Abstract:
A disk device that can accommodate disks of different diameter sizes and can be used in the horizontal or vertical orientation is provided with a disk tray on which an optical disk is placed, a chucking member that holds an optical disk in place at its center, and a drive motor that rotates the chucking member and is installed on a base member, which is rotatably supported inside the main body of the disk device. The chucking member is movable with the disk tray during the inward and outward movement of the disk tray with respect to the main body of the disk device, while the drive motor is also moved into and out of engagement with the chucking member as the disk tray moves into and out of the main body of the disk device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention concerns a disk device that has a disk tray onto which a disk for recording and/or for playback is placed and retained in the horizontal or vertical position, and that loads said disk into a main body of the device, for use, for example, for CD, DVD, and other optical disk players or for CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and other disk drives. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Long known as disk devices for CD, DVD, and other optical disk drives, etc. are disk devices in which a disk, which is an information recording medium, is inserted into a depression on a disk tray placed approximately horizontally, and said optical disk is loaded by accommodating the disk tray inside the device main body. 
     With such a disk device, it suffices merely to place the optical disk in the disk tray, making it possible to simply load the disk inside the main body and to place in the disk tray optical disks of different diameters, such as 8 cm and 12 cm. Such disk device, besides being used in the horizontal orientation, in which the disk tray is horizontal, is also sometimes used in the vertical orientation, in which the disk tray is vertical. 
     If the disk device is oriented vertically, it is not possible, just by inserting an optical disk into the depression, to hold the optical disk on the disk tray. Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent H6-251479 [1994], a disk device has been proposed that has a disk tray equipped with holding members that hold the optical disk loosely clamped against the outer circumference of the depression from outside its surface. However, in said prior art disk device, the holding members are fixed on the disk tray, so nothing can be held by the holding members except an optical disk of the prescribed diameter size, such as the 12-cm size used for ordinary CDs, etc., with the problem that when using the disk device in vertical orientation, it is difficult to use an optical disk of a different diameter size, such as 8 cm. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of this invention is to provide a disk device that can use disks of different diameters and can be used in the horizontal or vertical orientation. In order to achieve said purpose, the disk device of the present invention, which has a disk tray into which is placed a disk, has a chucking member that holds said disk in place at its center hole part and a drive motor that turns the chucking member, The drive motor is installed on a base member that is rotatably supported inside said device main unit, and this base member, along with the advancement and retraction of said disk tray with respect to the device main body, rotates so as to cause said drive motor to approach toward and retreat from said disk tray. The chucking member is constructed so as to be exposed outside the device main body along with the advancement and retraction of said disk tray with respect to the device main body along with the loading of said disk. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view showing the structure of the disk device of an embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the disk device of the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view showing the structure of the tight contact between the chucking member and the drive motor that constitute the disk device of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the structure of the base surface part of the chucking member that makes up the disk device of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of the invention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the invention presented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts. 
     Shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the disk device  1  of the present invention, which plays optical disk  2  such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disk, which comprises device main body  11 , inside which an optical pickup unit (see FIG. 2) is accommodated, and disk tray  31 , by which optical disk  2  is loaded into device main body  11 . As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, device main body  11  has outer case  12 , in which is formed an opening  12 A for insertion and withdrawal of disk tray  31 , spindle motor  13 , which is a drive motor for rotating disk  2  placed on disk tray  31 , and optical pickup unit  15 , which reads the information recorded on optical disk  2 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, spindle motor  13  has a motor main body (not pictured), rotor case  131 , in which the motor main body is housed, rotating plate  132 , which is attached to the rotation shaft of the motor main body and is exposed on the upper surface of rotor case  131 , and protrusion  