Abstract: A lifter mechanism includes: a first lifter; a second lifter; a first biasing member that biases the second lifter from a second lower limit position toward a second upper limit position; a locking lever that is displaced between a locked position in which the locking lever locks the second lifter in the second lower limit position and a released position in which the locking lever releases the lock of the second lifter from the second lower limit position; a second biasing member that biases the locking lever from the locked position toward the released position; a holding member that holds the locking lever in the locked position; and a queueing lever that pushes down the second lifter from the second upper limit position to the second lower limit position.

Abstract: A biaxial actuator for an objective lens of an optical pickup that prevents the occurrence of tangential skew when the objective lens is moved in a focussing direction, and thereby improves optical performance. The actuator includes a lens holder 11 that supports an objective lens 11a, elastic supporting members 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d each having one end fixed to the lens holder and the other end fixed to a fixed part 14. The supporting members support the lens holder movably in a radial direction of a disc-form recording medium D and two directions intersecting orthogonally with this direction. The elastic supporting members are provided such that at least one pair on both sides of the objective lens are lined up in the optical axis direction of the objective lens. The pair of elastic supporting members 13a, 13b have the spacing h1 of their fixing places 45, 46 on the lens holder side so set as to be narrower than the spacing h2 of their fixing places 47, 48 provided on the fixed part side.

Abstract: A device contains a super absorbent hydrophilic polymer in combination with a compatible liquid to form a thick, viscous gel-like colloidal fluid to provide high durability, low cost, and ready manufacture in footwear, medical applications, including surgical padding, flotation sleeping devices, and other applications for the dissipation of shock or load over time and/or an area.

Abstract: A camera exposure control device reduces battery power consumption during film exposure at the picture shooting time for long exposure times greater than several seconds such as bulb shooting and time shooting. The camera exposure control device includes a power source line from a battery power source to a control device and the like. A DC/DC converter is also on the power line. The control device stops operation of the DC/DC converter during the long exposure time where the shutter time is longer than a predetermined time. In other words, the control device controls the operation of the DC/DC converter during film exposure at shooting times where the film exposure time is longer than several seconds. The control device interrupts the DC/DC converter during these long exposure times. Further, other electric parts such as IC's and devices that do not require electricity supplied during the long exposure times can be turned off by the control device.

Abstract: A disc drive apparatus employs a locking mechanism for locking a movable base structural component to a stationary frame during disc loading and unloading operations. The locking mechanism is associated with a head drive mechanism which drives a head including a head for transferring information between a disc and the head, toward and away from the disc, so that the locking mechanism is operated between the locking position in which the movable base frame is restricted from movement relative to the stationary frame, and on unlocking positon in which the movable base frame is permitted to move relative to the stationary frame.

Abstract: In an optical disk player according to this invention, a movable chassis mounted with an optical pickup, a turntable and the like is supported by springs joined with respective positions of a frame, and in this optical disk player, dampers are inserted between the frame and the movable chassis to absorb the energy of vibrations of the movable chassis. At the same time, a correcting means such as a coiled spring is so arranged as to be capable of changing the biasing force for biasing the movable chassis in a neutral condition with respect to the frame by adjustment operation. With the above arrangement, the slope of Q-value of the resonance region becomes moderate enough at the leading edge of the slope, and thus the vibration isolation characteristic is improved, so that sound omissions tend not to occur. The degradation of the vibration isolation characteristic of the damper that usually occurs on tilt of the chassis is effectively prevented.

Abstract: A lifting device, for moving a pick-up arm upwards and downwards, has a lift rod guided by a guide element formed integrally with the deck plate. The lift rod has a pair of adjoining planar walls intersecting each other at an angle, and engaging a corresponding pair of guide walls of the guide element. A highly viscous damping material is arranged between these engaging walls. An oblique compression spring presses the lift rod downward and sideways into engagement with the guide walls, the spring force being directed in a plane which bisects the angle formed by the lift rod walls.

Abstract: A tone arm for a phonograph pickup having a bifilar flexible ligament suspension for vertical and lateral displacement. The suspension takes the place of the more usual pivots, and employs a pair of thin flexible ligaments or fibers in a skewed convergent torsional bifilar configuration. The lower ends of the two ligaments are attached to a basal element, which may be shaped as a disc, connected to and lying below the arm itself. The flexibility of the ligaments confers freedom to the arm for angular displacement in the vertical and horizontal planes, but the skew prevents linear displacement along the direction of its length. The basal element is preferably immersed in a container of viscous liquid to damp movement of the arm.

Abstract: In a tone arm elevating mechanism, an elevator, which is arranged to raise and lower the tone arm, is driven by a solenoid, and the mechanism comprises a first rotary lever contactable with a portion of the elevator and a second rotary lever arranged to be driven by the solenoid, where the second rotary lever is operatively linked with the first rotary lever by means of an elastic member which prevents transmission of shock. Thus, the reciprocating movement of the solenoid is converted into rotational force to cause the elevator to rise gently and slowly. A viscous and resistive material may be provided to the elevator so that the elevator slowly lowers when the solenoid is deenergized. A portion of the elevating mechanism functions as an electrical switch to detect the highest position of the tone arm, while another portion may also function as another switch to detect the fact that the stylus has been placed on the record disk.

Abstract: A linear-tracking pick-up arm drive assembly for an audio or video disc player, comprising a linear motor including a magnet-carrying movable unit movable on and along a pair of spaced, parallel horizontal guide bars, and a pair of horizontally elongated, stationary armatures positioned below the guide bars, characterized in that the magnet-carrying movable unit has a pick-up arm supported above the movable unit and a permanent magnet projecting downwardly into the opening between the two stationary armatures and further in that the movable unit is supported in weight transmitting relationship on the guide bars by a three-point support mechanism which may include three rollers one of which is rollable on one of the guide bars and the others of which are rollable on the other guide bar.

Abstract: A phonograph record player mechanism is provided which includes a tone arm, means for mounting the tone arm for rotation about an axis, a cueing lever lift rod adapted to engage the tone arm at a point spaced from said axis, and a flat spring having one end thereof connected to said lift rod, means defining a fixed shoulder in engagement with one side of the spring and a cueing lever which is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and has a portion which engages the other side of the spring between the lift rod and the shoulder when the cueing lever is rotated about said horizontal axis.

Abstract: A diamond stylus for electromechanically recording short wavelength video signal information in a metal disc master is supported in a cutterhead suspension apparatus. A set of parallel spring steel suspension members are used to mount a cutting stylus assembly including the diamond stylus to an electromechanical recording lathe. A cutterhead suspension velocity control apparatus couples the cutterhead suspension apparatus to the main frame of the electromechanical recording lathe. When the cutterhead suspension is lowered onto the disc master surface the velocity control apparatus controls the rate at which the cutterhead suspension descends to the disc master surface.

Abstract: A cutting stylus assembly for electromechanically recording short wavelength video signal information in a metal master is supported in a cutterhead suspension apparatus. In the suspension head apparatus the cutting stylus assembly is supported by an air puck device so that the stylus cuts an information track having a given quiescent depth. Two sets of parallel spring steel suspension members are used to mount the cutting stylus assembly and air puck to an electromechanical recording lathe. These suspension members are used to control the cutting stylus assembly and air puck motion, to maintain a fixed stylus assembly to air puck plane relationship and to effect a variable preload for the cutting stylus system.