Patent Abstract:
In a disc apparatus, such as an optical disc video camera, etc., for recording or reproducing information onto/from a disc medium received in a cartridge, for obtaining reduction in a number of parts building up a mechanism for holding a clamper, thereby achieving a cartridge holder mechanism of a thinner type, wherein a clamper for holding the disc medium while pressing thereon is engaged with a clamp holder (a reinforcing plate) which opens/closes with a disc cover (an outer cover) of an exterior of the apparatus in the structure thereof. With this, With this, the disc slider becomes unnecessary, which was disposed for moving the clamper being held therewith.  
     Also, although a relative positional shift occurs between the clamper and the cartridge holder during rotation of the cartridge holder since the rotation shaft of the clamper differs from the rotation shaft of the cartridge holder, however a guide portion is formed on the cartridge holder as a unit, thereby in the structure thereof, regulating it with this, when the clamper comes close to the cartridge holder.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Filed of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a disc apparatus being able to record or reproduce data onto/from a disc medium inserted or received in a cartridge, and in particular relates to the structure in relation to insertion, ejection or holding of the cartridge into/from/in the disc apparatus.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    An example of a loading mechanism of a video camera, which uses an optical disc cartridge, in relation to the conventional art, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-21059 (JP-A 21059/2000), for example. In the conventional technology disclosed, it is proposed to achieve an object to insert a disc clamper into the cartridge with certainty and accuracy, with the mechanism for holding a disc-like recording medium between a disc table and a disc clamper. The disc clamper must be disposed escaping from a moving path of the cartridge, until when the cartridge is loaded or mounted. Then, according to this publication, a disc slider 260 is provided on a disc tray 250, so as to attach the disc clamper 300 to this disc slider, thereby achieving the object mentioned above, i.e., escaping from the moving path of the cartridge. When the cartridge is loaded, the disc clamper is guided by means of a guiding slit formed in the disc tray 256 a,  thereby holding the cartridge therebetween, in the structure thereof.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    As was mentioned in the above, in relation with the conventional art, for the purpose of holding the cartridge by means of the disc clamper (hereinafter, being called only by “clamper”), the disc slider is provided in an upper side, being a member separated from the disc tray. For letting this disc slider to rotate coaxially with the disc tray, parts or elements thereof must be large in the number thereof, and since the disc slider is located in an upper side of the disc tray, a whole of cartridge holder device comes to be thick in the thickness thereof.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge holder device of a type of thinner in the thickness, in the disc apparatus, such as a optical disc video camera, etc., while reducing the number of parts of the mechanism for holding the clamper.  
           [0007]    For achieving such the object as was mentioned above, according to the present invention, there is provided a disc apparatus, for recording or reproducing information onto/from a disc medium, by loading a cartridge, in which said disc medium is stored, in the structure threof, wherein a clamper for holding the disc medium while pressing is engaged with a clamp holder (a reinforcing plate) which opens/closed with a disc cover (an outer cover) of the exterior of the apparatus as a unit. With this, the disc slider becomes unnecessary, which was disposed for moving the clamper being held therewith.  
