Patent ID: 8082559
Filing Date: 2011-12-20
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. An in-vehicle apparatus, comprising: an apparatus body installed in a vehicle compartment including a reproduction unit for reproduction of data recorded on a recording medium, the reproduction unit being provided at a front surface of the apparatus body with a loading/unloading gate for loading and unloading said recording medium therethrough; a front panel disposed at the front surface of said apparatus body and provided with an operating member for operating said apparatus body; and a drive mechanism connecting said apparatus body and said front panel, said drive mechanism being operative to support said front panel in a first posture such that a front surface of said front panel is parallel to said front surface of said apparatus body, wherein said reproduction unit reproduces audio data recorded on a disk-formed recording medium and outputs an audio signal, said apparatus body being provided with an audio output unit for applying a predetermined signal processing to said audio signal outputted from said reproduction unit and for supplying the processed signal to an audio output unit, wherein said drive mechanism moves said front panel between an attached use position where said front panel is attached to said front surface of said apparatus body and an inclined use position where one of left and right side parts of said front panel projects more forwards relative to said front surface of said apparatus body than the other, wherein said drive mechanism includes a left drive mechanism provided at a left side part of said apparatus body and connected to a left side part of said front panel, and a right drive mechanism provided at a right side part of said apparatus body and connected to a right side part of said front panel, wherein said left drive mechanism includes a left forward-rearward movement arm which extends in the front-rear direction at a left side part of said apparatus body, the front end of which is connected to a left side part of said front panel and which is moved forwards and rearwards, wherein said right drive mechanism includes a right forward-rearward movement arm which extends in the front-rear direction at a right side part of said apparatus body, the front end of which is connected to a left side part of said front panel and which is moved forwards and rearwards, wherein one of said left drive mechanism and said right drive mechanism is provided with a vertical swing arm which extends in the front-rear direction, the front end of which is connected to said front panel and which is moved forwards and rearwards, wherein said left forward-rearward movement arm, said right forward-rearward movement arm and said vertical swing arm are located in forwardly moved positions spaced by equal distances from a front surface of a casing, and wherein when only said vertical swing arm is moved forwards from said forwardly moved position starting from the condition where said left forward-rearward movement arm, said right forward-rearward movement arm and said vertical swing arm are located in said forwardly moved positions, said front panel is thereby swung from said first posture to a second posture such that said front surface thereof faces upwards, resulting in the condition where said recording medium can be loaded and unloaded through said recording medium loading/unloading gate.