BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from an ensuing description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the embodiment wherein the disc is pushed from the first disc-pushing mechanism to the second disc-pushing mechanism;
FIG. 5 is another partially enlarged perspective view of the embodiment wherein the disc is positioned in the second disc-pushing mechanism and the clamp of the auxiliary-fixing mechanism fixes the disc for allowing the claws of the seizing mechanism to pass through the central hole of the disc;
FIG. 6 is a further partially enlarged perspective view of the embodiment wherein the seizing mechanism seizes the disc through its claws and moves the disc above the opened tray of the disc player through the coordinate-displacing mechanism;
FIG. 7 is a still further partially enlarged perspective view of the embodiment wherein the rotating mechanism rotates the disc to face the opened tray of the disc player;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the seizing mechanism wherein the stretching element of the stretching mechanism is stretched out to enable the claws of the seizing mechanism to gather together to pass through the central hole of the disc; and
FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the seizing mechanism wherein the stretching element of the stretching mechanism is drawn back to enable the claws of the seizing mechanism to expand outwardly to size the disc against a plane of a truss of the seizing mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to FIGS. 3-7, the first embodiment of the present invention is an optical disc access control and storage apparatus. The optical disc access control and storage apparatus mainly contains: a rotating plate 30, a first disc-pushing mechanism 34, a second disc-pushing mechanism 36, an auxiliary-fixing mechanism 38, a seizing mechanism 40, a rotating mechanism 42, a coordinate-displacing mechanism 44, and two disc players 50a, 50b. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the disc 32 can be placed into multiple slots 301 of the rotating plate 30 through an access opening 461 in an apparatus body 46 of the optical disc access control and storage apparatus. A computer 600 connected to the apparatus controls the rotation of the rotating plate 30 so as to move the disc 32 in the slot 301 to a predetermined position.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the first disc-pushing mechanism 34 contains: a frame 341 formed with a channel 341a therein for the disc 32 in the rotating plate 30 to stay or pass through and a disc-pushing shaft 342 having one end connected to the second driving mechanism 343 in the frame 341 for controlling the disc-pushing shaft 342 so as to move the disc 32 along the radial direction of the disc 32 wherein the disc-pushing shaft 342 has an arced surface 342a corresponding to an edge of the disc 32. The second driving mechanism 343 contains a motor and a transmission speed-reducing mechanism set. The first disc-pushing mechanism 34 further contains a second detecting device 344 installed thereon, and when the second detecting device 344 detects a clamp 381 of the auxiliary-fixing mechanism 38, the computer 600 generates a signal ordering the disc-pushing shaft 342 to return to its original position.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the second disc-pushing mechanism 36 contains: a positioning slot 361 for positioning the disc 32 pushed by the first disc-pushing mechanism 34, a first detecting device 362 for detecting whether the disc 32 is located in the positioning slot 361, a pushing element 363 having a through slot 363a therein, which can pass through the positioning slot 361 and a holding element 363b, and the third driving mechanism 366 having a pulley set 364 and a belt set 365 disposed on the pulley set 364. When a user wants to have the disc 32 in the positioning slot 361 return to the rotating plate 30, the pulley set 364 and the belt set 365 of the third driving mechanism 366 drive the pushing element 363 to push the disc 32 back to the multiple slots 301 of the rotating plate 30. Since the pushing element 363 has the through slot 363a therein, which can pass through the positioning slot 361, the pushing element 363 would not be stopped by the positioning slot 361 in the process of pushing the disc 32.
With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the auxiliary-fixing mechanism 38 contains: the clamp 381, for fixing the disc 32 in the positioning slot 361 of the second disc-pushing mechanism 36, a stretchable arm 382 having one end connected to the clamp 381, and a first driving mechanism 383 for controlling the operations of the clamp 381 and the stretchable arm 382. When the seizing mechanism 40 has seized the disc 32, the computer 600 generates a command ordering the clamp 381 to release the disc 32 and return to its original position.
With reference to FIGS. 6-10, the seizing mechanism 40 contains three claws 401 wherein each of the three claws 401 has a hook 401a disposed at the external side thereof. When the three claws 401 assemble together, they can pass through the central hole 321 of the disc 32 in the positioning slot 361 of the second disc-pushing mechanism 36. When the claws 401 pass through the central hole 321, they expand outwardly such that the hook 401a can seize the disc 32. When it is desired to release the seized disc 32, the expanded claws 401 assemble together and retreat from the central hole 321 of the disc 32 to release the disc 32.
Regarding the specific structures of the seizing mechanism 40, please refer to FIGS. 8 and 9. The seizing mechanism 40 contains a truss 402, a stretching mechanism 403 having an axially movable stretching element 403a, three first rods 404 wherein each of them pivotally connects to the stretching element 403a of the stretching mechanism 403 with one end respectively, and three second rods 405 (see FIG. 9) wherein each of them connects to the other end of the first rod 404 and the other end of each of the second rods 405 firmly fixed to the three claws 401 and also pivotally connected to the truss 402. Therefore, the corresponding angle between each of the claws 401 and the second rod 405 is fixed and when the second rods 405 move, the claws 401 move correspondingly. When the stretching element 403a of the stretching mechanism 403 stretches out, the three claws 401 assemble together through the mechanically interactive relationships between the first rod 404 and the second rod 405. When the stretching element 403a of the stretching mechanism 403 draws back, the three claws 401 expand outwardly and the hooks 401a of the three claws 401 seize the disc 32 against a plane 402a of the truss 402. The operation of the stretching element 403a of the stretching mechanism 403 is controlled by a fourth driving mechanism 406 and the fourth mechanism 406 contains a motor and a transmission speed-reducing mechanism set.