           [0008]    Also, although a relative positional shift occurs between the clamper and the cartridge holder during rotation of the cartridge holder since the rotation shaft of the clamper differs from the rotation shaft of the cartridge holder, however a guide portion is formed on the cartridge holder as a unit, thereby in the structure thereof, regulating it with this, when the clamper comes close to the cartridge holder. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    Those and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of principle portions of an optical disc video camera, according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the video camera seen behind thereof, under the condition where a disc cover  5  is opened;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 a plane view of a cartridge  15  for user of the video camera, for explanation thereof;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a perspective view for showing the structure of a mechanical portion  14  from a right-upper side, obliquely;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a perspective view for showing the condition where the cartridge is locked on a cartridge holder after completing insertion of the cartridge;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a side view of the cartridge under the condition of being recordable or reproducible; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a cross-section view elements of a clamper portion. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be fully explained by referring to the attached drawings, in particular on an optical disc video camera, for an example, for recording video and/or audio taken into onto a recoding medium, an optical disc, such as an optical disc stored or received in a cartridge, for example.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the principle portions of the optical disc video camera, according to an embodiment of the present invention. An outer configure of the optical disc video camera is defined by a front case  2 , an R case  3 , an L case  4 , a disc cover  5 , a rear case  6 , an EFV portion  7  and an LCD portion, etc. On the front case  2  can be attached a lens portion  12  for picking up video viewed from the EFV portion  7 , an accessory shoe for attaching a strobe, etc., thereon, and a microphone for picking up audio. Also, the LCD portion  8  comprises a display portion being able to show or display the video picked up, the video reproduced from a recoding medium loaded, etc. On circuit boards  13 A and  13 B are formed circuits for controlling the entire operations of the optical disc video camera, such as signal processing of the video picked up through the lens portion  12  and the audio picked up through the microphone  11 , and recording the video and the audio finished with the signal processing, etc. In the mechanical portion  14 , the video and/or the audio are recorded onto the recording medium, and/or data of the video and the audio recorded is reproduced from the recording medium. Thus, with the present optical disc video camera, data of the video and the audio, etc., are recorded and/or reproduced onto/from the recoding medium, using such as an optical disc utilizing a phase change, through irradiation of lights while rotating the optical disc by the mechanical portion  14 .  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the optical disc video camera, seen from behind thereof, under the condition that the disc cover  5  is opened. The cartridge  15 , receiving therein the recording medium, i.e., the optical disc is inserted into the cartridge holder  16  of the mechanism portion  14 , and further the cartridge is pushed into, thereby the cartridge holder  15  is locked thereon. Further, under the condition that the cartridge  15  is locked on, since a shutter  151  of the cartridge  15  (which will be mentioned later) is opened, therefore the optical disc is exposed. After locking the cartridge  15  on, when a user closes the disc cover  5 , then the cartridge  15  is loaded at the position where recording/reproducing of the video and/or audio can be made onto/from the optical disc, therefore the optical disc video camera can record and/or reproduce the video and/or the audio. For loading the recording medium, i.e., the optical disc from the condition shown in FIG. 2 to the position where the recording/reproducing can be made, the user pushes the disc cover  5  (i.e., close) by hand. Further, in the present embodiment, an upper surface, a lower surface, a front surface, a rear surface, and a right-hand and left-hand surfaces mean directions indicated in FIG. 2.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a plane view of the cartridge  15  to be used in the optical disc video camera  1 . This cartridge  15  receives the recording medium, i.e., an optical disc  156  within an inside thereof, and is constructed so that the optical disc is exposed outside through opening of the shutter  151  thereof. For the optical disc  156  received in the cartridge  15 , there are types, such as, a type on both side surfaces of which can be recorded data, such as the video and/or the audio, etc., a type on only one side surface of which can be recorded data, such as the video and/or the audio, etc., and the structure of the cartridge  15  may differ due to this difference. Herein, explanation will be given on the type on both side surfaces of which can be recorded data, such as the video and/or the audio, etc. With the structure of this type, the shutter  151  is opened on both directions, i.e., a direction A and a direction B.  
         [0022]    Hereinafter, explanation will be given on a cartridge loading mechanism, which is equipped with the optical disc video camera  1 . FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of showing the structure of the mechanism portion  14 , seen from the right-hand upper surface side, obliquely. However, in the explanation given hereinafter, the direction of inserting the cartridge, the direction of discharging the cartridge means the directions indicated in this figure.  
