), increasing the phase delay between the clock signal (V.sub.OUT) and the reference signal (REF). When the clock signal (V.sub.

Abstract: A disc driving apparatus comprises a motor, a turntable which is rotated by a driving force of the motor and supports a disc on one side thereof, a fixed supporting portion for rotatably supporting the turntable, and magnetic means for always generating a predetermined magnetic attracting or repulsive force between the other side of the turntable and the fixed supporting portion which faces the other side of the turntable. A unidirectional urging force is always applied to the turntable by the magnetic means in the axial direction, so that even if an external vibration exists, when a force which is applied to the turntable by the vibration is equal to or less than the urging force, the turntable does not move in the axial direction. Thus, the interval between the disc supported on the turntable and a pickup does not change by the vibration, and an erroneous recording or reading of a signal can be avoided.

Abstract: A cache memory apparatus made up of a memory cell array (300) and a match detection circuit is disclosed. The match detection circuit produces a detection signal related to whether a search data coincides with a data read out of the memory cell array (300). The match detection circuit applies complementary signals (d, d) of the data read from the memory cell array (300) to the bases of bipolar differential transistors (10, 11), the gates of a pair of field effect transistors (16, 17) are supplied with complementary signals (a, a) of the search data, and the bases of a pair of emitter-follower transistors (12, 13) are connected to the collectors of the bipolar differential transistors (10, 11), thereby producing a detection signal (HITO) from the jointly-connected emitters thereof.

Abstract: An optical recording medium is formed by applying a coating liquid to form a light-reflecting layer on a substrate having a surface provided with a pre-format pattern comprising a concavity and a convexity. The concavity is designed to have a sectional shape of a trapezoid having a pair of parallel opposite sides, a shorter one of which constitutes the bottom of the concavity, and a pair of sloping sides. Each sloping side forms a (solid part) angle .theta. of not larger than 35 degrees with respect to the extension of the substrate surface. The concavity has a depth d larger than .lambda./4n wherein .lambda. is the wavelength of an optical radiation beam with which the optical recording medium is illuminated for recording and/or reproduction and n is the refractive index of the substrate.

Abstract: A carriage on which a head is mounted has a rack which can be engaged with gear teeth located on a specific position. The gear teeth can be moved so as to engage with and disengage from the rack. The rack has a first pitch different from a second pitch of the gear teeth so as to maintain sure engagement.

Abstract: Method for testing a terminal communicating with chip cards. The method has the steps of: identification data stored in the chip card is used to generate authentification codes both in the chip card and in the terminal after transmission thereinto of the identification data stored in the chip card, both authentification codes being generated with respective action codes using a stored algorithm; the authentification code generated in the chip card is transmitted to the terminal; the two authentification codes are compared in the terminal; and the identification data is displayed at the terminal when the two authentification codes, compared in the terminal, are identical.

Abstract: A disk adapter for a disk cartridge is formed to fit in a disk housing section of the disk cartridge. The disk adapter includes an opening at approximately its center for rotatably accommodating a small diameter disk and a positioning element for positioning the disk adapter in the disk housing section of the disk cartridge and to prevent rotation of the adapter in the rotational direction of the accommodated small diameter disk.

Abstract: In an IC card of the invention, an IC module (3) is adhered to a first concave (9) of a card base (1) by means of an adhesive (7) and a gap (8) is formed between the outside surface of the IC module (3) and the inside surface of the first concave (9), the gap being wider in the inside upper part and narrower in the inside lower part of the first concave (9), so that the IC chip in the IC module (3) and the card base (1) can be protected from damages caused by bending of the the card base (1).

Abstract: A bar code scanner is disclosed comprising an egg-shaped housing member containing a scanning member which can be easily held by a checkout operator for a handheld scanning operation. A support member associated with the scanner has a vertically orientated support portion which has a magnet mounted in its end having a spherical-shaped mating surface which engages the correspondingly shaped surface of a magnet mounted to the under surface of the housing member enabling the scanner to be releasably supported on the support member in a plurality of scanning positions.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a recording surface formed by a recording layer provided on a substrate, the recording surface being provided with parallel information tracks each divided into plural blocks, each of which is formed by a data area for information recording and a servo area for forming prepits for tracking signal detection, wherein the data area has a separating part the height of which is different from that of the information track and which is provided between information tracks adjacent to each other, and the difference in height is equal to or larger than the thickness of the recording layer, and wherein the servo area is not provided within the separating part.

