Disk loading device and disk cartridge

To present a disk loading device reduced in the thickness of the entire device, capable of loading plural types of cartridge and bare disk commonly, easy to handle in horizontal or vertical position, and particularly excellent in dust-proof performance or manual insertion and discharge performance of tray in power off state, a holder 100 moved back and forth by transfer means provided inside includes a detecting switch 114 of a shutter opener 103 and a detecting switch 115 of a disk holder 104, and these two detecting switches are combined, while a dust-proof member such as dust-proof cover 42 is provided in a passage to the disk and optical head 7 in an external air stream in the device, and therefore, immediately after putting the media into the holder 100, the type and state of the media can be detected, and breakage of device due to insertion of plural types of cartridge in wrong direction or wrong side can be prevented, and also contamination of the disk or optical head 7 by suction of dust or smoke can be also prevented. Moreover, the worm gear provided in a drive gear train 112 of the holder 100 is designed to exclude the axial force in the opposite direction of the loading motor 111, and meshing with the wheel 112 can be freely cleared, and therefore the loaded media can be easily discharged and taken out in power off state.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to a disk loading device and a cartridge of
 an apparatus for recording and reproducing information in a recording
 medium such as a disk by using optical means.
 2. Description of the Related Art
 Recently, optical disk apparatuses are being widely used for audio discs,
 video discs and computer data memory devices.
 Optical disks are classified into those contained in a cartridge to be
 recording and reproduced, used mainly in data storage, and disks to be
 reproduced only, used in a bare state, such as music CD and CD-ROM. Along
 with the progress of the multimedia, digitization of AV appliances and
 enhancement of AV functions in computer are advanced simultaneously, and
 the optical disks are required to function as a digital disk to be used
 widely in AV appliances and computers alike.
 Further, not only the AV appliances but also personal computers are more
 and more reduced in size, and thus the optical disk apparatus is demanded
 to be further thinner.
 In this background, regarding the optical disk apparatus, a thin type
 apparatus applicable to multiple formats of media is strongly demanded.
 Hitherto, however, between the disk contained in the cartridge and the bare
 disk, the loading method for loading the disk into the apparatus is
 different, and various exclusive devices were needed.
 Conventional devices are described below while referring to the drawings.
 First, the loading mechanism of an optical disk apparatus for a cartridge
 used mainly as data memory device is explained with reference to the
 accompanying drawings.
 Generally, in such optical disk apparatus, after inserting a cartridge into
 the apparatus, this cartridge must be moved in the direction of a spindle
 motor and an optical pickup, and the disk must be put on the turntable to
 be set in a recording or a reproducing state.
 FIG. 49 is a prior art perspective view showing a structure of a disk
 loading mechanism, FIG. 50 is a side view showing its operation, and FIG.
 51 is a schematic view showing the dimensional relation in the thickness
 direction within the device.
 In FIG. 49 and FIG. 50, a cartridge 201 is inserted into a cartridge holder
 202 from the front side of the disk loading device (hereinafter called the
 device). At this time, a shutter 201a of the cartridge 201 slides as being
 engaged with a shutter opener 210 assembled in the cartridge holder 202,
 and the recording and reproducing region of the disk in the cartridge 201
 is exposed. At both sides of the cartridge holder 202, four guide rollers
 203 are provided, and they are inserted into guide grooves 205 provided at
 both sides of a slider 204, so as to be movable by dimension d only in the
 vertical direction along a guide pole 207 planted on a chassis 206.
 The slider 204 is provided so as to be slidable by dimension S in the
 direction of arrow A along a guide pin 208 planted on the chassis 206 in
 such a shape as to nip the cartridge holder 202 from beneath. The slider
 204 is always thrust against the chassis 206 in direction A by means of a
 slider spring 209, and it is arrested, in initial state, by a lock arm
 (not shown) so that the slider spring 209 may be stopped in the maximum
 extended state (see FIG. 50(a)).
 A damper 214 is rotatably held by a support arm 215, and is disposed at a
 position of an upper central opening 202a of the cartridge holder 202, so
 as to confront a turntable 212 on a disk motor 211. The damper 214 and
 turntable 212 attract each other by the attracting force of a magnet and a
 magnetic piece incorporated respectively.
 The support arm 215 is rotated by a cam (not shown) provided in the slider
 204 depending on its position, and moves up and down the damper 214. In
 initial state, the damper 214 is lifted to a position so as not to
 interfere with the cartridge 201 to be inserted (see FIG. 50(a)).
 The lock arm is, when the cartridge 201 is inserted, pushed by a corner of
 the cartridge and is released. When the lock arm is released, the slider
 204 slides in direction A by means of the slider spring 209, and the guide
 roller 203 moves along the guide groove 205, so that the cartridge holder
 202 is moved by dimension d only in the direction (arrow B) of the chassis
 206. At the same time, the support arm 215 is rotated by the slider 204,
 and the damper 214 is moved in the direction of the turntable 212. As the
 cartridge 201 descends, the disk in the cartridge 201 is put on the
 turntable 212, and is attracted by the damper 214 from above to be
 installed in a rotatable state, and is brought closer to the optical
 pickup 213 within a distance for recording and reproducing (see FIG.
 50(b)).
 When taking out the cartridge 201 from the device, the slider 204 is pulled
 back against the pulling force of the slider spring 209 by means of a
 loading motor 216, and the clamper 214 and cartridge holder 202 are raised
 to the position of the initial state. As a result, the disk is separated
 from the turntable 212, so that it is ready to take out the cartridge 201.
 As shown in FIG. 51, when inserting the cartridge 201, a distance more than
 the thickness of the cartridge 201 (dimension D) is required between the
 turntable 212 and clamper 214.
 Next, a loading mechanism of a prior art optical disk apparatus for bare
 disks such as music CD or CD-ROM is described while referring to FIG. 52
 and FIGS. 53(a)-(c).
 In FIG. 52 and FIG. 53, reference numeral 253 is a main chassis, which
 comprises a disk motor 256, a turntable 258 mounted on its shaft, a center
 cone 258a on the turntable 258 engaged with a central hole 245a of a disk
 245 which is a recording disk, a head 243 mounting a coil 243a for linear
 motor slidably disposed in Y1-Y2 direction by a guide shaft 255, and a
 magnetic yoke 254 for linear motor. A hole 253b for rotary support point
 is provided at one end 253a of the main chassis 253, and a rotary support
 shaft 251 is passed in this hole 253b.
 Similarly, at one end 247a of the clamp lever 247, a hole 247b for rotary
 support point is provided, and the rotary support shaft 251 is also passed
 in this hole 247b, and this rotary support shaft 251 is fixed on a
 protrusion 252 in a casing 242.
 A tray 241 is provided inside of the casing 242 so as to move parallel in
 Y1-Y2 direction by motion in engagement between a rack 241a formed on the
 back side and an output gear of a loading motor 257 in which a reduction
 gear unit is provided. In the tray 241, moreover, a pan-shaped dent 246 is
 formed for mounting and holding the disk 245. When this dent 246 is formed
 in two steps, a small disk 260 can be also mounted.
 Further, a cam 250 is engaged with the rear parts of the main chassis 253
 and clamp lever 247. This cam 250 is driven by a geared motor 249.
 Depending on the position of rotation of the cam 250, the main chassis 253
 and clamp lever 247 are designed to rotate about the rotary support shaft
 251 to approach or depart each other. Reference numeral 240 is an insert
 port, 241b is an opening, and 248 is a clamper. The operation of the
 loading motor 257 and geared motor 249 is executed by ordinary
 microcomputer control. The position of the cam 250 or tray 241 driven by
 each motor is detected by an ordinary microswitch or the like. Their
 detail is not illustrated and explanation is omitted.
 FIGS. 53(a), (b), (c) show the operation of the disk loading device of this
 prior art.
 That is, when using the disk 245 in a disk recording and reproducing
 apparatus, when an eject/load switch 261 is pressed, the tray 241 is moved
 in Y2 direction by driving force of the loading motor 257 by microcomputer
 control, and comes out of the casing 242 to be in a state as shown in FIG.
 53 (a). At this time, the clamp lever 247 and main chassis 253 are at
 mutually departed positions from the rotary support shaft 251.
 In this state, when the disk 245 is put in the dent 246 of the tray 241 and
 the eject/load switch 260 is pressed, the tray 241 is transferred parallel
 into the casing 242 through the insert port 240 by driving force of the
 loading motor 257 to be in a state as shown in FIG. 53(b).
 Consequently, the cam 250 rotates, and the clamp lever 247 and main chassis
 253 approach each other on the rotary support shaft 251 as shown in FIG.
 53(c), and the disk 245 is nipped between the damper 248 and the turntable
 258 of the disk motor 256, and is engaged with the center code 258a to be
 in rotatable state. In this state, information in the disk 245 is
 reproduced or recorded by the head.
 When taking out the disk 245 from the device, the operation in exactly
 reverse procedure is carried out.
 In the disk loading device of such conventional disk apparatus, however,
 the loading device is exclusive for cartridge in the first prior art, and
 exclusive for the bare disk in the second prior art, and the following
 problems occur in the disk loading device handling both cartridge and bare
 disk (collectively called media hereinafter).
 That is, immediately after loading of media in the loading device, it
 cannot be judged whether it is cartridge or bare disk, or if it is loaded
 correctly in the device, so loading operation is required before driving
 it, and the device may be broken due to insertion of foreign matter or
 wrong insertion.
 Generally, since prevention of insertion of cartridge in wrong direction or
 wrong side depends on the shape of the cartridge, in the loading device
 capable of mounting plural types of cartridges, it is difficult to prevent
 wrong insertion of a cartridge.
 Besides, if the shutter provided in the panel has no regulation of opening,
 when a bare disk is stored in the opening of the tray or cartridge holder
 provided for attaching or detaching the cartridge, if the shutter is
 opened, it is likely to touch the bare disk rotating at high speed, and
 the user may be injured.
 Further, due to the effect of deflection of the shutter provided in the
 cartridge, the distance between the disk contact part of the cartridge
 opening and the disk stored in the cartridge is shortened, and there is a
 possibility of contact with the cartridge during rotation of the disk.
 Recently, on the other hand, aside from the recording and reproducing
 apparatus having the exclusive disk tray and the recording and reproducing
 apparatus having the exclusive cartridge tray, a recording and reproducing
 apparatus having a tray capable of mounting disks and cartridges
 selectively has been proposed.
 In this recording and reproducing apparatus (hereinafter called the
 compatible loading device), a disk mounting section and a cartridge
 mounting section are disposed on the tray, and when the cartridge is put
 on the tray, it is desired that the tray is firmly held in the loading
 device, and when pushing in the tray, it is desired to be manipulated by a
 small effort. When forcing out the media by force in a power off state, it
 is desired that the tray discharge force is small.
 In the conventional compatible loading device, however, since such tray
 manipulating load is determined by the gear ratio of the drive system of
 the loading device and the loading motor, it was difficult to optimize the
 tray manipulating load depending on the type of the media, and the power
 on or off state.
 In the compatible loading device, moreover, since the casing (fixed side)
 mounted on the personal computer and the recording and reproducing unit of
 cartridge and built-in disk (movable side) are separated by a damper, and
 when mounting on the personal computer, a gap is opened to absorb
 vibration due to impact between the opening of the casing and the movable
 side due to restriction of the outer structure of the device, and invasion
 of dust into the loading device is admitted, and also the pressure is
 negative inside the device due to rotation of the disk motor (spindle
 motor or the like), and dust or smoke is sucked toward the center of the
 motor, and such dust or smoke causes contamination of the recording and
 reproducing side of the disk or the lens over a long period of time.
 Generally, in the drive system gear train of the tray, it is desired to use
 spur gears in consideration of the gear transmission efficiency, and when
 a spur gear train is used, the reduction ratio must be higher, and a spur
 gear of relatively large diameter must be used, but when a spur gear of
 large diameter is used, it is hard to reduce the size and thickness of the
 disk loading device. Accordingly, a worm gear is used in order to obtain a
 high reduction ratio in a narrow space.
 In such a conventional disk loading device, however, aside from transfer of
 tray by driving the loading motor in the driving source, the tray may be
 transferred by a driving source other than the loading motor (transfer by
 manual operation), and the loading motor and the drive system may be
 operated by force by this driving source, and in this case, by such
 operation, arrest of rotation of the loading motor or damage may be
 induced by the force in reverse axial direction from the direction applied
 to the worm gear.
