Disc drive apparatus

1. A disc drive apparatus capable of loading and ejecting: a first disc which has a light shielding effect; a second disc whose outside diameter is smaller than that of the first disc and which has a light shielding effect; a third disc whose outside diameter is almost same as the first disc and which has a light shielding effect and a hollow hole whose outside diameter is almost same as the second disc in central; and a fourth disc whose outside diameter is almost same as the first disc, which has a small data area whose diameter is almost same as the second disc in central and has a light shielding effect, and whose rest area except the small data area is transparent; said apparatus comprising: a disc inserting and discharging portion having a width sufficient to receive the first disc along its outside diameter, the disc inserting and discharging portion allowing the second disc to be inserted and discharged anywhere along the width; a first detector for detecting a disc passing through one end of the disc inserting and discharging portion by physically contacting with the disc wherein the first detector comprises a mechanical switch; a second detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc; and a disc identifier for identifying type of the disc based on a detected result by the second detector when the first detector detects the disc, wherein said second detector is arranged on a position where said second detector is capable of detecting the fourth disc when the first detector detects the fourth disc, and where said second detector does not detect the third disc when the first detector detects the third disc, wherein, in the position where said second detector is arranged, said second detector does not detect the second disc when the first detector detects the second disc in response to the second disc being inserted anywhere along the width of the disc inserting and discharging portion.

2. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a third detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc,

wherein, in the position where the second detector is arranged, the second detector is capable of detecting the third disc when the third detector first detects the first disc or the third disc, the second detector is also capable of detecting the fourth disc when the third detector detects the fourth disc, and the second detector does not detect the second disc when the third detector first detects the second disc passing through the one end of the disc inserting and discharging portion, and

wherein said disc identifier identifies type of the disc based on a detected result of the second detector when the third detector first detects the disc inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion.

3. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a third detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc; and

a fourth detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc,

wherein a width of said disc inserting and discharging portion is about same as the outer diameter of the first disc,

wherein said third detector is arranged on a position where the third detector is capable of detecting the first disc and the third disc when the fourth detector first detects the first disc and the third disc, and where the third detector does not detect the second disc when the fourth detector first detects the second disc passing through the other end of the disc inserting and discharging portion, and

wherein said disc identifier identifies type of the disc based on a detected result of the third detector when the fourth detector first detects the disc inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion.

4. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a light detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc; and

a physical detector for detecting the disc by physically contacting with the disc, wherein the physical detector comprises a mechanical switch,

wherein a width of said disc inserting and discharging portion is about same as the outer diameter of the first disc,

wherein said physical detector is arranged on a position where the physical detector is capable of detecting the first disc or the third disc when the light detector first detects the first disc or the third disc, and where the physical detector does not detect the second disc when the light detector first detects the second disc passing through the other end of the disc inserting and discharging portion, and

wherein said disc identifier identifies type of the disc based on a detected result of the physical detector when the light detector first detects the disc inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion.

5. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a light detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc;

a physical detector for detecting the disc by physically contacting with the disc, wherein the physical detector comprises a mechanical switch; and

another light detector for detecting the disc passing by the light shielding of the disc,

wherein said other light detector is arranged on a position where the other light detector is capable of detecting the second disc passing through the disc inserting and discharging portion and undetected by the second detector,

wherein, in any cases of:

1) the first disc passes through the disc inserting and discharging portion;

2) the fourth disc passes through the disc inserting and discharging portion;

3) the second disc passes through the one end of the disc inserting and discharging portion;

4) the second disc passes through the other end of the disc inserting and discharging portion; and

5) the third disc passes through the disc inserting and discharging portion,

said light detector and said physical detector are arranged on portions where any one of the light detector and the physical detector is capable of detecting the disc during the period from when any one of the other light detector and the second detector first detects the disc to when neither the other light detector nor the second detector detects the disc, and

in a case of:

6) the second disc passes through a central portion in width direction of the disc inserting and discharging portion,

said light detector and said physical detector are arranged on portions where neither the light detector nor the physical detector detects the disc during the period from when any one of the other light detector and the second detector first detects the disc to when both the other light detector and the second detector do not detect the disc, and

wherein said disc identifier identifies type of the disc based on both detected results of the light detector and the physical detector during the period from when any of the other light detector and the second detector first detects the disc to when both the other light detector and the second detector do not detect the disc.

6. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a disc transporting portion for loading and ejecting a disc in the disc inserting and discharging portion by transporting the disc; and

a controller for controlling the loading and ejecting operation of the transporting portion based on an identified result of the disc identifier,

wherein, in a case of that the first detector detects multiple discs inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion, said controller controls the transporting portion to stop loading the disc.

7. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a transporting portion for loading and ejecting a disc in the disc inserting and discharging portion by transporting the disc; and

a controller for controlling the loading and ejecting operation of the disc transporting portion based on an identified result of the disc identifier,

wherein, in a case of that the first detector detects multiple discs inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion, said controller controls the transporting portion to eject the disc.

8. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said disc inserting and discharging portion has a regulating portion for regulating the plural discs passing in a direction of the thickness of the disc.

9. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said transporting portion has a limiting portion for limiting movement in the direction of the thickness of the disc passing through the disc inserting and discharging portion.

10. The disc drive apparatus according to the claim 4 , further comprising:

a transporting portion for loading and ejecting disc in the disc inserting and discharging portion by transporting the disc;

a controller for controlling the loading and ejecting operation of the transporting portion based on an identified result of the disc identifier,

wherein, in a case of that the physical detector multiple detects the disc inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion, said controller controls the transporting portion to stop loading the disc.

11. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a transporting portion for loading and ejecting a disc in the disc inserting and discharging portion by transporting the disc; and

a controller for controlling the loading and ejecting operation of the disc transporting portion based on an identified result of the disc identifier,

wherein, in a case of that the physical detector multiple detects the disc inserted into the disc inserting and discharging portion, said controller controls the transporting portion to eject the disc.

12. The disc drive apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a transporting portion for loading and ejecting a disc in the disc inserting and discharging portion by transporting the disc; and

a controller for controlling the loading and ejecting operation of the disc transporting portion based on an identified result of the disc identifier,

wherein, in a case of that the disc loading operation is not completed within a predetermined period after insertion of the disc, said controller controls the transporting portion to eject the disc.