RECORDING AND/OR REPRODUCING DEVICE

Abstract

A recording/reproducing device includes a disc tray, a device body supporting the disc tray movably in an insertion-ejection direction, and a holding mechanism for holding the disc tray within the device body. The holding mechanism includes a bias member biasing the disc tray outward of the device body, an engagement pin extending through an opening of the device body near a sidewall thereof and engageable with the disc tray to hold the disc tray within the device body, and an engagement segment provided in the disc tray and engageable with the engagement pin. The engagement pin includes a flange portion fitted to a depressed portion of the opening, a pin body extending through the opening, and an engagement projection projected into the device body from the pin body and engageable with the engagement segment. The engagement projection is disposed on the pin body at a position biased towards the sidewall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a notebook-size personal computer in which a recording and/or reproducing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the recording and/or reproducing device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the recording and/or reproducing device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a disc tray as viewed from an underside thereof;

FIG. 5 is another plan view of the disc tray as viewed from the underside thereof;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an engagement mechanism;

FIG. 7 is another plan view of the engagement mechanism;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, which illustrate an engagement pin;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, which illustrate another example of an engagement pin;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, which illustrate another example of an engagement pin;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an optical pickup unit;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the disc tray and a device body supporting the disc tray in a slidable fashion;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a drive device in related art;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a disc tray in the related art, as viewed from an underside thereof;

FIG. 15 is another plan view of the disc tray in the related art, as viewed from the underside thereof;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of an engagement mechanism in the related art;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, which illustrate an engagement pin in the related art;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a condition where an engagement pin in the related art is tilted; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the tilted condition of the engagement pin in the related art.

Claims

1. A recording and/or reproducing device comprising: a disc tray on which a recording medium is set;a device body that supports the disc tray in a manner such that the disc tray is movable into and out of the device body; anda disc-tray holding mechanism for holding the disc tray within the device body,wherein the disc-tray holding mechanism includesa bias member for biasing the disc tray outward of the device body,an engagement pin extending through an opening of the device body near a sidewall of the device body, the engagement pin being engageable with the disc tray such as to hold the disc tray within the device body, andan engagement segment provided in the disc tray, the engagement segment engaging with the engagement pin when the disc tray is inserted into the device body against a bias force of the bias member,wherein the engagement pin includes a flange portion which is fitted to a depressed portion extending along an inner periphery of the opening, a pin body that extends through the opening, and an engagement projection which is projected from the pin body towards the inside of the device body and is engageable with the engagement segment, andwherein the engagement projection is disposed on the pin body at a position biased towards the sidewall of the device body.

2. The recording and/or reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the depressed portion and the flange portion have a contact area therebetween that gives the engagement pin engaged with the engagement segment a sufficient resistance to an impact generated when the device body is dropped.

3. The recording and/or reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the pin body and the opening are substantially circular and the engagement projection is columnar, and wherein the columnar engagement projection is disposed on the substantially circular pin body at a position biased towards the sidewall of the device body.

4. The recording and/or reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the pin body and the opening are substantially D-shaped such that a cutaway side of the D-shape is proximate to the sidewall of the device body, and wherein the engagement projection is disposed on the D-shaped pin body at a position biased towards the cutaway side of the D-shaped pin body.

5. The recording and/or reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the disc-tray holding mechanism further includes a rotatable segment which regulates a rotating range of the engagement segment by being in contact with the engagement segment such as to allow the engagement segment to engage with the engagement projection or to allow the engagement segment to disengage from the engagement projection,a plunger which is engaged with the rotatable segment, the plunger being inserted into a magnetic coil so as to rotate the rotatable segment, anda pushing segment which comes into contact with the rotatable segment in response to a pushing force from the engagement projection such as to push the rotatable segment in a direction for engaging the engagement segment with the engagement projection,wherein when the disc tray is inserted into the device body against the bias force of the bias member, the engagement projection pushes against the pushing segment so that the rotatable segment in contact with the pushing segment rotates the engagement segment in the direction for engaging the engagement segment with the engagement projection, the engagement between the engagement segment and the engagement projection holding the disc tray within the device body, and wherein when the disc tray is to be ejected from the device body, the plunger rotates the rotatable segment such as to bias the engagement segment in a direction for disengaging the engagement segment from the engagement projection, the disc tray being ejected from the device body due to the bias force of the bias member.