 If trouble occurs in rotary motion in the loading motor or around the drive
 system, it is necessary to draw out the tray smoothly so that the media in
 the loaded state may be taken out easily.
 Still more, for further reduction in size and thickness of the disk loading
 device, there were problems in optimization of the shape of the worm gear
 and engagement with the drive gear, and reduction of structural space of
 the drive gear train.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 In order to solve the aforesaid problems, it is an object of the invention
 to present a disk loading device capable of reducing the thickness of the
 entire device without making a large excessive space in the device,
 capable of loading both bare disk and cartridge, and usable in both
 horizontal position and vertical position.
 It is a second object of the invention to judge the type of the loaded
 media, and prevent insertion of cassette in wrong direction or side.
 It is a third object of the invention to prevent the user from touching
 easily the fast rotating disk in the device.
 It is a fourth object of the invention to avoid contact of the disk in the
 cartridge with the cartridge due to distortion of the shutter of the
 cartridge during rotation.
 It is a fifth object of the invention to optimize the load when
 manipulating the tray, depending on the type of the media, or power on or
 off state, allowing to hold the tray firmly in the loading device when the
 cartridge is mounted on the tray, push in the tray with a small force of
 manipulation, and discharge the tray with a small force when discharging
 the media by force in power off state.
 It is a sixth object of the invention to prevent contamination of recording
 and reproducing side of the disk or the lens in a long time course by
 preventing invasion of dust or smoke through the gap when mounting or an
 air flow inlet even when the loading device is mounted on a personal
 computer or the like.
 It is a seventh object of the invention to prevent arrest of rotation or
 damage of the loading motor by controlling the force in a reverse axial
 direction from the direction applied to the worm gear, whether the loading
 motor in the driving source is driven to transfer the tray, or the tray is
 transferred by a drive source other than the loading motor (transfer by
 manual operation) and the loading motor and the drive system are operated
 by force by this driving source, in the tray transfer means using the worm
 gear.
 It is an eighth object of the invention to take out the loaded media
 easily, by moving the tray smoothly, even if faulty operation or rotation
 trouble occurs in the loading motor or around its drive.
 To achieve the first to fourth objects, the disk loading device of the
 invention comprises a holder for holding a cartridge or a bare disk,
 shutter opening means of the cartridge and its position detecting means,
 holding means of bare disk and its posture detecting means in the holder,
 transfer means for moving the holder in and out through an opening at the
 front side of the disk loading device, and rotary driving means of a
 recordable disk, in which the action specification of the transfer means
 or the rotary driving means is changed depending on the results of
 detection by judging the type of the cartridge or bare disk immediately
 after contained in the holder by these two detecting means, and detecting
 whether the media are normally mounted or not.
 The disk loading device is combined with display means such as LED or
 liquid crystal panel for displaying the results of detection of the type
 and state of the media, or output means for delivering to an external
 display device such as a monitor or TV.
 The holder includes defining means for impeding mounting of the cartridge
 in other than a specified direction, which is provided in an opening of
 the cartridge appearing when the cartridge is mounted on the holder in the
 specified direction.
 Further, in the opening at the front side of the device of this disk
 loading device, a device shutter, and a stopper of limiting means for
 abutting against the device shutter by collaboration with the transfer
 means are provided, and depending on the holder containing state, the
 holder transfer state and the opening state of the device shutter are
 limited through the relative position of the stopper and the shutter.
 The cartridge of the present invention is designed to form a gap near the
 opening of the cartridge abutting against the shutter of the cartridge
 when opening the cartridge.
 In the invention, inside of the holder for holding the cartridge or bare
 disk, shutter opening means for a cartridge and its position detecting
 means, and holding means for a bare disk and its posture detecting means
 are provided, and it is intended to judge whether the media contained in
 the holder is a cartridge or a bare disk, and whether the media is
 installed normally or not by the two detecting means of the position
 detecting means and posture detecting means, and therefore it is instantly
 judged whether the media is installed correctly in the device or not, so
 that entry of foreign matter or wrong insertion may hardly occur.
 In the present invention, the device further comprises transfer means for
 moving the holder in and out through an opening at the front side of the
 device and rotary driving means of the recordable disk, and therefore
 immediately after being contained in the holder, the type of cartridge or
 bare disk is judged and whether the media is installed normally or not is
 detected, and the action specification of the transfer means or rotary
 driving means is varied depending on the result of detection, so that
 entry of foreign matter or wrong insertion may hardly occur.
 In the present invention, the device further comprises display mans for
 displaying the type or state of the media installed in the holder or
 output means for delivering outside, and therefore immediately after being
 contained in the holder, the type of cartridge or bare disk being judged
 and whether the media is installed normally or not are displayed by the
 LED or liquid crystal panel, or displayed in an external display device
 such as an external monitor or TV, so that it is immediately judged
 whether normally contained in the device or not.
 In the present invention, when the cartridge is inserted into the holder,
 the shutter of the cartridge is opened by the shutter opening means
 provided in the holder, and defining means for impeding mounting of
 cartridge in other than a specified direction is provided in the opening
 of the cartridge appearing when the cartridge is installed in the holder
 in the specified direction, and therefore entry of foreign matter or
 insertion in a reverse direction or insertion of a cartridge of the type
 not applicable in the device hardly occurs.
 The present invention comprises a holder for holding a cartridge or a bare
 disk, transfer means for moving the holder in or out of the device through
 an opening at the front side of the disk loading device, a device shutter
 provided in the opening, and a stopper as limiting means for abutting
 against the device shutter in collaboration with the transfer means, and
 when the holder is put in the disk loading device, the stopper and the
 protrusion provided in the device shutter are at confronting positions
 while maintaining a specified gap, and when the holder is discharged from
 the disk loading device, the stopper and the protrusion of the device
 shutter depart from each other, and therefore when the bare disk is put in
 the opening of the holder provided for attaching or detaching the
 cartridge, if the device shutter is opened, it is not likely to touch the
 bare disk rotating at a high speed.
 The present invention comprises a holder for holding a cartridge or a bare
 disk, transfer means for moving the holder in or out of the device through
 an opening at the front side of the disk loading device, a device shutter
 provided in the opening, and a stopper as limiting means for abutting
 against the device shutter in collaboration with the transfer means, and
 when the holder is put in the disk loading device, the stopper and the
 protrusion provided in the device shutter are at confronting positions
 while maintaining a specified gap, and when the holder is discharged from
 the disk loading device, the stopper and the protrusion of the device
 shutter depart from each other, and moreover when the closing action of
 the device shutter is blocked in the midst of entry of the holder into the
 disk loading device, the protrusion of the device shutter is positioned on
 the track of the stopper in holder entry process, and therefore when the
 bare disk is put in the opening of the holder provided for attaching or
 detaching the cartridge, if the device shutter is opened, it is not likely
 to touch the bare disk rotating at high speed.
 In the present invention, when composing the device shutter and the stopper
 through an elastic member such as vibration absorbing rubber, the abutting
 distance between the device shutter and the limiting means is provided
 with a variation portion of the posture due to the elastic element, and
 therefore when the bare disk is put in the opening of the holder provided
 for attaching or detaching the cartridge, if the device shutter is opened,
 it is not likely to touch the bare disk rotating at high speed.
 In the present invention, especially relating to the cartridge, by reducing
 the thickness of the cartridge or shutter near the opening of the
 cartridge abutting against the shutter when opening the shutter of the
 cartridge, a gap is provided therein, and therefore the distance between
 the inside of the opening of the cartridge and the disk in the cartridge
 is shortened due to the effect of deflection of the shutter of the
 cartridge, so that contact with the cartridge during rotation of the disk
 is avoided.
 To achieve the fifth and sixth objects, the present invention comprises a
 holder for holding a media such as a cartridge or a bare disk, shutter
 opening means of the cartridge, detecting means of its position, holding
 means for holding the bare disk, detecting means of its posture, all being
 disposed in the holder, and immediately after the media is put in the
 holder, the two detecting means judges whether the media is a cartridge or
 a bare disk, and detects whether the media is installed correctly or not,
 thereby changing the drive specification of the transfer means, so that
 the arresting force of the holder is optimized depending on the media.
 Further, comprising disk rotating means for the media, a casing having an
 opening and containing the holder, and a dust-proof member provided
 between the opening and the disk rotating means. Thus, dust or smoke is
 prevented from being sucked into the disk of the casing due to rotation of
 the disk rotating means, and contamination of the recording and
 reproducing surface of the disk or lens is avoided.
 The present invention comprises a holder for holding media, transfer means
 for moving the holder in or out of the device through an opening at the
 front side of the device, shutter opening means for the cartridge,
 detecting means of its position, holding means for holding a bare disk,
 detecting means of its posture, all being disposed in the holder, and
 immediately after being put in the holder, the two detecting means judge
 whether the media is a cartridge or a bare disk, and detects whether the
 media is installed correctly or not, thereby changing the drive
 specification of the transfer means, so that the arresting force of the
 holder is optimized depending on the media.
 In the present invention, the device is intended to change the arresting
 force of the holder by the transfer means when media is not mounted and
 when media is mounted, and therefore the sense of stability when mounting
 the media on the holder is increased, and it feels light when manipulating
 the holder after mounting of the media.
 In the present invention, preferably, a mechanical restraining mechanism is
 used in the arresting mechanism of the transfer means.
 In the present invention, preferably, an electromagnetic restraining
 mechanism by shorting both ends of the drive motor of the transfer means
 is used as the arresting mechanism of the transfer means.
 The present invention comprises a holder for holding media, transfer means
 for transferring the holder, and a casing holding the disk rotating means
 of media, and having an opening for moving in and out and containing the
 holder by the transfer means, and a ventilation hole is provided in the
 top lid at the opening side of the casing, and this casing is assembled
 into the main body of a personal computer, so that dust and smoke entering
 through the opening can be discharged out of the casing through the
 ventilation hole, by making use of an air stream of the fan incorporated
 in the personal computer, stronger than the air stream caused by pressure
 difference between inside and outside of the casing by rotation of the
 disk.
 The present invention comprises a holder for holding media, transfer means
 for transferring the holder, disk rotating means for rotating the media, a
 casing having an opening for containing the holder, and a dust-proof
 member disposed between the opening and the disk rotating means, and
 therefore by rotating the disk by the rotating means, the pressure becomes
 negative in the loading device, so as to suck dust and smoke toward the
 center of the motor. And thus, contamination of the recording and
 reproducing side of the disk and the lens can be prevented by the
 dust-proof member disposed in this passage.
 In the present invention, an elastic material is preferably used in the
 dust-proof member, and therefore contamination of the recording and
 reproducing side of the disk and the lens over the course of time can be
 prevented without impeding the action of the transfer means.
 In the present invention, a material of low gas permeability or a filter is
 preferably used as the dust-proof member, so that the passage of dust or
 smoke into the recording and reproducing side of the disk and the lens can
 be shut off.
 To achieve the seventh and eighth objects, the invention comprises driving
 means containing a worm gear at least in one position of the motor and
 drive system in order to transfer a disk tray mounting a disk, and an
 outer shell member for installing the disk tray and the driving means, in
 which the worm gear is freely supported in the center of rotation of the
 worm gear and in the rotating direction on the worm gear rotary shaft for
 obtaining a driving force from another driving source, and comprises
 driving force transmitting means fixed in the rotating direction and axial
 direction on the worm gear rotary shaft for defining the force in the
 axial direction in one direction only in the axial direction of the worm
 gear, and engaged with the worm gear for transmitting the driving force of
 the worm gear rotary shaft, and axial direction defining means for
 defining the force in the axial direction of the worm gear at the opposite
 side of the side defined by the driving force transmitting means, whereby
 the rotation is transmitted to the worm gear during rotation and driving
 of the worm gear rotary shaft, and the axial direction defining means
 prevents its action from being transmitted to the worm gear rotary shaft
 during movement of the worm gear only in a specific direction in the axial
 direction.
 That is, the present invention comprises a disk tray mounting a disk for
 transferring it, driving means containing a worm gear at least in one
 position of the motor and drive system in order to transfer the disk tray,
 and an outer shell member for installing the disk tray and the driving
 means, in which the worm gear is freely supported in the center of
 rotation of the worm gear and in the rotating direction on the worm gear
 rotary shaft for obtaining a driving force from other driving source, and
 comprises driving force transmitting means fixed in the rotating direction
 and axial direction on the worm gear rotary shaft for defining the force
 in the axial direction in one direction only in the axial direction of the
 worm gear, and engaged with the worm gear for transmitting the driving
 force of the worm gear rotary shaft, and axial direction defining means
 for defining the force in the axial direction of the worm gear at the
 opposite side of the side defined by the driving force transmitting means,
 whereby the rotation is transmitted to the worm gear during rotation and
 driving of the worm gear rotary shaft, and the axial direction defining
 means prevents its action from being transmitted to the worm gear rotary
 shaft during move of the worm gear only in a specific direction in the
 axial direction, and therefore the rotary shaft of the motor does not
 receive the axial force at the projecting side from its casing, thereby
 preventing breakage of the motor or an increased driving load of the motor
 if not leading to breakage.