         [0023]    The mechanism portion  14  comprises, in addition to the cartridge holder  16 , a mechanism chassis  17 . The mechanism chassis  17  is fixed on the R case  3  of the optical disc video camera  1  through a shock absorption dumper not shown in the figure. On the other hand, the cartridge holder  16  is attached on the mechanism chassis  17  through a bracket attached in a rotatable relationship to the cartridge holder  16 . Further, a clump holder  18  for holding a clamper  181  with keeping a gap therebetween is attached to the disc cover  5  of the optical disc video camera. Herein, the disc cover is made of plastic; therefore a reinforcing plate(s) is for necessary for strengthening thereof. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the clamp holder  18  is made of metal, thereby functioning a reinforcing member of the disc cover  5  made of plastic, in common. In the structure thereof, the cartridge holder  16  and the clamp holder  18  rotate into directions of the upper surface and the lower surface, respectively, accompanying with the open/close operation of the disc cover  5 . With such the structure, there is no necessity of a part for exclusive use thereof, such as the disc slider that was used in the conventional art, therefore effects can be obtained on reduction in the number of the parts, as well as, in the thickness of that portion. This FIG. 4 shows the mechanism portion  14  in the condition where the disc cover  5  is opened.  
         [0024]    The mechanism chassis  17  has pins  171 A and  171 B, and those pins  171 A and  171 B are provided at positions, so that they are inserted into positioning bores  152 A and  152 B when the cartridge  15  inserted normally. Further, the mechanism chassis  17  comprises a pickup (not shown in the figure) for recording data of the video and/or the audio, etc., by irradiating lights upon the optical disc  156 , or reading out data of the video and/or the audio, etc., by receiving reflection light therefrom, a spindle motor  30  for rotating the optical disc  156 , and a turn table  301  being provided at a tip of said spindle motor  30  for putting or holding the optical disc  156  therebetween, collaborating with the clamper  181 , which will be mentioned later, etc.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a perspective view for showing the condition where the insertion of the cartridge  15  into the cartridge holder  16  is completed by opening the disc cover  5  (wherein the disc cover is not shown in the figure). FIG. 6 is a side view thereof, including a cross-section view of a part thereof. As was mentioned previously, the cartridge holder  16  is attached on the chassis  17  through the bracket  19 , while the chassis  17  onto the R case  3 . And, the disc cover  5  is also attached onto the R case  3 , and the fulcrum of rotational movement of the disc cover  5  is made up with a disc cover rotation shaft  186 .  
         [0026]    The cartridge holder  16  fixes up the cartridge  16  by means of plate springs  252 A and  252 B attached to the cartridge holder  16 , thereby building up the structure, so that the cartridge  15  cannot be moved, as far as the user thereof tries to withdraw it with an intention to do so, for pulling out the cartridge  15  from the optical disc video camera. Thus, due to the fact that the user of the optical disc video camera closes the disc cover  5  from a stage where this cartridge holder  15  is fixed, the cartridge holder  16  is rotated around a cartridge holder rotation shaft  185 , from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0027]    The clamp holder  18  of the disc cover  5  shown in FIG. 6 is bent in a portion thereof, and a link pin J 54  is fixed therein. A guide bracket  168 B provided on the upper surface of the cartridge holder  16  is engaged with a link pin B  56  provided at one end of a link  55 , the other end of which is engaged with the link pin J  54  rotatably.  
         [0028]    At the tip side of the clamp holder  18  is fixed a pressurizing plate spring  57 , and a free height if the said pressurizing plate spring  57  is larger than the maximum distance between the clamp holder  18  and the cartridge holder  16  determined by the link mechanism mentioned above, For this reason, upon the link pin  54  and the link  55 , as well as the guide bracket  168 B are always functioned pressures, thereby they are in closely contact with one another.  