Abstract: A disc changer for sequentially playing back a plurality of discs such as compact discs has a circular tray rotatably mounted on a base for supporting a plurality of discs replacably mounted on a horizontal surface. A drive mechanism rotates the tray and stops the tray to position one of the discs in a playback position. A recorded signal is reproduced from the disc in the playback position by a pickup. The pickup is vertically moved and stopped in a predetermined vertical position by a lifting/lowering mechanism. A pickup cover is disposed over the tray in covering relation to the pickup and the disc in the playback position. The disc changer also has a dust cover hinged to the base, for covering at least the tray, the dust cover having a transparent window extending over the tray.

Abstract: A lifting device for lifting and releasing a compact disk. The lifting device including a pair of fins extended by a plunger and retracted by an O-ring contacting the fins at their outer edge.

Abstract: A disc loading structure capable of automatically and positively loading a disc in a disc apparatus with a simple structure irrespective of the size of the disc and carrying out a substantial decrease in power consumption in use and manufacturing costs. A mechanical sensor link is pivotally arranged so as to be pivotally moved due to engagement with a disc and a lock member is pivotally arranged and selectively engaged with the sensor link so as to be pivotally movable in association with the pivotal movement thereof. The lock member selectively serves to lock a stopper arm at a small-diameter disc position depending upon the position of the sensor link pivotally moved. Also, the structure includes a large-diameter disc regulator for holding the stopper arm at a large-diameter disc position.

Abstract: A compact disk player for storing and playing a number of compact disks consists of an external housing, a storage magazine with a number of compartments into which the compact disks can be inserted individually, a scanner unit in which the information recorded on a compact disk in digital form can be scanned using a laser beam, and a transfer unit by means of which the compact disk located in a specified compartment of the storage magazine can be transported to the scanner unit. To achieve the fastest possible access time with a very compact construction, this invention requires a stationary configuration for the storage magazine while the scanner unit is designed so that it can move in relation to the storage magazine.

Abstract: A mechanical assembly for alternately producing displacement of a carriage with respect to a carriage track and rotation of a gear mounted on the carriage, in response to torque provided from a single drive motor including: a latching assembly, having a latched state and an unlatched state, operably associated with the carriage for preventing relative movement between the carriage and the track during the latched state; and a locking assembly, having a locked state and an unlocked state, operatively associated with the gear for preventing relative rotation of the gear during the locked state.

Abstract: A disk player with disk changer functions and having a stacker for storing plural disks for playback allows a new disk to be added or disks to be changed without removing the stacker. The disk player is also convenient for playback of single disks not to be stored in the stacker. A single tray carrying one of disk-carriages is transportable between a loaded position inside the player and an ejected position outside the player, by means of a shuttle engageable with the tray. During further movement of the shuttle in the disk-loading direction, it is disengaged from the tray in the loaded position. Instead, the shuttle comes into engagement with the carriage formerly carried by the tray, to separate the carriage from the tray remaining in the loaded position and advance the same toward the stacker. The carriage is at last received fully in the stacker with the help of a spring, which releases engagement between the shuttle and the in-stacker carriage.

Abstract: In order to control an execution rate of a central processing unit which carries out a processing operation in synchronism with a clock signal supplied from a clock oscillator, an execution rate controlling device periodically supplies a hold demand signal to suspend the processing operation during reception of the hold demand signal and comprises a data holding unit for holding held data representative of the execution rate. A generating unit generates the hold demand signal in response to the held data and the clock signal so that the hold demand signal may last for a duration which is inversely proportional to the execution rate. The generating unit comprises a counter unit for counting a count in synchronism with the clock signal up to a maximum value defining a period of periodic supply of the hold demand signal, and produces counted data indicative of the count and a carry signal initializing the count to zero when the count reaches the maximum value.