Disc device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10796720-B2
Application number	US-201816641406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Dec 7, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

The disc device that includes a disc tray which stores a plurality of stacked discs, a tray carrier which transports the disc tray, and a disc selector which supplies one disc of the plurality of discs stacked on the disc tray to a drive unit. The disc selector includes a disc selector spindle that supports the plurality of discs, a disc press on which an upper surface of an uppermost disc of the plurality of discs supported by the disc selector spindle abuts, a displacement amount detection mechanism that detects a displacement amount of the disc press displaced according to thicknesses of the plurality of supported discs, and a thickness detection unit that detects a thickness of each of the plurality of discs based on the detected displacement amount of the disc press.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A disc device comprising:
a disc tray which stores a plurality of stacked discs;
a tray carrier which transports the disc tray; and
a disc selector which supplies one disc of the plurality of discs stacked on the disc tray to a drive unit,
wherein the disc selector includes
a disc selector spindle that supports the plurality of discs,
a disc press on which an upper surface of an uppermost disc of the plurality of discs supported by the disc selector spindle abuts,
a displacement amount detection mechanism that detects a displacement amount of the disc press displaced according to thicknesses of the plurality of supported discs, and
a thickness detection unit that detects a thickness of each of the plurality of discs based on the detected displacement amount of the disc press.

2. The disc device according to claim 1 , wherein
the displacement amount detection mechanism includes
a column that is connected to the disc press, and is displaced in the same direction as a displacement direction of the disc press,
a film that is attached to the column, and has a plurality of slits formed in a direction perpendicular to the displacement direction of the column, and
an encoder that counts the number of slits displaced together with the disc press in the displacement direction of the disc press.

3. The disc device according to claim 2 , wherein the encoder includes a plurality of optical elements arranged at intervals along the displacement direction of the disc press within a length of an interval between the slits.

4. The disc device according to claim 1 , wherein
the displacement amount detection mechanism includes
a shaft that is connected to the disc press, and extends along a displacement direction of the disc selector, and
a guide that guides the shaft in an insertable manner, and

the guide is supported by a chassis of the disc selector.

5. The disc device according to claim 4 , wherein the displacement amount detection mechanism includes a conical coil spring that is urged in a direction in which the disc press is separated from the chassis between the disc press and the chassis of the disc selector.

6. The disc device according to claim 2 , wherein the thickness detection unit detects the thickness of each of the plurality of discs based on the displacement amount detected by the encoder in a state in which all the plurality of discs stacked on the disc tray is supported.

7. The disc device according to claim 6 , wherein the thickness detection unit detects the thickness of each disc by detecting a total thickness of the stacked discs and dividing the detected total thickness of the discs by the number of stacked discs.

8. The disc device according to claim 6 , wherein the thickness detection unit detects the thickness of each disc based on each displacement amount detected by the encoder when the plurality of discs supported by the disc selector spindle is removed one by one.

9. The disc device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores the detected thickness of each disc.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takahashi Hiroshi
• Morioka Yukio
• Tsuruta Hirohito
• Yamazaki Takuto

Classifications

• G11B17/05 Primary

  specially adapted for discs not contained within cartridges · CPC title

• G11B23/0236 Primary

  Containers for several cassettes · CPC title

• G11B17/26

  the magazine having a cylindrical shape with vertical axis · CPC title

• G11B33/0477

  comprising centre hole locking means · CPC title

• G11B23/032

  for rigid discs · CPC title