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 circuit element driver includes a control section and a driving section. The control section receives a number n of instruction values of a first group (where n?2) and produces and outputs a number p of instruction values of a second group (where (n+1)?p<2n) in accordance with the n instruction values of the first group. The instruction values of the first group are issued to generate voltages to be applied to n two-terminal circuit elements. The driving section generates and outputs p drive voltages in accordance with the p instruction values of the second group. At least one of the p drive voltages changes with at least one of the instruction values of the first group and is applied in common to two or more of the circuit elements at one terminal thereof.

Abstract: A disc cartridge stores a disc that has a first side with a first functional portion and a second side. The disc cartridge includes: a cartridge body including a disc storage portion, a chucking opening and a head opening, where the disc storage portion has a disc window and a bottom and stores the disc therein so that the first side thereof is exposed through the disc window; the chucking opening is provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to get the disc chucked externally; and the head opening is also provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to allow a head, which reads and/or writes data from/on the second side of the disc, to access the second side; a shutter, supported to, and movable with respect to, the cartridge body so as to expose or cover at least the head opening; and a second functional portion, which is provided for the cartridge body and which produces an audiovisual effect by cooperating with the first functional portion of the disc.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes: a disc storage portion; first and second shutters provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion; and a rotational member interlocked with the shutters and having a disc supporting portion to support the disc thereon while the shutters are closed and a notch to be located inside a head opening while the shutters are opened. The shutters include disc holders for holding the disc thereon with the center of the disc offset from that of the disc storage portion such that an outer side surface of the disc contacts with the sidewall of the disc storage portion at a position where the notch is located while the shutters are closed. The inner circumference of a region, where the disc supporting portion contacts with the second side of the disc, defines a circle that has its center offset from the center of the disc storage portion.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes: a disc storage portion; first and second shutters provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion; and a rotational member interlocked with the shutters and having a disc supporting portion to support the disc thereon while the shutters are closed and a notch to be located inside a head opening while the shutters are opened. The shutters include disc holders for holding the disc thereon with the center of the disc offset from that of the disc storage portion such that an outer side surface of the disc contacts with the sidewall of the disc storage portion at a position where the notch is located while the shutters are closed. The inner circumference of a region, where the disc supporting portion contacts with the second side of the disc, defines a circle that has its center offset from the center of the disc storage portion.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a cartridge body having a disc storage portion, a chucking opening and a head opening. The disc storage portion has a disc window and a bottom and stores a disc, having first and second sides, therein so that the disc is rotatable in the disc storage portion and that the first side of the disc is exposed. The chucking opening is formed on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to get the disc chucked externally. The head opening is also formed on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to allow a head, which reads and/or writes a signal from/on the second side of the disc, to access the second side of the disc. A shutter is supported to, and movable with respect to, the cartridge body so as to expose or cover at least the head opening.

Abstract: A deformable mirror according to the invention comprises a substrate, a reflector which is supported by said substrate and the shape of whose reflecting areas is variable, and a plurality of drive units for independently driving a plurality of regions of the reflector and thereby controlling the distances between said plurality of regions and said substrate. Each of the plurality of drive units comprises a plurality of electrodes disposed over said substrate, a tilt member which is rotated round the axis of tilt by being attracted by the selected one of the plurality of electrodes, and an action member for varying the distance between a specific region of the reflector and said substrate following the motion of the tilt member.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes: a cartridge body including a disc storage portion storing a disc, having first and second sides, therein so that the disc is rotatable there and that the first side is exposed and chucking and head opening formed on the bottom of the storage portion so as to get the disc chucked externally and allow a read/write head to access the second side, respectively; a shutter supported, and movable with respect to the cartridge body, between the second side of the disc and the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to expose or cover the chucking and head openings and defining a hole under a center hole of the disc while the shutter is closed; and a disc holder provided for the shutter and pressing the disc against the shutter and holding it thereon while the chucking and head openings are covered with the shutter.

Abstract: A deformable mirror according to the invention comprises a substrate, a reflector which is supported by said substrate and the shape of whose reflecting areas is variable, and a plurality of drive units for independently driving a plurality of regions of the reflector and thereby controlling the distances between said plurality of regions and said substrate. Each of the plurality of drive units comprises a plurality of electrodes disposed over said substrate, a tilt member which is rotated round the axis of tilt by being attracted by the selected one of the plurality of electrodes, and an action member for varying the distance between a specific region of the reflector and said substrate following the motion of the tilt member.

