This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2005-48812, filed Jun. 8, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a disc recording/reproducing apparatus, and, more particularly, to a disc recording/reproducing apparatus in which a position of a shutter opening/closing unit may be controlled according to whether a bare disc or a disc cartridge is loaded therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, disc recording/reproducing apparatuses that record and reproduce information using a disc-type recording medium comprising an optical disc such as a compact disc (CD) and a digital versatile disc (DVD) are widely used to record and reproduce music and images. Such disc recording/reproducing apparatuses are also widely used as storage media of an information processor such as a computer.
In conventional disc recording/reproducing apparatuses, upon loading the disc-type recording medium on a tray, the tray is moved from a withdrawn position to a recording/reproducing position. Then, a turntable, including a rotary driving section, rises from a lower position to drive the recording medium. Here, recording or reproducing of information is performed through moving an optical pickup in a radial direction of the disc-type recording medium.
As the technology surrounding the disc recording/reproducing apparatus comprising an optical disc continues to be advanced towards high density information recording/reproducing, a single-layer optical disc having a capacity of 25 GB has been introduced. However, as high-density disc recording/reproducing apparatuses appear, problems of signal errors by foreign substances such as dust or finger print may be generated. To overcome such problems, an optical disc cartridge is used.
A cartridge case has an opening which is closed by a shutter when not in use and which is opened by the shutter when the cartridge is loaded in the recording/reproducing position in order to perform optical recording/reproducing. Accordingly, the cartridge needs a locking device to maintain the closed state of the shutter, and a shutter opening device to release the closed state of the shutter when the cartridge is loaded on the recording/reproducing position.
A shutter opening/closing unit 65 is mounted at one side of the outer housing 10 to open and close a shutter of a disc cartridge (not shown) that is loaded to the tray 13. As the disc cartridge is loaded onto a recording/reproducing position by the tray 13, the shutter opening/closing unit 65 moves in association with the movement of the disc cartridge to open the shutter. On the other hand, as the disc cartridge is unloaded to a withdrawn position by the tray 13, the shutter opening/closing unit 65 operates in association with the disc cartridge to close the shutter.
In the above-described conventional disc recording/reproducing apparatus, however, the shutter opening/closing unit 65 always operates in the same position, regardless of whether the disc cartridge or the bare disc is loaded. Therefore, a guide part of the shutter opening/closing unit 65 unnecessarily contacts the cam 85 even when the bare disc is used. Such unnecessary contact accelerates an abrasion of the shutter opening/closing unit 65 and, in addition, when foreign substances are delivered to the bare disc through contact with the cam 85, recording/reproducing performance may be deteriorated.
An aspect of the present invention is to solve at least the above and/or other problems and disadvantages and to provide at least and/or other advantages as are described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a disc recording/reproducing apparatus in which a position of a shutter opening/closing unit may be controlled according to whether a bare disc or a disc cartridge is loaded therein.
In order to achieve the above-described and/or other aspects of the present invention, there is provided a disc recording/reproducing apparatus comprising a main frame; a tray, mounted to reciprocate on the main frame, having a disc loading part at an upper surface thereof to mount a disc cartridge or a bare disc; a shutter opening/closing unit mounted to the main frame to expose and cover an opening of the disc cartridge according to the reciprocation of the tray; and a cam unit to guide an opening/closing operation part toward the disc loading part when the disc cartridge is loaded on the tray, and to release the guide of the opening/closing operation part when the bare disc is loaded on the tray.
The cam unit comprises a guide rib protruded on an upper surface of the tray; a cartridge holder mounted to reciprocate on the tray; a cam slider, connected to the cartridge holder through a fixing unit to move in accordance with the reciprocation of the cartridge holder, having a slider rib corresponding in a position thereof to that of the guide rib; and a guide plate mounted on the upper surface of the tray to guide movement of the cam slider. The fixing unit comprises a fixing projection formed on the cam slider; and fixing ribs formed on a lower part of the cartridge holder to engage with the fixing projection. The cam slider comprises a guide projection at a lower part thereof, and the guide plate comprises a guide hole for insertion and guide of the guide projection. The guide plate has a curve part having a substantially arc form on an inner surface thereof to prevent interference with the bare disc. The cam slider has a curved part having a substantially arc shaped form on an inner surface thereof to prevent an interference with the bare disc. The disc recording/reproducing apparatus may further comprise a resilient member to resiliently bias the cartridge holder on the tray.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disc recording/reproducing apparatus comprising a main frame; a tray mounted to reciprocate on the main frame, having a disc loading part at an upper surface thereof, which has a shutter opening/closing part and mounts a disc cartridge or a bare disc; a shutter opening/closing unit to expose and cover an opening of the disc cartridge according to the reciprocation of the tray; and a shifting unit to move the opening/closing operation unit toward the disc loading part when the disc cartridge is loaded on the tray, and to separate the shutter opening/closing unit from the disc loading unit when the bare disc is loaded on the tray.