133 , which protrudes on the upper surface part of this rotating plate  132 . Rotating plate  132  is made of a magnetic substance that has magnetic force, and the upper surface of rotating plate  132  that makes tight contact with chucking member  33 , which is described below, is in the shape of a roughly spherical surface whose vertex is axis of rotation C (see FIG.  3 ). Protrusion  133  is biased outwardly by a spring (not pictured) provided on the rear surface (not pictured) of rotating plate  132 , such that when a force is applied against the protrusion  133  it disappears into the surface of rotating plate  132 , and when the force is released, the spring causes it to protrude outward from the surface of rotating plate  132 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, spindle motor  13  and optical pickup unit  15  are positioned on base member  17 , which is rotatably supported by rotation fulcrum  16  in the back of device main body  11 . Together with the rotation of this base member  17 , spindle motor  13  and optical pickup unit  15  move so as to approach toward and retreat from disk tray  31 . Also, although not pictured in FIG. 2, a drive mechanism is provided inside device main body  11  that causes base member  17  to rotate about rotation fulcrum  16  as disk tray  31  is inserted and withdrawn through opening  12 A. As shown in FIG. 1, disk tray  31  has a circular depression  32 , which is formed to correspond to the shape of an optical disk  2 , and chucking member  33 , which holds it in the middle of the tray surface in a loosely clamped state. In approximately the center part of disk tray  31  is formed opening  31 A (FIGS.  1  and  2 ), into which optical pickup unit  15  is inserted when disk tray  31  is inserted into device main body  11 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3, chucking member  33  further comprises disk mounting unit  34  on the upper surface of disk tray  31 , and motor connection unit  35  on the lower surface of tray  31 , with a cylindrical connection member  36  extendable therebetween and insertable through a hole formed in disk tray  31 . A clearance of about 1 mm is preferably provided between the hole formed in disk tray  31  and connection member  36 . The spacing between disk mounting unit  34  and motor connection unit  35  is preferably larger than the thickness of disk tray  31 . Prior to contact with the spindle motor  13 , the chucking member  33  is held by the disk tray  31  between the disk mounting unit  34  and motor connection unit  35 . When chucking member  33  makes tight, operational contact with spindle motor  13 , chucking member  33  is released from disk tray  31  and is rotated by spindle motor  13 . 
     Disk mounting unit  34  has insertion unit  341 , onto which the center hole of optical disk  2  is inserted, disk table unit  342 , which is provided on the lower end part of insertion unit  341  for support of the lower surface of optical disk  2 , and protrusion units  343 , which are provided on the upper side surfaces of insertion unit  341  for holding inserted optical disk  2  against disk table unit  342 . Protrusion units  343  are preferably biased to protrude and retract with respect to the side surface of insertion unit  341 . When optical disk  2  is placed on disk tray  31 , protrusion units  343  retract into the insertion unit  341  and allow the center hole of optical disk  2  to pass by. After the optical disk  2  has been placed on the disk table unit  342 , the protrusion units  343  once again protrude outward from the insertion unit  341 , urging the optical disk  2  downward against the disk table unit  342  from above. 
     It will be understood that because the chucking member  33  becomes exposed outside of device main body  11  together with the advancement and retraction of disk tray  31  with respect to device main body  11 , optical disk  2  can be held on the disk tray by mounting the center hole of optical disk  2  on the exposed chucking member  33 . Therefore optical disk  2  can be held securely on the disk tray regardless of whether disk device  1  is used in the horizontal orientation or in the vertical orientation. Furthermore, because only chucking member  33  is exposed from the outside of device main body  11 , the additional weight of disk tray  31 , including chucking member  33 , can be minimized, and no excess load is imposed on the drive mechanism that performs the operation of advancement and retraction of disk tray  31  with respect to device main body  11 . 
     Motor connection unit  35  is preferably made of sheet metal, and chucking member base surface  351 , which makes tight contact with rotating plate  132  of spindle motor  13 , preferably constitutes a concave curved-surface that corresponds to the curved-surface of rotating plate  132 . The lowest part of the concave curved surface of chucking member base surface  351  corresponds to the center of rotation of chucking member  33 . Formed on chucking member base surface  351 , in a position corresponding to protrusion  133  on rotating plate  132 , is depression  352 . As shown in FIG. 4, guide groove  353  is formed in depression  352  along the rotation direction of chucking member  33 , being shallowest farthest from depression  352  along the direction of rotation and deepest in the position near depression  352 . In other words, when protrusion  133  makes tight contact with motor connection unit  35 , it is guided by guide groove  353  until it engages with depression  352 . 