Abstract: An optical disk is provided for recording data of a signal modulated according to a predetermined modulation method in a form of concavo-convex pits. The optical disk includes a first area having a reflecting film partly removed, and a second area for recording pits which are different from pits satisfying requirements of the predetermined modulation method. The first area having the reflecting film partly removed includes a portion which is formed by removing the reflecting film, and has a length longer than a maximum pit length determined by the modulation method in a circumferential direction of the optical disk. When the pits recorded on the optical disk are physically copied as they are, physical copying of the optical disk can be prevented by utilizing such a difference that optical disk differs from a pirated copy in a combination of the respective reproduced signals of the first and second areas.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes: a disc storage portion; first and second shutters provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion; and a rotational member interlocked with the shutters and having a disc supporting portion to support the disc thereon while the shutters are closed and a notch to be located inside a head opening while the shutters are opened. The shutters include disc holders for holding the disc thereon with the center of the disc offset from that of the disc storage portion such that an outer side surface of the disc contacts with the sidewall of the disc storage portion at a position where the notch is located while the shutters are closed. The inner circumference of a region, where the disc supporting portion contacts with the second side of the disc, defines a circle that has its center offset from the center of the disc storage portion.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes: a cartridge body including a disc storage portion storing a disc, having first and second sides, therein so that the disc is rotatable there and that the first side is exposed and chucking and head opening formed on the bottom of the storage portion so as to get the disc chucked externally and allow a read/write head to access the second side, respectively; a shutter supported, and movable with respect to the cartridge body, between the second side of the disc and the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to expose or cover the chucking and head openings and defining a hole under a center hole of the disc while the shutter is closed; and a disc holder provided for the shutter and pressing the disc against the shutter and holding it thereon while the chucking and head openings are covered with the shutter.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a cartridge body, first and second shutters, and a rotational member. The cartridge body includes a disc storage portion to store a disc in a rotatable state, a chucking hole provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to get the disc chucked externally, and a head access window provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to allow a head, which reads and/or writes data from/on the disc, to access the disc. The first and second shutters are provided so as to expose or cover the head access window by rotating in the disc storage portion. The rotational member is provided so as to rotate in the disc storage portion, too. The first and second shutters are interlocked with the rotational member so as to rotate in mutually opposite directions and at respectively different velocities.

Abstract: An optical disk is provided for recording data of a signal modulated according to a predetermined modulation method in a form of concavo-convex pits. The optical disk includes a first area having a reflecting film partly removed, and a second area for recording pits which are different from pits satisfying requirements of the predetermined modulation method. The first area having the reflecting film partly removed includes a portion which is formed by removing the reflecting film, and has a length longer than a maximum pit length determined by the modulation method in a circumferential direction of the optical disk. When the pits recorded on the optical disk are physically copied as they are, physical copying of the optical disk can be prevented by utilizing such a difference that the authorized optical disk differs from a pirated copy in a combination of the respective reproduced signals of the first and second areas.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a cartridge body, a first shutter, a second shutter, and a rotational member. The cartridge body includes a disc storage portion, a chucking opening and a head opening. The disc storage portion has a disc window and a bottom and stores a disc, having first and second sides, therein so that the disc is rotatable in the disc storage portion and that the disc exposes the first side inside the disc window. The first and second shutters are provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion to expose or cover the head opening. The rotational member is provided over the first and second shutters inside the disc storage portion and is engaged with the first and second shutters in such a manner as to open or close the first and second shutters when rotates inside the disc storage portion.

Abstract: A disk drive including a motor that rotates a disk, an auto-balancer connected to a rotating portion of the motor, 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. When the disk makes a whirling motion while being rotated by the motor, a phase angle of 120 degrees to 180 degrees is formed between a direction that is pointed from a whirling center axis toward a center of mass of the disk and a direction that is pointed from the whirling center axis toward the center of mass of the auto-balancer.

Abstract: A disc cartridge according to the present invention includes a cartridge body, a shutter and a disc holding portion. The cartridge body includes a disc storage portion, a chucking opening and a head opening. The disc storage portion stores a disc, having first and second sides, therein so that the disc is rotatable in the disc storage portion. The shutter is supported to, and movable with respect to, the cartridge body between the disc and the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to expose or cover the chucking opening and the head opening. The disc holding portion is provided at a portion of the shutter for fixing the disc onto the shutter or the cartridge body synchronously with a movement of the shutter, by pressing the disc toward the bottom of the disc storage portion when the shutter covers the chucking opening and the head opening.

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.