With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotation mechanism 42 connects the seizing mechanism 40 for rotating the seizing mechanism 40 in either a leftward or rightward direction up to 90 degrees respectively. To seize the disc 32 in the positioning slot 361 of the second disc-pushing mechanism 36, the rotating mechanism 42 rotates the seizing mechanism 40 such that the three claws 401 face the central hole 321 of the disc 32. Thereafter, to place the disc 32 into the trays 501a, 501b of the disc players 50a, 50b, the rotating mechanism 42 rotates the seizing mechanism 40 by 90 degrees such that the disc 32 can be horizontally placed in the trays 501a, 501b of the disc players 50a, 50b (see FIG. 6).
With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the coordinate-displacing mechanism 44 connects to the rotating mechanism 42 for controlling the vertical and horizontal positions of the seizing mechanism 40 in order that the claws 401 of the seizing mechanism 40 are aligned with the central hole 321 of the disc 32. The coordinate-displacing mechanism 44 mainly contains a horizontal movement mechanism 441, a horizontal rod 442, a vertical movement mechanism 443, and a vertical rod 444. The horizontal movement mechanism 441 contains a pulley set 441c and a belt set 441b installed on the pulley set 441c. The horizontal rod 442 horizontally passes through the horizontal movement mechanism 441 and is horizontally installed in the apparatus body 46 of the optical disc access control and storage apparatus for allowing the horizontal movement mechanism 441 to move horizontally along the horizontal rod 442. The vertical movement mechanism 443 is installed in the horizontal movement mechanism 441. The vertical movement mechanism 443 is connected to the rotating mechanism 42. The vertical rod 444 vertically passes through the vertical movement mechanism 443 and is vertically installed in a housing 441a of the horizontal movement mechanism 441 for allowing the vertical movement mechanism 443 to move vertically along the vertical rod 444. Referring to FIG. 6, multiple sensors 48 are installed at the coordinate-displacing mechanism 44 for informing the computer 600 of the position of the coordinate-displacing mechanism 44.
With reference to FIGS. 3 to 7, the two disc players 50a, 50b are installed on two sides of the apparatus respectively. Each of the two disc players 50a, 50b, has a tray 501a, 501b respectively stretchably received therein for receiving the disc 32 released from the seizing mechanism 40. Through the above-mentioned process, a user can select a disc 32 via the computer 600 and put it into the disc player 50a, and similarly select a blank disc and then put it into the disc player 50b; thereby, the user can copy the data in the disc 32 to the blank disc.
The operation process of the apparatus is as follows: (i) selecting a disc 32 through a software of a computer 600 of the optical disc access control and storage apparatus; (ii) rotating the selected disc 32 in the rotating plate 30 to a channel 341a of the frame 341 of the first disc-pushing mechanism 34; (iii) pushing the disc 32 in the rotating plate 30 through the disc-pushing shaft 342 of the first disc-pushing mechanism 34 to the second disc-pushing mechanism 36; (iv) fixing the disc 32 in the positioning slot 361 of the second disc-pushing mechanism 36; (v) seizing the disc 32 through the seizing mechanism 40 via the rotating mechanism 42 and coordinate-displacing mechanism 44; (vi) generating a signal from the computer 600 ordering the clamp 381 of the auxiliary-fixing mechanism 38 to release the disc 32 and return to its original position, and (vii) releasing the disc 32 from the seizing mechanism 40 to the opened trays 501a, 501b of the disc players 50a, 50b through the rotating mechanism 42 and coordinate-displacing mechanism 44.
Similarly, when the user wants to return the disc 32 in the disc players 50a, 50b to the rotating plate 30, the process is as follows: (i) ordering the disc players 50a, 50b to open the trays 501a, 501b, (ii) seizing the disc 32 through the seizing mechanism 40 via the rotating mechanism 42 and the coordinate-displacing mechanism 44; (iii) placing the seized disc 32 into the positioning slot 361 of the second disc-pushing mechanism 36 through the rotating mechanism 42 and the coordinate-displacing mechanism 44; (iv) fixing the disc 32 through the clamp 381 of the auxiliary-fixing mechanism 38 and allowing the claws 401 of the seizing mechanism 40 to retreat from the central hole 321 of the disc 32; and (v) ordering the clamp 381 to release the disc 32 and pushing the disc 32 from the second disc-pushing mechanism 36 to the slot 301 of the rotating plate 30 in the channel 341a by the pushing element 363 of the second disc-pushing mechanism 36.
The invention may also be implemented in other specific modes without departing from the spirit and the essence of the invention. Thus, the above-mentioned embodiments shall be regarded as explanatory but not restrictive. All changes consistent with the meaning and range of the claims and the equivalents shall fall within the scope claimed by the invention.
Patent Application
20070291597