     The operation of the disk device  1  of the present invention is fairly straightforward. When an eject button (not pictured) provided on the front panel of device main body  11  is pressed, base member  17  inside device main body  11  rotates, spindle motor  13  and optical pickup unit  15  move away from disk tray  31 , and disk tray  31  is ejected from main body  11 . The center of optical disk  2  is then advanced over insertion unit  341 , causing protrusion units  343  to temporarily retract with the passage of the disk  2  until disk  2  is seated on the disk table unit  342  and is held there by the protruding units  343 . After the disk  2  has been mounted on the chucking member  33 , the eject button is operated again or disk tray  31  is pressed in with a prescribed force and disk tray  31  is automatically pulled in by the drive mechanism inside device main body  11 . The base member  17  then rotates, bringing spindle motor  13  and optical pickup unit  15  near disk tray  31 . 
     When spindle motor  13  approaches disk tray  31 , chucking member  33  is magnetically attracted to rotating plate  132 , causing rotating plate  132  and chucking member base surface  351  to make tight contact. After rotating plate  132  and chucking member  33  make tight contact, spindle motor  13  begins to rotate, and in conjunction with this the chucking member  33  also rotates, and chucking member  33 , by means of roughly spherical-surface-shaped rotating plate  132 , moves so that its center of rotation corresponds to the position of the axis of rotation of spindle motor  13 . Protrusion  133  then engages guide groove  353 , and together with the rotation of rotating plate  132 , it is guided by guide groove  353  until it engages with depression  352 . 
     The disk device of the present invention provides for an efficient construction and operation of the disk tray and the operational components within the device main body. The use of a chucking member disposed on the disk tray enables a disk to mounted in the horizontal or vertical direction. Furthermore, because only the chucking member is exposed from the outside of device main body, the weight of the disk tray can be minimized, requiring no excess load imposed on the drive mechanism that advances and retracts the disk tray with respect to device main body. 
     Locating the chucking member on the disk tray also results in a simplified construction of the device main body. For example, because base member rotates so as to draw nearer to and farther from spindle motor and disk tray, spindle motor is prevented from interfering with the disk tray and the operation of advancing and retracting the disk tray with respect to device main body can be done quickly and efficiently. Also, because the approach and separation of the spindle motor is done by rotation of base member, the internal structure of the disk device is simplified, and the disk device can be made smaller and lighter. Furthermore, because the chucking member makes tight contact with rotating plate by magnetic force and rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the motor main body, the structure of the disk device and the spindle motor in particular is simplified by virtue of the automatic connection between the chucking member and the motor. 
     In addition, because the connection between the chucking member and the spindle motor occurs along mating spherical surfaces  132  and  351 , the chucking member will be guided to the position that is most stable for the rotation movement. In other words, the center of the rotational movement of chucking member can be guided to a position that corresponds to the axis of rotation of the motor main body, thereby assuring a proper rotation of an optical disk held in chucking member. Furthermore, because a protrusion is provided on rotating plate and a depression is formed in chucking member base surface, when rotating plate and chucking member base surface make tight contact, they engage mechanically, guided by a guide groove on the chucking member, and resist the force of spindle motor in the rotational direction. Therefore, the rotation movement of spindle motor can be transmitted to chucking member in proportion to the tight contact due only to the magnetic force, and without the occurrence of any sliding therebetween. 
     Moreover, this invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments, but can include the following modifications, which are not meant to be interpreted in any limiting sense. 
     Namely, in the above embodiment, the tight contact between spindle motor and chucking member is effected by magnetic force. However, the tight contact between the two may be effected by some other mechanical engagement not incorporating magnetic means. Also, in the above embodiment, the tight contact between spindle motor and chucking member is effected by the mechanical engagement of protrusion and depression, but it is not necessarily limited to this. Namely, the tight contact between the two may be effected exclusively by magnetic force, without any mechanical engagement. And in this case, the occurrence of sliding, etc. can be suppressed by increasing the friction between rotating plate and chucking member base surface. Other engagement means are also contemplated. 
     In addition, the disk device of the present invention may have a structure and shape other than what is disclosed herein, as long as it achieves the purpose of this invention. 
     While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention.