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: A disc apparatus includes a turntable having surface on which a disc is to be placed and being rotatable around a rotation axis; a disc holding mechanism which can be in a first state of holding the disc on the turntable so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis and a second state which is different from the first state; a first contact member; and a moving mechanism for relatively moving the first contact member and the turntable with respect to each other.

Abstract: Tilt which is inclination of a normal of optical disk relative to optical axis of optical head is corrected with a liquid crystal element. In a driver for the liquid crystal element, a periodic waveform generator generates periodic waveform and an inverting element inverts the periodic waveform. The periodic waveform and the inverted waveform are connected to two ends of a potential divider which provides partial voltages. The periodic waveform is connected to a common electrode of the liquid crystal element, and the partial voltages of the potential divider are connected to electrodes opposing the common electrode. A structure of a driver circuit for each direction is simple. Tilt in a plurality of directions can be performed independently of each other. Spherical aberration is also corrected. When the liquid crystal element is mounted to a fixed component, deterioration due to jitters is reduced.

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 disk drive includes: a motor that rotates a disk; an auto-balancer connected to a rotating portion of the motor and changing its center of mass; a base secured to the motor and connected to an external member via a first elastic member; and a dynamic vibration absorber connected to the base via a second elastic member. If the disk whirls while rotating, a relationship between a first or second natural frequency of a first or second vibration system, including the base, first elastic member and external member or the dynamic vibration absorber, second elastic member and base, as measured parallelly to the base plane and a rotational frequency of the disk is defined so that a phase angle of 120 to 180 degrees is formed between a direction from a whirling center axis toward a center of mass of the disk and a direction from the whirling center axis toward the center of mass of the auto-balancer.

Abstract: A disk drive includes base with a spindle motor, first and second rockers and first and second sliders. The spindle motor has a turntable to mount a disk. The first and second rockers rock substantially parallelly to the turntable. The first rocker pulls in the disk, inserted externally, to a position where the disk and motor have their centers aligned. The second rocker unloads the disk from the position to a point where the disk is exposed partially. The first and second sliders are engaged with the first and second rockers to make them pull in and unload the disk, respectively, and reciprocate substantially parallelly to the turntable. The rockers and sliders are located under the turntable. The slider(s) support(s), raise(s) and lower(s) a side face of the base through the reciprocation.

Abstract: A disc apparatus includes a turntable having surface on which a disc is to be placed and being rotatable around a rotation axis; a disc holding mechanism which can be in a first state of holding the disc on the turntable so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis and a second state which is different from the first state; a first contact member; and a moving mechanism for relatively moving the first contact member and the turntable with respect to each other.

Abstract: An optical disk device of the present invention includes an optical pickup which performs at least recording or reproduction of signals on or from an optical disk; a guiding section which supports and guides the optical pickup along the radial direction of the optical disk; an upper cover which protects the guiding section; a lower cover which protects the guiding section; and a base which supports the guiding sections therein. A height between the upper cover and the lower cover adjacent to an outer periphery of the optical disk is greater than a height between the upper cover and the lower cover adjacent to an inner periphery of the optical disk.