 In the present invention, the worm gear is movable in the axial direction
 up to the position of clearing engagement with the driving force
 transmitting means, and includes thrusting means for thrusting in the
 axial direction in the direction toward the position of engagement from
 the position of clearing the engagement between the worm gear and the
 driving force transmitting means, and when a large torque is required for
 driving the motor rotary shaft from outside due to trouble of the motor or
 the like, the disk tray unit can be discharged smoothly in the power off
 state.
 In the present invention, at least one terminal end of the teeth of the
 worm gear is in a smooth state of a tooth tip curve, the height of the
 teeth becomes lower, and the teeth are terminated, and therefore, in order
 to reduce the size and thickness of the disk loading device, if the space
 efficiency is enhanced by setting the engagement position of the worm gear
 and worm wheel near the terminal end of the teeth at the dedendum of the
 worm gear, when the worm wheel is engaged with the worm gear, they are not
 engaged at other than a specified tooth surface, and failure of normal
 gear meshing is avoided. Therefore, increasing of driving load is avoided
 without spoiling smooth transmission of the driving force.
 In the present invention, the driving means includes a first gear and a
 second gear engaged with each other, having a rotary shaft aligned in a
 direction nearly vertical to the disk on the disk tray, and the first gear
 further includes moving means movable in the axial direction up to the
 clearing position for clearing engagement with the second gear, for moving
 the first gear up to the clearing position in the rotary shaft direction
 of the first gear, and thrusting means for thrusting the first gear in the
 direction of rotary shaft in the direction of the position of engagement
 with the second gear. Further, preferably, the driving means includes a
 first gear and a second gear engaged with each other, having a rotary
 shaft aligned in a direction nearly vertical to the disk on the tray, and
 the first gear further includes moving means movable in a direction of a
 plane orthogonal to the rotary shaft up to the clearing position for
 clearing engagement with the second gear, for moving the gears up to the
 clearing position in the direction of the plane orthogonal to the rotary
 shaft of the first gear, and thrusting means for thrusting the first gear
 in the direction of the plane orthogonal to the rotary shaft in the
 direction of the position of engagement with the second gear, and
 therefore the disk tray can be discharged smoothly in power off state,
 regardless of increase in the driving load, even if the gear is broken or
 abnormality occurs in the drive system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 (Embodiment 1)
 A disk loading device in embodiment 1 of the invention is described below
 while referring to the accompanying drawings.
 The disk loading device (or simply the device hereinafter) of the
 embodiment is usable in both horizontal and vertical position, but in the
 following description, the disk loading device is set in horizontal
 position for the sake of convenience.
 The recording media handled by the disk loading device of the invention
 include the disk alone such as music CD or CD-ROM of 12 cm in diameter or
 8 cm disk alone such as music CD (hereinafter called bare disk), and the
 type of the disk contained in a cartridge (hereinafter called cartridge).
 These two types of recording media are collectively called the media. What
 is considered in the loading mechanism is the type of the media, and the
 recording and reproducing system and recording density are not limited to
 the illustrated example alone.
 First the entire constitution of the disk loading device is explained, and
 then the constitution of individual parts is described in succession.
 (Entire Constitution of Disk Loading Device)
 FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view showing a constitution of the disk
 loading device in embodiment 1 of the invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view
 showing its internal constitution, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of
 cartridge and bare disk.
 In FIG. 1, the disk loading device in embodiment 1 of the invention is
 composed of a base unit U1, a holder unit U2, and a clamp unit U3.
 In the system of coordinates showing the direction in the diagram, the
 depth direction of the device is indicated by X, the width direction by Y,
 and the height direction by Z.
 In the base unit U1, a chassis 3 mounting an optical head 7 and a turntable
 integrated disk motor 2 on a base 8, and an elevating mechanism of raising
 and lowering it are assembled. A holder 100 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted on
 a guide 8f at the side in the base 8, and a top plate 25 is put thereon.
 In the top plate 25, a clamp lever 27 having a damper 26 is provided to
 compose the clamp unit U3.
 In the holder 100 of the holder unit U2, a loading motor 111 and a gear
 train 112 are assembled, and a gear 112a of final stage of the gear train
 112 is meshed with a rack 13a provided in a slide rack 13 provided in the
 base 8, so that the holder 100 is driven in the X1-X2 direction. The
 driving current of the loading motor 111 is supplied from the base side
 from a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter called flexible board)
 113.
 In the holder 100, moreover, a pair of right and left disk holding
 mechanism for guiding and holding the bare disk, a shutter opener 103 for
 opening and closing the shutter of the cartridge, a lock mechanism of
 cartridge, a lock mechanism of holder, and a cartridge thrusting spring
 are assembled.
 The flexible board 113 contains a switch 114 and a switch 115, which are
 respectively turned on or off by the shutter opener 103 and a linkage
 plate 108.
 FIG. 2 is a plan view of the state of assembling the holder unit U2 in the
 base unit U1.
 The holder 100 is pulled out in the direction of X1 by distance S as shown
 in FIG. 2, by means of the assembled loading motor 111 so that the held
 disk may be exposed by about half, and comes into waiting state for media
 exchange.
 (Media to be Used)
 FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view of a cartridge 300 in a closed state of a
 shutter 300a, in which a holding notch 300c and a positioning hole 300f
 are provided at the side.
 In the midst of inserting the cartridge 300 into the holder 100, the
 leading end of the shutter opener 103 of the holder 100 is engaged with a
 recess 300b at the leading end of the shutter 300a, and when further
 inserted into the depth, the shutter 300a is opened to be in state as
 shown in FIG. 3(b), and the disk 300e contained therein is exposed. At the
 same time, the linkage part 300d thinner than the thickness of the
 cartridge 300 is exposed, too. The shutter 300a may be either of one-side
 opening or both-side opening type. FIG. 3(c) is an appearance drawing of
 the bare disk 301.
 The constitution of individual parts of the disk loading device is
 specifically described below.
 (Constitution of Holder Unit)
 The constitution of the holder 100 is described in the first place.
 FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded view showing an internal constitution of
 the holder 100, and FIG. 5 is a see-through perspective view of the
 assembled state.
 In FIG. 4, a holder cover 102 is provided on a holder case 101, and the
 box-shaped holder 100 is composed, and the X1 side opening is a media
 inlet, and the media is inserted in the direction of X2. The height of its
 internal height is the sum of the thickness of the cartridge 300 and a
 proper clearance, and the width is the sum of the width of the cartridge
 300 and an escaping allowance for a holding mechanism (holding means) of
 the bare disk 301. The bottom of the holder case 101 has an opening in
 which an optical head is inserted from beneath, and the innermost center
 is notched from above and beneath to form a thin linkage part 101a. The
 holder cover 102 is divided into right and left sections, and a space is
 formed in the holder center in the same width as the linkage part 101a. A
 reverse insertion preventive rib 102a of the cartridge 300 is provided in
 the holder cover 102.
 The cartridge inlet shape of the holder case 101 and of the holder cover
 102 is specified so that the both right and left ends project in the
 direction of X1, with a recess formed in the center. In only the right and
 left protrusions, the bottom of the holder case 101 is extended to the
 inside from the holder cover 102, and a receiving part 101h is provided,
 and when inserting the cartridge 300, insertion is easy by once putting
 the leading end of the cartridge 300 on this receiving part 101h.
 At the inner end of the holder 100, there are a mounting portion of the
 loading motor 111 and driving gear train 112, a mounting portion of the
 shutter opener 103, and a mounting portion of the linkage plate 108 and
 holder lock 109, and two protrusions 100a, 10b are provided at the lower
 side of the bottom, and all others are symmetrical on right and left side.
 A gear 112a of the final stage of the gear train 112 projects to the holder
 lower side from the bottom hole 101c of the holder case 101, and
 cooperates with the drive mechanism assembled in the base 8. The operation
 of the gear 112a and two protrusions 100a, 100b is described later.
 The shutter opener 103 is rotatably assembled around a shaft 100e formed of
 the holder case 101, and a hole and a boss at the same position as the
 holder cover 102, and a protrusion 103a is engaged with an arc groove 100f
 that is concentric with the shaft 100e, so that the angle of rotation is
 defined. When thrust to the media inlet side of the arc groove 100f by a
 spring 160, the leading end 103b comes into the position for abutting
 against the recess 300b of the shutter 300a of the inserted cartridge 300.
 The leading end 103b of the shutter opener 103 has a cylindrical form of
 which the height is nearly equal to the thickness of the cartridge 300,
 and the media inserting side is notched, except for the upper and lower
 ends. Accordingly, an end face of an inserted bare disk, abutting against
 the leading end 103b, is prevented from dislocating by sliding up or down.
 The protrusion 103d at the opposite side of the shutter opener 103 projects
 to the side from the side hole 101d of the holder case 101, and when the
 shutter opener 103 rotates to the inner side, it is contained in the
 holder. When the holder 100 is ready to exchange media pulled out of the
 device, by forming a relief hole (not shown) in the side wall of the base
 8 at the position corresponding to this protrusion 103d, when the holder
 100 is pulled in, the shutter opener 103 is designed to rotate promptly to
 the holder inner end.
 An arm 103c of the shutter opener 103 is notched from above and beneath,
 and its thickness is nearly the same as the linkage part 101a at the inner
 end of the holder case 101.
 A protrusion 103e of the shutter opener 103 turns on a switch 114 provided
 in the flexible board 113 at a specific angle position of the shutter
 opener 103.
 An opener plate spring 103f of the shutter opener 103 abuts against the
 inner end wall of the holder case 101 at the terminal end of the rotary
 action of the shutter opener 103, and provides the shutter opener 103 with
 a thrusting force.
 The holder lock mechanism is described below.
 The holder lock mechanism is formed of an inlet lever 107, a linkage plate
 108, and a holder lock 109.
 The holder lock 109 has a hook 109a and a riser 109b at both ends, and
 installed on the lower side of the linkage plate 108 so as to be rotatable
 about a shaft 109d. The linkage plate 108 is provided rotatably about a
 shaft 100e in a dent or recess 101f provided in the bottom of the holder
 case 101. The holder lock 109 is thrust in a direction of the riser 109b
 moving toward the holder inner side by means of a spring 160.
 A slot 108a at the leading end of the linkage plate 108 is engaged with a
 protrusion 107b at the leading end of the inlet lever 107 to cooperate
 therewith. The inlet lever 107 is rotatably mounted around a shaft 100i in
 a range of an arc groove 100g, and is thrust to the holder inner side,
 together with the disk holder 104, by the spring (holder plate spring)
 105. Immediately after the cartridge 300 is inserted, the inlet lever 107
 is pushed open in the outer direction of the holder, and the linkage plate
 108 also rotates to the outside, and a hook 109a of the holder lock 109
 projects outside of the holder from the side hole 101g of the holder case
 101. In this state, the riser 109b of the holder lock 109 invades into the
 path of the cartridge 300, and when the cartridge 300 reaches up to the
 inner side, it is pushed open to the outside, and the hook 109a rotates
 reversely to the inside to be contained in the holder. That is, only in
 the midst of insertion of the cartridge 300, the hook 109a is designed to
 project outside of the holder 100.
 The protrusion 108b of the linkage plate 108 normally turns on the switch
 115 provided in the flexible board 113, and immediately turns off the
 switch 115 when the linkage plate 108 rotates due to rotation of the inlet
 lever 107.
 The cartridge lock mechanism is described below.
 The rear end of the disk holder 104 has an elastic structure, as shown in
 FIG. 5, composed of protrusions 104e, 104f and an arm 104g. When the
 cartridge 300 is inserted, the inside protrusion 104f is pushed open by
 the side surface of the cartridge 300, and the outside protrusion 104e
 once projects to the side of the holder 100. When the notch 300c of the
 cartridge 300 reaches up to the position of the protrusion 104f, the
 protrusion 104f gets into the notch 300c, and the protrusions 104e, 104f
 return to the original position by the elasticity of the arm 104g.
 Finally, the disk holding mechanism for guiding and holding the bare disk
 is described.
 The disk holding mechanism is composed of the disk holder 104, holder plate
 spring 105, and inlet lever 107.
 The disk holder 104 is a member for defining the position of the bare disk
 301 in the height direction by means of a slit 104a having a slope
 opposite to the holder inside, and defining the position of the bare disk
 301 in the radial direction by means of holding parts 104b at both ends of
 the slit 104a.
 The disk holder 104 is rotatably engaged with the inlet lever 107 at the
 leading end, and protrusions 104d provided at upper and lower positions
 are inserted into guide grooves 100h (FIG. 4) respectively.
 The inlet lever 107 is rotatably provided about a shaft 100i (FIG. 4), and
 the protrusion 107b is inserted into the arc groove 100g (FIG. 4), and is
 thrust in the inner direction of the holder 100 together with the disk
 holder 104 by means of the holder plate spring 105. Normally, the
 protrusions 104d, 107b are stopped at positions abutting against the
 terminal end of the holder inside of the guide groove 100h and arc groove
 100g. At this time, the pair of right and left disk holders 104 are held
 parallel in the direction of X, and their spacing interval is set smaller
 than the diameter of the bare disk 301 to be inserted. The inserted bare
 disk 301 abuts against the leading end of the shutter opener 103, and
 pushes open the leading end of the inlet lever 107 and disk holder 104
 while rotating the shutter opener 103 in the inner side, and moves into
 the slit 104a, so that the disk holder 104 returns to the original
 position.
 At this time, the shutter opener 103 is abutting against the bare disk 301
 while the switch 114 is still in the off position. From this position,
 when the bare disk 301 is pushed in slightly so as to extend the rear end
 of the disk holder 104, the protrusion 103e of the shutter opener 103
 turns on the switch 114. When the bare disk 301 is released, the disk
 holder 104 returns to the original position.
 By setting the four abutting portions 104b wider than the diameter of the
 bare disk 301 to maintain a certain gap relative to the outer
 circumference of the disk, and also setting the width of the slit 104a at
 a specific gap relative to the thickness of the disk, the disk can be
 rotated while the disk holder 104 remains at the original position.
 When the cartridge 300 is inserted, a corner of the cartridge 300 tilts the
 inlet lever 107 toward the inner side of the holder. A dent 107a is formed
 in the abutting surface, so that it is possible to push and tilt smoothly.
 When the inlet lever 107 rotates, the disk holder 104 also moves, and the
 leading end of the disk holder 104 opens widely. Further, when the
 cartridge 300 is inserted, the disk holder 104 is also pushed and tilted
 by the cartridge 300, and the disk holder 104 and inlet lever 107 are
 linearly stored at the right and left sides of the holder 100, so that the
 path for the cartridge 300 is cleared.
 In this construction, the disk holder 104 is waiting at a position capable
 of holding the bare disk 301, and when the cartridge 300 is inserted, the
 inlet lever 107 is pushed by its corner, and the disk holder 104 is stored
 at the right and left sides of the holder
 In the holder case 101, a cartridge thrusting spring 120 is assembled, and
 the leading end corner of the inserted cartridge 300 is pushed in a
 direction toward the holder cover 102 (direction of Z1).
 The construction of the clamp unit is described below.
 FIG. 6(a) shows a construction of a damper 26. In a damper body 26b
 positioned in the central hole of a clamp lever 27 made of a magnetic
 material, a magnet 26c is contained together with a magnetic member 26d,
 and fixed by a clamp cover 26a. In this state, the damper 26 is
 magnetically stable in relation to the clamp lever 27, and the magnetic
 member 26d and the clamp lever 27 float magnetically in departing
 directions on both sides of the magnet 26c.
 FIG. 6(b) shows the disk motor 2 is near the damper 26, in which the damper
 26 is attracted by the magnetic member of the disk motor 2, and magnetic
 flotation with the clamp lever 27 is cleared, and in the presence of the
 disk, it is attracted magnetically onto the turntable of the disk motor 2
 by means of the damper 26.
 FIG. 6(c) shows the disk motor 2 having the magnetic member near the damper
 is not present near the damper 26, in which the bent portion 25a of the
 top plate 25 abuts against the damper 26, and the damper 26 is
 magnetically stable in relation to the clamp lever 27, and floats
 magnetically to depart from the disk motor 2.
 FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the base unit of the disk loading device of the
 invention, in which FIG. 7(a) is a plan see-through view showing only the
 base unit, and FIG. 7(b) is a side sectional view.
 FIG. 8 is a front view of a casing of the disk loading device.
 In FIG. 7(a), reference numeral 1 is a casing of the disk loading device,
 which comprises a printed circuit board 20 mounting circuit parts for
 recording and reproducing, a panel 21, and a shutter 22 for closing a
 front opening 21a of the casing 1 when storing the holder 100.
 Reference numeral 8 is a base, which is elastically supported on the casing
 1 through a damper 9 in order to lessen the vibration or impact from
 outside. A chassis 3 is provided with a torsion leaf 11, and the torsion
 leaf 11 is attached to the base 8 so that the leading end 3a of the
 chassis 3 may be always thrust in the direction of Z2.
 At the front side of the casing 1 shown in FIG. 8, the panel 21 and the
 shutter 22 for closing the front opening 21a of the casing 1 when storing
 the holder 100 are provided. The panel 21 includes an eject button 44 for
 loading and unloading the holder 100, and a cooling air inlet hole 21d for
 the circuit board 20 mounting circuit parts for recording and reproducing.
 The shutter 22 has a forced eject hole 22b for taking out the cartridge
 300 or bare disk 301 in power off state.
 As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and(b), an elevating cam 10 is rotatably supported
 by a shaft 8a of the base 8, and when the elevating cam 10 is rotated in
 the direction of arrow R1 by driving means composed of a reduction gear
 (gear train) 112 provided in the holder 100 and loading motor 111 (see
 FIG. 2), it is engaged with a slit 3b of the chassis 3 by an inclined rib
 (slope) 10a, and the leading end 3a of the chassis 3 is pushed up in the
 direction of Z1 by overcoming the spring thrusting force of the torsion
 leaf 11, so that the chassis 3 is set nearly horizontal. At this time, the
 chassis 3 is supported on the horizontal surface of the end of the slope
 10a. When the elevating cam 10 is rotated in the direction of arrow R2,
 along the slope 10a of the elevating cam 10, the chassis 3 is inclined
 from the horizontal position to the direction of Z2 by the spring
 thrusting force of the torsion leaf 11. Between the elevating cam 10 and
 the base 8, a head unit thrusting spring 40 (not shown) is provided, and
 the holder 100 is thrust by spring against the top plate 25 through the
 chassis 3.
 A slide rack 13 has a rack 13a to be meshed with the driving gear 112a (see
 FIG. 2) provided at its upper surface, and is engaged with the protrusion
 8b of the base 8 to be held slidably in the direction of X, and is engaged
 with a pin 10b of the elevating cam 10 at a groove 13c. When the slide
 rack 13 is fixed by the engagement between a pawl 12c of the clutch 12 and
 the protrusion 8c of the base 8, the holder 100 is movable, and when the
 engagement between the pawl 12c of the clutch 12 and the protrusion 8c of
 the base 8 is cleared, the slide rack 13 slides and the elevating cam 10
 is rotatable.
 The inclined rib 10a of the elevating cam 10 abuts against the switch 23b
 for drive detection upon completion of loading operation when the holder
 100 is stored completely and the chassis 3 is nearly horizontal, and a
 micro-processing unit (MPU) 34 shown in FIG. 9 commands stopping of the
 driving means.
 A stopper 36 is rotatably supported on the shaft 8d of the base 8, and a
 shaft 36a at one end is engaged with a guide groove 10e of the elevating
 cam 10 to compose a link mechanism. A rib 36b at other end is at a
 position confronting the protrusion 22a of the shutter 22, and during
 loading operation for putting the holder 100 into the device, in the
 closed state of the shutter 22, the protrusion 22a is apart from the rib
 36b, and therefore rotation of the elevating cam 10 and stopper 36 is not
 impeded, and in the open state of the shutter 22, the protrusion 22a abuts
 against the rib 36b of the stopper 36, thereby impeding the rotation of
 the elevating cam 10 and stopper 36.
 A forced eject lever 14 is thrust in the direction of X1 by means of a
 forced eject spring 15, and is held slidably in the direction of X between
 the base 8 and the slide rack 13, and has a pawl 14a to be engaged with
 the lower engaging portion (not shown) of the holder 100 at its leading
 end. When taking out the media contained in the holder 100 in the device
 during power failure or power off state, a pin is inserted into a forced
 eject hole of the panel 21 (indicated by 22b in FIG. 8) in the direction
 of X2 while compressing the forced eject spring 15, and when the pawl 14a
 is engaged with the lower engaging portion of the holder 100, the holder
 100 is discharged from the device by overcoming the load in the drive
 system. Thereafter, when the holder 100 is pulled by hand up to the
 discharge position, the cartridge 300 or bare disk 301 contained in the
 holder 100 can be taken out.
 A disk defining member 29 is composed of a roller 29a made of rubber of
 lower hardness than polycarbonate of the disk material, and a coil spring
 29b, and contacts with the bare disk 301 contained in the holder 100 and
 the disk 300e in the cartridge 300, between the discharge completion
 position and storage completion position of the holder 100, defines the
 position of the chassis 3 obliquely thrust to the base 8 and these disks
 to be nearly parallel to each other, and prevents contact with the
 turntable 2 on the chassis 3. When the holder 100 is completely stored in
 the disk loading device, the lower surface (not shown) of the holder 100
 and the roller 29a contact with each other, and the disk defining member
 29 is stored in the base 8, and definition of these disks by the disk
 defining member 29 is cleared.
 The base 8 further includes a clutch 12 for changing over the motion of the
 slide rack 13, and a drive detecting circuit board 23 comprising a switch
 23a for detecting completion of discharge of the holder 100 and a switch
 23b for detecting completion of storage of the holder 100.
 The operation of the drive mechanism is described in detail later.
 The chassis 3 includes the integral type disk motor 2 having the turntable
 2a (in FIG. 6), guide shaft 6, feed motor 5, cartridge detection circuit
 board 18 elastically supported through a switch circuit board support 17,
 and positioning pin 16 for the cartridge 300. On the surface of the
 turntable 2a confronting the damper 26, a magnetic element (not shown) is
 provided, and an attracting force is created against the magnet 26c in the
 clamper 26.
 On the guide shaft 6, a head transfer lever 4 is provided so as to be
 movable in the direction toward the chassis 3, with one end abutting to
 the optical head 7 and other end to the forced eject lever 14.
 The optical head 7 is mounted on the guide shaft 6, and is moved back and
 forth in the direction of X1 and X2 by means of the feed motor 5, and
 includes a laser emitting unit for recording and reproducing, and a
 detecting unit for receiving the reflected light from the disk (300e or
 301).
 Inside of the damper 26 provided in the top plate 25, a magnet 26c for
 holding the disk is attached to the turntable 2a. The clamp 26 is thrust
 in a direction departing from the turntable 2a by a clamp pressure spring
 (not shown) through the clamp lever 27 projecting from the top plate 25 to
 the holder 100 side. The top plate 25 is attached to the base 8 by means
 of mounting means such as stopping pawl, and when the holder 100 moves
 from the discharge completion position to the storage completion position,
 the clamp lever 27 is pressed by an operating piece (linkage part) 101a of
 the holder 100, and the clamp 26 rotates by overcoming the clamp pressure
 spring to press each disk to the center cone of the turntable 2a. On the
 other hand, when the holder 100 begins to move toward the discharge
 position side, the operating piece 101a departs from the clamp lever 27,
 so that the damper 26 departs from the turntable 2a. In the case of the
 type, meanwhile, having a magnetic metal hub at the disk side, having a
 magnet at the turntable 2a side, and holding the disk by attracting the
 metal hub by this magnet, the damper 26 is not necessary, and therefore
 necessary mechanism may be added depending on each type.
 FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the main chassis 3 and circuit board 20 of the
 disk loading device of the embodiment. That is, a laser drive circuit 30
 operates, and the optical head 7 emits laser to the disk (300e or 301),
 the detecting unit of the optical head 7 receives the signal from the
 disk, and it is processed in a reproduction signal processing circuit 31.
 Reference numeral 32 is its modulation-demodulation circuit, 33 is a RAM
 of memory, 34 is a micro-processing unit (MPU), and 35 is a personal
 computer (PC).
 FIG. 10 is a structural diagram showing each switch wiring of the holder
 100 and base 8. Switches 114 and 115 of the holder 100 are monitored,
 together with the switches 23a, 23b of the base 8, by the micro-processing
 unit 34.
 FIG. 11 shows the method of judging the type and state of the media stored
 in the holder 100 by using the two switches, 114 and 115, in the eject
 state of the holder 100 without moving the media into the device.
 Therefore, immediately after storing the media in the holder 100, the lens
 of the optical head can be changed over, or the starting procedure may be
 changed depending on the disk, so that the loading time is shortened.
 Moreover, abnormality can be detected, and by prohibiting driving of the
 loading disk 111, breakage of the device can be prevented.
 In the constructed disk loading device, the operation thereof is described
 below.
 FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the mode of media insertion. By the
 construction of the holder 100 described above, the loading mechanism can
 be used in both vertical and horizontal positions. FIGS. 12(a) and (b)
 show the insertion of cartridge, and (c) and (d) show the insertion of
 bare disk 301.
 When the eject button 44 (see FIG. 8) provided on the front side of the
 device is pressed, the holder 100 is pulled up to the position shown in
 the diagram to be postponed in the waiting state for insertion of media.
 In this state, when the eject button 44 is pressed again, or the holder
 100 is pushed in, the holder 100 is drawn into the device.
 a) Loading action when media is not installed in the holder.
 FIG. 13(a) to FIG. 15(b) are plan views of the loading operation when media
 is not installed in the holder 100, and (a) and (b) in each show the
 action state in the time series.
 FIGS. 16(a)-(c) and FIGS. 17(a)-(c) are detailed plan views of the upper
 part of the disk loading device while media is not installed in the holder
 100, and (a) to (c) in each correspond to the symbols in FIG. 13 to FIG.
 15, respectively.
 FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 are detailed plan views of the lower part of the disk
 loading device while media is not installed in the holder 100, and (a) to
 (c) in each correspond to the symbols in FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, respectively.
 FIG. 20 is a side sectional view of loading operation when media is not
 installed in the holder 100. In the diagram, (a) to (d) show the time
 series actions.
 FIG. 13(a) shows the discharge completion state of the holder 100. The
 protrusion (or rib) 100a at the lower side of the holder 100 abuts against
 the switch 23a on the drive detection switch circuit board 23, and stops
 accurately at the discharge position of the holder 100. In this state,
 either the bare disk or the cartridge is installed selectively. In the
 state in FIG. 13(a), as shown in FIG. 16(a), the pawl 12c of the clutch 12
 is engaged with the rib 8c of the base 8, and the boss 12a defines sliding
 of the side rack 13, and is fixed on the base 8. Also, as shown in FIG.
 18(a), the protrusion 103d of the shutter opener 103 is provided
 rotatably, in coincidence with the relief hole 8e of the side of the base
 8. When the cartridge 40 is put in the holder 100, the shutter opener 103
 rotates depending on the insertion of the cartridge 300 into the holder
 100, so that the shutter 22 can be opened.
 In this state, as shown in FIG. 20(a), the chassis 3 obliquely abuts
 against the base 8, and the damper 26 is pressed against the top plate 25
 through the clamp lever 27 by the thrusting force of the clamp pressure
 spring. The cartridge detection circuit board 18 is pressed against the
 bottom side of the base 8 by the thrusting force of the switch circuit
 board support 17. The disk defining member 29 is lifted from the base 8 to
 the central opening in the holder 100 by the returning force of the coil
 spring 29b.
 The rib 36b of the stopper 36 composing the link mechanism as being engaged
 with the guide groove 10e of the elevating cam 10 and the protrusion 22a
 of the shutter 22 are at separate positions, so that the action from the
 open state to the closed state of the shutter 22 may not be impeded.
 FIG. 13(b) shows the storage start state of the holder 100. As shown in
 FIG. 16(b), when the eject button 44 (see FIG. 8) of the panel 21 is
 pressed and the loading motor 111 in the holder 100 is put into rotation,
 the driving force is transmitted from the gear group (gear train) 112 to
 the driving gear 112a, and it is engaged with the rack 13a of the slide
 rack 13 fixed on the base 8, so that the holder 100 begins to move in the
 direction of X2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18(b), the protrusion 103d
 of the shutter opener 103 departs from the side hole 8e of the base 8, and
 when the bare disk 301 is installed in the holder 100 or media is not
 installed yet, the shutter opener 103 rotates in the direction of R2 up to
 the position not interfering with the bare disk 301. In this state, as
 shown in FIG. 20(b), the holder 100 is gradually put into the device.
 FIG. 14(a) shows a state of the holder 100 being further stored into the
 disk loading device.
 FIG. 14(b) shows the storage completion state of the holder 100 in the disk
 loading device. As shown in FIG. 17(a), the rib 100b at the lower side of
 the holder 100 abuts against the pawl 12d of the clutch 12, and clears
 engagement with the rib 8c of the base 8. As a result, restraint by the
 clutch 12 of the slide rack 13 is released, and thereafter it is allowed
 to slide in the direction of X1. At this time, the shutter 22 is closed,
 but the rib 36b of the stopper 36 and the protrusion 22a of the shutter 22
 are still at separate positions.
 At the same time, an irregular hole 101b of the holder 100 and the boss 12b
 of the clutch 12 are engaged with each other as shown in FIG. 17(a). In
 this state, as shown in FIG. 20 (c), the rib (linkage part) 101a of the
 holder 100 and the end 27a of the clamp lever 27 abut against each other,
 and the clamp lever 27 rotates about the clamp pressure spring, and the
 damper 26 descends to the position confronting the turntable 2a.
 The roller 29a of the disk defining member 29 abuts against the lower side
 of the holder 100, and the disk defining member 29 is stored in the base
 8.
 FIG. 15(a) shows the action of the slide rack 13 after completion of
 storage of the holder 100 in the disk loading device. As shown in FIG.
 17(b), the slide rack 13 slides in the direction of X1 owing to the
 driving force of the driving gear 12a, and the boss 12b of the clutch 12
 engaged with the slide rack 13 rotates in the direction of R1 to define
 the action in the direction of the holder 100 within the irregular hole
 101b of the holder 100, so that the holder 100 is held in the specified
 position of the base 8. Along with the motion of the slide rack 13 in the
 direction of X1, when the elevating cam 10 engaged with the pin 10b and
 groove 13c of the slide rack 13 rotates in the direction of R1 about the
 shaft 8a of the base 8, the chassis 3 abuts against the inclined rib 10a
 in the groove (slit) 3b of the chassis 3, and is gradually lifted from the
 inclined state to a nearly horizontal state along with the rotation of the
 elevating cam 10 while resisting the thrusting force of the torsion leaf
 11.
 At the same time, along with the rotation of the elevating cam 10, the
 stopper 36 also rotates, and the rib 36b comes closer to the confronting
 position from the position remote from the protrusion 22a of the shutter
 22. At this time, if the shutter 22 is intentionally opened, the rib 36b
 of the stopper 36 and the protrusion 22a of the shutter 22 abut against
 each other, and the action of the elevating mechanism 10 forming the link
 mechanism together with the stopper 36 is arrested, so that loading is not
 completed. By the micro-processing unit 34, when the loading motor 111 is
 stopped or inverted, the risk of touching the rotating bare disk 301 can
 be avoided.
 FIG. 15(b) shows the moving completion state of the slide rack 13. As shown
 in FIG. 17(c), the movement of the slide rack 13 in the direction of X1 by
 the driving force of the driving gear 112a is completed, and the chassis 3
 rides on the horizontal surface of the inclined rib 10a by the rotation of
 the elevating cam 10 in the direction of R1, so that the chassis 3 is
 nearly in horizontal state. The inclined rib 10a of the elevating cam 10
 abuts against the drive detection switch 23b upon completion of loading
 action when the chassis 3 is nearly horizontal, and the micro-processing
 unit (MPU) 34 stops the loading motor 111. In this state, as shown in FIG.
 20(d), when the rotation of the chassis 3 is complete, the chassis 3 is
 nearly horizontal, and the turntable 2a on the chassis 3 ascends to the
 position confronting the damper 26, and the cartridge detection circuit
 board 18 is raised from the base 8 by the returning force of the switch
 circuit board support 17 to reach the specified position in the holder
 100, thereby completing the loading operation.
 At the same time, the stopper 36 rotates along with rotation of the
 elevating cam 10, and the rib 36b stops at a position confronting the
 protrusion 22a of the shutter 22 at a specified distance. When the shutter
 22 is at the fixed side and the stopper 36 is at the movable side through
 the damper 9, an impact variation portion must be taken into consideration
 as the abutting distance of the two. In this state, since the rib 36b and
 the protrusion 22a are close to each other, if an individual attempts to
 open the shutter 22 intentionally within this abutting distance, it is not
 opened widely, and the opening gap is too small to admit a finger, and
 thus the risk of touching the rotating bare disk 301 can be avoided.
 The discharge action of the holder 100 is performed in the completely
 reverse procedure of the above operation. When the loading motor 111
 rotates in the reverse direction, the slide rack 13 moves in the direction
 of arrow X2, and the elevating cam 10 rotates in the direction of R2,
 while the chassis 3 rotates in the direction of Z2. When moving of the
 slide rack 13 in the direction of X2 is complete, the holder 100 begins to
 move in the direction of X1 by the driving force of the driving gear 112a,
 and the boss 12b of the clutch 12 restraining the holder 100 by the
 irregular hole 101b of the holder 100 begins to rotate in the direction of
 R2. By rotation of the clutch 12 in the direction of R2, the pawl 12c of
 the clutch 12 is engaged with the boss (protrusion) 8b of the base 8, and
 the slide rack 13 is fixed to the base 8 through the boss 12a of the
 clutch 12. Thereafter, the holder 100 is discharged from the disk loading
 device until the rib 100a at the lower side of the holder 100 abuts
 against the switch 23a of the drive detection circuit board 23, and stops
 at the holder discharge completion position shown in FIG. 13(a).
 b) Loading action when cartridge is inserted in the holder in wrong
 direction or wrong side
 FIG. 21(a) shows insertion of the cartridge 300 in the holder 100 in the
 normal position, FIG. 21(b) shows insertion of the cartridge 300 in the
 holder 100 on the wrong side, and FIG. 22 shows insertion of the cartridge
 300 in the holder 100 in the wrong direction.
 As shown in FIG. 21(a), a reverse insertion preventive rib 102a is disposed
 so as not to contact with the opening (linkage part) 300d of the cartridge
 300 inserted in normal position, and the stored disk 300e.
 As shown in FIG. 21(b), when the cartridge 300 is inserted in the holder
 100 in wrong side, in the case of the both-side opening type in which the
 shutter engaging portion 300b and the leading end (rib) 103b of the
 shutter opener 103 abut against each other on the face and back sides of
 the cartridge 300, the cartridge 300 is put into the holder 100 without
 problem.
 When the cartridge 300 of one-side opening type or the both-side opening
 type other than mentioned above is inserted into the holder 100, the
 shutter opener 103 rotates without opening the shutter 300a. In the mist
 of rotation of the shutter opener 103, when the reverse insertion
 preventive rib 102a abuts against the shutter 300a, insertion of the
 cartridge 300 is impeded, and complete insertion into the holder 100 is
 not realized. In this state, the cartridge 300 is inserted halfway in the
 holder 100, and at the rear end of the disk holder 104, the inside
 protrusion 104f is pushed open by the side of the cartridge 300, and the
 outside protrusion 104e projects to the side of the holder 100 to be
 engaged with the side hole 8h of the base 8, so that the movement of the
 holder 100 into the device is restrained.
 When the cartridge 300 is pulled out of the holder 100, the restraint of
 the holder 100 is released in the reverse procedure of this operation.
 Also, as shown in FIG. 22, when the cartridge 300 is inserted into the
 holder 100 in wrong direction, by the insertion of the holder 100, the
 shutter opener 103 rotates without opening the shutter 300a, and the
 reverse insertion preventive rib 102a abuts against the shutter 300a, and
 the insertion of the cartridge 300 is impeded, and complete insertion into
 the holder 100 is not realized. The cartridge 300 is inserted halfway in
 the holder 100, and at the rear end of the disk holder 104, the inside
 protrusion 104f is pushed open by the side of the cartridge 300, and the
 outside protrusion 104e projects to the side of the holder 100 to be
 engaged with the side hole 8h of the base 8, so that the move of the
 holder 100 into the device is restrained.
 When the cartridge 300 is pulled out of the holder 100, the restraint of
 the holder 100 is released in the reverse procedure of this operation.
 (Embodiment 2)
 FIG. 23 shows, in the disk loading device in embodiment 1, an example of
 displaying the type and storage state of the media in a display panel 21,
 immediately after inserting the media in the holder 100, as being judged
 by shutter opening means and its position detecting means of the cartridge
 300 provided in the holder 100, and holding means (holding mechanism) and
 its posture detecting means of the bare disk 301.
 FIG. 23 (a) shows character display of liquid crystal or the like in the
 panel 21, and FIG. 23(b) shows a case of adding other display function
 such as LED to the panel 21.
 (Embodiment 3)
 FIG. 24 shows, in the disk loading device in embodiment 1, an example of
 displaying the type and storage state of the media in external output
 display means, immediately after inserting the media in the holder 100, as
 being judged by shutter opening means and its position detecting means of
 the cartridge 300 provided in the holder 100, and holding means and its
 posture detecting means of the bare disk 301.
 From the disk loading device, it is displayed in an external monitor
 through a personal computer 35.
 (Embodiment 4)
 FIG. 25, relating to the cartridge 300 used in the disk loading device in
 embodiment 1, shows a gap is provided in the overlapping portion 300g with
 the cartridge 300 when the shutter 300a is opened.
 FIG. 25(a) is a plan view in the case of one-side opening type of the
 cartridge 300, and the gap 300g is provided at both face and back sides.
 In the case of two-side opening type of the cartridge 300, the gap 300g is
 provided also at the opposite side of the central line A--A(four positions
 in total). FIG. 25(b) shows a sectional view along the central line A--A
 of the cartridge 300, and FIG. 25(c) is its partially magnified view.
 At the inner circumferential side of the cartridge 300, a projecting ring
 300h for receiving the disk 300e is provided, and this is the closest
 position of the cartridge 300 and disk 300e. If this portion is deformed
 due to warp or other effect of the shutter 300a, the disk 300e and
 cartridge 300 contact with each other, and powder or other defect occurs,
 which may lead to malfunction.
 As shown in FIG. 25(c), by forming the gap 300g in the cartridge 300, the
 effect of the shutter 300a on the ring 300h can be avoided.
 In this embodiment, the gap 300g is formed outside of the cartridge 300,
 but it is obvious that the same effects are expected when the gap 300g is
 provided inside of the shutter 300a.
 (Embodiment 5)
 FIG. 26 is a plan view when inserting the cartridge 300 into the holder 100
 in embodiment 1. That is, while media is not inserted yet in the holder
 100, the both ends of the loading motor 111 are shorted by the MPU 34 (see
 FIG. 10) to restrain electromagnetically, so that the holder 100 can be
 firmly held in the base 8.
 FIG. 27 is a plan view of completion of insertion of the cartridge 300 in
 the bolder 100. By the two switches 114 and 115 in the holder 100, when
 the cartridge 300 is completely inserted into the holder 100, the MPU 34
 clears the electromagnetic restraint by opening the both ends of the
 loading motor 111, so that the holder 100 may be easily transferred into
 the base 8.
 (Embodiment 6)
 FIG. 28 is a perspective exploded view of a disk loading device having a
 dust-proof structure. That is, in the base 8, as a dust-proof measure, a
 dust-proof cover 39 is provided in a top plate 25 as shown in the drawing.
 To enhance the air tightness with the top plate 25, moreover, a seal 40 is
 provided in three directions except for the opening, and a dust-proof
 sheet 41 and a dust-proof cover 42 are provided in order to prevent
 invasion of dust or smoke from the gap between the base 8 and the stopper
 36. The dust-proof sheet 41 is made of an elastic material of low gas
 permeability, such as artificial leather or dust collecting filter, and it
 is adhered to the chassis 3, and it encloses the base 8 together with the
 dust-proof cover 42 adhered to the base 8. If no consideration is given to
 disassembling of the disk loading mechanism, omitting the dust-proof cover
 42, the dust-proof sheet 41 may be directly adhered to the chassis 3 and
 base 8.
 FIG. 29 is a side view of storing the disk loading device of the invention
 in the personal computer 35. In the diagram, by rotation of both fan motor
 38 and disk motor 2, a flow of air, so-called, an air stream 43 is formed.
 By the air stream 43, through an air intake hole 21d of the panel 21, the
 gap between the panel 21 and casing of the personal computer 35, and the
 junction of the panel 21 and shutter 22, dust or smoke may invade into the
 recording and reproducing disk (the disk 300e in the cartridge and the
 bare disk 301) and optical head 7, and the recording and reproducing side
 of the disk and the lens are contaminated in a long course of time.
 FIG. 30 is a partially magnified view of the side view of the air stream
 flowing in the disk loading device before taking the dust-proof measure.
 An air stream 43a is a flow entering from the junction of the upper part
 of the panel 21 and the shutter 22, and is attracted by an air stream 43d
 caused by pressure difference due to rotation of the disk motor 2, thereby
 conveying the smoke or dust into the device. An air stream 43b is a flow
 led in from the air intake hole 21d at the lower side of the panel 21, and
 cools the mounted parts on the circuit board 20. An air stream 43c is a
 flow reaching the disk motor 2 through the gap between the base 8 and the
 stopper 36 from the air intake port 21d at the upper side of the panel 21,
 and is attracted by the air stream 43d caused by pressure difference due
 to rotation of the disk motor 2, thereby conveying the smoke or dust into
 the device.
 To enhance the dust-proof performance, it is important that these air
 streams are cut off so as not reach up to the recording and reproducing
 side of the recordable disk and the optical head 7, and to enhance the air
 tightness of the disk loading device.
 FIG. 31 is a partially magnified view of the side view of the air stream
 flowing in the disk loading device after taking the dust-proof measure. By
 the cover 39 and seal 40 shown in FIG. 8, the air tightness between the
 base 8 and top plate 25 is enhanced.
 A ventilation hole 25a is provided in the portion adjacent to the panel 21
 of the top plate 25, and by using the air stream of the fan motor 38 of
 the personal computer stronger than the air stream caused by the pressure
 difference inside and outside of the device by rotation of the recordable
 disk, dust or smoke invading from the panel 21 is discharged outside of
 the disk loading device, so that the time-course contamination of the
 recording and reproducing side of the disk and the lens can be prevented.
 By interposing the dust-proof sheet 41 and dust-proof cover 42 between the
 air intake hole 21d of the panel 21 and the disk motor 2, the dust or
 smoke sucked toward the disk motor 2 due to negative pressure in the
 inside by rotation of the recordable disk is shut off, and the time-course
 contamination of the recording and reproducing side of the disk and the
 lens can be prevented.
 According to the invention, as shown in FIG. 31, the air stream 43a
 invading through the junction between the upper part of the panel 21 and
 the shutter 22 is discharged out of the disk loading device through the
 ventilation hole 25a. The air stream 43c reaching up to the disk motor 2
 through the gap of the base 8 and stopper 36 from the air intake hole 21d
 at the upper side of the panel 21 is shut off by the dust-proof sheet 41
 and dust-proof cover 42. As a result, the air stream 43d formed by
 pressure difference due to rotation of the disk motor 2 is only slight, so
 that the life of the disk loading device due to effects of dust or smoke
 can be extended.
 (Embodiment 7)
 Embodiment 7 relates to transfer means of a holder for holding a cartridge
 or a bare disk (hereinafter called a disk tray), and is described
 specifically by referring to the following diagrams. The entire
 constitution of the disk loading device is same as in embodiment 1, and
 description of individual details is omitted herein.
 First, the outline of the entire constitution of the disk loading device of
 this embodiment is given below.
 FIG. 32 is an overall plan structural view showing the outline of
 constitution of loading mechanical parts of the disk loading device, and
 FIG. 33 is a perspective exploded view showing the assembled state of the
 principal structural blocks for composing the disk loading device.
 In FIG. 32 and FIG. 33, reference numeral U51 denotes a disk tray unit for
 transferring the media to a specified position, and U52 is a head unit for
 guiding the disk tray unit U51, and recording or reading data in the media
 (not shown), and the entire unit including its transport mechanism.
 Reference numeral U53 is a damper unit including a pressing part of the
 upper part of the media and a clamper mechanism for clamping the disk, and
 U54 is a circuit board for controlling the action of the disk loading
 device and the recording and reading action of data in the media.
 The disk tray unit U51 comprises a disk tray 501 for mounting media, and
 transfer means for transferring the disk tray unit U51 into the disk tray
 501, and the transfer means includes a loading motor 502 as the drive
 source of the transfer mechanism of the disk tray unit U51, a worm gear
 503 for transmitting the first stage of the gear system for transmitting
 the drive force of the loading motor 502 to outside, a worm wheel 504 to
 be meshed with the worm gear 503 and having a stepped spur gear coaxially,
 helical teeth 504a to be meshed with the worm gear 503 of the worm wheel
 504, worm wheel plain teeth 504b of the spur gear side of the worm wheel
 504, a middle idler gear 505 to be meshed with the worm wheel plain teeth
 504b, a drive gear 506 to be meshed with the middle idler gear 505 having
 other stepped spur gear coaxially with the spur gear, upper teeth 506a
 meshed with the middle idler gear 505 out of the drive gear 506, lower
 teeth 506b meshed with next stage gear of the drive gear 506, a motor
 rotary shaft 507 of the loading motor 502, drive force transmitting means
 508 for transmitting the drive force of the loading motor 502 to the worm
 gear 503 through the motor rotary shaft 507, a worm thrusting spring 509
 for thrusting the worm gear 503 to the loading motor 502 side in the axial
 direction of the motor rotary shaft 507, an engaging pawl 503a fixed on
 the worm gear 503 to be engaged with the drive force transmitting means
 508, and an engaging hole 508a provided in the drive force transmitting
 means 508 in which the engaging pawl 503a is inserted.
 The main body unit U52 includes a rack 515 to be meshed with the drive gear
 506, an insertion completion detecting switch 516 for detecting insertion
 completion of the disk tray unit U51, a discharge completion detecting
 switch 517 for detecting discharge completion of the disk tray unit U51, a
 head unit 518 for recording or reading data in the media, and a base 520
 for guiding the disk tray unit U51 having members of a transport mechanism
 519 for transporting the head unit 518 installed inside.
 The disk tray 501 has an insertion detecting pawl 551a for pressing and
 actuating the insertion completion detecting switch 516.
 The damper unit U53 has a damper 525 for clamping the disk, and a top plate
 526 for mounting the damper 525 and pressing the top of the media.
 The circuit board U54 has an eject button 527 for instructing insertion and
 discharge action of the disk tray unit U51.
 The drive system in FIG. 32 and FIG. 33 is described in detail below.
 The loading motor 502, worm gear 503, worm wheel 504, middle idler gear
 505, drive gear 506, motor rotary shaft 507, drive force transmitting
 means 508, and worm thrusting spring 509 are assembled in the
 configuration as shown in FIG. 34 and FIG. 35, and at this time the worm
 gear 503, motor rotary shaft 507 and drive force transmitting means 508
 are assembled in the configuration as shown in FIG. 35.
 That is, in FIG. 35, the drive force transmitting means 508 is press-fitted
 into the motor rotary shaft 507, and the torque of the motor rotary shaft
 507 is transmitted to the drive force transmitting means 508 almost by
 100% owing to this press-fitting. The worm gear 503 is rotatably supported
 on the motor rotary shaft 507. In this constitution, when the engaging
 pawl 503a is engaged with the engaging hole 508a, the drive force of the
 drive force transmitting means 508 is transmitted to the worm gear 503. In
 this embodiment, the worm gear 503 has two bars of worm, and the advance
 angle of the worm gear 503 is 18.5 degrees. The worm gear 503, worm wheel
 504, middle idler gear 505, and drive gear 506 are made of polyacetal
 resin.
 In the present invention, the number of bars, advance angle and material of
 the worm gear are not particularly specified as far as the worm gear 503
 can be driven by driving of the worm wheel 504.
 The action of each part is described below.
 First, the discharge action of the disk tray unit U51 is explained.
 Discharge action start of the disk tray unit U51 is instructed by pressing
 the eject button 527 to send a signal to the circuit board U54. As a
 result, as shown in FIG. 32, the loading motor 502 is rotated and driven
 in the direction of Rm1. At this time, the worm wheel 504 is driven in the
 direction of Rh1, and the drive gear 506 in Rk1, and the lower teeth 506b
 and rack 515 are meshed with each other, and the disk tray unit U5I is
 sent out to the position of U51o (partially shown by twin dot chain line).
 As a result, the insertion detecting pawl 501a of the disk tray 501 is
 moved up to the position of 501ao (indicated by broken line), and the
 discharge completion detecting switch 517 is actuated, and the disk
 loading device recognizes the completion of discharge, stops rotation and
 drive of the loading motor 502, and terminates the discharge action of the
 disk tray unit U51.
 When discharge action of the disk tray unit U51 is over, the disk tray unit
 U51 is exposed outside from the disk loading device, and the user can put
 the media at specified position of the disk try 501 or take out the media
 on the disk tray.
 The insertion action of the disk tray unit U51 is described below.
 When the loading motor 502 is rotated and driven in the direction of Rm2,
 the worm wheel 504 is driven in the direction of Rh2 and the drive gear
 506 in Rk2, and as being meshed with the rack, the disk tray unit U51 is
 inserted. After insertion of the disk tray unit U51, the insertion
 detecting pawl 501a of the disk tray 501 actuates the insertion completion
 detecting switch 516, and the disk loading device recognizes completion of
 insertion, stops rotation and drive of the loading motor 502, and
 terminates the insertion action of the disk tray unit U51.
 Start of insertion action of the disk tray 501 is instructed, same as in
 the discharge action, by pressing the eject button 527 to send a signal to
 the circuit board, or by inserting the disk tray unit U51 manually in the
 insertion direction, and a signal telling stop of action of the discharge
 completion detecting switch 517 by the insertion detecting pawl 501a is
 sent to the circuit board U54. The operation for starting insertion
 manually is done by human force, and hence its operating force is
 preferred to be, for example, about 1 kgf or less.
 When the insertion action of the disk tray 501 is finished, the head unit
 508 is transported by the transport mechanism 519, and the data on the
 disk (not shown) is sought, recorded, or read.
 Next is described means for discharging the disk tray unit U51 in power off
 state of the disk loading device by reference to FIG. 36 to FIG. 38.
 In FIG. 36, the disk tray 501 comprises a power off mode discharge lever
 531 for pulling out and discharging the disk tray unit U51 in power off
 state, and a power off mode discharge pin 532 which is a tool for pressing
 the power off mode discharge lever 531 from outside in power off state,
 and also includes a tray pawl 501b and a lever pawl 531a for engaging
 between the disk tray 501 and the power off mode discharge lever 531 in
 power off state. In FIG. 37 and FIG. 38, reference numeral 533 is a power
 off mode discharge spring for pushing back the power off mode discharge
 lever 531.
 In this constitution, the action of the means for discharging the disk tray
 unit U51 in power off state is described below.
 When discharging the disk tray unit U51 in power off state, the user of the
 disk loading device pushes the power off mode discharge lever 531 by using
 the power off mode discharge pin 532 in the direction of L shown in FIG.
 37 until the lever pawl 531a is engaged with the tray pawl 501b by
 resisting the spring force of the power off mode discharge spring 533. The
 spring force of the power off mode discharge spring 533 is, in this
 embodiment, 1 kgf at maximum in action. When the lever pawl 531a is
 engaged with the tray pawl 501b, as shown in FIG. 38, the disk tray unit
 U51 is moved in the direction of E by the spring force of the power off
 mode discharge spring 533, and is discharged from the disk loading device.
 Next, in the discharge action and insertion action of the disk tray unit
 U51, the operation of the worm gear 503 and worm wheel 504 is explained by
 referring to FIG. 32 and FIG. 39.
 When the disk tray unit U51 is discharged by the drive force of the loading
 motor 502, the motor rotary shaft 507 and worm gear 503 rotate in the
 direction of Rm1, and receive the axial force in the direction of Fw by
 the reaction from the worm wheel 504 while transmitting drive force to the
 worm wheel 504 in the direction of Rh1.
 When inserting the disk tray unit U51 manually in the insertion direction,
 by meshing of the rack 515 and lower teeth 506b, the drive gear 506 is
 driven in the direction of Rk2, and the worm wheel 504 is driven in the
 direction of Rh2. At this time, too, the worm gear 503 receives the axial
 force in the direction of Fw from the worm wheel 504.
 When the disk tray unit U51 is inserted by the drive force of the loading
 motor 502, the motor rotary shaft 507 and worm gear 503 rotate in the
 direction of Rm2, and receive the axial force in the direction of Bw by
 the reaction from the worm wheel 504 while transmitting drive force to the
 worm wheel 504 in the direction of Rh2. At this time, the spring force of
 the worm thrusting spring 509 is increased in the force in the direction
 of Fw, as compared with the case in which the worm gear 503 does not
 receive axial force from the worm wheel 504.
 When discharging the disk tray unit U51 in power off state, by meshing of
 the rack 515 and lower teeth 506b, the drive gear 506 is driven in the
 direction of Rk1, and the worm wheel 504 is driven in the direction of
 Rh1. At this time, too, the worm gear 503 receives an axial force in the
 direction of Bw from the worm wheel 504.
 The internal structure of the loading motor 502 is, in the case of a DC
 motor, for example, generally as shown in FIG. 40. That is, the loading
 motor 502 comprises a stop ring 502a restrained in the axial direction on
 the motor rotary shaft 507 by a stop groove, a casing 502b as an outer
 shell of the entire loading motor, a cover 502c for covering the opposite
 side opening of the projecting side of the motor rotary shaft 507 of the
 casing 502b, and a thrust bearing 502d for defining the opposite end of
 the projecting side from the casing 502b of the motor rotary shaft 507 in
 the axial direction. In FIG. 40, the magnetic circuit (comprising magnet,
 coil, etc.) for generating a rotary drive force is not identified with
 reference numeral, and the brush for detecting the rotary phase of the
 rotating element such as motor rotary shaft, and others are not shown.
 When the worm gear 503 is driven from the worm wheel 504 side and the motor
 rotary shaft 507 receives an axial force in the direction of the thrust
 bearing 502d, a bearing structure is formed, so that the motor rotary
 shaft 507 is not overloaded due to sliding in the axial direction. There
 is, however, a limit in the axial force that can be received by the
 bearing 502d, and its axial force is desired to be as small as possible.
 In the case of a DC motor, usually, there is a gap G of about 0.05 to 0.5
 mm between the stop ring 502a and casing 502b as shown in FIG. 40.
 Therefore, when the motor rotary shaft 507 receives an axial force at the
 projecting side from the casing 502b, if the motor rotary shaft 507 moves
 in the axial direction for the portion of this gap G, the both abut
 against each other to build up a bearing action, and a secure bearing
 structure is not formed. Accordingly, the motor rotary shaft 507 is
 overloaded due to thrust sliding, and hence the driving load increases.
 Further, the stop ring 502a usually does not have enough axial force
 enduring force for withstanding the axial force sufficiently, and, as a
 result, when the motor rotary shaft 507 receives the axial force at the
 projecting side from the casing 502b, the stop ring 502a may be broken
 depending on the strength of the load, and the loading motor 502 is broken
 down. In the motor rotary shaft 507, therefore, the axial force must not
 be applied in this direction until the stop ring 502a contacts with the
 casing 502b.
 In this embodiment, accordingly, using a worm thrusting spring 509, the
 motor rotary shaft 507 is thrust in the direction of the loading motor
 502, and it is intended to prevent axial force from being applied to the
 motor rotary shaft 507 at the projecting side from the casing 502b.
 Supposing not to have the constitution of the worm gear 503 and drive force
 transmitting means 508 as in the embodiment, that is, in the case of
 direct coupling of the worm gear and motor rotary shaft as in an ordinary
 case, the spring force of the worm thrusting spring 509 must be controlled
 so as not to move the worm gear 503 in the gap G. Or, if the spring force
 of the worm thrusting spring 509 is excessively strong, it may exceed the
 limit of the axial force to be withheld by the bearing 502d in the loading
 motor 502, and therefore the spring force is desired to be as small as
 possible. To satisfy these two conditions, the spring force of the worm
 thrusting spring 509 must be controlled very strictly, and in
 consideration of fluctuations of the spring, it is hard to set in
 favorable conditions. More specifically, for example, if the worm
 thrusting spring 509 usable in this constitution has the spring constant
 of about 10 to 20 gf/mm, the worm gear 503 should not move the gap G of
 about 0.05 to 0.5 mm. In this spring, if the free length is about 10 mm,
 the fluctuation width is about 2 to 5 mm. In this case, the fluctuation of
 spring force is as much as 40 to 100 gf. On the other hand, the usual
 withstanding axial force in action of the bearing 502d of the loading
 motor 502 applicable in this embodiment is about 100 gf. That is, as
 compared with the withstanding axial force, the fluctuation of the spring
 force is extremely large, which is not practicable.
 By contrast, by employing the worm gear 503 and drive force transmitting
 means 508 of the embodiment, it is not particularly required to control
 the spring force of the worm thrusting spring 509 so as not to move the
 worm gear 503 through the gap G in the axial direction, and the degree of
 freedom of the spring force is extended, and defects due to fluctuations
 can be reduced.
 Next, in the case of difficulty of forced rotation of motor rotary shaft
 507 from outside due to trouble of the loading motor 502 or the like, the
 discharge action of the disk tray unit U51 in power off state is explained
 by reference to FIG. 36 to FIG. 38, FIG. 41, and FIG. 42.
 As described specifically in FIG. 37 and FIG. 38, when the user of the disk
 loading device pushes the power off mode discharge lever 531 by using the
 power off mode discharge pin 532 in power off state to compress the power
 off mode discharge spring 533, and the lever pawl 531a is engaged with the
 tray pawl 501b, the disk tray unit U51 moves in the direction of E by the
 spring force of the power off mode discharge spring 533, and thereby the
 drive gear 506 is driven in the direction of Rk1 by means of the rack 515.
 As a result, the worm wheel 504 is driven in the direction of Rh1, when a
 large torque is required for driving the motor rotary shaft 507, the worm
 gear 503 is engaged with the drive force transmitting means 508, and the
 torque is increased, so that the worm gear 503 cannot be rotated in the
 rotating direction of the motor rotary shaft 507 by means of the worm
 wheel 504. Hence, the state of the worm gear 503 initially arranged in the
 configuration as shown in FIG. 41 is changed to FIG. 42, in which the worm
 gear 503 is moved by deflecting the worm thrusting spring 509 until the
 position where the worm gear 503 is no longer meshed with the worm wheel
 504 in the direction of the worm gear 503 departing from the loading motor
 502. That is, meshing of the worm gear 503 and worm wheel 504 is cleared,
 and the worm wheel 504 is set free to rotate. Therefore, the disk tray
 unit U51 can be discharged easily. Thus, even in power off state, the disk
 tray unit U51 can be discharged without difficulty.
 In this constitution, the worm thrusting spring 509 is used, but this
 constitution is necessary only when it is hard to rotate the motor rotary
 shaft 507 by force from outside due to trouble of the loading motor 502 or
 the like, in order to discharge the disk tray unit U51 in power off state,
 and the invention is not limited to this constitution alone. If it is hard
 to rotate the motor rotary shaft 507 by force from outside due to trouble
 of the loading motor 502 or the like, as far as the situation of
 discharging the disk tray unit U51 in power off state does not occur, the
 worm thrusting spring 509 is not particularly needed. By keeping a proper
 gap from the leading end of the worm gear 503, by installing a member for
 fixing to define the axial force of the worm gear 503, when the worm gear
 503 is driven from the worm wheel 504 driven from the side closer to the
 output stage, the motor rotary shaft 507 is prevented from being directly
 loaded with the axial force. Therefore, if the worm gear 503 receives the
 axial force at the projecting side from the casing 502b of the loading
 motor, it is possible to prevent overload due to thrust sliding from being
 applied to the motor rotary shaft 507 due to collision of the stop ring
 502a and casing 502b. Hence, breakage of the stop ring 502a is also
 prevented.
 Below is described the processing at the end of tooth height of the worm
 gear 503. Generally, meshing of the worm gear 503 and worm wheel 504 is as
 shown in FIG. 39, in which the teeth of the worm are sufficiently present
 before and after the meshing position. This is intended to exclude the
 imperfect portion in meshing of the worm gear 503 and worm wheel 504.
 The disk loading device in the embodiment is intended to reduce the size or
 thickness, and in the arrangement of the series of gear trains, in
 consideration of this point, it is required to arrange in a minimum
 dimension as far as possible.
 For this purpose, however, as assumed in FIG. 43, if the meshing position
 of the worm gear 503 and worm wheel 504 is set at the end of the worm gear
 near the engaging pawl 503a, the worm gear end portion is shaped like the
 end 503b in FIG. 43, and it is different from the desired tooth surface of
 the worm gear, and it is shaped as being cut off vertically to the axis at
 this position. In this case, if meshed at the position of the end portion
 503b, there is a portion not meshed with the gear normally as intended,
 and it is hard to transmit the drive force smoothly, and the drive load
 may increase.
 In the embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 44, the worm gear end
 portion is not cut off vertically to the axis, but, as shown in FIG. 45,
 two bars of tooth tip are shaped like 503c, 503d, and the tooth tip is
 gradually converged from the portion near the end. In this case, the
 converging shape is the tooth tip only, and the worm gear tooth surface is
 same as the normal tooth profile. Accordingly, when the worm wheel 504 is
 engaged with the worm gear 503, they are not meshed at other than the
 specified tooth surface, and normal gear meshing is not sacrificed.
 Therefore, smooth transmission of drive force is not impeded, and the
 drive load is not increased.
 In the embodiment, the same effects are obtained if the meshing relation of
 the lower teeth 506b of the drive gear 506 and the rack 515 is reverse,
 that is, instead of discharging when the drive gear 506 is driven in the
 direction of Rk1 and inserting when driven in the direction of Rk2, if it
 is designed to insert when the drive gear 506 is driven in the direction
 of Rk1 and discharge if driven in the direction of Rk2.
 In the embodiment, the loading motor 502 and drive gear train are assembled
 in the disk tray unit U51, but the invention is not limited to this, but
 the same effect is obtained when they are assembled in the main body unit
 U52.
 (Embodiment 8)
 Other mode of discharge of the disk tray unit U51 in power off state in
 embodiment 7 is explained in FIG. 34 and FIG. 46 to FIG. 48. The parts not
 shown in these drawings are same as in embodiment 7.
 In FIG. 46 to FIG. 48, the disk tray 501 includes a drive gear thrusting
 spring 534 for thrusting the drive gear 506 in the axial direction, a
 taper portion 506c of the drive gear 506, and a gradient 531b for lifting
 this taper portion when the power off mode discharge lever 531 is pushed
 in.
 Same as in the foregoing embodiment 7, when the disk loading device is in
 power off state, the user pushes in the power off mode discharge lever 531
 by using the power off mode discharge pin 532 to compress the power off
 mode discharge spring 533. At this time, the taper portion 506c is pushed
 into the inner side of the disk tray unit U51 while compressing the drive
 gear thrusting spring 534 by the gradient 531b, and meshing of the upper
 teeth 506a of the drive gear 506 and middle idler gear 505, and lower
 teeth 506b and rack 515 is cleared. Near the end of this stroke, the lever
 pawl 531a and tray pawl 501b are engaged with each other. As a result, the
 disk tray unit U51 receives a force in the discharge direction and is
 discharged by the spring force of the power off mode discharge spring 533
 regardless of the drive system.
 According to this embodiment, whether the drive load is increased or not
 due to breakage of gear or abnormality in the drive system, the disk tray
 unit U51 can be discharged in power off state.
 Similarly, the drive gear 506 can be moved in the plane direction at the
 position orthogonal to the rotary shaft of the drive gear 506 by
 manipulation of the power off mode discharge lever 531, and nearly the
 same effects if the meshing of the upper teeth 506a and the middle idler
 gear 505 or rack 515 is cleared, and the drive gear 506 is thrust by the
 drive gear thrusting spring in the direction of meshing of the drive gear
 506 with the upper teeth 506a, or with the middle idler gear 505.
 In the foregoing embodiments, the format of the media is not limited to the
 disk alone, or the cartridge type containing a disk by an outer shell, or
 the like. Also, the diameter of the disk is not particularly specified.
 Methods of recording and reading (reproducing) mainly include phase change
 method, magneto-optical method, other optical recording method, and
 magnetic recording method, but the invention is not intended to specify
 the recording and reading methods particularly.
 As clear from the description of the foregoing embodiments, the disk
 loading device of the invention comprises a holder for holding a cartridge
 or a bare disk, shutter opening means of cartridge and its position
 detecting means, and holding means of bare disk and its posture detecting
 means, all provided in the holder, and therefore, immediately after being
 contained in the holder, it is possible to judge whether it is cartridge
 or bare disk and detect whether the media is installed normally or not, by
 these two detecting means.
 Further comprising the transfer means for moving the holder in and out
 through an opening at the front side of the device and rotary driving
 means of the recordable disk, the device can judge the type, whether
 cartridge or bare disk, immediately after being held in the holder, and
 detects whether the media is installed normally or not, and therefore the
 action specification of the transfer means or rotary driving means can be
 changed depending on the result of detection.
 For example, immediately after putting the media in the holder, the lens of
 the optical head can be changed over, or the starting procedure can be
 changed over, so that the loading time can be shortened. It is also
 possible to detect abnormality, and by prohibiting driving of the motor,
 breakage of the device can be prevented.
 By adding display means such as LED or liquid crystal panel for displaying
 the type or state of the media installed in the holder to the device, it
 is possible to judge whether the type is cartridge or bare disk, and
 display whether the media is installed correctly or not, immediately after
 being installed in the holder.
 Similarly adding output means for displaying the type or state of the media
 installed in the holder in an external display device such as monitor or
 TV to the device, it is possible to judge whether the type is cartridge or
 bare disk, and display whether the media is installed correctly or not in
 the external display device, immediately after being installed in the
 holder.
 When the cartridge is inserted in the holder, the shutter of the cartridge
 is opened by the shutter opening means provided in the holder. By
 installing defining means for arresting mounting in other than specified
 direction of cartridge in the opening of the cartridge appearing when the
 cartridge is installed in the holder in specified direction, in the disk
 loading device handling cartridges of plural different shapes, insertion
 of cartridge in wrong direction or wrong side can be prevented.
 Further, comprising a holder for holding a cartridge or a bare disk,
 transfer means for moving the holder in or out of the device through an
 opening at the front side of the disk loading device, a device shutter
 provided in the opening, and a stopper as limiting means for abutting
 against the device shutter in collaboration with the transfer means, when
 the holder is put in the disk loading device, the stopper and the
 protrusion provided in the device shutter are at confronting positions
 while maintaining a specified gap, and when the holder is discharged from
 the disk loading device, the stopper and the protrusion of the device
 shutter depart from each other, and therefore when inserting or
 discharging the holder, the action of the device shutter is not disturbed,
 or when intentionally opening the device shutter after the holder is put
 in the disk loading device, the stopper and the protrusion of the device
 shutter abut against each other, so that the opening action of the device
 shutter can be limited.
 Moreover, comprising a holder for holding a cartridge or a bare disk,
 transfer means for moving the holder in or out of the device through an
 opening at the front side of the disk loading device, a device shutter
 provided in the opening, and a stopper as limiting means for abutting
 against the device shutter in collaboration with the transfer means, when
 the holder is put in the disk loading device, the stopper and the
 protrusion provided in the device shutter are at confronting positions
 while maintaining a specified gap, and when the holder is discharged from
 the disk loading device, the stopper and the protrusion of the device
 shutter depart from each other, and moreover when the closing action of
 the device shutter is blocked in the midst of entry of the holder into the
 disk loading device, the protrusion of the device shutter is positioned on
 the track of the stopper in holder entry process, and therefore when
 inserting or discharging the holder, the action of the device shutter is
 not disturbed, or when intentionally blocking the closing action of the
 device shutter in the midst of storing the holder in the disk loading
 device, the stopper and the protrusion of the device shutter abut against
 each other, so that the loading action of the holder by the transfer means
 is arrested, and the action of the transfer means may be stopped or
 inverted by the state detecting means such as microcomputer.
 Also, when composing the device shutter and the stopper through an elastic
 member such as vibration absorbing rubber, the abutting distance between
 the device shutter and the limiting means is provided with a variation
 portion of the posture due to the elastic element, and therefore it is
 secure to limit the opening action of the device shutter, or stop or
 invert the transfer means.
 In the cartridge, by forming a gap near the opening of the cartridge where
 the cartridge and shutter abut against each other when the shutter of the
 cartridge opens, it is possible to avoid collision between the inside of
 the cartridge opening and the disk stored in the cartridge due to
 deflection of the shutter.
 In the disk loading device of the invention, comprising a holder for
 holding a cartridge or a bare disk, shutter opening means of the
 cartridge, its position detecting means, holding means for holding the
 bare disk, and its posture detecting means, all being disposed in the
 holder, immediately after being put in the holder, the two detecting means
 judge whether it is a cartridge or a bare disk, and detects whether the
 media is installed correctly or not, thereby changing the drive
 specification of the transfer means, so that the arresting force of the
 holder is optimized depending on the media.
 As a result, for example, by designing the drive mechanism extremely
 lightly, and decreasing the holder operating force when pushing in the
 holder or holder discharge force when forcing out the media in power off
 state, by increasing the holder arresting force only when the media is not
 put in the holder, it is possible to hold the holder firmly in the disk
 loading device, and the loading mechanism of excellent controllability is
 realized.
 In the same device, by changing the arresting force of the holder by the
 transfer means when media is not mounted and when media is mounted
 completely, the sense of stability when mounting the media on the holder
 is increased, and it feels light when manipulating the holder after
 mounting of media.
 When, preferably, a mechanical restraining mechanism is used in the
 arresting mechanism of the transfer means, the certainty and reliability
 when arresting the holder may be enhanced.
 Also by using an electromagnetic restraining mechanism by shorting both
 ends of the drive motor as the arresting mechanism of the transfer means,
 the holder can be arrested securely without increasing the cost.
 By making use of the electromagnetic induction of the drive motor, a large
 arresting force can be obtained when the holder is moved quickly, and a
 small arresting force when moved slowly, so that the quality of holder
 operation can be enhanced.
 Still more, comprising a holder for holding media, transfer means for
 transferring the holder, and a casing holding the disk rotating means of
 media, and having an opening for moving in and out and containing the
 holder by the transfer means, a ventilation hole is provided in the top
 lid at the opening side of the casing, and this casing is assembled into
 the main body of a personal computer, so that dust and smoke entering from
 the opening can be discharged out of the casing through the ventilation
 hole, by making use of an air stream of the fan incorporated in the
 personal computer, stronger than the air stream caused by pressure
 difference between inside and outside of the casing by rotation of the
 disk, and therefore time-course contamination of the recording side of the
 disk and lens can be prevented.
 Also comprising a holder for holding media, transfer means for transferring
 the holder, disk rotating means for rotating the media, a casing having a
 opening for containing the holder, and a dust-proof member disposed
 between the opening and the disk rotating means, by rotating the disk by
 the rotating means, the pressure becomes negative in the disk loading
 device, so as to suck dust and smoke toward the center of the motor, and
 therefore contamination of the recording and reproducing side of the disk
 and the lens in the time course can be prevented by the dust-proof member
 disposed in this passage.
 An elastic material is used in the dust-proof member, and therefore
 contamination of the recording and reproducing side of the disk and the
 lens in the time course can be prevented without impeding the action of
 the transfer means.
 A material of low gas permeability is used as the dust-proof member, so
 that the passage of dust or smoke into the recording and reproducing side
 of the disk and the lens can be shut off.
 When a filter used as the dust-proof member, entry of dust or smoke into
 the recording and reproducing side of the disk and the lens can be shut
 off.
 According to the constitution of the invention, the motor rotary shaft of
 the loading motor does not receive the axial force at the projecting side
 from the casing, which prevents breakage of the stop ring in the loading
 motor, or, if not broken, increase of driving load due to collision
 between the stop ring and casing.
 In the case of trouble of the loading motor or the like, if a large toque
 is needed for driving the motor rotary shaft from outside, the disk tray
 can be discharged smoothly in power off state.
 For reduction of size and thickness of the disk loading device, if the
 space efficiency is enhanced by disposing the meshing position of the worm
 gear and worm wheel near the terminal end of the teeth at the root of the
 worm gear, when the worm wheel is meshed with the worm gear, they are not
 meshed on other than the specified tooth surface, and failure of normal
 gearing is avoided. Therefore, without blocking smooth transmission of
 drive force, increase of driving load can be prevented.
 Even if the driving load is increased due to abnormality in the driving
 system, such as breakage of the gear, the disk tray can be discharged in
 power off state.