Recording and/or reproducing apparatus

Abstract

A disc recorder/player that prevents foreign matter such as dust or the like from adhering to a drive shaft for assuring a highly accurate position control of the movable write and/or read unit. In the disc recorder/player, an electromechanical transducer is used as a drive source provided in a feeding mechanism for an optical pickup to expand and contract a drive shaft installed on the electromechanical transducer, and a dustproof cover unit is provided on a base to cover the top of the drive shaft. When the optical pickup supported on the drive shaft is moved, the dustproof cover unit can prevent dust, having entered when a disc cartridge is introduced into or removed from the disc recorder/player, from adhering to the drive shaft.

1 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprising: 
 a loading unit configured to load a disc-shaped recording medium;    a rotation drive unit configured to rotate said disc-shaped recording medium loaded in said loading unit;    a recording and/or reproducing unit configured to record an information signal to said disc-shaped recording medium rotated by said rotation drive and/or reproduce the information signal from said disc-shaped recording medium; and    a moving unit including:    a drive shaft configured to support said recording and/or reproducing unit to be movable along a radial direction of said disc-shaped recording medium; and    an electromechanical transducer provided at a first end of said drive shaft and configured to move said drive shaft along an axial direction of said drive shaft by expansion and contraction of said electromechanical transducer along said axial direction, said recording and/or reproducing unit being moved along said radial direction of said disc-shaped recording medium and a movement of said recording and/or reproducing unit being controlled by moving a speed of a movement of said drive shaft along said axial direction; and    a cover unit provided on said loading unit and configured to cover said drive shaft of said moving unit.    
   
   
       2 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said cover unit includes a first cover portion configured to cover a top of said drive shaft.  
   
   
       3 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said cover unit further includes a second cover portion configured to cover a lateral side of said drive shaft at a side of said recording and/or reproducing unit.  
   
   
       4 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein a guide recess is formed in said recording and/or reproducing unit along said radial direction of said disc-shaped recording medium, and said second cover portion is engaged in said guide recess.  
   
   
       5 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said second cover portion is substantially comb-shaped and elastically deformable.  
   
   
       6 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein a first part of said second cover portion is bent at a side of said first cover portion and a second part of said second cover portion covers the lateral side of said drive shaft at the side of said recording and/or reproducing unit.  
   
   
       7 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according  claim 1 , wherein said rotation drive unit is provided on a base, and said cover unit is provided integrally on said base.  
   
   
       8 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 1;  wherein said rotation drive unit is provided on a base, and said cover unit is provided on a cover member separate from said base.  
   
   
       9 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said cover unit includes: 
 a first cover portion configured to cover a top of said drive shaft; and    a second cover portion configured to cover a lateral side of said drive shaft at a side of said recording and/or reproducing unit, said second cover portion being substantially comb-shaped and elastically deformable, wherein said cover unit is provided on said base rotatably, and when said disc-shaped recording medium is unloaded in said loading position, said first cover portion covers the top of said drive shaft and a first part of said second cover portion is bent at the side of said first cover portion and a second part of said second member covers the lateral side of said drive shaft at the side of said recording and/or reproducing unit, and when said disc-shaped recording medium is loaded in said loading position, said cover unit is rotated by pushing said disc-shaped recording medium and said second cover portion is separated from said recording and/or reproducing unit.    
   
   
       10 : A recording and/or playback apparatus comprising: 
 a base;    a rotation drive unit provided on the base to rotate a disc-shaped recording medium;    a recording and/or playback unit exposed to the disc-shaped recording medium placed on the rotation drive unit through an opening formed in the base to write an information signal to the disc-shaped recording medium and/or read the information signal from the disc-shaped recording medium;    a moving unit including a drive shaft to support the recording and/or playback unit to be movable radially along the disc-shaped recording medium;    an electromechanical transducer installed at a first end of the drive shaft and configured to be expanded and contracted axially along the drive shaft to displace the drive shaft in a longitudinal direction, to move the recording and/or playback unit radially along the disc-shaped recording medium and a movement of said recording and/or playback unit being controlled by causing a speed of a movement of the electromechanical transducer to displace the drive shaft; and    a cover unit provided on the base to cover the drive shaft of the moving unit.    
   
   
       11 : The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the cover unit includes a first cover portion configured to cover a top of the drive shaft.  
   
   
       12 : The apparatus as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein the cover unit further includes a second cover portion configured to cover a lateral side of the drive shaft at a side of the recording and/or playback unit.  
   
   
       13 : The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the cover unit is provided integrally on the base.  
   
   
       14 : The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the cover unit is provided on a cover member separate from the base.  
   
   
       15 : The apparatus as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein the second cover portion is generally comb-shaped and elastically deformable.  
   
   
       16 : The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein: 
 the disc-shaped recording medium is encased rotatably in a cartridge body; and    the base has a cartridge receptacle in which the cartridge body is received.    
   
   
       17 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprising: 
 means for loading a disc-shaped recording medium;    means for rotating said disc-shaped recording medium loaded in said means for loading;    means for recording an information signal to said disc-shaped recording medium rotated by said means for rotating and/or reproducing the information signal from said disc-shaped recording medium;    means for moving said recording and/or reproducing means including:    means for supporting said means for recording and/or reproducing to be movable along a radial direction of said disc-shaped recording medium; and    means for moving said means for supporting along a moving direction of said means for recording and/or reproducing based on an input voltage, said means for recording and/or reproducing being moveable along said radial direction of said disc-shaped recording medium and a movement of said recording and/or reproducing means being controlled by a speed of a movement of said means for supporting along said moving direction; and    means for covering said means for supporting.    
   
   
       18 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said means for covering includes first means for covering a top of said means for supporting.  
   
   
       19 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein said means for covering further includes second means for covering a lateral side of said supporting means at a side of said means for recording and/or reproducing.  
   
   
       20 : A recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to  claim 19 , further comprising: 
 means for engaging with said means for covering and for guiding said means for recording and/or reproducing to move along the radial direction of said disc-shaped recording medium.