Patent ID: 7299480

Claim:
A loading disc optical detection apparatus comprising: a tray member, on which a bare disc, or a cartridge accommodating a disc therein is placed; a disc drive device, into or from which the tray member is loaded or rejected by a drive unit; detection holes provided on the tray member to detect a disc or a cartridge; and a detection unit provided on the disc drive device to optically detect a state including a type of a disc or a cartridge placed on the tray member based on whether the detection holes are shaded in the course of loading of the tray member, wherein the tray member comprises a placing-surface, on which at least a disc having one size is placed, and a placing-surface, on which a cartridge is placed, on which surfaces central positions of discs are made vertically coincident together, and the detection holes are aligned at least one to each of the placing-surfaces on straight lines passing over that surface, on which a disc of minimum size is placed, along a movement direction by the drive unit; wherein the detection unit comprises optical-path generating member provided in the front side of the disc drive device and in upper and lower positions corresponding to tracks of movement, along which the detection holes aligned on the straight lines pass upon movement by the drive unit, the optical-path generating member generating optical paths to intersect the tracks of movement, and a state including a type of a disc or a cartridge placed on the tray member is detected based on shaded patterns of the optical paths by the respective detection holes that pass positions corresponding to the optical-path generating member as the tray member is moved; and wherein the detection unit prepares data of shaded patterns of the optical paths beforehand to establish a reference for every disc or cartridge being handled when the disc or the cartridge is placed in a predetermined position, and detects what size of a disc or a cartridge a medium placed on the tray member corresponds to, and whether a placement position of the disc or the cartridge is a predetermined position on a predetermined placing-surface, by making a comparison between the data of shade patterns of the optical paths obtained by the movement of the tray member and the reference data of shade patterns of the optical paths.