         [0029]    When the user rotates the disc cover  5  around the disc cover rotation shaft  186 , the clamp holder  18  rotates around the disc cover rotation shaft  186 , while the cartridge holder  16  around the cartridge holder rotation shaft  185 , and the link pin B 56  moves sliding on a surface of the guide bracket  168 B. Accompanying with rotation of the disc cover  5 , there occurs difference in rotation angle between the clamp holder  18  and the cartridge holder  16 , therefore the angle defined between the clamp holder  18  and the cartridge holder  16  is large under the condition when the disc cover  5  is opened, while they are almost in parallel under the condition when the disc cover  5  is closed. However, in order to close the disc cover  5 , at the final state, it is necessary to give suppression thereon against counter force of the pressurizing plate spring  57 . As a result of this, under the condition where the disc cover  5  is opened, as shown in FIG. 6, a whole portions of the clamper  181  held on the clamper holder  18  lies in an outside (an upper side) of the cartridge holder  16 , however under the condition where the disc cover  5  is closed, as shown in FIG. 7, a predetermined portion of the clamper  181  enters into the cartridge holder in the condition thereof.  
         [0030]    Namely, there is necessity to let the cartridge to escape from, not so as it interfere with the clamper, when inserting the cartridge, however, in the present invention, since the disc cover (an outer cover) is so constructed that the clamper is able to escape into a space defined by opening thereof, therefore there is no necessity of providing the space for escape when the disc cover is closes, thereby bringing about an effect of making thin in the thickness of the apparatus as a whole.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a side view of showing the condition where the cartridge  15  is held to be recordable or reproducible in the position thereof. The clamper  181  is mounted with a magnet not shown in the figure in a part thereof. When the optical disc  156  is to be recordable or reproducible in the position thereof, the clamper  181  holds the optical disc  156  between the spindle motor  30 , on which an iron member is mounted, due to the magnetic force of the magnet, thereby pressing it onto the turn table  301 , so as to be rotated. For this reason, when the optical disc  156  is to be recordable or reproducible in the position, there is no engagement or linkage between the clamper  181  and the clamper holder  18 , and also they are attached so as to hold the clamper  181  in a relationship of height thereof, therefore the clamper  181  operates cooperatively with closing/opening of the clamp holder  18 , i.e., goes away from the turn table  301 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 shows the cross-section view of the principle portion for letting the optical disc  156  to be put or held between the clamper  181  and the turntable  301 . The height of the clamper  181  is make small in the diameter thereof, in a part on a way, in the direction of the height, and this portion of the small diameter is engaged with a recess portion  183  of the clamp holder  18 , therefore the clamper  181  will never come down therefrom, nor contact with the clamp holder  18  when the optical disc  156  rotates.  
         [0033]    When the user of the optical disc camera tries to close the disc cover  5  to make recording or reproducing thereof, after inserting the cartridge  15  therein, a center pin  182  of the clamper  181  rides over a hub center bore  302  on the way of the rotation mentioned above, if the hub center bore  302  at the tip portion  302  of the spindle motor and the center pin  182  of the clamper  181  are not formed within a predetermined accuracy, therefore it is impossible to clamp the disc. In particular, as was mentioned previously, the clamp holder  18 , which rotates with the disc cover  5  mounting the clamper  181  thereon as a unit, is attached onto the R case  3 , while the cartridge holder  16  onto the chassis  17 , and further the chassis  17  is attached onto the R case  3 . Therefore, errors in attachment or fitting of the rotation shaft of the clamp holder (i.e., the disc cover rotation shaft)  186  and the rotation shaft  185  of the cartridge holder  16  come to be large, comparing to the conventional art where both of the shafts are same to, due to the large number of parts standing therebetween, thereby increasing a possibility that the center pin  182  may ride over the hub center bore  302 .  
         [0034]    For this reason, guides  165 A to  165 F are formed by cutting them up from the cartridge  16 , as a unit thereof. And, a gap defined between interior surfaces of the guides  165 A to  165 F and an outer peripheral surface of the clamper, is made to equal or less than a predetermined value, thereby regulating shifting of the center thereof. The clamper  181  attached onto the clamp holder  18  moves along with the guides  165 A to  165 F provided in the cartridge holder  16 , accompanying with open/close operation of the disc cover  5 , and thereby holding the optical disc  156  between the turntable  301  of the spindle motor  30 .  
