US 7,475,409 B2
Disc changer device
Shuichi Yamagami, Osaka (Japan); and Noboru Honjo, Osaka (Japan)
Assigned to Onkyo Corporation, Osaka (Japan)
Appl. No. 10/549,112
PCT Filed Mar. 22, 2004, PCT No. PCT/JP2004/003896
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Sep. 14, 2005,
PCT Pub. No. WO2004/100146, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 18, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 2003-132707 (JP), filed on May 12, 2003; and application No. 2003-132708 (JP), filed on May 12, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2006/0174253 A1, Aug. 03, 2006
Int. Cl. G11B 17/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 720—619 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A disc changer comprising: a tray for carrying a plurality of discs mounted thereto, the tray being arranged in a housing movably back and forth into and out of the housing;
a reproducer arranged at a predetermined position in the housing to be displaceable up and down for reproducing information recorded on a disc while clamping the disc on the tray;
a driving source for generating a driving force for performing the in-out movement of the tray and the displacement of the reproducer; and
a driving force transmission for transmitting the driving force generated at the driving source to the tray and to the reproducer while switching between the tray and the reproducer, the transmission comprising a guide groove formed at a lower surface of the tray to extend right and left, a cam for displacing the reproducer up and down to shift the reproducer between a disc clamp position and a clamp release position, and a crank arm arranged below the tray in the housing, the crank arm including a disc-like rotation portion which is rotatable by the driving force of the driving source, an arm portion projecting radially outward from an outer circumference of the rotation portion and having a distal end slidably engaging the guide groove, and a connection portion formed at part of the outer circumference of the rotation portion for connection to the cam to transmit a rotational force of the rotation portion to the cam when the distal end of the arm portion moves through an intermediate portion of the guide groove;
wherein the guide groove has a bow shape comprising an arcuate intermediate curve generally conforming to an arcuate path along which the distal end of the arm portion moves due to the rotation of the crank arm, and left and right end curves extending from opposite ends of the intermediate curve and curved opposite to the intermediate curve;
wherein the cam is cylindrical and has a circumferential surface part of which is formed with a cam groove inclined with respect to a vertical direction and another part of which is formed with teeth; and
wherein the connection portion of the crank arm comprises teeth formed at a circumferential surface of the rotation portion at a position which faces the teeth of the cylindrical cam to mesh with the teeth during when the distal end of the arm portion moves through the intermediate curve of the guide groove.