The shifting unit comprises a cartridge holder mounted to reciprocate on the tray; an arm mounted at a lower part of the cartridge holder to move vertically in accordance with the reciprocation of the cartridge holder; and a lever, supported by the main frame to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise as a result of an interference with the arm in accordance with the reciprocation of the tray, connected at one end thereof to the shutter opening/closing unit. One end of the arm is rotatably mounted on the tray, and the other end is mounted to move vertically in accordance with the reciprocation of the cartridge holder. The cartridge holder comprises a sliding groove to guide the vertical movement of the arm. The disc recording/reproducing apparatus may further comprise a resilient member to resiliently bias the cartridge holder on the tray. The shutter opening/closing unit comprises a slit, and the main frame comprises a catch hook engaged with the slit. The disc recording/reproducing apparatus may further comprise a spring at one side of the lever to resiliently bias the lever inward with respect to the tray.
In the disc recording/reproducing apparatus as described above, the shutter opening/closing unit is selectively moved according to a loading state of a bare disc or a disc cartridge, thereby restraining unnecessary contact between the shutter opening/closing unit and the cam when the bare disc is being used.
Accordingly, abrasion and noise generated between the shutter opening/closing unit and the cam may be reduced. Furthermore, when using the bare disc, foreign substance particles generated by contact between the bare disc and the cam are prevented from being attached to the bare disc, thereby preventing deterioration of the recording/reproducing performance.
Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIGS. 13 to 15 are views showing operation processes of the tray being loaded with the disc cartridge and entering a main frame.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
The rotary wheel 109 opens and closes the shutter 107 as a result of relative movement with a shutter opening/closing unit 250 that will be explained hereinbelow. A segment gear 109a is formed on a rim of the rotary wheel 109, and first and second concave cuts 109b and 109c are formed at a predetermined distance, respectively from both sides of the segment gear 109a. In addition, cam projections 109d and 109e are provided to a bottom of the rotary wheel 109 to open and close the shutter 107 in association with the rotation of the rotary wheel 109. The shutter 107 is provided with cam slits 107a and 107b in which the cam projections 109d and 109e are inserted and slid. The shutter 107 includes a hinge hole 107c through which a support projection 111b formed on the lower case 111 is inserted, so as to operate in an opening and closing manner with respect to the hinge hole 107c according to the rotation of the rotary wheel 109.
A latch unit 130 is formed at one side of the lower case 111 to restrict a rotation of the rotary wheel 109. The latch unit 130 is substantially Y-shape and may be formed by a molding of a synthetic resin. The latch unit 130 comprises a latch hinge hole 131 fit with a hinge shaft 111c of the lower case 111, a resilient arm 133 contacted with a side of the lower case 111, a locking arm 135 locked by the first concave cut 109b, and an unlocking arm 137 releasing the locking arm 135. An end of the unlocking arm 137 is partly exposed to the outside of the case 110.
The structure of the disc cartridge 100 described above is only an exemplary structure to allow for exposing and covering of the opening 111a. Other structures may be applied for the same purpose.
The tray 230 comprises a disc loading part 231 on which the disc cartridge 100 or a bare disc (not shown) is loaded, and a tray opening 233 to expose the bare disc (not shown) or a disc housed in the disc cartridge 100. The tray 230 is supported by the main frame 210 at both sides thereof and is driven linearly by a driving unit (not shown) in directions illustrated by the arrows D and F.
The shutter opening/closing unit 250 comprises a static part 251 fixed at one side of the main frame 210, and an opening/closing operation part 253 that opens and closes the shutter 107 while being interfered with by an operative part of the disc cartridge 100, such as the segment gear 109a, and the first and the second concave cuts 109c and 109d. Here, the opening/closing operation part 253 comprises a rack member 253a meshed with the segment gear 109a of the rotary wheel 109, and first and second shutter opening/closing projections 253b and 253c, which interfere with the first and second concave cuts 109b and 109c and the latch unit 130. The first and the second shutter opening/closing projections 253b and 253c are formed at first and second connection ribs 255a and 255b, which are formed as free ends on both ends of the static part 251, so as to move forward and backward with respect to the disc cartridge 100. The rack member 253a is also formed with a free end and has one side thereof connected to the static part 251 to allow the rack member 253a to move toward and back from the disc cartridge 100. The first and the second connection ribs 255a and 255b, and the rack member 253a are provided with guide projections 257a, 257b, and 257c at single ends thereof, respectively. Fitting parts 251a and 251b are formed on both ends of the static part 251 to engage with a thick portion of the main frame 210. In an embodiment of the invention, the shutter opening/closing unit 250 is formed as one body by molding of synthetic resin.
A cam unit 300 is formed on an upper surface of the tray 230 in order to guide the opening/closing operation part 253 of the shutter opening/closing unit 250 toward the disc cartridge 100 as shown in
The guide rib 235 comprises a recessed part 235a and a protruded part 235b. The recessed part 235a is recessed adjacent to the latch unit 130 in an outward direction with respect to the tray 230. The protruded part 235b is adjacent to the window 111f of the disc cartridge 110 when the disc cartridge 100 is loaded on the tray 230. A shape of the slider rib 311 corresponds to a shape of the inner surface of the guide rib 235 and comprises a slider protruded part 311a and a slider recessed part 311b. As the cam slider 310 moves, positions of the slider protruded part 311a and the recessed part 235a of the guide rib 235 respectively correspond to each other or are separated from each other. Similarly, positions of the slider recessed part 311b and the protruded part 235b of the guide rib 235 respectively correspond to each other or are separated from each other.
The fixing unit 303 comprises a fixing projection 303a formed on the cam slider 310, and fixing ribs 303b, formed at a lower part of the cartridge holder 301, which are disposed at positions allowing for an engagement between the fixing ribs 303b with the fixing projection 303a. Indeed, the fixing projection 303a is interposed between the fixing ribs 303b, as shown in
A guide projection 313 is formed on a lower part of the cam slider 310. A guide hole 331 is formed on the guide plate 330 where the guide projection 313 is inserted and guided. The guide hole 331 is shaped to gradually approach the tray 230 along a withdrawing direction D of the tray 230. The cartridge holder 301 is resiliently supported on the tray 230 by a resilient member 350. In the above structure, the guide plate 330 and the cam slider 310 respectively have curved parts 335 and 315 having a substantially arc shaped form on inner surfaces thereof to prevent interference with the bare disc.
Hereinbelow, an operational principle of the above-structured disc recording/reproducing apparatus will be described. As shown in
Where the guide rail L is formed, as the tray 230 enters the main frame 210, the latch unit 130 is unlocked and the rotary wheel 109 is rotated by the shutter opening/closing unit 250. Accordingly, the shutter 107, which covers the opening 111a of the lower case 111, is moved. When the tray 230 is drawn out from the main frame 210 through an unloading operation, the rotary wheel 109 is rotated by the shutter opening/closing unit 250 in the opposite direction, the shutter 107 covers the opening 111a, and the latch unit 30 is again locked.
At this time, since the guide rail L is formed to separate the guide projections 257a, 257b, and 257c from the disc cartridge 100 adjacent to the latch unit 130 of the disc cartridge 100, the rack member 253a of the shutter opening/closing unit 250 is prevented from being interfered with by the latch unit 130.
Hereinbelow, another structure to move the shutter opening/closing unit according to a loading state of the bare disc or the disc cartridge will be described.
In this embodiment, a shifting unit 500 is provided. When loading the disc cartridge 100 on the tray 230 as shown in
The shifting unit 500 comprises a cartridge holder 501 mounted on the tray 230 to reciprocate linearly, an arm 503 mounted at a lower part of the cartridge holder 501 to move vertically in association with the reciprocation of the cartridge holder 501, and a lever 505 supported by the main frame 210 to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise as a result of interference with the arm 503 as the tray 230 reciprocates. The lever 505 is connected by one end to the shutter opening/closing unit 400. The lever 505 is supported by a hinge shaft 507 mounted on the main frame 210 to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise and is connected to the shutter opening/closing unit 400 by a rotation pin 505a mounted at one end thereof.
A slit 401 is formed on a main body of the shutter opening/closing unit 400 while a catch hook 213 to engage with the slit 401 is formed on the main frame 210. Through this structure, the shutter opening/closing unit 400 is supported by the main frame 210 to laterally move in arrowed directions E and 1, as shown in
One end of the arm 503 is rotatably mounted on the tray 230, and the other end is vertically moved in accordance with the reciprocation of the cartridge holder 501. The vertical motion is guided along a sliding groove 501a formed at the cartridge holder 501. The sliding groove 501a is sloped downward so as to extend to the inner side of the main frame 210, or, in other words, in an arrowed direction F.
Hereinbelow, the operation of the shifting unit 500 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in greater detail.
As shown in
As described above, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a disc recording/reproducing apparatus controls a position of a shutter opening/closing unit according to whether a bare disc or a disc cartridge is loaded therein.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-48812 | Jun 2005 | KR | national |