         [0035]    In this manner, though the clamper  181  is guided with the guides  165 A to  165 F provided on the upper surface of the cartridge holder  16 , however it is further necessary to suppress a gap defined between an outer diameter of the clamper  181  and inner walls of the guides  165 A to  165 F. For this, after taking into consideration, the inner diameter of the guides  165 A to  165 F or a size for regulating a position of the clamper  181 , the portions being suppressed as far as possible is provided in a lower half of the guides  165 A to  165 F. On the other hand, for the purpose of preventing the guides  165 A to  165 F from being shifted in fore/back directions, caused due to that the clamp holder  18  is higher at the rotation center thereof than the cartridge holder  16  at the rotation center thereof and that there is also a difference in the rotation angles therebetween, when the clamper  18  is opened, and/or from an interference due to the difference in the angle between the clamper  181  and the cartridge holder  16 , upper portions of the guides  165 A to  165 F are opened in an upper direction, and the inner diameter or a size for regulating the position of the clamper  181  is larger than a lower half thereof.  
         [0036]    In the process of rotating movement of the cartridge  16  and the clamp holder  18  mentioned above, the pins  171 A and  171 B on the mechanism chassis  17  shown in FIG. 4 are inserted into the positioning bores  152 A and  152 B, and thereby the cartridge  15  is position on the mechanism chassis  17 . Also, the cartridge  15  is inhibited from being abnormally deformed by means of a guide portion  161  of the cartridge holder  16 , when the cartridge  15  is inserted into the cartridge holder  16  in a normal direction, but if the pins  171 A and  171 B cannot enter into the positioning bores  152 A and  152 B normally due to shifting of the cartridge caused by some reasons.  
         [0037]    Next, explanation will be made on the operation when the cartridge  15  is taken out or ejected, which is loaded inside the optical disc video camera  1 . FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the mechanism portion  14  in the condition that the cartridge  15  loaded inside the optical disc video camera  1  can be taken out therefrom. As is apparent from the fact that the reference numerals attached in the drawings, the present condition is the same to that when the cartridge  15  is completed in the insertion thereof into the cartridge holder  16 .  
         [0038]    Under the condition of being recordatable or reproducible shown in FIG. 7, when an eject button (mot shown in the figure) thereof, the optical disc video camera release the disc cover from the locking condition thereof. And when the user opens the disc cover  5 , the cartridge holder  16  and the clamp holder  18  movers rotationally up to the position shown in FIG. 6. In this instance, both the cartridge holder  16  and the clamp holder  18  are opened relatively while moving rotationally. In the series of operations mentioned above, the cartridge  15  comes in the condition that it can be taken out as shown in FIG. 6, while keeping the condition of the cartridge holder  15  holding the cartridge  16  therewith. The cartridge  15  is kept to be engaged or linked with, by means of the plate-like spring  251 A and  251 B, each of which shows elasticity in the direction at about perpendicular to that of the ejection of cartridge, as well as, the spring hooks  252 A and  252 B provided at the tips thereof. Therefore, the user can take out the cartridge  15  from the optical disc video camera  1 , by pulling out portions, i.e., M portion and N portion exposed or projected from the cartridge holder of that cartridge  15 , in the direction of ejection thereof, so as to release from the linkage with the spring hooks  252 A and  252 B.  
         [0039]    As is fully explained in the above, according to the present invention, in particular in relation to the mechanism for inserting, holding and ejecting the cartridge into the cartridge holder, there can be provided a disc apparatus with a simple structure, therefore being assembled to be small in sizes with ease, while suppressing the necessary parts down to minimal.  
         [0040]    The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential feature or characteristics thereof. The present embodiment(s) is/are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the forgoing description and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraces therein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6